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Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia Image

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia (Switch)

Release Date:
Also On: PC, PlayStation 4
76
Metascore
 31 reviews
8.2
User Score
 69 ratings

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Developer: Matrix Software Happinet Corporation
Publisher: Happinet Corporation Happinet
Game Details: An Endless Fantasy WarGrand Strategy Simulation. Conquer the continent in this grand strategy
An Endless Fantasy WarGrand Strategy Simulation. Conquer the continent in this grand strategy simulation game
The continent of Runersia is home to six major powers with more than 40 bases, 100 knights, and 50 types of monsters.
Select a ruler, compose your platoons of knights and monsters, and march to claim enemy bases. The player chooses how they will battle, so devise the best strategy to lead your nation toward continental conquest. How will your legend unfold? Simple yetAn Endless Fantasy WarGrand Strategy Simulation. Conquer the continent in this grand strategy simulation game
The continent of Runersia is home to six major powers with more than 40 bases, 100 knights, and 50 types of monsters.
Select a ruler, compose your platoons of knights and monsters, and march to claim enemy bases.
The player chooses how they will battle, so devise the best strategy to lead your nation toward continental conquest. How will your legend unfold?

Simple yet deep war simulation game with unit growth and map-based platoon battles
Time passes on Runersia in seasons, each one consisting of an Organization Phase and an Attack phase.
During the Organization Phase, knights and monsters with various classes and skills are organized into platoons in preparation for the upcoming battles.

During the Attack Phase, turn-based platoon battles take place on a map made up of hexagonal spaces. Make use of unit skills, elements, enclosure effects, terrain advantages, and other battle tactics to lead your side to victory!
All nations, knights, and monsters in the game will continue to battle and grow as you do.
The game is also packed with other ways to grow your armies such as class changes, equipment, and various items.… Expand
Developer: Matrix Software Happinet Corporation
Publisher: Happinet Corporation Happinet
Genre(s): Role-Playing General Strategy Turn-Based Tactics
Number of players: No Online Multiplayer
Cheats: On GameFAQs
Rating: T

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Critic Reviews
(31)
76
Metascore Generally favorable reviews
17 Positive Ratings 54%
14 Mixed Ratings 45%
0 Negative Ratings 0%
Based on 31 Critic Reviews View All
90
Digitally Downloaded
Jun 26, 2020
"Having not played the original Brigandine, I don't know if this new one does justice to the legacy of the original. I do know that original is well-respected (and quite rare, therefore expensive), but I'm comfortable saying this: developer Matrix Software has done something special with Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia, and this effort deserves to have a legacy all of its own. The Switch is by no means short on great tactics experiences, but Brigandine might just be the best of all of them." ... Read full review
85
GamingTrend
Jun 26, 2020
"Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia is a wonderfully crafted grid-based strategy game with plenty of planning needed. Some battles will be tough, but winning is rewarding every time. There are times when you'll be frustrated by your units missing attacks while the enemy beats you down, but that just forces you to adapt." ... Read full review
83
Video Chums
Jun 25, 2020
"It's hard to believe that a sequel to a game from 1998 released so much later but it was worth the wait. Brigandine The Legend of Runersia is an excellent strategic experience that will blow SRPG fans' minds with its immersive level of depth." ... Read full review
75
Critical Hit
Jul 7, 2020
"There’s a beautifully detailed game just waiting to be explored inside of this sequel to a forgotten cult classic, one that will have hardcore RTS fans in their element if they can overlook a clunky campaign flow and dive deep into its many layers of strategy. Fortune favours those who are bold and prepared in Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia. " ... Read full review
70
Switch Player
Oct 6, 2020
"Brigandine: Legend of Runersia is a beautiful-yet-unapproachable masterpiece of a tactical RPG. It’s certainly rough around the edges, with its difficulty and UI being particular points of contention, but well worth the venture if you’re able to stomach it." ... Read full review
70
TheGamer
Jun 26, 2020
"It's a little too bloated in some places, but for the most part, Brigandine: The Legends Of Runersia could be a fine choice for those looking for some tactical action on the go." ... Read full review
50
Gamer Escape
Jun 26, 2020
"Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia isn’t a truly dire or bad title, but it’s the sort of thing that you’re either going to love or hate, and that feels like a pretty big ask for the game. It was a title I found very exciting in concept, but found myself increasingly disappointed by the more I played it. Be fairly warned before you try it – but also don’t be surprised if it becomes something that some people just will not stop talking about, even with its flaws." ... Read full review
User Reviews
(16)
8.2
User Score Generally favorable reviews
55 Positive Ratings 79%
6 Mixed Ratings 8%
8 Negative Ratings 11%
Based on 69 Ratings and 16 Reviews View All
10
Hij45g
Jun 27, 2020
This is a really good rpg reminds of old time RPGs when the story was really good and you would find unique character's in it
10
LazersGoPewPew
Jul 23, 2021
In general, absolutely love it!

