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The Legend of Heroes III: Song of the Ocean (PSP)

• Developer:
• Publisher: Namco Bandai Games
• Genre:
• Official Website: http://www.namcobandaigames.com
• Score: 2 of 5: Strictly Rental

The pedigree of The Legend of Heroes III is very strong due to its developer Falcom. Falcom is the creator of one of my favorite RPG series, Ys. I remember playing the first Ys on the Sega Master System and enjoying every minute of the game. When the Turbo Grafx CD system was released, I made sure to purchase the system just for Ys Book I & II. The series took a stumble, in my opinion, with the release of Ys III and has never recovered. It could be that Falcom has never recovered as well because The Legend of Heroes III just doesn't achieve the same level of greatness as those earlier Falcom titles.

As the title indicates, this is the third title in The Legend of Heroes series, all of which have been released on the PSP. For those that have played the earlier titles, Legend of Heroes III (LH III) will allow you to import saved character data from earlier games. The characters from the first two LH titles can be used in special battles that you discover in the game. These battles are not connected to the main story of LH III, but the experience points collected in the battles do transfer over. Unfortunately you cannot use characters from the earlier games in the main story of the LH III.

Now for those that haven't played the first two games, LH III is what I would describe as a tried and true RPG. If you've played a Japanese style RPG before, then you will not find any surprises in LH III. The plot, graphics, and game play of LH III will remind you of games you've played in the past. A game with a teenager as the main character? A love interest between the main hero and his female supporting character? Turned based combat? Check, check and check to all of these and many more clichés.

To me the biggest challenge facing LH III is the linear gameplay. The game keeps you focused on following one path during the game. If you haven't finish everything in a city or area, the game will keep you from moving to the next portion of the game. Even moving from city to city is very linear with usually only one way to a particular city. For example if you to visit city D, you first have to travel through City A, B, and C before you can make it to City D.

There are a few areas in the game which try to keep the game from completely falling on its face. While the graphics are definitely of the old 16-bit style RPG, they do offer some nice eye candy. For example the game always has a sun flare effect when you're traveling outside and some interesting special effects during combat. The music in the game is a big piece since you play the role of an up and coming musician. You will learn and perform songs, solo and with your party members, in the game. It's nice to see a (non music) game let the music take a focal part of the game. All of the songs and music in the game were nicely done as well.

The special attacks during combat were a strong feature in LH III as well. You have a power meter that charges during combat, which unleashes a special attack when charged up. But the power meter doesn't necessarily charge to full during one battle. Instead it could take a couple of battles to charge the gauge completely. This opens up some strategy elements since you could either use your special attack in one battle or wait until you get in a boss battle.

The Legend of Heroes III is another title in the long list of average role playing games for the PSP. While LH III does offer gamers a simple and linear RPG experience, it doesn't offer anything refreshing or new. For PSP owners looking for a must have title, they should probably keep looking. For hardcore RPG owners, you have probably already bought this game without even looking at a review. For that I congratulate you since your dedication is keeping the floodgates open. But how many more RPG titles can you keep purchasing before enough is enough?

Mar 13, 2007 | 2 comments
Brian