![[Análisis] Langrisser I & II for Nintendo Switch – iGamesNews](https://www.nintenderos.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/303.png)
Attention! Prepare your troops, because thanks to NIS America Y Bandai Namco Entertainment Today we bring you a very special game, mainly, because it is a gift from the past. That's right, this time we are going to talk about Langrisser I & II, the compilation of the first two installments of the franchise of the same name (and that many will know from its mobile game) that comes to Nintendo Switch with a facelift most curious and much, much to talk about.
Stay tuned, because below we will talk about the one that was once considered Japan's rival to the symbol that is Fire Emblem today, taking many of its characteristic aspects from over there the golden age of video games, when in the West both franchises seemed alien to us.
What exactly are these titles? What's this all about? Can I play them despite not having the slightest idea about role-playing games? Will I like them if I have enjoyed Fire Emblem: Three Houses? Do they deserve my time, that is, do they have something to contribute to the genre? There are many questions to answer! So join us throughout this review, where we will try to end all your concerns and introduce you to the world of Langrisser. Are you ready? Well let's get started!
The return of an old glory
The first thing that should be clarified when addressing these titles, without a doubt, is his story, more than anything so that we can enter his classic fantasy world medieval appropriately. In this way, we will have to do it by breaking everything into a couple of sections, since as you know, they are two titles those that make up this installment: Langrisser I (which came to the West under the name of Warsong without much success in sales, reason for which no more deliveries were published) and Langrisser II (unpublished outside Japan and great incentive to buy the game).
Thus, in both titles, practically identical in everything except in terms of their narratives and starring casts, we will begin our adventure with the welcome of the Goddess of Light Lucilis, which will ask us certain questions that will determine the attributes with which our protagonist will begin the adventure.
And since we are talking about protagonists, Why don't we introduce them to you? In Langrisser I we will play as Ledin, the crown prince of Baldea throne, which is in danger due to the threat of Dalsis Empire and the wicked Tell, which end up forcing our hero to escape due to an unexpected invasion that ends his father's life and his home shattered.
Motivated to cry out for revenge, Ledin will seek to grow stronger using their comrades and Langrisser's legendary sword, which had been protected by its lineage and hidden from the world for generations. Will he get it? Will he succeed in recovering the throne that was taken from him?
So, once we're done with Ledin's story, we will have to start Langrisser II getting to know Elwin, who lives in a somewhat distant world in time the one we left in the first installment; violent, untamed and unbalanced, with the kingdom of Baldea being a mere legend and Langrisser's sword being no more than a fairy tale lost in the past.
However, this to our new hero It will not bother you too much, since he is not a member of royalty, nor an imposing figure, but a simple wandering traveler accompanied by a magician (by name Hein) the one who saved his life in one of his adventures. However, one night something unexpected happens: our protagonists receive the information that the troops of the Rayguard Empire are on the outskirts of Hein's hometown where they meet to kidnap a girl named Liana, which carries a great emotional bond for both of them. Consequently, without thinking twice, Elwin and Hein They will come to his aid to protect her, while entering a mess of stratospheric proportions in which they will make both new friends and many, many enemies with whom faces will have to be seen. How will it all end? It's up to you to find out!
As you may have noticed, the stories of both titles they are not the most original thing in the world, the first being one of revenge (as we have seen in other titles like Final Fantasy XV) and the second one of boy meets girl that we have also been able to experience in as many Japanese RPGs (being Xenoblade Chronicles 2 another example of it). However, we have to take into account that we are dealing with products of its time, with narratives that although today they do not seem so original to us having seen them replicated in as many games of the genre, they were quite popular (as appropriate) during the original release of the titles.
Classic, but with nuances
The gameplay we find in Langrisser I & II It is the one that we could expect from every good tactical role-playing game worth its salt, but with some tweaks. Starting with the basics, our battles will take place in boards divided by squares; that is, maps of different proportions that will modify the attributes of our units depending on the classes to which they belong.
Thus, before starting each battle on these maps, we can access a store to strengthen our team or select who we will send to the battlefield. Our most powerful units will be the commanders, which will be able to use skills or magic that they will learn as they level up and become part of a class, which will make them more powerful and competent when drawing up our strategies.
Of course, no strategist goes alone in battle, and that is that the commanders, our main units, will be accompanied by pawns (more generic soldiers) called mercenaries, to which we can recruit for gold to assist us in the contests. The use of mercenaries will be essential in the game as we can give them guidelines to assist us as well as they they will grow stronger as long as they stay by our side. In short, they will be an essential piece when facing our nemesis in battle. Oh, and besides, They will give us all the experience they get!
