WGGrizzy
1 review liked by WGGrizzy
(SPOILER FREE, LONG REVIEW WARNING)
Berwick Saga is nothing short of a masterpiece. It's absolutely among the toughest video games I've ever completed and there are some nitpicks I have but, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in Lazberia. This is the pinnacle and culmination of Shouzou Kaga’s history of games up to this point, feeling like all the best aspects from Fire Emblem Genealogy of the Holy War’s scale and scope, Fire Emblem Thracia 776’s mechanical richness, and Tear Ring Saga’s writing
My favorite thing about this game is how mechanically rich it is, how everything weaves together and plays off itself. This is the closest to Fire Emblem Thracia 776 that I've felt that deep sense of management and tactics since my first completion of that game, my favorite video game of all time. The money you have, every microcosmic choice you make to spend it on a mercenary, on food, on horses, on items, or anything reverberates through the whole performance of your army. Your funds are limited, and you have to earn a lot of your money. In no other game have I felt as great of a feeling of getting a gift as whenever Reese would get money in this game, as we also learn directly where it comes from. The battle's more active flow and all challenges that come with it are very tactically engaging, working the noggin harder than ever with an SRPG.
That's Berwick Saga's other strength, the depth of its world and characters. While there is much to Lazberia that we don't learn, we learn everything about the characters in our contingent, the city of Navaron, and those connected to them. It's everything I love about The Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask and Moon: RPG Remix Adventure in which a smaller setting is expanded upon greatly to breathe life into this digital world the player experiences. I'm genuinely going to miss the NPCs in this game, and I'm happy to have experienced all the arcs that almost EVERY character in this game endures.
Not only is every character a joy to read and watch as they ALL have their own sidequests, backstories, and development to enjoy, but they also come with stark gameplay differences that make each unit unique and worth using (Except Derrick and Perceval). I was ALWAYS strapped trying to pick who to deploy not because I struggled who to include, but because I struggled who to leave behind at the barracks, a mark of good unit design. Each unit is made so unique and has a niche all to their own. It sounds ludicrous but you could deploy a unit in this game to do ONE thing in a whole chapter and it still somehow feels like their deployment was worthwhile.
Ultimately, I'm happy with the way the story ended in retrospect but there is a large part of the game where it feels like you're waiting for the main plot to occur. It's all in service of the main themes of the game, however I wish they started and paced certain threads earlier (Like the Chosen One and everything in Raze). The strongest points come in the theming about this game. The conflict centers around a 500-year long war who barely anyone living can remember why it started, just that the hatred for their enemies is so ingrained. I love these types of tales and especially the thesis of Berwick Saga. That thesis being that problems won’t go away on their own, change doesn’t just happen because. These things take real concerted effort from people with strong wills and character to undo the wrongs of the past and no miracle will sprout out of anywhere to save you. If you want to see change, be the change. (I am a MAJOR fan of the twists and turns this game’s plot takes even if it takes a while to get there)
While I was down with the difficulty for a good amount of the game, it started to get a bit too overbearing in the latter third, with Ballistae and Dark Magic spammed everywhere with very few, centralizing options (Provoke/Shield and Owen) to mitigate their presence. Still, many of the maps are beautifully designed and stand as some of the best SRPG maps I've ever played. They are multi-layered with many engaging objectives, gameplay-story synergy, and smart enemy placement/design. Chapter 3-M, 5-M, 11-M, and 12-1 stand out in this regard to me with some intense story beats packed with them.
The RNG in this game is incredibly unfair, everything people attribute to Fire Emblem The Binding Blade is much more egregious here and rates are low across the board. The game's most unnecessary mechanic also suffers from this, being the RNG Weapon Durability, which is the most antithetical mechanic to this game's tactical gameplay and becomes blind luck. This area is the biggest drawback to Berwick Saga in my opinion. However, even this has some tactical merit as you can use food, skills, and certain weapons to ensure greater Hit and Avoid rates. While this is my only true scathing point and knock against the game, I believe that it can lead to some tactical decision-making and gameplay (with the exception of durability, that part is pure random chance).
In summary, Berwick Saga's world is rich and engaging. Its mechanics are deep and will have you wracking your brain more than ever with an SRPG. Its characters are fully fleshed and real, even down to the shop NPCs. This game is not for the light of heart, however. I'd consider myself to not just be good at games, but at SRPGs and this put me through the wringer big time. If you're up to such an immense challenge, however, you will find one of the brightest hidden gems around. Truly a once-in-a-lifetime game.
