I am a no-name journalist who works for TheGamer. I don’t have thousands of followers—in fact, compared to my colleagues, I am still considered newer in the gaming industry. There are hundreds of ways I’m seeking to make a difference in this field, from plans of exploring mental health and video games to covering topics that others don’t seem to want to touch.
But one of my (not so) hidden agendas is to get the right people to recognize that The Legend of Dragoon—a fantasy JRPG released on the PlayStation 1 in 1999 in Japan, 2000 in the US, and 2001 in Europe—is a unique, breath-taking work of art that undoubtedly deserves a remake or a sequel on a newer system. I will get this game the recognition and updates that it deserves.
You probably either don’t believe I can do this, don’t care if I do it, or both. That’s fair. The Legend of Dragoon sold over one million copies worldwide, most of which took place in North America. Not only are these not the most ground-breaking numbers, but it’s been over twenty years now since the game’s release, so I’m not expecting a ton of enthusiasm. But if you’re sitting here thinking, “why is this person so obsessed with this game?” then I’ve got you right where I want you.
Why, indeed? I’ve already written some about what makes this game so great, but the short of it is that I’ve never come across another game with a more interesting and unique story combined with my favorite type of turn-based gameplay. For example, I’ve liked certain Final Fantasy games, have obsessed over Fire Emblem, I adored Octopath Traveler, and am currently spending all my time on Bravely Default 2. To be completely honest, almost all these games have better graphics, some of them have soundtracks that blew people away, and none of them suffered from awkward English-dubbed audio in quite the way that The Legend of Dragoon did.
But all those qualities are things that can be updated if The Legend of Dragoon were to get a remake. The qualities that aren’t updated in remakes—such as the plot of the game and its characters—are so superior in The Legend of Dragoon compared to all the games listed above that it continues to blow my mind that this game hasn’t been properly recognized for this yet.
“That’s great, but one fan’s enthusiasm doesn’t get a game remade.” You’re right. I’m not naïve, and I know it’s going to take actual work, not just gushing over the game in articles for TheGamer. This is why I’ve already been in contact with the community organizer for The Legend of Dragoon – Global Community. I was elated to find out that not only is there a petition going to get a Legend of Dragoon remake, but there is also a whole community that is actively working towards this.
On legendofdragoon.org, a site that was created as a “comprehensive hub of information and resources relating to The Legend of Dragoon,” a “help wanted” page was updated in January of this year. On it, there is a long list of all the different ways people can help—from translating projects, moderating social media, updating the website, doing a bunch of research regarding merchandise and game mentions, and more. In a few weeks, they’re about to get that help that they wanted, because I am going to dive headfirst into these projects (and more) to make a difference and get this game on the radar again.
I might be a nobody for now but mark my words—this article is not going to age badly, and I will make a significant difference for the future of The Legend of Dragoon in one way or another.