The Langrisser series, or at least, the first two entries, are games that I really enjoy. Hell, I was once on an internet radio show about the second one. Tactical RPGs are really good, and are even better on the Sega Mega Drive. Langrisser 1 and 2, the original versions, exemplify this. They were fast paced, challenging but not overbearingly difficult with bull shit units and situations, nice looking, and having some of the best music the FM sound chip had to offer. If you’ve never heard of or played these games, imagine playing Fire Emblem, then asking yourself, “huh, I wonder what these games would be like if they were actually good?” That’s Langrisser.
I’m not here to talk about those original games, great as they are. I’m here to talk about the remake of Langrisser 2. Like all the remakes I’ve purchased this year, they all have the same story in regards to me acquiring them: because horny men on the internet gave me money.
dude’s straight up copping a feel, here
Before I continue, I have to consult the Official Lonely Frontier Dot Net Rulebook on Remakes and Remasters. According to the rules, Langrisser 1&2 has to fit the following criteria:
- Add new content
- Is available in territories it was not previously available in
- Reimplement previously removed content
- Fix technical issues/bugs that plagued the original release
These games check off items 1, 2, and 4, so it counts as a good remake. There was no previously removed content in the originals, so 3 cannot be checked off.
Anyways, back on topic. The thing about Langrisser 2 is that it had its original release on the Mega Drive. In that version, it was a hard, linear TRPG. Then, the game would be ported to the Super Famicom, then later, the Saturn and the Playstation. This version, Der Langrisser, added a whole bunch of new shit, as well as easing the difficulty somewhat. Der Langrisser introduced multiple story paths for you to take. Now you were able to take different sides in the games’ ongoing conflict, which also led to multiple endings. Granted, the plot wasn’t super involving; it was very much the typical “evil empire is doing bad things, and wants to obtain a powerful magical artifact so as to do even more evil things much easier,” but it was still a novel concept in 1994. The thing about all this, though, is that only the Super Famicom release is in English, thanks to a very good fan translation (RIP Near). The problem, however, is the Super Famicom version fucking sucks. It runs at like 5 FPS, which wouldn’t normally be a problem in an RPG, but it is when it’s all on a large level with a lot of units present. Battles take forever because of how long it takes to move from one end of the, for whatever reason, larger maps (bigger than the original Mega Drive version) and fight the enemy army. Also the music sounds terrible and it sucks.
This remake contains all the extra stuff that I didn’t get to see in the original game, is in a language I can understand, and doesn’t run like complete shit. That alone is worth it. But there are some changes that I can appreciate. For one thing, unit balance is significantly better; no longer do I have to cast characters like Liana and Hein down to the back of the line, and Hawk Knights actually have a use that isn’t “highly mobile meat shield.” Actually being able to use all of your troops this time around is fun.
The game itself plays well, and is about as good as the original, barring one thing. My biggest problem here is the way the game looks. Like, you can get the option of using the original SNES sprites for the maps, and using the original Satoshi Urushihara hand-drawn character portraits. But you don’t get the option to use the original in-game character sprites. This is a problem, because I don’t think the new art is as good.
the original, for reference
This carries over into the actual battles. Before, you had these Chibi sprites bump into one another until they were dead. Now, it looks like a mobile game, except that these are new art assets, and not ones recycled from the actual Langrisser Mobile game.
I don’t like the new art style. It’s not for me. Really, I just wanted the original sprites, original music, a good script, and some technical fixes. I understand that this is probably me being weird, and that I am not the average consumer that companies need to or should directly market to. Still, I will complain about a lack of the one option I wanted. Maybe I’ll look into modding this game some day.
you may be surprised to learn that satoshi urushihara is a porn artist by trade. a horny foreigner gave him the nickname, “master of breasts.”
Langrisser 2, despite the visual aesthetic, is still fucking great. I miss the challenge of the original, but I’m not going to complain too hard. There is a strange, nostalgic feel to the game. When I was an awkward teen, I wasn’t really allowed to go out. I had a pretty rough, controlling childhood, you see. So, as a result, I would spend a lot of weekends at home, playing Mega Drive ROMs, downloading porn off Kazaa, listening to Malice Mizer in WinAmp, and watching an*me at night. Langrisser (the first one, anyways) is one of those games that left an indelible mark in my fucked up little brain. Another Saturday night alone in front of the computer, listening to that wonderful music on the FM sound chip, much like I’m doing right now; though being home alone in 2021 when you’re almost 35 years old is much less sad than when you’re 15 and your parents think you’re on drugs. Langrisser 2, despite only being unofficially in English in 2011, still evokes that imagery in my mind, of exploring the internet, because you can’t really explore anywhere else. It’s the kind of game you lose yourself in for several hours, occasionally taking a break to watch whatever an*me is on the original run of Adult Swim, or to see how close a download is to completing.
Revisiting old games, an*me, Visual-kei, I said I was going to go full weeb this Summer, and goddammit, I meant it! Maybe if you were a weird kid like me, you might enjoy Langrisser. Or I don’t know, maybe if you like a good Tactical RPG.
Before I forget: yes, the remake of Langrisser 2 absolutely retains the secret Cho Aniki level. Oh hell yeah.
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