Legaia 2: Duel Saga

Gameplay

The player controls five characters, including four surviving "Mystics" using their "Origins", and one without it. As the game progresses, the players checks on the tent on dungeons and anywhere on the world map, which characters enjoyed a campfire. The player checks on characters more and even watch interactions between them and prepare meals, providing that they learned along with the stock of ingredients, weapons, armor and accessories. The game features combining, which the player can use two or more items to increase status on weapons, armor and tools. Accessory combinations is used to create specific accessories, each with specific abilities.

Like the first game, the player can input four button commands for the "Tactical Arts System". Combining each from three to six blocks sometimes unlock moves called "Arts". After unlocking, all arts are permanently available between on the battle and menu screen. The max limited number of "Art Blocks" is increase each after leveling up. Several types of art moves include Normal Arts, which does less amount of damage to gain AP, and Super and Hyper Arts has more damage and cost AP. Starting from five blocks for the rest of each characters (except Maya), the player can combine arts in each blocks from hyper to normal and super ones. Mystic Arts are combinations of the character's strong attack with his and her Origin powers. It costs 100 AP and MP, and each characters must have 50% or less of HP and seven blocks. Variable Arts are double team moves that two characters perform to defeat one enemy, uses six blocks and cost 80 AP.

The game features a large amount of mini-games, quests and optional challenges to take on. A guild is present at the town of Kravia, which the player can choose to undertake quests, the casino at paradise isle Phorchoon, and others in several towns for Lang, such as planting rice and side-jumping. Hidden bosses in the game appear like other ones of the original. The player can also access to Centurion Challenge and Battle Arena as mini games.

Setting

The game follows the group of outcasts called "Mystics", siding to fight each other between good and evil, and the villagers believe in. The Mystics summon nature spirits called "Origin". The mystics and origins were created by the Source Forge, that controls life for the world. It is also used by three sacred stones, including the Aqualith (Water), Pyrolith (Fire) and Aerolith (Wind). In the city of Kravia, mystics went on a rampage and left their trace with the crater. Under the castle sewers of Darakin connects to the underground cave of Kabel, the ancient ruined kingdom where magicians and fairies live.

Characters

The main protagonist is Lang, a teenage swordsman living at Nohl Village, one of the star shapers and surviving mystics, and owner of fire origin Galea. He befriends Yuno Village resident and Kabel's surviving descendant Maya, who lost control of her powers and voice after losing her parents, but manages to recover all. She also owns the life origin Rivas. Elder martial arts teacher Kazan, the owner of earth origin Deva, whose ex-swordsman and student, Rauss is resurrected, but fails to resist the power of forbidden arts with his body. Female pirate captain Sharon Blade, the owner of thunder origin Arrode, surpassing her late father Alphis. Spiritual giant Ayne (also known as the Silent Eagle), one of the tribe members living in the hill island of Jinga. One non-playable character is Reym, the tree spirit in Yuno, who helps Lang save the world.

The main antagonist is Avalon, one of the star shapers and owner of the supreme origin Igohl. As a child, he upsets the people for killing the rest of all mystics and vows revenge. Years later, Avalon separates all sacred stones and scatter each on three locations to misbalance the Source Forge. He works with Velna, a sorceress owning her shield origin Vestra, Darakin Castle ruler Doplin, the bishop using his pet monster Slogar. His foster siblings, Elliot and Marienne, own their origins Raskia and Alvadis, and were abandoned by their parents.

Story

Lang lives to work between in the village and the forest, until Avalon takes the Aqualith. Lang goes to the canyon, where he is taken and imprisoned at Darakin. However, he and Maya escape from the castle to Mount Gabel, where Kazan helps Lang awaken Galea inside of him. After they return to Darakin and head under to the ruins of Kabel beyond the sewers, Maya regains her voice. The three infiltrate the castle, where Avalon gives the Aqualith to Lang and Maya takes control of her powers.

As Lang brings the Aqualith back to Nohl, the black sun appears and that causes apocalypse. The party head to Yuno, where Reym tells them that Avalon separates all three sacred stones elsewhere to misbalance the Source Forge. After Reym vanishes and Lang checks on the monolith, the party take the Aqualith from Nohl, recruit Sharon and head to Kravia. After recruiting Ayne, the party head to the volcanic isle of Drokonia, defeat Doplin's group and retrieve the Pyrolith. At the wind tower Ellsworth, they defeat Rauss and retrieve the Aerolith.

After defeating Velna and Avalon at Deimurge Tower, they place all three stones back to the Source Forge, preventing the eclipse to restore the sun and save the world. Reym and Rauss congratulate and give the fragment of hope to Lang, who uses it to generate water for Nohl. Each of his allies return home and start life anew.

Reception

The game received an average score of 70.46% at GameRankings, based on an aggregate of 40 reviews and an average score of 67/100 at Metacritic, based on an aggregate of 21 reviews, and was much less successful than its predecessor.

According to Famitsu sales information, Legaia 2 sold 40,302 during its debut week in Japan, ranking sixth among all new releases for that period. The game barely made it into Dengeki Online's top 200 best-selling games of 2001 with 53,808 copies.