Developer BlackJack Studio gave us our first taste of gameplay in fantasy tactical RPG Langrisser: Sea of Sword with a brand-new trailer, and it’s immediately clear that the title marks a significant evolution of the series’ hallmarks and a new era for the franchise.
The series began with the original Langrisser in 1991, which was known as Warsong when its English localization came to North America in 1992. That first game established the series’ tactical RPG roots, with a commander-and-troop system that allowed you to acquire new soldiers based on the class of the hero leading the unit. That squad-based combat became one of Langrisser’s defining pillars.
Langrisser: Sea of Sword expands on that foundation with a new dual-generals, dual-soldiers mixed combat system. Basically, you can deploy two generals simultaneously and choose one as the commander and the other as lieutenant. The soldier types of both generals can be mixed into the same squad, giving you more options to find strategic combinations that work best.
You can also swap your commander and lieutenant generals mid-battle, which alters the skills you have access to and can change the tactical role of the unit. And if you pair certain generals together, they can trigger unique cooperative skills, so you’re incentivized to try different combinations and see which ones synergize best.
Battlefields are also much more dynamic, with a wider variety of terrain types and the ability to destroy parts of the environment. You’ll engage the enemy in places like dragon islands and forests, each of which have different mechanics you’ll need to take into account. And elevation differences and the terrain can directly affect which units emerge victorious.
Destructible environments also lead to more diverse battle types and new strategic approaches. For example, there are now siege scenarios and fortified positions where you can bring down walls in order to breach them. Or you can destroy bridges to instantly send enemies falling to their deaths and cut off the opposing army’s available routes to advance troops.
The battlefield isn’t the only place where Sea of Sword shakes up the usual Langrisser approach. The way you move around the world outside of battle has also been expanded. You no longer progress from battle to battle across disconnected maps, you can actually explore different areas now.
That includes being able to run around towns, forests, caves, and other locations. You can find environmental puzzles, talk to NPCs to unlock side stories, gather materials, and find hidden events. You’ll also be able to lay claim to a territory that you can expand and develop as you progress through the game, growing it from a muddy encampment to a fully outfitted military stronghold.
The larger, more fleshed out world is paired with a darker, more intense story. You play a nameless protagonist traveling with a mysterious white-haired girl named Eta across a vast empire. You’ll get caught up in a struggle for power between competing factions and have to make difficult choices to survive this unforgiving world.
And that world is brought to life by the music of renowned composer Yasunori Nishiki, who has risen to fame thanks to his work on the Octopath Traveler series and built a reputation for emotional, sweeping orchestral compositions. That’s complemented by the hand-painted anime art style to bring the characters and environments to life.
Langrisser: Sea of Sword will launch worldwide on mobile, Steam, and PC. Pre-registration is open now and it’s available to wishlist on Steam. For the latest news and updates, visit the game’s official website or follow it on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Discord.
