Brigandine

"The roleplayer's wargame and a much needed console game"

Brigandine is a unusual mix. It's a strategy game but it also mixes some RPG elements. The game fills a wide hole in the console market. Be warned though, it doesn't play like an RPG.

The goal in Brigandine is to conquer the continent of Forsena, which is done by recruiting Rune Knights and summoning monsters to build an army and launch invasions on your neighbors while you repel their own invasions.

Turns on the world map are separated in two phase, organization and attack. In the organization phase, you organize and move your troops. The CPU controlled opponents do the same simultaneously. In the attack phase, you plan your attacks. Then it's show time.

Attacks are resolved in tactic-RPG fashion. The fights are turn based, you move your troops on the map, close-in and fight. Most attacks and spells have animations which are done in 3D. The screen actually switch to a 3D view on the action.

While it might sound simple, it really isn't. You get to choose from three difficulty level, easy, normal or hard and the AI match these difficulty perfectly. The easy level boast simple but not stupid opponents and the normal level has smart opponents but not overly tough either. I haven't tried the hard level yet but expect a real challenge.

As for RPG elements, they are scarce yet they are there to add a bit of personality to the game. The game does have a simple but serious and decent storyline and you'll learn a but here and there about your many Rune Knights. This storyline put Brigandine apart from tasteless war waging. It's an excellent addition.

GRAPHICS

The map of Forsena and the battlefield view are uninspired but they do the job of showing what's going on. Except for the fact that when your units get mixed with the opponents units, it gets hard to say who is who. The 3D animation are lengthy and repetitive but you can switch them off. Some are worth seeing though.

SOUNDS & MUSIC

Nothing exceptional. The sounds are okay and the music is good.

GAMEPLAY

Well, the gameplay is pretty good. It doesn't feature anything original but all it has is the best. The controls can be a bit tough to learn at first, but for a strategy game, it's quite easy. The game has no excessive complexity that is so common in war games and strategy games yet allows for subtle strategies.

REPLAYABILITY

If you go through this game once, you'll come back for more. Three different difficulty levels and a handful of nations to choose from means you'll play this game for quite some time before you must start a game you've already done.

BUY OR RENT

Rent first. You won't be able to go through the game in a single day, but you'll be able to know if you like the game or not.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/08/02, Updated 04/08/02