Legaia: Duel Saga

   The continuation of the Wild Arms series on the PlayStation 2 came as no real surprise, but the announcement of a sequel to Legend of Legaia was a bit more unexpected. While not unpopular, the 1998 PlayStation RPG never received the same recognition as the Wild Arms titles. Developer Contrail saw fit to develop it into its second RPG series, however, yielding a PlayStation 2 sequel.

Battle menu

   Legaia: Duel Saga, as the sequel has been named, seems to retain most of Legend of Legaia's martial arts-themed battle system. As in the original title, players create attacks by chaining together hits directed towards an enemy's head, legs, left, and right sides. Specific combinations of blows yield "Arts," more powerful special attacks. Duel Saga's summon-centric magic system appears to be somewhat modified however: instead of absorbing Seru creatures into their weapons, players will have to seek out specific items to summon creatures known as Ori-jin.

   Legaia: Duel Saga's trio of main characters also seem to fit the same roles as Legaia 1's heroes. This time, the heroes are Nanfu, a 17-year-old hero trying to save his hometown; Maya, a mute 14-year-old magician; and Kasa, a solitary swordsman who dwells in a forest. The characters have a more realistic look to them in Legaia 2 -- the sequel retains the fully 3-D graphic style of the original, but with larger, more accurately-proportioned characters.

   Reportedly already 60% complete, Legaia: Duel Saga is due out as soon as this fall in Japan. A North American release has not yet been announced, but seems a likely bet for sometime in 2002.