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It breaks my heart, too

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: January 05, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I've been a fan of the Lufia series ever since the first game, "Lufia and the Fortress of Doom" was first released on the Super NES in 1993. It is without a doubt one of my absolute favorite series ever, right up there with Zelda, Mana, Breath of Fire, and the early Final Fantasy titles. When I heard several years ago that they were finally planning to make a third game I was worried it might not make it to the U.S. but once I found out it was I was absolutely estatic! I could hardly wait! I bot it from a local retailer the week it came out and was filled with anticipation all the way home. As I studied the boxart and looked through the manual I thought that the game might just live up to my expectations but after a few hours of gameplay I started to feel disappointed, and the longer I played the more disappointed I got.

I really feel this game lacks the magic of the earlier titles for the Super NES. As far as the superficials go (graphics, music, etc.), they're all right, nothing especially praise worthy, but it is a Game Boy Color game after all, so I didn't let that get in the way. What disappointed me were the characters, storyline and worst of all the gameplay itself.

The storyline is loosely connected to earlier Lufia games but hardly mentions Maxim, Selan or any of the other heroes we've come to love so much in the previous games. Yes, one of them does make an appearance but his role is so incredibly limited that I felt he was wasted.

There are more playable characters in this game than any other Lufia game but they really felt underdeveloped to me. You'd get one character on your team and barely have time to learn they're backstory before another character joined, and the previous character suddenly was no longer important to the plot. This made me long for the previous games where the characters were so well developed and always played essential roles in the game's story. These characters also had very little to differentiate them between each other. They look different, and some of them have different weapons from others but that's it. Most of them can learn essentially the same skills and are just "place fillers", to fill up part of the grid in an incredibly clunky and confusing battle system that revolves around colors and columns. This is what turned me off more than anything else from the game. It just felt like such a terribly implemented idea, like a lackluster attempt at the the type of combat or skill system you'd see in a PSOne RPG. It just didn't seem to fit at all in a Lufia game, where I felt the simplicity of classic turn based system (coupled with the wide array of spells and IP to select from) had been a big part of the allure.

Capsule Monsters and IP are also completely absent from the game as are the innovative Puzzles and "Zelda-like" field items of Lufia II. Also every time you enter a dungeon (even the final dungeon) it's construced randomly this probably seemed like a good idea to the programmers, but in reality it just makes every dungeon feel the same, and worse each floor on each dungeons feels the same, since there's very little variation in terms of size or shape. The end result is that there's no real exploration in dungeons, it's just the same thing, over and over and over again.

I really wanted to love this game, I honestly did but in the end I couldn't, I could hardly even like it. I can hardly remember having been so disappointed by a sequel. However thankfully there is some good news! A few years after this they decided to make another Lufia game called Lufia: The Ruins of Lore. I was very hesitant this time, but went out and bought it anyway and was very pleasantly surprised! It plays and feels so much more like the earlier Lufia games than this game (The Legend Returns) does. I strongly recomend you check out that game instead or, if you haven't already, try Lufia II for the Super NES!

egg dragon rocks my world

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 2
Date: August 06, 2004
Author: Amazon User

ok looking at this game , you may think that its just another game boy rpg that died last year but this is a lufia game the 3rd in the series. Great story and many hidden "things" remember the anicent cave? its now 200 floors and all random.........I died at 134 and bam lost everything..... its soo .....blip blip yummy that the only thing ill say is "I love the egg dragon more than EVER!!!!"

can i .....

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 12
Date: February 23, 2003
Author: Amazon User

can i order Lufia: The Legend Returns by sending chek
if ican please send me an email to tell me

An unbelievable title

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: December 24, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Lufia : The Legend Returns was one of the final games to hit the GBC, and the game is simply awesome! The new twisting storyline takes place 300 years after the 1st doom island war.
Once again, Natsume impresses the world with its unique battle system. The system looks complicating, but within the first 2 hours of gameplay you'll adapt to it. 9, yes up to 9 people can fight along your side, and the IP (Item Points) and a new LP (Learning Point) system is introduced. IP are built as you take damage, and when used against monsters it is impressive! LP is used for learning Magic, as well as increasing your stamina.
The game's uniqueness is brought out again in the dungeons. Nope, there isn't a map. Each floor level changes as you pass them, and the trasures of each room are rehidden. While to some this can be annoying, it really isn't; it can be very helpful at times when you are in need of restocking your inventory.
Simply put, Lufia III outstands the world again, and beginners as well as experts are put to the ultimate test. My only advice is that you keep and refer to the instrucion manual; it'll be confusing at first ;)

--A little intro to the game--
The story begins when a cerulean haired fortune teller named Seena enters the small village of Patos. Seena meets Wain, a simply unintelligent yet strong teenager whom lives in the village. They become friends, and set off for the adventure of their lives!

