Video Game / Legends of Empyria

Legends of Empyria; magic circle logo

Legends of Empyria is the ninth title in NASU Games' Legend Series. It was released in Japan in 2007, but due to poor sales and extensive Executive Meddling, it did not see an English localization until the Updated Re-release in 2016.

The game follows the adventures of Lyribeth Arcanta (usually just Lyri), a Rich Kid Turned Social Activist who wants to make a difference in the world by studying its Functional Magic - if only her debilitating social anxiety didn't get in the way.

In order to study a strange anomaly in the Background Magic Field near Valefar Shrine, she and her cheerful Childhood Friend Remy set out to take some readings... and promptly stumble upon the cause: a group of mysterious cloaked figures, siphoning the mana out of the atmosphere using strange machines previously thought impossible to create. When similar anomalies start appearing all over the world, their simple research trip evolves into a grand adventure to uncover a millenia-long conspiracy and save the world.

Some consider Empyria to be the Black Sheep of the series. As the only game in the series with a pure magic-user as the main character, the series' traditional action-combat battle system was significantly modified to accommodate for it... sometimes in baffling and awkward ways that make the game a slog to play. Still, it had enough of a dedicated fanbase to generate a Fan Translation, and its characters make cameo appearances in a handful of later entries.

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