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Gather round, boys and girls, and I'll tell you a story. It's the tale of a
game that was years ahead of its time, a game nearly without peer in originality
and design. A breath of fresh air in a world turned stale with repetitive RPGs.
And I'll tell you why you may have never heard of it.
Back in 1996, Square released a game in Japan that combined
traditional RPG combat and storylines with a pet care/evolving system ala
Pokémon, and threw in a strategic element for kicks. The game was called Bahamut
Lagoon, and it may be the best kept secret Square ever had. In it, a band of
intrepid warriors, their trusty army, and a slew of powerful dragons fought to
save the world from an evil empire's machinations. Lagoon featured a large cast
of main characters, each officers in their own army platoon. The platoons had a
number of troops in them, which fought under the command of the hero
assigned to them as though they themselves were player characters. In addition,
each hero could also control a dragon which fought independently of the platoon.
These powerful creatures could decimate whole squads of enemy soldiers, or
defeat the enemy's dragons in order to provide support for your own troops.
Combat started on a grid much like any other turn-based strategy game, but would
shift into a combat system like Fire Emblem or Tactics Ogre once two units
interacted. throw in geographic elements like rivers (which could be frozen and walked across) and sandstorms,
and then toss in a liberal dose of plot, and then the piece de resistance: The
dragon feeding system.
To sum it up in a nutshell, almost ANYTHING you find in the game could be fed
to your dragons. We're talking meat, vegetables, weapons, armor, your
grandmother...well maybe not grannies. But everything else was fair game. During
play, a dragon would get hungry, and what you feed it (as well as how often) all
contributed to the dragon's evolution. The right food at the right time could
change the dragon into a number of different forms, all with unique designs and powers. There were over a dozen different types, some
very difficult to attain. In fact, the process of caring for your dragons could
be as engaging as the RPG itself. Unfortunately, Bahamut Lagoon never made it
over the much larger lagoon of the Pacific Ocean to the US. Import enthusiasts
with Super Famicom units (or emulators, but let's not get into those) have been
able to enjoy this wonderful title for years now. But Square, what about
everyone else?
The fact is, I think the time is right for a new Bahamut Lagoon title.
RPGs are a much hotter commodity in the gaming community now then in the SNES
days. And advances in gaming platforms could really be a boon to this title.
Besides making bigger, badder, shinier dragons, there could be dozens of
mutations available, fully unique of each other. A hundred or more would hardly
be a challenge even for the PS2 or Gamecube. A complex feeding system, more
involved then the old one, could be added, as well as a breeding system. And of course the strategic and RPG elements of the game could get a facelift as well. Fans of Fire Emblem or Disgaea could feel right at home with this game, and I know I wouldn't be the only one drooling over such a prospect. So Square, if you're listening, give us more Bahamut Lagoon!
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