Berwick Saga is nothing short of a masterpiece. It's absolutely among the toughest video games I've ever completed and there are some nitpicks I have but, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in Lazberia. This is the pinnacle and culmination of Shouzou Kaga’s history of games up to this point, feeling like all the best aspects from Fire Emblem Genealogy of the Holy War’s scale and scope, Fire Emblem Thracia 776’s mechanical richness, and Tear Ring Saga’s writing
My favorite thing about this game is how mechanically rich it is, how everything weaves together and plays off itself. This is the closest to Fire Emblem Thracia 776 that I've felt that deep sense of management and tactics since my first completion of that game, my favorite video game of all time. The money you have, every microcosmic choice you make to spend it on a mercenary, on food, on horses, on items, or anything reverberates through the whole performance of your army. Your funds are limited, and you have to earn a lot of your money. In no other game have I felt as great of a feeling of getting a gift as whenever Reese would get money in this game, as we also learn directly where it comes from. The battle's more active flow and all challenges that come with it are very tactically engaging, working the noggin harder than ever with an SRPG.
That's Berwick Saga's other strength, the depth of its world and characters. While there is much to Lazberia that we don't learn, we learn everything about the characters in our contingent, the city of Navaron, and those connected to them. It's everything I love about The Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask and Moon: RPG Remix Adventure in which a smaller setting is expanded upon greatly to breathe life into this digital world the player experiences. I'm genuinely going to miss the NPCs in this game, and I'm happy to have experienced all the arcs that almost EVERY character in this game endures.
Not only is every character a joy to read and watch as they ALL have their own sidequests, backstories, and development to enjoy, but they also come with stark gameplay differences that make each unit unique and worth using (Except Derrick and Perceval). I was ALWAYS strapped trying to pick who to deploy not because I struggled who to include, but because I struggled who to leave behind at the barracks, a mark of good unit design. Each unit is made so unique and has a niche all to their own. It sounds ludicrous but you could deploy a unit in this game to do ONE thing in a whole chapter and it still somehow feels like their deployment was worthwhile.
Ultimately, I'm happy with the way the story ended in retrospect but there is a large part of the game where it feels like you're waiting for the main plot to occur. It's all in service of the main themes of the game, however I wish they started and paced certain threads earlier (Like the Chosen One and everything in Raze). The strongest points come in the theming about this game. The conflict centers around a 500-year long war who barely anyone living can remember why it started, just that the hatred for their enemies is so ingrained. I love these types of tales and especially the thesis of Berwick Saga. That thesis being that problems won’t go away on their own, change doesn’t just happen because. These things take real concerted effort from people with strong wills and character to undo the wrongs of the past and no miracle will sprout out of anywhere to save you. If you want to see change, be the change. (I am a MAJOR fan of the twists and turns this game’s plot takes even if it takes a while to get there)
While I was down with the difficulty for a good amount of the game, it started to get a bit too overbearing in the latter third, with Ballistae and Dark Magic spammed everywhere with very few, centralizing options (Provoke/Shield and Owen) to mitigate their presence. Still, many of the maps are beautifully designed and stand as some of the best SRPG maps I've ever played. They are multi-layered with many engaging objectives, gameplay-story synergy, and smart enemy placement/design. Chapter 3-M, 5-M, 11-M, and 12-1 stand out in this regard to me with some intense story beats packed with them.
The RNG in this game is incredibly unfair, everything people attribute to Fire Emblem The Binding Blade is much more egregious here and rates are low across the board. The game's most unnecessary mechanic also suffers from this, being the RNG Weapon Durability, which is the most antithetical mechanic to this game's tactical gameplay and becomes blind luck. This area is the biggest drawback to Berwick Saga in my opinion. However, even this has some tactical merit as you can use food, skills, and certain weapons to ensure greater Hit and Avoid rates. While this is my only true scathing point and knock against the game, I believe that it can lead to some tactical decision-making and gameplay (with the exception of durability, that part is pure random chance).
In summary, Berwick Saga's world is rich and engaging. Its mechanics are deep and will have you wracking your brain more than ever with an SRPG. Its characters are fully fleshed and real, even down to the shop NPCs. This game is not for the light of heart, however. I'd consider myself to not just be good at games, but at SRPGs and this put me through the wringer big time. If you're up to such an immense challenge, however, you will find one of the brightest hidden gems around. Truly a once-in-a-lifetime game.