The Retro Game That I Still Play Is Brigandine: Grand Edition (English-patched)

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There is one retro game that I find myself playing from time to time when the mood hits me. And that game would be the English-patched version of Brigandine: Grand Edition.

Brigandine: Grand Edition is a 2D strategy video game, developed and published by Hearty Robin, which was only released in Japan for the Playstation One in 2000. It was a remake of Brigandine: The Legend of Forsena which got a USA release on the same console. Brigandine: The Legend of Forsena did not become a hit in the USA because RPG gamers thought it was just a dumb clone of Dragon Force on the Sega Saturn.

Boy, are they dead wrong. In some ways, Brigandine is way better than Dragon Force. That is why it has gained a cult following over the years.

Brigandine: Grand Edition disc case with 2 discs

The English-patch for this Japan-only version game was released by John Osborne first at romhacking.net. It made it easier for die-hard fans of the original Brigandine to enjoy the fixed goodness of what the remake offered.

This remake of the game had many improved changes, including:

• A new multiplayer game now allows to 6 players, each controlling a faction kingdom;
• The villain Esgares Empire is now a fully playable nation, and has its own plot cut scenes;
• The changes in the battle mode gameplay are:
  • Opposite color elements still effectively oppose each other;
  • If, after 13 turns of battle, the attacking faction has placed a unit over the defending side's castle base, the attacking faction now wins.
• Monsters are now able to equip items;
• The player is required to battle the final villain boss, when the continent is finally controlled by the player's kingdom faction;
• The shitty original 3D opening was replaced by a better anime opening;
• Anime cut scenes have replaced the disappointing dialog-only cut scenes;
• The ugly 3D battle animations are now in better 2D animations;
• The improved soundtrack;
• New rune character knights, character and monster classes, items, and fantasy monsters.
• Japanese voice acting was added but good English-voiced fan dubs are also available as a separate patch.

The gameplay and customization may not be as deep as Final Fantasy Tactics, but the battles are shorter. And there is not too much thinking involved in preparing your forces and doing battles.

The English-patched gameplay sample with narration by FrostPDP

I liked the fact that this game is playable on any Playstation One emulator. It means I can put the patched game ROM and save files in my USB drive and play it on any PC or laptop. A good Playstation One emulator can still be operational in low end PCs, by the way.

The sequel, Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia, is available now on the Nintendo Switch and PS4. But poor me, I can't still afford those consoles. So I am still stuck with Brigandine: Grand Edition.

If you are interested in trying it out in your chosen emulator, you can download the patched game rom here.

I think that is it. So what is that one retro game that you find yourself playing from time to time? Let me read that in the comments below.