This series has made nice progress over the years. Every new game incorporates new elements, but retains the things that fans liked from previous games. Fans of the Legend of Heroes games like old-school, 2D graphics. One thing I still enjoy is how the characters are shown during dialogue segments. Instead of just a box showing what the character is saying you see a large, animated bust of the character. Depending on how the mood is at the time, you'll see a slightly different expression on each character. Legend of Heroes III: Song of the Ocean has a collection activity that revolves around a photo book with all the different expression each character shows during the game. Lightweight fun... There are pets in the game that have persisted through the series and this time, you play through with a dog character. The dog, Jan, is more than window dressing since he is one of the first characters with the ability to do healing magic.

Each new installment in this series looks better and Song of the Ocean is no exception. The lighting as you explore the world and in the dungeons is more like what you expect to see in a 3D game. There are textures everywhere and motion in both the landscape items (clouds, water, etc.) and the character models (hair blowing in the wind or as you run) that make exploring really pleasant. The characters in the game are traveling musicians, so you can bet the musical themes are well done. There are lots of little music segments that you prompt by stepping up on stage in towns; many times these moments are central to progressing in the game.

've decided that people don't come to games like Legend of Heroes III: Song of the Ocean because they're looking for a bleeding-edge experience. Playing this installment of the series for fans is like cracking open another Harry Potter book. You know the setting, the characters, and how things are going to work when you follow a long-running series. There is some comfort in traveling with friends; if you have a surprise along the way, all the better. There is a big story unfolding here with lots of characters and places to visit. The game begins with a boy named Forte poking around his small town thinking about improving his music skills. Ahead of him is a local music festival event and the prospect of growing old in the same little town he's been in forever. Forte's friend Una is also a musician and isn't worried as much about small-town blues as she is about her crush on Forte. She just can't work up the nerve to talk with him about that subject... In the midst of this ordinary stuff, Forte's grandfather decides to go on the road in search of adventure. He has this idea about collecting resonance stones and reconstructing an amazing piece of music. Forte's parents decide he must be his grandfather's steward and you know Una isn't going to miss a chance to hang out with Forte. With grandfather's dog Jan in their party, away they go.

I've played lots of RPG games over the years and I like Song of the Ocean for the simple fact that it doesn't stress drama. Rather than start off with the bad guys capturing a princess or storming through town, we have quiet simplicity and questing for the sake of discovery. There are plenty of bad guys you'll encounter along the way so battling is a feature, but you can avoid most monsters on the world map. There are really no "random encounters" in this game. Smart players know they'll need to engage a certain number of monsters to keep their characters leveled up sufficiently. Heck, some people like power-leveling! For those who want more focus on story there are other options here. The battle dynamics are pretty rich for the times you do engage with monsters. Magic and items play a central role and there are team elements like chaining attacks or timing special overpowered attacks. It is even possible to switch out characters during battle when you are traveling with more than four in your party. One interesting way to play new characters is to load up a save from a previous installment of the series. At certain points in the game, you'll be transported (strangely) to a room where you can launch new exploration with the Song of the Ocean characters or you can draft characters from earlier titles like Vermilion. It doesn't work like a draft in the sense that you start pulling characters back and forth, but you do earn experience points for your Song of the Ocean characters. If you extend your imagination, this feature almost makes Song of the Ocean a "best of" collection for folks who still have their save files from previous games.

Boss battles ramp up in difficulty very slowly and you'll be surprised how much more difficult later bosses feel. Legend of Heroes isn't an RPG that focuses on strategic battle tactics or character development outside of monster encounters. There are some nice devices along the way that help make battles more strategic, but for experienced RPG fans it will be smooth sailing through most of the game. Which is the point, I think. If you look at the Legend of Heroes as a series of "interactive stories" you'll find them much more enjoyable. If you're looking for a cutting-edge RPG that will have you plotting out battle tactics in your sleep, it just isn't here.

A real shortcoming of the series at this point is the lack of any online element. Song of the Ocean does allow you to pull from previous games in the series as mentioned earlier, but there isn't any web connectivity. Nothing related to item collection, new areas to explore or encounters... I'm a clod and I can think of at least three things that would be easy to do online with this game, including the option to download new songs for the party to play in towns and spot performances. When so much else in the game shows creative juices flowing freely, why don't we get some online action? Maybe some focus group said it wasn't important to gameplay and they would probably be right for the most part. The challenge is how Song of the Ocean can stand out among the competition and be truly innovative. With a set of options that includes things like raising a pet, gathering items and using magic strategically, there is no real hook other than a quality story. I believe that 80% of the RPG market comes looking for a good story and that puts Song of the Ocean in safe territory. The problem comes when you realize that the RPG market is probably not more than 10% of the overall gaming market. Song of the Ocean is a pleasant experience for fans and a fun jaunt for anyone interested in a story-driven RPG that won't have you wringing your hands and crying because you can't beat that Lvl.99 Marlboro without the Sword of Eternal Purification that you have to synthesize after earning money in your metallurgy job. For the simple RPG things in life, there's Song of the Ocean.