Genesis REVIEWS: Warsong

Of the three important TRPGs of the 16-bit era, the Langrisser series is probably the least well-known, and that's because few of its titles were ever localized in the West. Warsong is actually the first Langrisser game.

With that in mind, we are discussing a game that is arguably as important as the first Fire Emblem and Shining Force games. Obviously, since the series went on to find some success, the first game in the series must have had some positive elements. It sure does, but it also has its share of obviously glaring problems.

69: Warsong:-

Year: 1991.
Genre: TRPG.
Publisher: Treco.
Developer: Masaya Games 

"The legendary sword, Warsong, was said to give its bearer magical powers"

As with many TRPG games, Warsong begins with the main character's retreat from his own kingdom. The Dalsis empire is right at the doors of the castle, and Prince Garett of Baltia will then need to organize an army to avenge that loss. Yet, it's not all as it seems, as monsters, those that are not controlled by Dalsis, also seem to move in more intelligent ways.

We both know you will have to leave your father, so that you can avenge him later

The setup is basic but could offer some interesting plot elements. For instance, the magical sword, Warsong, is a basic fantasy trope but could be interesting if the game did something with it. However, the narrative of the game doesn't go much further than the text blurbs before each mission.

True, there is some dialogue, but it's typical of a low-quality translation. One unfortunate point is that your allies never have any lines beyond their introductory chapter, and a few lines if killed in battle.

"We can't retreat now! Everyone, stay close and try not to get hurt"

As a TRPG, Warsong tries to separate itself from the pack by its use of soldiers along with commanders. Each character can hire up to 8
soldiers of the same class. Of course, the enemy commanders have their own soldiers as well.

This means that you can control up to 72 units in one turn. Which is why this system is the most unique and most frustrating part of the game. Turns can take an eternity because of that, as you see each unit move, even at the fastest setting. Trying to play the game on slow is worse than watching paint dry.

See all those soldiers above that you will need to move around, and that's only the first stage

Compared to all the TRPGs I played, Warsong's turns are probably the longest, as these separate units all take such a long time to move. Unfortunately, you can't even effectively use the game's auto-move feature because of the game's stupid AI (which I will discuss later).

Other than the use of soldiers, the game uses a unique health system. Each unit (commanders included) has 10 HP points, but with their stats, you can see a commander completely decimate a soldier unit without getting hurt. Additionally, soldiers who end the turn next to their commander heal, and a commander can stay at their place and heal as well. This all leads to longer battles, but also lends a more strategic element than other games in the genre.

Hence, this is not a game for people who want to blaze through the chapters, as the more tactical approach means each turn is longer than other comparable games by a lot.


"No, such strong defense"

Let us now talk more about the more tactical gameplay elements, as well as how soldiers serve in the gameplay. For starters, terrain is varied, and it affects both defensive bonuses and movement points. Second, soldiers are stronger within their commander's sphere of influence. Finally, there is a rock-paper-scissors relationship between soldier types.

All of these elements, as well as the various statistics and classes for each character, mean the player has many options in how to approach the game. Sure, some options are obviously superior, archers are very good units, for example. Yet, the option is there for the player to experiment.

You can even try to use the mermaid units if you are feeling adventurous

One part that is worth mentioning is the game's AI. I cannot complain about it much, considering the game's age, but it can be daftly hilarious. For instance, the computer could send ALL of its soldiers against one commander that is sitting in a high defensive position, and that commander wouldn't lose one health point. It's like sending all of their soldiers into a grinder.

This is the reason you cannot trust the AI to move your units; it simply could ruin all of your plans.


"Is the evil chasing after Warsong?"

Graphically, Warsong looks fine. It's colorful, and the character portraits are really good, especially for a 1990 game. Sprites are detailed and animate adequately. When attacking, the game goes into a 2D plane and showcases a small battle, and when using magic, the effects are cool enough.

Thankfully, all the information is conveyed in a clean and obvious form. Soldier types are clear, and the terrain types make it obvious where the best defensive positions are.

It's always funny when these little sprites start wailing at each other

Unfortunately, the same care doesn't extend to the music. It's not that the soundtrack is bad; in fact, the tracks that are in there are good. However, there are just too few tracks, and as such, you hear the same five or six tracks for a long time in a lot of levels.


In Conclusion:

As the first game in the Langrisser series, Warsong makes it obvious that the series has a lot of ideas. Ideas that would make for some better games in the future. Unfortunately, this first attempt for the series suffers because of the extremely long turns.

It feels like the balancing was off, and because of that, the game is inaccessible for many who will not want to invest the time in finding what fun can be found in the game.

 

Final: 5/10

Pros:

• Deep tactical gameplay.
• A lot of depth to the game's many systems.
• Very good graphics and character portraits. 

Cons:

• Limited story.
• Extremely long battles. 
• Stupid enemy and auto-play AI.
• You can easily break the game.
• Limited soundtrack. 

Tips:

1. Don't buy the maximum number of soldiers; 5 or 6 is fine
2. Characters level up through kills from both themselves and their soldiers. Make sure to kill everything in sight.
3. The cleric class is a pain to level up; save slimes and lizardmen for them to kill.

Series:

For those reading one of my Genesis review blogs for the first time, here is the basic concept:

I already reviewed a bunch of SNES games, so, naturally, I am going to review the games of its prime competition. Does the SEGA Genesis stand a chance against the legendary SNES library?

My review series is based on the top 100 list of Retro Sanctuary

Originally, I posted most of my content on a football forum called "Goallegacy," which was the first online community I had ever joined. I found it to be the best place for a football fan (the REAL football, not handegg) to hang out on the internet, but the forum is not as active as it was years ago.

 

Next Game:

As my introduction to the Langrisser series, Warsong does excite me about the possible improvements to the series in the future, even if it is an underwhelming game.

The next game I am reviewing is going back to number 79. Coming back to review Phantasy Star III, which is considered a different game from the others in the franchise. However, after finding PSII terribly aged, I don't think I am going to trust public opinion regarding the Phantasy Star games.

 

Stay Tuned.

 

For Previous Genesis Game Reviews:

The List

This blog was originally posted in Destructoid Community Blogs on March 4th, 2016. The blog was slightly edited to fit my newer review format.