Review: Langrisser I & II (Nintendo Switch)

Langrisser I & II is a collection of turn-based strategy RPG’s initially released for the Sega Genesis. Years ago, I had Langrisser on my Sega Genesis which was localized as “Warsong.” I really enjoyed the game; the thing is as it got to be more dated, the less I played the game. So, at some point in my early twenties, I traded it in for store credit, a decision I would later regret. Years later, I wanted to play it again but couldn’t find a copy at a reasonable price. I was extremely excited to see it, and its sequel was getting as Switch release. The release on the Nintendo Switch comes with updated graphics. Let’s take a look at what makes this collection so good. 

In Lagrisser I, you play as Ledin, prince of the kingdom Baldea, as he tries to protect his kingdom from Kaiser Digos and the Dalsis Empire. Protecting the kingdom proves to be a more formidable task than Ledin believed as he learns that Digos is after a legendary sword, Lagrisser, which grants unstoppable power. Now Ledin and his followers must find Lagrisser first to stop Digos and protect his kingdom. In Langrisser II, you play as Elwin, who is a traveler with his friend Hein They come to a small town, and they find a woman named Liana, who is being attacked by the Rayguard Empire. Elwin and Hein decide to help defend her from the Empire. The three then set on a quest to find out why the Rayguard Empire was trying to capture her. 

Both storylines are set apart, with only a minimal amount of ties from one game to the other. However, oddly enough, Ledin and Elwinas, as far as I can tell, look identical, which was slightly problematic due to playing both games at once. Each game has different alliances to be made, allowing for multiple storylines to unveil. The various storylines give the game a fair amount of replay value. Although I never felt the dialog was too long within or after the battle, there is a fast forward feature to skip it if you so desire. Battles also feature a ‘quick-save,” which allows for an in-battle save for more prolonged battles. 

Both Langrisser I and II play like a combination of Advance Wars and Fire Emblem. Commanders or main characters, earn CP (combat points, I think, the game never confirmed) by defeating enemies and leveling up.   hen enough CP is earned, a commander can upgrade their class. Each commander has infantry they can hire. Depending on the class of the commander depends on the amount and type of infantry they can employ. For instance, as Ledin starts as a fighter, he can recruit only soldiers at this time. As he progresses from fighter to Lord, his infantry of soldiers adds the choice of spearmen. Infantry is limited per character and class and, as your commanders grow stronger, they can hire more. Infantry that a commander can have is also limited to type, so if you want to use spearmen, then soldiers can not be used. It was fun to level them up and change classes to see the new abilities and infantry that would unlock. 

The graphics of the game are interchangeable between classic graphics and updated. Graphic styles can be changed at any point in time during the game, even within a battle. If you are using classic graphics, it will occasionally turn to updated graphics if a cut scene has been added. 

It should be noted that the dialogue is in Japanese with subtitles in the language you choose. This didn’t disappoint me as I am used to it from watching Anime; however, I know for some, it could be an issue. 

My time spent with the collection was great. Langrisser I & Lagrisser II both are immensely strong strategy turn-based RPG games, which make them so great. Fans who love the likes of Fire Emblem and Advance Wars are in for a treat with this collection. I can’t wait to put more hours into this one!