Langrisser Re: Incarnation - Tensei - Reviews
In the buffet of 3DS RPGs, Langrisser Re:Incarnation Tensei is the day old, slimy tilapia Golden Corral employees forgot to take out. Other than the fact the game didn't crash on me, there isn't an iota of quality to be found. I knew I was going to have a rough go at it when I booted up the game and realized the developer switched the traditional roles of the "A" and "B" buttons for no goddamn reason. But that was only the tip of the poor execution iceberg that is Langrisser Re:Incarnation Tensei; a game I have no qualms calling the worst RPG I've ever played.
Langrisser: Re:Incarnation Tensei has the misfortune of being the next strategy RPG that I’ve played after Fire Emblem Fates, making its flaws seem even more magnified. Behind the low production values is a game with some good ideas. Unfortunately, it looks like its makers didn’t quite have the necessary resources — whether it be time, money or both — to fully realize them.
With sluggish gameplay, off-putting presentation and bafflingly poor design decisions at every turn, Langrisser Re:Incarnation Tensei is an entirely underwhelming revival of a once-beloved series, and a subpar SRPG besides. It's clunky and charmless, and suffers all the more from its considerable company; on a system with multiple Fire Emblems, stylish standouts like Stella Glow, and cheap-as-chips eShop options like Mercenaries Saga 2, it's hard to think of a place for Langrisser. Maybe someday Masaya's storied series will rise again, but for now, this is one SRPG best kept sheathed.
Bringing Langrisser out of Japan after 25 years is worthy of praise but unfortunately it's the only thing worth praising about Langrisser Re: Incarnation Tensei. Its gameplay mechanics force the player to follow a pre-set order to move the characters, rather than allowing for a more dynamic choice, its visual environment needs a near-complete overhaul and its chapters are simply not motivating to move forward.
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Langrisser Re:Incarnation –Tensei- clearly wants to ape Fire Emblem’s newfound success, and while it sometimes falls flat on its face, it’s still a deep, engaging strategy game with enough there for genre fans to dig into.
I found the soul of Langrisser to be well and truly in the right place, and while I don’t believe it is a classic game, I also don’t believe for a moment that it deserves the commentary it has been getting to date. It’s an ugly-as-sin duckling, but we know how that story turns out.
Langrisser Re:Incarnation - Tensei seems decent based on pictures or perhaps a short "on paper" explanation, but it quickly becomes apparent how rushed development must have been. Those who attempt to enjoy it will be stifled at multiple junctions with a slow, non-engaging story, strange-looking characters that can't be cared about, laughably bad graphics, and gameplay so simplistic that people will wonder why they wasted their money. Or, perhaps, will see the multitude of bad reviews, heed them, and save the cash.
Unfortunately, Langrisser Re:Incarnation Tensei not only doesn't live up to similar games in the genre, it doesn't even compete with previous games in the series.
It is most grievous for me to label my first 3DS review with such a low score, but it is imperative that players understand: I don’t even think most fans of the series will like this game, and if fans won’t like it, newcomers will definitely not.