As an avid fan of tactical RPGs, I‘ve been eager to sink my teeth into Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia. This sequel to the 1998 Playstation cult classic Brigandine: The Legend of Forsena comes from Matrix Software and developers involved with the original game.
In this extended review based on over 40 hours with the Nintendo Switch version, I‘ll analyze Runersia‘s strengths and weaknesses in depth. You‘ll get comparative data points examining Runersia against genre standouts like Fire Emblem. My goal is to assess if this resurrected franchise stands tall or falls short in today‘s landscape – and help fellow fans determine if it deserves a spot in their collection.
Revisiting a Rich Fantasy World After Decades
Part of what excites me most about Brigandine is the lore and worldbuilding carried over from decades ago. The continent of Runersia brims with imaginative races, histories, and magical systems that clearly received an abundance of care and attention. Critics praised the first game‘s storytelling, and that narrative foundation allowed the developers to hit the ground running for this sequel.
In Runersia, you choose from six major factions struggling in a war for dominance:
- The Kingdom of Altea: A medieval European-inspired nation ruled by a just queen
- The Republic of Guimoule: A merchant alliance with strong navy and skilled spies
- The Mana Saleesia Theocracy: Zealous dragon and monster riders defending their desert homeland
- Nargacuga: Beastmen tribes who revere strength and battle
- Shinobi Tribe Igdam: Skillful ninjas wielding shuriken and magic from the shadows
- The Divine Dragon Cult: Mysterious dragon worshippers hiding out in the Misty Mountains
I really appreciated how each of these factions has fully fleshed out units, backgrounds, styles of governance, legendary weapons passed down – the works. Small details continue to reveal themselves the longer you play a given side‘s campaign.
For instance, 15 hours into my Divine Dragon Cult playthrough, I discovered scrolls detailing rituals for how cultists commune with their dragon deities. Tiny touches like that serve the worldbuilding tremendously.
Satisfying Progression Systems Maintain Momentum
A huge reason I keep returning to tactical RPGs like Brigandine are the progression systems that reward investment. Runersia delivers plenty of compelling loops in that regard.
Your army consists of Rune Knights (hero units) along with regular troops and, most intriguingly, summoned monsters you acquire along the way. These beasts and magical creatures level up and evolve the more you use them, unlocking new abilities and upgrade tiers:
For example, the lowly Slime you recruit early on can eventually evolve into a mighty Dragon Lord after 10 levels and meeting other requirements. The prospect of growth allows otherwise unimposing monsters to become juggernauts.
You further customize your forces by equipping gear, distributing skill points, and selecting from branching upgrade paths. With six factions, over 100 total units, and extensive customization options, the army compositions and strategies you can leverage keep things fresh.
After multiple playthroughs with different factions, I‘m still discovering new monster combos and gear loadouts that create unique playstyles. Very few tactical RPGs match Brigandine‘s diversity and flexibility of progression from what I‘ve experienced.
Engrossing Campaigns Offer 60-100 Hours of Value
While many games in the genre focus mainly on skirmishes and combat scenarios, Runersia doubles down on lengthy story-driven campaigns for each faction. These feature distinctive characters and events unfolding across over 100 turns.
Completing one campaign easily takes 60+ hours. With six to choose from, that already results in tremendous replay value. But variations in narrative threads based on player choices, plus branching decisions at key moments in the missions themselves, incentivize repeat playthroughs to witness all possible outcomes.
After three full campaigns so far, I‘m still compelled to one day see the tales of the other three factions. Very few SRPGs can compete with that quantity of content. Especially for the $50-60 asking price, Runersia overdelivers.
Streamlined Mechanics Lower Barrier to Entry
I‘ll admit some initial frustration with Brigandine‘s menus early on. With so many systems working in tandem, tracking everything felt overwhelming until I built more familiarity. This reaction is common – GameRevolution‘s review states it succinctly:
"There‘s a steep learning curve thanks to the slightly obtuse user interface and the multitude of gameplay systems…"
However, after spending several hours experimenting and learning the flows, Brigandine revealed itself as more accessible than I first assumed. The core mechanics themselves aren‘t terribly complex compared to something as dense as Langrisser.
You don‘t have to contend with weapon triangles, terrain bonuses/penalties, individual character relationships, combo attacks between units, and so on. Brigandine sticks to straightforward movement, attacking, and skill usage without overcomplicating things.
Turns proceed at a relaxed pace, allowing ample time for strategizing. You won‘t find any relentlessly challenging enemy phases requiring split-second reactions. Overall, while the menus pose a tall hurdle initially, the underlying systems are relatively kind to newcomers.
Weighed Down By Drab Battlefields
If I had to identify Runersia‘s clearest weakness from my time playing, it would without a doubt be the battlefield environments. Simply put, they disappoint.
The aesthetic shift from gorgeous 2D to mundane 3D doesn‘t help matters when combat begins. But even setting graphics aside, the layouts themselves rarely impress. Plains, forests, desert – they check the boxes but rarely inspire. I noticed locations recycling frequently with just minor tweaks between skirmishes.
With no terrain variety to leverage for tactical advantages, maps often serve as mere backdrops. The lack of battlefieldflavor inhibits the potential for more complex positioning considerations.
I can‘t help but think of games like Triangle Strategy and its emphasis on manipulating terrain and elevation. Brigandine loses depth and immersion from its unremarkable locales.
The AI Fumbles Any Chance at Challenge
While maps shut down interesting strategy avenues, I held out hope Brigandine would provide a rigorous tactical challenge regardless. Unfortunately, the one-dimensional enemy AI regularly frustrated such hopes.
The opposing forces showcase no real teamwork or advanced tactics – simply moving forward attempting overpowering attacks…with little success. I easily kited and stalled regiments of units who walked blindly to their doom in linear assaults.
After a few matches exploiting these behaviors, steamrolling foes became the norm regardless of faction or scenario. Other reviews corroborate my experience:
"The AI is disappointingly basic and it doesn’t feel like it escalates in challenge as the game progresses." – Nintendo Life
"The AI is simple and it’s easy to bait enemies around." – NintendoWorldReport
With no adjustable difficulties to increase the level of strategy required, veterans of the genre will likely blast through fights unthreatened. The AI and battlefield weaknesses together drag down the potential Brigandine‘s combat initially seems to offer.
Brigandine Holds Up Half of a Great Game
After dozens of hours commanding forces across Runersia, I walked away thoroughly impressed with parts of Brigandine – yet disappointed with other key aspects.
The sense of progression constantly fuels motivation to see battles unfold. Six distinct campaigns overflow with lore and high replay value for tactical RPG fans eager to dive deep into a fantasy world. Relatively more accessible mechanics welcome newcomers without sacrificing depth.
However, the dull environments and simplistic AI drain the excitement from fights themselves, holding back Brigandine‘s full potential. With some patching to address battle and progression balancing, Runersia could contend with genre titans. As is, it delivers moderately on its promise.
Diehard SRPG enthusiasts should find the worldbuilding, gameplay loops and progression more than worthy of a purchase when Brigandine clicks with them. But more casual fans may bounce off the initial complexities without enough payoff late-game.
If the battle weaknesses outlined don‘t bother you terribly much, by all means join the lively tactical clashes across Runersia‘s imaginative domains. Keep hoping with me for tweaks elevating Brigandine‘s strengths while improving on its vulnerabilities in future updates.
