Commentary on "The Legend of Dawn": At the end of the night, the sky is bright, and the light shines brightly

As a commemorative work commemorating the 25th anniversary of the (original) series, "Legend of Dawn" has always been a "revolutionary work" since its release, bringing people expectations. From the exquisite graphics displayed in each real machine demonstration to the widely acclaimed trial version, not to mention the fans of the series, many players who have not previously touched the "Legend" series must have been captivated by the charming figures of several characters. Before the game was released, they were eager to try it out.

Now that the game has been released for a few days, to be honest, if it weren't for not writing reviews, it wouldn't be too late (laughs). I really want to continue to stay in the world of "The Legend of Dawn" for a while, then carefully explore the colorful scenery of various places, and then watch the small theater where the main characters argue in their daily lives.

It meets the expectations of people before its release and takes a solid step towards the future development of the series.

*The review version is the ultimate digital version of the game, using all the accompanying DLC.

Beautiful mountains, beautiful waters, and even more beautiful people

The visual representation of "The Legend of Dawn" is fascinating.

At least for me, this visual style that feels like being in a painting is exceptionally comfortable. The game includes rich scenes such as towns, snow scenes, caves, rainforests, palaces, ruins, etc. Although the features are different, they all present a warm and natural beauty overall.

The production team had previously introduced the watercolor style rendering technique called "Atmos Shaders" in an interview, which included a keyword of "transparency". When I first saw this word, I couldn't understand it. After completing the game, I pondered for a while, perhaps referring to a perfect balance between realism and cartoonism, allowing players to unconsciously immerse themselves in this fantasy world.

The 3D modeling of characters with the support of this technology also shines brightly. If vertical painting and modeling are put together, there is really a visual sense of Orphan and Hinon (the male and female protagonists in this work) coming out of the painting.

The key plot points are portrayed in the form of 2D animation, which can be considered a significant tradition in the series. Undoubtedly, the 2D animation and cutscenes produced by UFOTABLE in this game still maintain a high level of quality, but if I were to choose, I would prefer real-time rendered 3D performances. The latter, although slightly lacking in facial expression, excels in precision or gorgeous special effects, ensuring a coherent visual experience.

The real-time rendering performance of is already very good

In this way, at least on the screen, there is a kind of "happy annoyance".

Where is oppression, where is resistance

In cultural and entertainment works, "resisting oppression" has always been a grand and serious proposition.

The story that "The Legend of Dawn" wants to tell this theme is: there are two planets in this world, Dana and Rena. Rena invaded Dana 300 years ago, thus beginning a 300 year history of enslavement of the Dana people.

The male protagonist Orphan is a Dana person who suffers from amnesia and lacks pain. The female protagonist, Shinon, is a Rena person who carries secrets and is cursed by thorns, causing severe pain to anyone who touches her. The plot is full of roast, and the two are a perfect match. So the story of "Dawn" begins - the male and female protagonists, after meeting each other, join forces and embark on a journey against Reina, where they meet different personalities and experience different companions.

"A perfect match"

This script is exceptionally neat and layered, not just echoing back and forth, but clearly dividing the concept of "oppression" into several layers:

"What is oppression" - There are a total of 5 countries ruling Dana, and the leaders of different countries will have different means of governance; "What are the effects of oppression?" - The Dana people are enslaved physically and mentally, but at the same time, there are also constant rebels; "What should we do after overthrowing the oppressors" -300 years of enslavement and oppression have various accumulated practical problems that are difficult to overcome. How can the Dana people rely on themselves and achieve self-awareness awakening...

At the same time, "resisting oppression" will also give rise to new themes, such as "revenge", "ethnic conflicts", and so on.

Although the plot itself is still the same as JRPG's conventional approach - defeating local leaders and liberating local people, it has indeed successfully driven my curiosity to continuously advance this story, wanting to see how the game will answer these questions.

The general "Biezu" who appears in the preface of

Every time I go to a new area, after learning about the local customs and traditions of the land, I imagine what kind of scenery I will see in the next kingdom. Whenever the plot advances to a new stage, I want to chat with everyone again and go back to the previous area to see if there are any changes in the people (there will be new dialogues and side accounts in the game).

The plot capacity of this game is definitely sufficient. When I feel that the game may be coming to an end, it always comes up with a new secret for me to find the answer. Going around and exploring the map can guarantee a total of fifty hours per week.

However, although the overall framework is good, the handling of certain plot points in the game is still somewhat rushed and somewhat mediocre. After the game has more themes to present, some content tends to be simplified rather than delved deeper, such as the previously mentioned revenge, which involves awkward plot performance.

Outside the main line, most of the branches of the game tell stories after liberation. Most of these branches are simple and rewarding, which also plays a role in shaping the image of the protagonist and supporting role.

Three little fools, three little cuties

During the trial version, the six characters in the main character group gave me the impression mentioned in the subtitle, and the official version of the game further deepened this impression.

Little Fool refers to three men: Orphan, Law, and Duoharin, but it's not true that they are stupid. In the plot, they all have a very reliable side, but these three often present a kind of silly temperament in their respective ways.