1 ). Game description (to go straight to my verdict, skip to Number 2 below) In this game, there are 6In general, absolutely love it!

1 ). Game description (to go straight to my verdict, skip to Number 2 below)
In this game, there are 6 different nations at war for territory on a large continent. Each nation starts with its own territory, Ruler, Rune Knights (generals) and Units (monsters). The monsters have to be paired with the knights to be brought to battle. Each knight can bring multiple monsters depending on their Magic Pool (monster-controlling capacity). Naturally, more powerful monsters require more portions of the knight's capacity pool.

Imagine Final Fantasy Tactics, but each Knight is also a pokemon trainer, and your 6 pokemons go to war with you side by side--kind of.

Both Knights and Monsters have different classes (such as wizard, archer, paladin,etc for Rune Knights; centaurs, hydras, unicorns, etc. for the monsters). They can level up and gain more powerful forms (e.g. unicorn evolve to pegasus at lv.10, Mage can change class to Wizard at lv.20) and can be equipped with items.

Finally, you then command the Knights to battle for other countries's territory, and with each territorial gain, you gain more Mana each turn (the currency), which will be used to feed the monsters you have (called Upkeep) and summon new monsters, as Monsters can die if defeated in battle. You finish the game when you conquer the whole continent, and each Nation's storyline unfolds as your territory grows.

2 ). Verdict:
a. Gameplay: 10/10
b. Story: 7/10
c. Music: 8/10
d. Visuals: 8.5/10

3 ). Verdict description:
a. Gameplay (10/10)
Very intense strategy gameplay! If you are new to the series, you will, most certainly, learn the ropes the hard way. Expand recklessly and you will spread yourself too thin to defend your territory. In battle, your generals will get focused and injured. Precious monsters will die or even be captured by the enemy (idk which one is worse!). However! once you manage to figure out the knacks of each monster type, each knight class, and their abilities; it would get much better. You will then be able to customize your own roster of knights & monsters depending on your playstyle, and you will thoroughly enjoy "strategizing" and thinking as a general would, which is exactly what a good SRPG Gameplay should be!

In terms of gameplay, there is no other game like it, which is insane considering it has been 20+ years since its original release! The Brigandine games could very well be their own genre, just like the way Pokemon is. It is a medieval/fantasy-themed war simulation game at its finest.

Suggestion:
- Add more depth to the tutorial to ease newcomers to play (e.g. tutorial for each monster type?)

2 ). Story (7/10)
Unfortunately, the story falls short when compared to other RPG Games. It is an improvement from the 1998 game but still not enough depth, and the "twist" comes too late and we don't really care with the parties involved for it to make enough impact.
There is another layer of the story which are hidden behind the "flavour-text" description of each Rune Knight (which are awesome by the way), but they rarely come to life through cutscenes or interactions.

