For as graphically and especially mechanically superior the sequel is, this is the one I always go back to. I don't know if it's the more quaint setting or the fact that the game only has one main dungeon with an almost Metroidvania design to it, but it certainly has an "it" factor to make it such a comforting experience to replay over and over again, and there's always something new I discover with each playthrough, whether it's character interactions and side stories that can go largely ignored on a casual run but they all add up to something meaningful and really helps nail the small town feeling of the game that I love so much. I suppose the sequel is technically the better game but I really feel like the original offers the better experience overall.

For those used to more modern control schemes, I recommend mapping L1 and R1 to the respective directions on the right stick for a pseudo dual-analog scheme. It's not nearly as smooth as Legends 2 which is one of the few PS1 games to utilize a proper dual stick control option, but it helps the game feel a bit less dated if the controls are what keeps you from enjoying it.

It's got excellent art direction, some solid dungeon design, and an enjoyable story, but it's let down by it's dated controls and occasionally obnoxious structure. It took me a bit of time to adjust to the controls, but I liked them fine. However, several bosses near the end of the game expect way more of the player than the controls really allow. That made the last hour or so pretty annoying. Some of the dungeons are fun, but some want you to backtrack needlessly. I did also like a lot of the characters, even if the dialogue felt clunky at times. The first half was pretty fun overall, with some good exploration and some light puzzle solving. An uneven experience, that I liked fine.

Esse jogo esbanja charme. É uma mistura de dois estilos típicos dos 1990: dungeon-crawling 3D e aventura semi-aberta cheia de NPCs. Esses dois elementos são divididos meio que explicitamente no subsolo (onde estão as dungeons) e a superfície (onde está a cidadezinha cheia de NPCs que você pode explorar) e se complementam muito bem. É um game até que relaxante, com uma ótima vibe para apenas ficar explorando e vagando por aí.

Sobre os controles e se ele “envelheceu mal”, que parecem ser críticas comuns ao jogo, deixo aqui o link da linda e perfeita poyfuh em que ela explica muito melhor do que eu como “intuitivo” é aquilo que você aprendeu ou tem costume de usar, só porque algo não é como você está acostumado não quer dizer que é ruim.

A good-looking PlayStation 1 game?! How can that be...

Time to point out the obvious, this game is adorable and has one of the most unique art styles in all of the PS1 library, and proves that a well-crafted art style can be timeless just like how Wind Waker did in the next console generation.

Now, now we all know that this game is adorable but what about the gameplay? It's alright, the overall gameplay loop is great I really like exploring the dungeons, killing monsters, and finding secret items to unlock new weapons and upgrades it's pretty basic but it works well. Now the main issue of this game is the controls, it's infamously bad and even if I really do love this game I think it just really kills it. Of course, I'll recommend this game to people it's just that most people tend to get filtered by the odd controls, and especially when the game first starts you are forced into 3 boss battles in a row. The main issue with the controls is that it uses tank controls with L and R to rotate the camera to the side pressed making the game very clunky to control and move around, though you do get used to it so it's not unplayable.

Even if the gameplay isn't for everyone there's still a lot to love in this game such as the dialogue and overall ambiance of the game reminiscent of an anime from the 80s-90s which is highly noticeable during the cutscenes with the character's facial expressions.

Outside of the main story, there are a few side quests that unlock over time and they are fine at best, they are mostly just fetching quests in the city with cute scenarios and the reward often tends to be upgrade materials for new weapons.

This game is highly in need of a Remaster fixing the control and some gameplay clunk but nothing graphics wise dear god please do not make an HD remaster of this game and ruin the art style I beg of you Capcom do not fuck this up.

Roll Caskett is my wife.

Mega Man Legends is a bit hard to review. It’s definitely one of the classics that you need to play, but it’s not without its faults or things that could have been done better. Especially if you play this on the PSP like I did. Still though, it’s probably asking too much from a PS1 game. In many respects, it’s ahead of its time. You can go to a save point, fast travel and skip cutscenes for instance. It’s like a mini open world game where you can explore to your heart’s content, do valuable side quests or completely ignore getting items that can be game changing. The amount of freedom is pretty crazy. It’s also a very charming game with many little details that make you appreciate what the devs did. The island is very impressive. You can visit most buildings and it’s pretty huge. The story is presented in a cute way with a good performance by the voice cast. Still, there could have been a better map that is less confusing, I’d have like to save everywhere instead of going to Roll and the fast travel option is also limited. It’s needed because the game has huge areas. Sometimes it’s annoying to return to the surface just to save. The reason I brought up the PSP is because of the controls. You’re going to need all the buttons from the DualShock controller that the PSP is missing. It makes for very awkward controls when you need to use the special weapons and need to aim properly. Customising the controls is not going to fix this because you need pretty much all the buttons that the PSP lacks. What I did is creating custom controls for 2 different situations. The default one when I’m playing normally and the other for boss fights when I need precise controls. MML1 has been an exciting journey that makes me look forward to MML2 even more.

DeAndre Cortez Way’s 2009 critique of Braid is well known for how it pioneered games analysis on Youtube, but it’s even more famous for its assertion that the game lacked central purpose. While entertainment is generally associated with some degree of pointlessness, there’s also expected to be some degree of enrichment, whether that be through the merit of competition, mastering challenge, or constructive escapism. If the audience is left without a lasting impression, the experience may as well have never happened, so it’s important for games to construct purposefulness, regardless of how artificial it is.

I started reevaluating this concept when Roll called me up as I exited a dungeon, mentioning that I must be getting hungry, and that I could have a slice of the apricot pie she baked as soon as I got back to the ship. The line is completely pointless. The subject never comes up again, it doesn’t build into any new characterization, and the game would be functionally identical without it, but even so, they went to the trouble of writing and recording a voice line for it. Similarly, while Roll is established as your mechanic, she’s not the person who saves your game and heals you, it’s a small robotic monkey that constantly does The Monkey like Johnny Bravo, and I can’t fathom why. That is to say, I can’t fathom why it’s constantly dancing and I also can’t fathom why it was included in the game at all, but there it is. The more I looked for it, the more I noticed how Legends is completely saturated with pointlessness, including its plot. The stakes are incredibly low, you’re simply trying to find a treasure before the Bonne Family Pirates do, but they’re such a loving family of good-natured criminals that you wouldn’t mind them winning. In multiple cutscenes, MegaMan seems like he wants to communicate to the Bonnes that there’s no real reason to fight, but they keep doing it because they love it. Details like these give the game a totally unique atmosphere of joyous pointlessness, like the developers themselves were building the game in ways that made them laugh, regardless of how much sense their design actually made. The game feels like a celebration of doing things entirely for their own sake, and not getting too caught up in finding a grand purpose. I wouldn’t exactly call it The Myth of Sisyphus for kids or anything, but at the very least it’s a perfect example of how pleasant it can be that there ain’t no point to the game.