What a sweet game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 4
Date: May 05, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Awesome story! Fantastic characters! Beautiful music! Great monsters! Maniac bosses! So compelling you won't want to stop playing! And what a plot twist at the end! A MUST HAVE for RPG gamers!

They're so CUTE!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 6
Date: February 25, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I got this game entirely 'cuase I had gotten a Best Buy gift certificate for Christmas and was looking for a new Gameboy game since I had run out. To tell you the truth, the only reason I even glanced at it was because it had a neat cover... I ended up getting it just for the heck of it, a low and behold, it's the funniest RPG I've ever played! Sure, the graphics aren't all that special and the gameplay isn't anything new, but I just couldn't stop laughing! The main character is a total blockhead and everyone he meets calls him stupid. The expressions are so primitive it's adorable. There are around five seemingly final boses before the game actualy ends. Not to mention the drawings of the characters are sooooo cute!!(I love super deformed!) Anyways, it's a hilarious game, even if it wasn't realy suposed to be.

I hate random dungeons

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: February 17, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I was not fortunate enough to have played the SNES game, but I thought this game was a major snore. I really hate random dungeons. Actually, I'm not thrilled with dungeons at all, but these were longer and more tedious than any I had ever dealt with before. The story was bland and the characters were not well defined. It's also full of spelling and grammatical errors that should have been caught if they'd spent more time on it. Altogether, this game struck me as a rushed job by people who don't really care about it. The save system stinks too. I hate only being able to save my game at certain times, I can't guarantee I'll have several uninterrupted hours to play and I like to be able to stop when I need to. Also, the story sequences take way too long.

=/

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 8
Date: November 24, 2001
Author: Amazon User

The Lufia series has always been a major favorite of mine since I tried Lufia 2 for the SNES. To find out it would be coming out on a portable system, I was overjoyed. Until I got it. The dungeon system is a bunch of randomly generated levels and rooms until you get to the last floor. The graphics were pretty good considering it was on the Gameboy Color. But the battle system and the idea of different colors for different rows to gain abilities was a bit strange and a weak addition to the game. Granted, the animations for battles shouldn't really be compared to that of the SNES versions, but it can be better for the Gameboy Color. A small icon standing still while the enemy's image has a large slash going through it isn't very seducing.

Frankly, any fans of the Lufia series should stick with the SNES versions, and forget the Gameboy Color one unless you really want to play it on the go...

Breaks my heart...

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 32 / 35
Date: October 17, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I have been a fan of the Lufia games since the first one was released on the SNES here in America. When I heard the Game Boy Color was receiving an Estopolis game, I was immediately e-mailing Natsume. "Will you guys be releasing it in America as Lufia 3?"

It's finally here. I plug it in. All indications--pretty graphics, fun dialog, wonderful battle system, great play mechanics, good storyline, even great music, the best on the Game Boy Color--cause me to smile and giggle and thank the heavens. I'm enthused to say the least.

Then I figure it out. Every dungeon is completely random. But I keep playing. And playing. And I try so hard to like it. SO hard. The storyline is keeping me going, the combat is wonderful.

Every dungeon may be random, but they are all EXACTLY the same. Wander around hitting walls and things until you've explored the level the go to the next. 10 or so levels later, you have a boss fight and a story sequence.

Repeat.

Repeat.

My heart is absolutely broken. How can this happen? The heart of the Estopolis games has always been the wonderful dungeons, now replaced by this absolute drudgery.

Try before you buy, and make sure you have tissues to dry your tears. I am praying that the Game Boy Advance Estopolis is released here, and that the dungeons, while they will still be random, will be more sensical and have non-random segments.

This game had everything going for it, and one major flaw destroys it. Why oh why?

It's Finally Here!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 13
Date: September 30, 2001
Author: Amazon User

After years of being delayed and rewritten and all kinds of other stuff, Lufia: the Legend Returns has finally made it to America. Being a longtime fan of Lufia I decided to keep myself up to date on the progress of this game. I recently ordered and recieved my copy from Amazon.com and now I am writing to say what I think.
THe controls are pretty much the same as the previous games, but they've undergone some changes and..well..playy the game and you'll find out.
THe music is all done by Yasunori Shiono, who scored Lufia I and II's soundtracks. Even after all these years he hasn't lost his magic touch.
The story is the same except that now the Sinistrals are being aided by Balzak, the god of fire. On the whole a great story.

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