Langrisser I & II (Switch) Review
Release Date: March 10, 2020
Publisher: NIS America
Platform: Nintendo Switch (reviewed), PlayStation 4, Steam
Price: $49.99
Langrisser is a series that has several entries in it’s home country, but only the first has had an official localization as Warsong for the Sega Genesis in 1991. On March 10, the first two games in the series are released, with the first official translation of the sequel. Whilst retaining the original game’s core concepts and gameplay, it has been enhanced with both a modern and retro aesthetic and compiled into one easy package.
In the main menu, players have the option to select remastered or classic music and art styles for the characters and/or map. I wish it was “on the fly” like Halo or the Monkey Island remake. You can change it from a menu, but even still shots and the main menu are changed for the art styles, and I’d love to be able to catch both on a single run through. Regardless, it’s neat to flick a switch and hear music from a 90’s RPG and see art straight out of 80’s/90’s anime. There are definitely some...enhancements in artstyles over the years.
Langrisser I and II follow traditional turn-based design, and do not have any sort of speed stat like used in later games. This means the Good Guys get a turn, the Neutral Team, and then the Bad Guys. Modern gamers will liken it to Fire Emblem, but it is varied enough. Instead of having tons of unique, loveable characters with heartbreak every time they die, players recruit mercenaries for each unit on the battlefield. Even from the get-go you can have six mercenaries teamed up with a character. In Chapter One you have two characters but twelve controllable units. On the positive, you get to feel like an absolute monster and level the playfield, plus having expendable units changes your strategy entirely. I tend to play defensively on Fire Emblem in the fear that someone will be forever dead. After a unit dies here, you just recruit a few more units before the next bout.
Mercenaries get bonuses and healing if they stay near their commander, or they can strike out on their own to grab hidden objects on the battlefield. Enemy units have their own units as well, and they provide a buffer between you and them. If you defeat a general, all of their mercenaries disperse as well. Mercenaries aren’t individuals, more like teams. As they fight, portions of the group are defeated, meaning they are weaker for the next battle. It’s a neat risk vs. reward system, kind of like Risk, where you have to decide whether you want to go for the kill or save and defend next turn.
The original two games of the Langrisser series dealt with limitations, and that can be seen in some of the classic presentation. Story is simple and straightforward, and there aren’t big “moral choices” to make like you see in modern Fire Emblems. It allows for a clean, easy-to-follow story, so this may be good or bad depending on your preferences. Personally, I’ve enjoyed it as I don’t get a hefty amount of time to sit down for Heavy Exposition anymore, so it’s good to just drop into a game. Langrisser drops you pretty hard, though: in reviewing the digital edition (there is a Collector’s Edition and a physical, but I have no idea what they contain to explain mechanics) I honestly had a difficult time understanding how mercenary units can benefit staying near their commander or how to properly command them on the battlefield (you can move them individually or move your commander and then direct them to run via AI afterwards). I researched the Wikipedia page for the series and was able to perform much better afterwards. A basic tutorial would help, but that admittedly didn’t exist on the original so it may have been a bit much to ask for one to be integrated here.
At $50 for two classic strategic RPGs, Langrisser I and II offers a great combination of strategy and history. The ability to swap art styles and music is wonderful fun for a fan of classic games and shows how faithful the game is to the original. Gamers who love Fire Emblem will find fresh variety in the gameplay mechanics. The main website promises future DLC, though I don’t know whether it’ll be cosmetic or more game (could I wish for Langrisser III?). Either way, these two games are a great value and lots of fun for any SRPG fan.
Pros:
-Just enough mechanical differences for a different approach from Fire Emblem
-Quick changes between classic and modern music, maps, and characters
-First official translation of the second title
-Hordes of mercenaries for huge battles
Cons:
-Small wish: I want the graphics and music options to be instant-swap accessible
-Lack of tutorial means you have to research to do well
-Micromanaging the mercenary units can get long and tedious, no auto “end turn” makes you doubt you used all your opportunities
Special thanks to NIS America for providing a code for review!