Last year, rumors started to swirl about a potential The Legend of Dragoon remake coming from Bluepoint Games. The developer with a knack for excellent remakes had previously remade Shadow of the Colossus to great critical success by rebuilding the game from the ground up. Many assumed that its next big project would be a remake of the oft-forgotten JRPG, but nothing has been confirmed about what its PS5 project is.
Coming at the tail end of the PlayStation's lifecycle in mid-2000, The Legend of Dragoon was a JRPG released by Sony Interactive Entertainment's Japan Studio. The game came out during the height of JRPG popularity all over the world, drawing comparisons to games like Final Fantasy. While critics gave relatively positive reviews of the game at launch, the JRPG quickly became a cult classic from the vocal western fanbase who loved the game.
Becoming a Cult Classic JRPG
Interestingly, The Legend of Dragoon saw the most of its sales success from North America compared to Japan. It was unprecedented for JRPG sales in America to outpace Japan, especially for a first-party title. JRPGs had already seen mainstream popularity across the world just three years earlier thanks to Final Fantasy 7. The Legend of Dragoon proved there was a vested interest in the North American market for the genre as well. Critics didn't pan the game, but many deemed the RPG was a bit too generic despite the gigantic budget behind it. Eventually the game did return when it was ported to the PSN, seeing great success in the Top 5 PS One Classics Category. The game was number two on the list, rivaled only by the original Final Fantasy 7.
Much of that "generic" criticism stemmed from the story, which followed just about every JRPG fantasy trope established as possible. Players took on the role of Dart, a mercenary who discovers his true destiny as a "Dragoon" warrior. Utilizing the power of dragons, a great calamity is coming to destroy the world that only the Dragoons have the power to defeat. Many drew comparisons to Final Fantasy 7, to which the story beats match up almost exactly. Not necessarily a bad thing on its own, as the game was still received quite well, but something that is indeed easily noticeable.
There were several aspects of The Legend of Dragoon that were unique and differentiated the experience from other JRPGs. Even though the game borrowed several elements of turn-based combat from series like Final Fantasy, it introduced new mechanics as well. Mainly the "Additions" abilities, which were supplements to every character's basic attacks that could initiate combos for more damage. Additions functioned as a double-edged sword, as the more attacks the player landed, the higher chance the enemy would counter strike. Characters also had access to the titular "Dragoon" forms, which gifted characters with limit-like abilities and enhanced attacks.
Remake Rumors
Fast forward to 2019, almost two decades after the game's original release, and rumors pop up that a possible The Legend of Dragoon remake is on the way. Bluepoint Games, the studio that had handled another SIE Japan Studio remaster previously, was touting a new big project for the PS5. Bluepoint famously remade Shadow of the Colossus from the ground up for PS4 to great critical acclaim. The studio was additionally responsible for remasters of the Uncharted and Metal Gear Solid series, as well as several ports of modern games. Since then, fans have presumed that Bluepoint's PS5 project would be yet another remaster of an old game/franchise.
Peter Dalton, Technical Director from Bluepoint, fueled initial rumors with the above comments on his Twitter account. Considering Shadow of the Colossus was also a SIE Japan Studio game, fans began speculating and trying to connect the dots. Additional comments from Bluepoint president Marco Thrush supplemented rumors when he mentioned the studio was theoretically working on "the next remake" for Bluepoint. Thanks to the success of Shadow of the Colossus, the studio was able to expand its art team, so it could tackle larger projects, and the Legend of Dragoon checked all of these boxes. Considering The Legend of Dragoon was a massive RPG spanning four PlayStation One discs, there were tons of art assets used throughout the game, meaning Thrush could've been alluding to something like The Legend of Dragoon.
Gone, Not Forgotten
Rumors eventually quieted down when Bluepoint officially announced it was working on a new project for PS5. Even though the announcement didn't explicitly say the game wasn't a remake, Bluepoint did mention that the project would "define the visual benchmark for the next generation of gaming hardware." The phrasing used here does make it seem like Bluepoint's PS5 game will likely be an original/modern project for the next console generation. Fans took that as a sign that a The Legend of Dragoon remaster wasn't in the cards for now.
That's not to say all hope is lost for a remake, but The Legend of Dragoon will likely remain dormant for now as Bluepoint Games moves on to something new. Of course, this PS5 project could be a complete reimagining of the JRPG akin to that of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, but even that is a tall order with no evidence to suggest that's in development. For now fans will need to keep hope or sign that petition that's been floating around on the internet for some time. In the end, it all depends on what Bluepoint Games announces next, and while unlikely, stranger things have happened that a remake hitting benchmark graphics.
The Legend of Dragoon is available on PSN for PS3 and PSP.