So now I’ve played all the Lufia games. This one was very good, just tweaking the formula of the series while inhabiting the Game Boy Color very well. Let’s start with my understanding of the development of the game.
At one point there was a prequel to Lufia 2 being made for the GBC. There were also plans to produce a sequel called Ruins Chaser set several hundred years in the future, to be released on the PS1 (more here and here). After its publisher folded, Neverland had to scrap these plans and made an alternate sequel on the GBC, also scrapping the “younger Maxim” game to make way for this game. As it stands, this is the final game in the continuity and although it’s not a definitive conclusion (it ends much like Lufia 1), it’s satisfying. (EDIT: There’s no evidence the prequel would have been about Maxim, that was just speculation I read and accepted.)
The plot is pretty familiar: Sinistrals appear and each one harasses a particular continent in their own way (this aspect is done well in this game), a hero with red hair and a mysterious heroine with blue hair gather allies to combat the threat, there’s an airship, and a twist in the tail that is by now no surprise because it’s the same every time. (That doesn’t stop it being emotionally impactful, though.) There’s a total of 12 playable characters + 1 secret bonus dragon, so characterisation is perhaps spread more thinly, but each one is distinctive and likeable despite (or in some cases because of) the silly translation quirks.
Having so many characters is handled well for gameplay purposes; unlike something like a modern Final Fantasy or Chrono Cross with a plethora of characters but only a few slots, you go into battle with a grid of nine. The grid is important as each column gets one action per turn, but you select which character in the column takes that action depending on the circumstance. This allows for flexibility that is greatly appreciated. There’s also a sort of elemental stat in four colours that each character embodies, and they contribute that stat to others in their row or column. This informs stat bonuses and also what IP skills they can use. It all sounds complicated but you quickly get your head around it and it allows for deep customisation and ultimately a good RPG experience.
On the other hand, we have the dungeoneering which in this game is completely randomly generated. Gone are the puzzle dungeons of Lufia 2, but there’s still wandering monsters and interactions: cutting bushes with your sword, finding hidden treasure in walls, and a longe-range stunning attack to ambush enemies. It’s just that every floor of every location, while looking different, will end up playing the same. If you view it as less brain-intensive dungeon crawling the repetition can be almost relaxing, at the expense of challenge. It also means the end-game optional mega-dungeon, the Ancient Cave, is just the same as the usual game—but in this case, it’s even bigger and with better rewards.
So what we have is a colourful and deep 8-bit RPG with a wicked awesome chiptune soundtrack, a sometimes laughably poor localisation, repetitive dungeons, pleasingly economical use of a limited-pixel display, and a unique battle system. That’s Lufia 3, a gem on the GBC and in my opinion, worth your time. It takes time too, the random dungeons really pad out the experience, but as long as you can mentally switch gears for those sections there’s a lot to like. You can see another review and official art here, and here’s some alternate official art thanks to the ever-reliable Lufia superfan Sinrevi.
