Langrisser Mobile (iOS) Review

Langrisser has been around for a long time, since 1991 when the first game came out. The series has stayed similar to its tactical role-playing roots from the beginning. Very Similar to Fire Emblem, one major difference right away is that character's have armies with them. So, in appearance, it is not one guy battling another, so much as a unit commander and his soldiers going after the enemy. This is a simple, but fun change watching a horde of guys battling each other. This mobile version sticks to its roots, but has some aspects that need discussion.

First, some of the very good points: the anime art style is very on point, the portraits are animated, every girl looks attractive, and every guy looks ready for battle. The art style feels like it belongs in higher budget titles, given the amount of characters. Everyone has voiced lines, and it is a pleasure to watch them move and talk during story sections. The story follows the normal routine of: small-town guy gets super sword and has to stop the empire and evil darkness. Nothing too groundbreaking, but it works. One thing that boosts this aspect a lot, is the fact that, as a side mission, short summaries of all the previous games have been included. You play through this condensed mission while it tells you shorter versions of the story. This aspect is very cool for an audience likely completely unfamiliar with the series.

Normal gameplay revolves around equipping units, choosing classes, and heading out to battle. There is a simple class system of infantry-beats-spearman-who-beats-cavalry. There are other classes like fliers, healers, spell-casters and so on. Character have their own special skills, which can be things like random debuffs to the enemy, boosts to damage for spaces moved, boosts to stats per time attacked, and so on. This has a big effect on the enjoyment given the wide character pool.

One aspect that is both fun, but also likely to turn people off the game is the collection/online feel to the game, so-called 'Gacha' games if you recognize the term. This is 'daily grind' type experience, meaning it is not a game you can complete in one sitting. You are limited based on 'food' (a type of fatigue/endurance system), and can only play typically about one to two hours a day until this recharges. The major point of it all is rolling for better characters and gear. Players slowly accumulate cards, and they can roll for characters. Most of these rolls are for characters that are largely trash, with a small percent for a good/cool character.

There is a major addictive/gambling element to the game, but it makes it fun, after a while starts to wear thin. The patience starts to wear out when you realize that as fun as everything is, it ultimately is just a grind for newer gear or characters, and the true RPG aspects are second to various time or 'pay to win' schemes. This is fine to play without paying money - unlike many others of this type. But there is clearly a heavy draw towards it. One clue is a reward for spending over $1,600 USD in the game. You can buy things to speed up levelling, reload food, and many more. This, of course, limits casual players that would merely wish to enjoy the story.