Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 9
  3. Negative: 1 out of 9
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  1. Digitally Downloaded
    Dec 16, 2020
    90
    On the other hand, Matrix Games revived a niche and nearly forgotten 22-year-old game to deliver Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia. This may well be just a foundation to build on, assuming there's an audience for it. I certainly hope there is, because this series could go very, very far yet.
  2. GameCritics
    Feb 18, 2021
    85
    All in all, Brigandine: Legend of Runersia is definitely not a title for those looking to chill – it’s taxing and requires a player’s full attention at all times. On the other hand, those longing for a challenging, tactically-rich experience that will unapologetically punish mistakes will certainly find their niche filled here.
  3. PlayStation LifeStyle
    Dec 12, 2020
    80
    There sure is a lot going on in Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia. It may seem a little overwhelming at first, but as soon as you find your rhythm it goes by faster than you think. Strategy games are not my bread and butter. There were evenings I told myself I had just a few hours to play, only to be completely sucked in. Color me pleasantly surprised with my overall experience. I may never feel brave enough to attempt Hard mode but there is a strong likelihood that I won’t be deleting the game from my hard drive as soon as this review goes live.
  5. Hey Poor Player
    Dec 9, 2020
    80
    Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia isn't your typical grand strategy game. If you love doing things like managing villages and testing your economic prowess, then maybe this isn't for you. But, for everyone else, Brigandine is definitely worth your time. The entirety of each campaign provides an engaging struggle which puts your tactical combat prowess to the test, and its multiple factions each provide detailed stories, each of which is sure to keep you hooked. Despite my gripes here and there, Brigandine really doesn't need much in the ways of re-working. However, it's apparently getting that anyway, thanks to its quickly approaching update centered around providing players with the ability to customize their campaigns as well as more in-depth player UIs.
  6. COGconnected
    Jan 6, 2021
    79
    Overall, Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia is in-depth and complex enough for intermediate players whilst still being just easy enough for beginners to get into.
  7. Meristation
    Apr 5, 2021
    78
    Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia tries to bring back the feelings that old RPGs had, resulting in title mixing combat and organization with the intriguing story of the clash of six nations.
  8. TheSixthAxis
    Mar 8, 2021
    70
    Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia is a complicated beast. It’s a vastly detailed strategy game that demands a lot of players. For those up to the challenge, there're hours and hours of content on offer here, in what is an impressive strategy titles. However, if you aren’t versed in strategy games, you are going to struggle to get on with Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia as it offers new players very little help.
  9. RPG Fan
    Mar 31, 2021
    68
    I did get moments of enjoyment from the game in a few of the tactical battles and the strategic movement of my armies around the map, but felt unengaged with a lot of the game’s system and honestly not as connected with my units as I would be in other tactical RPGs where permadeath can feel more odious. For those who are willing to overlook some of these flaws, it could be a fun experience to play a campaign once. Replay value is there for those who want it, given you can play other nations and that upon beating Normal mode you unlock additional challenges, but I would not expect each playthrough to be wildly different aside from new story angles.
  10. 4P.de
    Dec 17, 2020
    39
    Quotation forthcoming.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 13 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 13
  3. Negative: 2 out of 13
  1. Traygus
    Jan 4, 2021
    10
    Though not without my critiques of the game, it's a must have for Tactical RPG fans.
  2. watergazing
    Aug 14, 2021
    10
    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!    … Full Review »
  3. LazersGoPewPew
    Jul 23, 2021
    10
    In general, absolutely love it!

    1 ). Game description (to go straight to my verdict, skip to Number 2 below) In this game, there are 6    In 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?)

    b ). 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!    … Full Review »
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