Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia

Even with a new developer in charge, Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia builds upon the previous game with a lengthy campaign that has a ton of replayability, though players may feel pretty overwhelmed at first due to the complex gameplay.

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia is a game made almost exclusively for fans of the original, but JRPG fans who put strategy above all else may be able find something to love about this if they put in the time.

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.

Coming as a complete surprise, the quality of the art and characters deserves tremendous praise. A single story is interesting, avoiding typical RPG tropes, and engaging from start to finish, which makes it more insane is that there are six stories in this game. Frequently Brigandine will surprise you with moments of extra quality, like the frequency of the artwork screens depicting what's happening. The only thing holding back this title from being a truly phenomenal experience is the repetitive music, some small graphical issues battle-wise, and how much time the actual warfare can take.

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia does not quite reach the heights of truly great tactical RPGs.

Overall, this type of game is bursting with replayability and I found the actual gameplay to be quite fun. There’s a lot of options for customizing your units and the unit variety was great as well (especially when you start leveling up monsters and doing quests to get more items). I also really enjoyed the soundtrack and the absolutely amazing artwork (it’s just so gorgeous!). Sadly, the story and 3D graphics do leave a bit to be desired, but the game is still an easy recommend to strategy RPG fans. It' doesn’t quite stand up as tall as, say, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, but if you’re looking for that next strategy title to scratch that itch you’ve been having, you should give Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia a go!

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.

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia does everything pretty adequately, but there’s also nothing all that remarkable about the experience. I felt like I was going through the motions without anything meaningful to keep bringing me back for these tedious takeovers. The repetition just dulls the adventure, and everything plays out predictably. The game is decent and functional, but it doesn’t have any surprises, big innovations, or memorable moments.

In the end, Brigandine: Legend of Runersia is one of the finest turn-based wargames on consoles in years. The concepts aren’t necessarily new or even deep compared to others in the genre, but they are masterfully rendered in service of a narrative that brings wargaming’s original sin forward into a harsh light.

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.

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia offers deep tactics gameplay but the overall execution falls short of greatness.

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia hearkens to a simpler time, when console strategy games had a special magic to them... Nevertheless, the magic doesn’t hold up very well in the contemporary gaming world. Although it brings heaps of nostalgia, that nostalgia comes at the expense of depth and breadth of gameplay.

With two distinct but well-integrated strategy modes, Brigandine offers a huge amount of gameplay that feels both old school and fresh at the same time. A fantastic tutorial eases new players into the game with little friction, and the seeming complexity becomes quickly manageable. While the graphics are nothing to write home about, the care taken in each story thread is evident, and the tactical gameplay offers a ton of replay value. Brigandine is an utterly unique offering on Switch, and should appeal to RPG fans and strategy buffs alike.

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.

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia it's not a game for everybody. If you're a pro on tactical and strategy RPG, you'll likely love it, even knowing if it's a harsh game when you are entering in it, it won't help you in your first play and that some decisions will, probably, make you scratch your head.

There's a ton of content here and, in the end, the whole thing feels like a pretty successful celebration of what made the first game a cult classic in the first place. It's not going to be to everyone's tastes, however, and if you like your strategy action to be a little more intense, you might want to stick with something like Wargroove or Fire Emblem: Three Houses instead.

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia is a really fun game. The Risk-like strategy gameplay is quite enjoyable and makes sitting through the six campaigns a breeze. Both on and off the battlefield, there is a lot to tinker with, giving you the freedom to play the game by your design. The battles can take a little long, though it never really bothered me. That being said, the models and story could definitely be a bit better. Nothing reaches below par, but some polish would've made this adventure even more memorable.

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia is an excellent strategy RPG with all the classic elements of the Brigandine series paired with modern gameplay mechanics. The entire experience is well balanced and addictive across many battles and phases and it is made better through the excellent character writing featured in each campaign, even if some interactions are a bit dry. If you ask me, this is a must-play SRPG for any Switch owner.

Because of its dedicated focus on strategy, Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia is a refreshing change to today’s gimmicky turn-based JRPGs. Its serious story, unique gameplay elements, and challenging scenarios will appeal to those who recall a time when tactical games were more about strategy and less about selecting their waifu.

After the credits rolled, I immediately wanted to dive back into the continent of Runersia for another 30-40 hour campaign from a different nation's viewpoint.

In summary, playing Brigandine is like the board game "Risk", its brilliantly complicated at first but also a fascinating game at the same time. If you want to try something different from the standard tactical RPG, Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia offers something unique that any fans of the genre should give a try.

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia was a fun experience, and with six different campaigns to explore, there is plenty of room to replay and enjoy multiple playthroughs. This game definitely scratches that strategy RPG itch, and even offers an adjustable difficulty to match just about any player’s desired challenge level. The Switch could certainly benefit from more proper strategy RPGs in its library and Brigandine feels right at home. Fans that enjoy planning out total domination should certainly check out this one.

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia is a delightful experience that respects its audience enough to know that sometimes change isn't necessary for quality to shine through.

The Switch is a great platform for games to dip into for a bit when you have a few minutes, but Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia isn’t one of them. It’s a commitment. A rewarding one, perhaps! But it asks players to stick around and learn, stick around and strategize, stick around and grind through dozens of battle maps. It’s more of a hobby than a diversion, but players looking for just that will find a game that gels well with their sensibilities.

Brigandine The Legend of Runersia is a welcome return to form of a long forgotten strategy franchise back in the PsOne era. It is a deep and artistically inspired alternative to titles such as Fire Emblem or Valkyria Chronicles.

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.

There’s so much depth that a lot of people may find themselves drowning in it, but for a lot of hardcore tactics fans, they’ll be very much in their element. It’s all set against stunning artwork and a really interesting world, but the story can be a little lacklustre in places, and there are some pacing issues too.

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.

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.