Langrisser II Review, by LoC

Langrisser II
Sega Genesis


Game Review - by  LoC

Intro:

Of all the Strategy/RPG series over the years, Langrisser has always been one of the most popular...in Japan at least. Unfortunely Career Soft only localized the first game in the U.S, under the title of Warsong. The game didn't sell very well on this side of the seas, although a small and loyal fanbase was established...even back then.


Story:

Decent enough for a Strategy/RPG I guess. Just not likely to win any awards. You play a character named Elwin,who's a desecendent of Langrisser I's Garret. There's an empire trying to claim the power of the dark sword, Alhazard. And the sword being "dark" and all is supposed to set all hell loose. So yeah, you have to claim the sword of light(also named Langrisser) to combat this threat.

Gameplay:

I once saw this series described as "Fire Emblem meets Advance Wars" and that's actually not a bad description. Like Fire Emblem you have a weapon triangle system, and like Advance Wars you have large numbers of troops serving under generals. If your troops are within a certain radius of their commander, they are given statistic bonuses. Depending on the commander's current level, these bonuses range from minimal to huge. So, you can bet it's in your best interest to keep those troops near their leader. Especially since if he/she dies, all the troops under their command go with.  

Challenge/Difficulty:

Well, I don't know how many of you have played the first game...but this one seemed a bit easier to me somehow.  That being said, this game still has more than enough challenge to keep most players entertained, and occasionally frustrated, but not TOO much! 

Graphics:

A pretty big improvement over the original's, but still not quite a work of art. They won't hurt your eyes at least, some of the attack animations look very nice. Sprites seem more super deformed than they were in Langrisser I, but they are still good enough. 

Sound:

One of the best soundtracks of ANY Strategy/RPG, at least if you ask me anyway! I believe the composer was the same one who did the scores for the Lunar RPG series, but I would have to doublecheck. Memorable and excellent music. 

Replay Value:

With multiple advanced character classes to try, there's more than enough to keep you coming back for more

Overall:

One of the best games for Sega Genesis was one that was never even released in the US, which is a complete shame. Your best bet would be to try and pick up an import copy, but even that may be hard to come by. Hopefully if there is any justice, somebody will port this game to the Nintendo DS, and release it in the US for once!