Legrand Legacy: Tale of the Fatebounds review for Nintendo Switch

If you have fond memories of original PlayStation and PlayStation 2 RPG?s, then there?s a good chance you?ll dig what Legrand Legacy: Tale of the Fatebounds is going for. It?s a throwback style RPG that does a pretty solid job of emulating the look and feel of late era PS1, early era PS2 games from the same genre, and it recently released on the eShop for the Nintendo Switch. It?s a timeframe for that genre that I personally enjoyed, but few games have bothered to make a serious attempt at emulating that style in recent years, and even less have been successful. Thankfully Legrand Legacy nails it, and I?d absolutely suggest the game if you?re looking for a classic console RPG to play.

While the look of Legrand Legacy is going for a 32-bit style feel, featuring pre-rendered backgrounds mixed with 3D character models, it?s a sharper looking game compared to those from that era. Also, the FMV cutscenes have the right amount of grain while not sacrificing much in framerate or animation, again emulating a style while still feeling modern. Likewise, the soundtrack is filled with compositions (and battle music) that could arguably be put side by side with Square PS1 releases, compromised of catchy hum along mixes that manage to stick with you after putting the controller down. Again, I can?t give enough praise to how well Legrand Legacy does with its overall attempt to mimic classic console RPG?s from that era, and it?s easily the biggest selling point here.

But how about the rest of the game? Legrand Legacy: Tale of the Fatebounds puts you in control of a young, amnesiac hero rescued from the gladiator pits, who in turn becomes embroiled in your standard ?save the world? scenario. The general plot isn?t necessarily a breath of fresh air, featuring common RPG tropes, character archetypes, and so on. Still, it?s mostly enjoyable, and packed with world-building lore that you can dig into if you want. The world of Legrand Legacy is well realized overall, with varied locations, environments, and races to interact with. I found myself engaging with random NPC?s often, turning through in-game notes, and paying close attention to plot details and lore markers. So while not the most inventive scenario in gaming, Legrand Legacy?s story is certainly capable of drawing you in.

Combat is typically initiated by encountering enemies that patrol the overworld/dungeon maps. Enemies are represented on the map as black smoke-like blobs, and when you run into one, you?ll switch to the battlefield. Loading here could be a bit quicker, it becomes more noticeable the further in to the game you get, and is one throwback I could have done without. However, the actual battles are generally quick, and feature timed button presses to execute attacks, making the encounters engaging. Combat also makes use of an elemental strength/weakness system, and it?s easy enough to scan enemies to determine their abilities and how you should attack them. It?s part Persona, part Final Fantasy, with a little bit of Shadow Hearts mixed in.

Legrand Legacy also features a robust crafting system, with enemy specific drops that you?ll accumulate and turn into weapons and other resources. My sole complaint against the game outside of battle load times is that I wish there was a better in-game resource for the crafting. It?s difficult to remember which enemies drop which items, where those enemies are located on the map, and sometimes the drop rates are a little too low for my liking. Also, the game could do a better job of highlighting items you should sell compared to items you can keep, as funds can be a little tight early on.

Outside of that, I would recommend Legrand Legacy to Switch owners. I think it does a great job of emulating a style of RPG that is generally not represented on consoles or PC?s nowadays, and scratches an itch I didn?t even know I had. It?s not overly long, has a solid combat system, and the story is robust enough to draw you in and keep you hooked. Give this one a shot when you get a chance, you won?t be disappointed.

Note: Another Indie Studio provided us with a Legrand Legacy: Tale of the Fatebounds Switch code for review purposes.