In the 1980’s and 1990’s, Japanese RPG (JRPG) was at its height of popularity with games such as Fire Emblem and Final Fantasy. In 1991, another classic was born. Langrisser was a brand new tactical RPG IP, but developer Masaya Games was not a newcomer to the strategy RPG genre having already made a mecha-themed strategy RPG titled Gaiflame in 1987. The original Langrisser was released in Japan and North America in 1991, and it remained as the only English launch in the classic series until now with Langrisser Mobile. The game just completed its Closed Beta test, and will launch worldwide in January 2019.
Fun fact, Langrisser was actually launched in North America under the name Warsong, which most veteran gamers might heard of. However, the game then re-released for the PC Engine (not really the PC) under the name Langrisser: The Descendants of Light. As you can tell from the simple comparison chart below, Langrisser did not have as many titles when compared to its rival series, though it remained a beloved game especially in Japan.
Let us move back to the current new version, Langrisser Mobile, which is set to launch worldwide in early 2019. While certainly not as famous or popular as Fire Emblem Heroes in terms of branding, Langrisser Mobile does have a few standout features. While combat in Fire Emblem Heroes is more focused on using a stronger hero to defeat a weaker one (at least that was what I felt), there are many more tactical elements in Langrisser Mobile.
Some players might feel that having too many controllable features in a mobile game might not be convenient, but it is certainly a relief to some that developer ZLONGAME did its absolute best not to water down the key features found in previous Langrisser games in order to keep the legacy going. Langrisser Mobile launched in the competitive China market in August 2018, and it has since topped various charts which is no easy feat. A high score of 4.8 from 78,000 reviews from the strict Chinese community is a huge achievement!
There will always be a backstory for an awesome JRPG series, and it is the same for Langrisser Mobile. Here it is according to Wikipedia:
“El Sallia, since time immemorial, has been influenced by the power of “gods”. The evil gods were originally their own tribe, and over time one rose to power to dominate all the others. He was the dark god, Chaos, worshiped by the devil tribe. Conversely, Lushiris, a goddess of light, was worshiped by the humans. Each god has its own avatar to exercise its power in the human world and prepare for its coming. Chaos’ avatar is Böser (German: “evil one”), a prince of darkness who is really the trapped soul of a damned human.
Lushiris’ avatar is Jessica, a magician. Each avatar has been entrusted with a sword that carries the weight of the gods’ powers. Böser is responsible for Alhazard, and Jessica is responsible for Langrisser. By choosing a champion for the swords in each era, they influence the world in an endless series of wars. Langrisser itself is a copy of Alhazard made in ancient times and bound to the soul of Sieghart, the first king to rule Elthlead, later called Baldea, as a Descendant of Light.”
As previously mentioned, there were several other Langrisser games which were not localized for the western market, including a couple with a futuristic setting involving mecha units! Langrisser Mobile is setting a major milestone as just the second in the series to get localized in English, and the first to get a global release. Do remember to follow the game’s website and Facebook page for the latest news on pre-registration and more info!
