Brigandine

"A nice strategy game with no story"

Brigandine is a strategic wartime game set in the continent of Forsena. It is a good strategy game, but the lack of story really keeps it from elevating it to the best of the best. It lacks any graphical prowess, but it has a charm of its own that kept me coming back for me. I remember quite a few nights playing up until 3 o'clock in the morning,and I don't regret taking control of the continent with Norgard, or relentlessly pounding enemies with Cai's magic.

Graphics- 6/10

Not pretty. The game uses sprites for the battle map, and polygons to show the attack, and the battle maps are bland, to say the least. The battle maps could have used more generals and bigger areas to fight on, along with at least some variety. The scenes showing the attack are somewhat well done, but they are big and not beautiful. I turned this feature of rather quickly, considering how much it slowed the actual battles down.

Story- 2/10

Story? What story? The only story that was actually present was New Almekia, and all the other countries had little else to tell. There are virtually no sequences that develop the plot effectively, and the ones that do last a just a few seconds. It really would have been nice to get to know some of the supporting characters, instead of just having a cardboard cut-out of a person. There was no character development, and I never grew to feel anything for any characters.

Sound- 7/10

I really enjoyed the music for the battles and map of the continent. It made me want to go out on an adventure, or at least more than the story did. It has good variety and an overall quality to all the selections. Sometimes I would just hum along with the game, and it really added to the experience.

Gameplay- 8/10

Quite possibly the most important feature of any worthwhile game, especially strategic ones. Brigandine's gameplay manages to deliver where the story didn't, and this was definitely the saving grace of this game. The battle starts when you or an enemy in an adjacent castle attacks, and you will go into the battle map. Once there, you select up to three generals and their monsters, and fight. Each fighter has their own special attack or ability, and the leaders of the army have unique classes. The main objective is to take out each general, and his or her monsters will leave with him. Sometimes, he/she will leave one, and at the end of the battle it will become yours. I think that it would have been better if the monsters just stayed there and fought with the generals of the same army.

Rent/Buy- As with most games that are not instant classics, you should check it out only if you are a fan of the genre. If you are a strategy newbie, get Final Fantasy Tactics. You won't go wrong with that purchase. If you have played many other strategy games, then go ahead and rent this game. It is really quite good when it comes to the gameplay.

Overall- 6/10

The lack of story really hinders this game, which could have been quite good. If you can look past the graphics and story, then you realize that this is a very good game. I couldn't overlook this huge flaw, and it did hurt my opinion of the game. The only thing that made me keep playing was the addictive and fun battles.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 06/22/02, Updated 06/22/02