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. 4P.de
    Dec 17, 2020
    39
    Quotation forthcoming.

User Reviews

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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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