Lufia: The Legend Returns, known as Estpolis Denki: Yomigaeru Densetsu (エストポリス伝記　よみがえる伝説, officially translated Biography of Estpolis: The Legend Returns) in Japan, is a role-playing video game for the Game Boy Color developed by Neverland and published by Taito, Natsume, and Ubi Soft in Japan, North America, and Europe, respectively, in 2001. It is the third game in the Lufia series and the first one to appear on a handheld gaming system.

Lufia: The Legend Returns is similar to other games in the series, with role-playing video game elements like random battles. It uses the series' "IP System": special skills are not tied to character equipment. Instead, characters gain new special abilities (called "IP Skills"), by finding Ancient Texts hidden within various dungeons throughout the game. To use those abilities, they must obtain the requisite amount of Spiritual Force (or "SF").

Much of the game takes place on the Battle Screen, where the player's characters will engage enemies ranging from low-level Red Jellies to sea creatures and evil gods. Even though nine characters can take part in a battle, only three of them may attack per turn, one per vertical column. Characters in the top row will do more damage when attacking enemies, but will also receive more damage; those in the back row will receive less damage, but also deal less. In order to make the most of these three turns, the player is able to move the characters around the Battle Screen in between rounds. In this way, it is possible to revolve characters around the field in order to make the most of their different abilities. If a character loses all of his or her HP during a battle, that character will be unable to participate in the rest of the battle, and will not earn any Experience or Learning Points once the battle is over. The character will automatically be revived after the battle with 1 point of HP. However, if the player revives the character before the battle ends, there will be no penalty. A new addition to this third installment in the Lufia series is the Spiritual Force, which comes in four types, and lets the character learn one IP skill. The Ancient Cave, made popular in Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals, reappears in this third installment in the series. As in the original, the Ancient Cave's layout is randomly generated and consists of 200 distinct levels that the player must navigate in order to reach the bottom.

Lufia: The Legend Returns contains a large overworld map through which the player must travel in order to advance the game's plot. There are usually no enemies found within the cities scattered around the world, but the overworld and the caves that separate the different regions of the continents are full of them. The quests that are found on each continent are based on the four Towers and the Sinistral that is located in each one. On Epsis Continent, players try to repair the destruction caused by Gades. On Lidel, players uncover the mystery surrounding the chaotic Alstadt Kingdom. On Fante, many supporting characters are made to feel intense fear at the hands of Daos, Sinistral of Terror, and it is up to players to quell the confusion.