Brigandine: The Legend of Forsena

Brigandine: The Legend of Forsena is a strategy game from 1998 by studio Hearty Robin, published in the West by Atlus, and it sits somewhere between turn-based strategy and fantasy RPG. At the start of the game, the player takes control of one of five warring nations on the continent of Forsena, each with its own rulers, units, and visual style, and as ruler manages a network of castles, recruits generals and monsters into their armies, and gradually tries to conquer rival territories in turns that play out simultaneously across the entire continent map, while resource management, garrisoning conquered castles, and expanding one's own realm all take place between individual battles.

Individual battles take place separately from the strategic map on their own hexagonal battlefield, where units made up of a general and monsters clash — monsters that can be recruited, promoted, and developed into stronger forms over the course of the game, a system that resembles a blend of classic grand strategy with collectible-RPG elements, where every type of monster has its own strengths and weaknesses. The graphics rely on detailed anime-style 2D portraits of characters and monsters that appear during every important dialogue and before each battle, while the music underscores the epic, fairy-tale tone of a story about the struggle for dominance over an entire continent, one that unfolds in real time even between battles.

At release, Brigandine didn't make as much of a splash as its rival Final Fantasy Tactics, but thanks to its extensive gameplay, five playable factions each with a distinct playstyle, and near-limitless replayability, it built a loyal fanbase. Today it's valued precisely as an alternative to the more linear tactical RPGs of its time, and its legacy later continued with a sequel for PlayStation 2, while the game also received a modern remaster that reaffirmed how well the concept of blending strategy with monster collecting has held up over time.

Why play it: For tactical RPG fans craving an alternative to the more linear Final Fantasy Tactics — five distinct factions and near-limitless replayability that held up thanks to a modern remaster too.