Suggestion:
- More engaging whole story
- Make the "flavour-text" more alive, maybe add more stories when questing certain knights together, or make it possible for the questing knight to meet their relative at another country if they are also currently on a quest. RPGs are centered around the characters. Good RPGs often go through painstaking ways to deeply show each character's story. Brigandine has 100 characters, so adding more side stories to more characters would be very very welcome!

c. Music: 8/10
Great music, but they can't hold candles compared to the original. Sorry. The original (TLOF, not GE) are just so good, so maybe the bar was set too high here, thus 8.

d. Visuals: 8.5/10
Wonderful art design for each character, designed by an experienced character designer. Beautifully drawn and NOT overly sexualized. The knights' clothing wonderfully match their country of origin, so we can get a feel of a country's character from the way the knights look.

The map is more detailed compared to the original game, and it beautifully reflects the terrain of the battlefield; and what kind of quest would be available at each base. There are no longer cutscenes during attack/magic, but they are replaced by beautiful short animations which reduces loading time.

Some people say that the characters are too sexualized but I disagree... Except for the shinobis (which I guess are just the way they are designed..they are a tribal society after all), the women actually have layered and covered clothing common to the medieval/fantasy genre.

Suggestion: Is it too much if I ask for cutscenes during attack/magic just like the original? It can make the monsters and knights more "alive".

Overall, still 10/10 because to me SRPGs are more about the gameplay!… Expand
10
watergazing
Aug 14, 2021
I don't expect the game critics would understand. Brigandine is a game that gets better as you play more of it, as you understand the playableI don't expect the game critics would understand. Brigandine is a game that gets better as you play more of it, as you understand the playable nations' different situations, motivations, and struggles. Moreover, the game mechanics are definitely not in the realm of "instant gratification" like so many games nowadays.

Thus it requires many many hours (we're talking at least tens, to hundreds) just to understand and appreciate, which I don't expect most casual "gamer" critics could do sadly, I expect they just go in and play like, half a run using 1 country...? just to understand the mechanics and "criticize" the game.

But considering these limitations, I'd say this game has done well enough!… Expand
10
Hangedman84
Dec 6, 2020
EDIT 06/12/20 (update "Titans and the Iron Front"): The great game becomes even greater after free update!
Here's a little bit about what weEDIT 06/12/20 (update "Titans and the Iron Front"): The great game becomes even greater after free update!
Here's a little bit about what we got:
1. Two new high LVL monster types.
2. Better AI (Guard Castle Hex mode)
3. Auto mode and a number of quality of life functions that improve playability, such as a vanage items UI, Info panels, options settings, and others.
4. Custom difficulty mode witch allows you to customize up to 8 in game settings. Plus now we can play game on the highest difficulty without any time limit! (it gives us almoust infinity game if you want it to be!).
[link omitted per site rules]

P.S. Btw the developer directly hinted that there will be further updates and perhaps even full fledged DLC! ;-)

Original Score 9: I would really like to give this game a maximum rating of 10 out of 10. But unfortunately I can’t force myself to do this despite the fact that I am a huge fan of Brigandine and consider LoF one of the best tactical games on consoles. My score is 9 and only because it is Brigandine (although to be honest, I would put LoR no more than 7).

Let's start with the good:

- The mechanics of the game have been preserved, and it still remains as attractive and exciting as it was back in 2000.

- Very detailed and good ingame tutorial.

- The history of the world as a whole is not bad, although the plot in the first game was better, imho.

- Beautiful 2D art, but some drawings are worse than others.

- Some great and epic music tunes.

Now about the bad:

- There are much fewer classes and upgrading branches for rune knights. Many rune knight classes was cut out without replacement.
For example - martial artist class character in LoF was represented by Ranger ➜ Grappler ➜ Champion and 2nd one Priest ➜ Monk ➜ Guardian.
LoR have only one class Monk ➜ Grappler ➜ Champion.
Also, the developers did the same with monsters. They cut many monster types and their upgrade trees. Some branches of monster upgrade tree generally look very strange. For example all five dragons type (each with their own element) evolve in the only one final version ancient fire dragon!