Orphan has amnesia and lacks pain sensation, initially like a blank sheet of paper, so he will do things that are different from ordinary people; Duo O'Harin has the elegance of nobility, as well as the typical lack of self-care ability in life, and often says inappropriate things; Luo occasionally shows a lack of tendons...

Those three little cuties are just three women, Hinon's dignified and proud demeanor (as well as the foodie's attributes), Linville's innocence and immaturity, and Chisharan's maturity and stability. Besides, do beautiful girls have moments when they're not cute?

When a little fool is foolish, and when a little cutie is charming, it makes people laugh uncontrollably. In addition to the main storyline, the traditional small theaters in the Legend series vividly depict each character.

320 small theaters, with several protagonists chatting about life, cooking, ideals, and the past... Combined with the comic storyboard style performance, although different from the performance methods of the "Legend" series in the past, laughter is definitely not inferior to the series's previous works.

In addition, the mascot of this game, the owl "Fululu", is also quite cute, making people want to hold it in their hands and stroke it.

PS: The appearance of characters can also be displayed in small theaters, sometimes with unexpected entertainment effects.

Gorgeous elemental special effects, refreshing sound of guns and swords

The battle rhythm of "The Legend of Dawn" is quite fast and enjoyable. Characters can move freely and use dazzling attacks to create magnificent combat scenes.

The basic idea of a regular battle is as follows: use regular attacks and spells (moves) to attack, the latter requiring the consumption of AG points for casting, which are mainly supplemented by teammates' "amplification attacks". Different teammates' "amplification attacks" have their own effects, such as Lin Weier interrupting and absorbing the enemy's spells being cast. When the enemy's corresponding stance bar is filled, they can launch a teammate coordinated attack called "Boost Strike", dealing a large amount of damage (usually execution).

This creates a cycle - using AG to activate spells, using "amplification attacks" to restore AG, and continuing to use AG to activate spells. Although there may be some stumbling points when the initial AG value is low, as the AG value increases, it is possible to gradually hit high levels of combos and successfully launch the "amplification strike". The martial arts are divided into two sets of systems: aerial and ground (each can be equipped with 6 in the middle and later stages), and the game design also encourages not to reuse the same martial arts.

How to match aerial and ground skills, and how to allocate AG values to create more combos, drives players to explore this system, and the combat characteristics of the six characters are completely different. Switching between characters is a completely different combat experience.

At the same time, the "amplification attack" (and evasion system) is equivalent to a system of seeing and breaking down moves, requiring players to read the scene during battles, whether to use "amplification attack" to restrain enemies, or to restore AG points to fight combos, which is another level of combat thinking.

The casting of the traditional "Mysteries" in the series depends on the "Extreme Breakthrough (OVL)" bar, which increases based on taking damage and precise evasion. Sometimes, while playing, you or your teammates suddenly enter a special state, which is like a small surprise. At this time, you can cast very gorgeous Mysteries to give enemies some color to see.

I think what is commendable is that the combat characteristics of the character are designed and personalized very naturally, or it can be said that each person's combat style can reflect their personality. For example, Shinon regards the "thorns" that she cannot personally contact with others as a curse, so she uses a long-range gun as her weapon; If Luo is not injured in battle, he will become stronger and stronger, highlighting his indomitable personality.

CP (Treatment Points) is a newly added treatment system element in this game. All skills related to recovery/resurrection require CP, and once used, healing skills cannot be used, which means there is a limit to the amount of healing. This requires players to also pay attention to the consumption of CP during battles.

This idea is great, but in actual experience, it's a bit disappointing. Before the game was released, I thought it would be another re planning of combat resources, which could deepen the strategic nature of battles. However, the problem is that items can be used to restore CP during battles, so there's no need to worry too much about CP. On the contrary, the arena mode in the game that prohibits the use of items allowed me to experience the pressure of healing scarce resources.

CP runs out of team health and is in danger& nbsp;

Thanks to the progress of the visuals, with the bombardment of various techniques (including teammates, there can be four combat personnel on the field), the six elements of water, fire, earth, scenery, and darkness alternate during the battle, creating a magnificent scene that provides a very simple and direct sense of pleasure. However, sometimes I feel that the special effects during battles are too flashy, resulting in missing some information, such as not being able to see the enemy's movements clearly, missing out on the conversations of teammates during battles, and so on.

At the same time, because this game is still a JRPG on the kernel, there is inevitably a repeated combat experience, especially in the later stages where the maze process is long and often triggers forced battles. Because "Boost Strike" is a fixed performance in many battles, it has caused me to watch "Boost Strike" performances about 600 times after completing the level. Even if it was fresh the first time I watched it, I felt a bit tired at this time.

Unbreakable, "The Legend of Dawn" has inherited the series and made progress with a high head. As highlighted by the English title "Arise", it embodies a strong determination to revive the series.

From sound, light, sound, and art to sword and sword battles, "Legend of Dawn" has indeed achieved it, and it will be a dream game for many JRPG players for many years. Admittedly, there may still be some minor flaws, but this dawn breaking light is already eye-catching enough.