Leaving that aside and how could it be otherwise, in these titles we also find a kind of weapon triangle, being that infantry will be effective against lancers, the lancers against the cavalry Y the cavalry against, as you may have guessed, infantry.
Apart from this, we will also meet special units belonging to other races, such as Marine creatures specialized in moving through the water, air knights they will move like a charm across the sky (although they will be more susceptible to attacks from a distance) or elven archers
Additionally, we cannot leave without mentioning the existence of a New Game + that will allow us to return to pass the title once we have completed it, preserving the attributes of our commanders, the objects that they carried as well as the gold that we have accumulated.
And why would we want to play again, you will ask us? Because one of the characteristics that best define what makes the title unique is decision making and its consequences: Things like sparing or killing an enemy can cause the plot to slightly fork, resulting in various routes that give enough replayability to the title. Also, if the result of what you have done does not convince you, you will only have to select the corresponding option in the menu before starting a battle and go back in time to see how things would unfold if you had done otherwise. Everything is connected in the world of Langrisser.
New, but better?
Perhaps one of the most relevant aspects of the launch of this installment is that focused on artistic section, because if it is characterized by something Langrisser I & II is for bringing us with updated designs the same experience that it once offered to the Japanese country. Thus, we can select how our characters look (if with modern designs, somewhat lacking in charisma when adapting to contemporary Japanese animation, or the classic ones, more reminiscent of another past cultural context) as well as what will the map look like (again, modern or classic).
Despite this, units will continue to look the same in battle, and certainly, although many of you probably already have noticed, they remind us greatly of those that we can find in Fire Emblem Heroes, the mobile title where all the characters adopt on the battlefield a chibi and poorly detailed look to make things easier for the development team to produce new units. Is this a bad thing? Not at all if you like that style, but without a doubt, it is something that facing more than one will make the set lose some strength and feel monotonous, especially considering that much of what it offers in title will focus solely on the battles.
As for the technical aspect, we can affirm that we have not had any problems on this front (After all, we are talking about a strategic role-playing game that does not require too much graphics load), so any concern that may come to you in this regard can be alleviated.
Closing with this section, we will enter the sound aspect, starting by noting that the game is coming completely dubbed into japanese (another novelty offered by this installment), with a great job on the part of the actors and actresses
conclusion
With all that we have told you, we no longer believe that there is any doubt about what this title entails, but nevertheless, it is worth highlighting it again: we are before a couple of strategy games from the golden age of the video game who have tried to replicate the formula that we saw in their day in Fire Emblem: Awakeningtransforming some more classic designs in others more typical of Japanese animation contemporary but respecting its gameplay to make them more attractive and expand horizons.
In the end, this has made him stay in confusing terrain, since on the one hand, fans of the franchise (which are not too many in the West since only the first installment and the mobile game have arrived) will not be entirely happy with the lack of news outside the new creative approach, and on the other, those who are not have much more popular and accessible options (like the same franchise of Fire emblem) to dive into.
So who exactly is it for? Langrisser I & II ? Without a doubt, it is an ideal title for all those faithful followers of the SRPG that after being seasoned in the already dominant franchises in the niche (again, Fire Emblem, Valkyria Chronicles or Disgaea) want to delve deeper and enjoy titles that not only mean more hours of quality entertainment for them, but an important piece of the genre that was lost in our country in its day.
In short, if you have experience in tactical role-playing games and you want to experience a franchise with a lot of historical relevance, play Langrisser I & II will delight your time, however, if what you want is to start in the genre, although these titles are a more than worthy option, we recommend other more popular alternatives that you will know well and that they will be more benevolent with you.
A few years ago it seemed impossible to say something like this, but today, we have a market in which we can choose what best suits us since things that seemed impossible before are now a reality, and without a doubt, Langrisser's return to our lands it is just another living proof of it. We can be grateful, because the future is bright.
Langrisser I & II is available from this March 13 both in physical format and in the Nintendo Switch eShop at a price of € 49.99, occupying in its entirety 1687,00 MB and counting on texts in English as well as with voices in japanese (something usual in this kind of titles).
Finally, if you are interested in getting hold of a more complete edition of the title, point out that NIS Europe had for sale in its official store a Limited edition (currently sold out, but that could well be available for sale again soon), which for a price of 75 pounds (plus shipping costs) contains a physical copy of the game, an art book with the illustrations of the title and their soundtracks on various CDs, all wrapped in a exclusive box and accompanied by various art cards.
Additionally, for those who are still undecided regarding whether or not you will like the title, please note that you have A most extensive demo available on the Nintendo eShop that will let you know if the game is for you or not. In any case, whatever decision you make, Have a great time!
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