- The complete lack of lore text descriptions of game items (weapons, armor and etc) is a big omission because it would add more depth to the world of Runersia.

- The complete lack of unique quests with text description, not counting those where you find new knights.
Why couldn’t developers add some quests, to find some unique relics that would give bonuses to your entire nation? Or quest which must be done with specific knight (s) in specific strongholds to find some unique monster, or piece of some legendary equipment. These quest could be pretty rare, but this would add even more interest to the game and give it some cool secrets to find.

- The design and graphics of knights and monsters 3D models are pretty generic and bland. In addition to bad graphics, when your knight or monster turns into a new class, it remains almost the same, only the color palette changes!

The overall feeling that the developers had a strictly limited time frame and pretty small budget. It feels like the game was left unfinished in terms of the amount of content. I really hope that the developers will please us with an improved version of the game (Grand Edition) and fix all the flaws and fill in all the gaps.

P.S. Some critics and players want to see multiplayer gameplay options in LoR but I think its impossible, simply because in even with 3-4 players game match, just think about, how long will it take to wait your turn. ;-P… Expand
9
bdcgone
Jun 27, 2020
I rarely ever write reviews for games, but I feel the need to get word out about this game. This is a game that understands what long timeI rarely ever write reviews for games, but I feel the need to get word out about this game. This is a game that understands what long time fans of strategy games are looking for. If you are a person that missed the days of the original Ogre Battle or wish another game like Dark Wizard was made, this is the game for you. It has a strategic over world map where you really have to plot out your strategy when trying to conquer the world map. Then it has tactical battles that are surprisingly intense. I've had several battles where it was extremely close. Overall, it scratches that old school strategy fix better than most games.

On top of all of this, all units can level up. Your monsters can level up. Your Knights can level up. You can find equipment. for all of your units. Overall, it's the micromanagement that older strategy rpg players live for.

I have heard comparisons to Fire Emblem: Three Houses. I loved Fire Emblem, but this game is not meant to be Fire Emblem. If you go in with that expectation, you will be disappointed. This is a larger scale war and it's about managing units as you progress.

I haven't moved far enough in the story to pass much judgement, but it seems okay. The artwork for the characters is beautiful though. The battle graphics are acceptable, but it can get a little bit muddled. The over world map gets the job done. The game can be slightly difficult to understand at first, but after a few turns, you should be fine.

To conclude, the creators of the game understand their audience. They scratch a strategy itch that only a few games are able to. I highly recommend it especially if you have been looking for something comparable to Ogre Battle and Dark Wizard for the past thirty years like I have.… Expand
8
vieira171
Jun 27, 2020
The base game is good and for my first campaign. It was played without any bugs. The plot is ok and forgettable with the cliche of ourThe base game is good and for my first campaign. It was played without any bugs. The plot is ok and forgettable with the cliche of our terrible politics. I miss the multiplayer game choice. My impressions is that every faction is balanced in its ways. I miss the multiplayer game choice. Why not a Hotseat mode or even an online game possible? The 2d art is good but i could not say the same about the 3d graphics and i still remember the great animations in Brigandine: Legend of Forsena Grand Edition in the Play Station 1. I hope more games like these come to the new generations of consoles or pcs. A remake of Brigandine: The Legend of Forsena Grand Edition for the Switch could be superb!… Expand
5
soniphera
Jul 3, 2020
Remarkable soundtrack, character development, good story-driven game... Yeah, that's the original Brigandine. Unfortunately, Brigandine: TheRemarkable soundtrack, character development, good story-driven game... Yeah, that's the original Brigandine. Unfortunately, Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia doesn't live up to the previous title. The soundtrack is almost non-existent, character design is beautiful, but also overly sexualized. It is a good strategy game, but it ends there. It doesn't show any progression, besides some graphic update, in comparison to its previous title. I waited for almost twenty years to play this game, but it is just a disappointment.… Expand
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