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

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(Edited)

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This post is my 3rd casual entry for the Retro Gaming Blogging Challenge for the Hive Gaming Community initiated by @marcoquin.

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.

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12 comments
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Really a big fan of Brigandine too! played Grand Edition recently. I used to play Legends of Forsena. For me this game is way better than latest games today even with great graphics.

That hidden ending was really surprising, the final boss was hard, took me 2 tries to beat it, with most of my monsters not at max level, because didn't anticipate that after conquering all the castles haha.

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It is good to know that you are a fellow fan too. Do you still have your PS1? You can play Brigandine: Grand Edition (English-patched) on it too by "burning" the game rom on a CD using free software. That is if your PS1 is modded to play pirated discs.😃

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My PS1 is already broken, I have the ISO file of the game, and I am using an emulator to play on my PC together with a USB Playstation Controller for the full experience :).

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(Edited)

That's convenient. You got that USB Playstation Controller from Lazada? Mine was bought online from there cheap.

The PS1 laser lens was pretty weak. It only lasts for 2 years after constant 4 to 5 hours daily use.

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I had never heard of it, but the theme makes it a good title to pass the time, there were many games like this in 2D that most users did not appreciate at the time, that was a real shame. Luckily there are people like us who always try to make a space in history to many of these retro games that were quite underrated. Very good article bro! Thanks for sharing it.

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Yes, it is very much underrated. Thanks for stopping by!

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This is my first time hearing about Brigandine. I have a special respect for cult hits. There was a sequel that is selling for $49.99: https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/brigandine-the-legend-of-runersia-switch/

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Yes, I will be waiting for the day when programmers can create a decent Nintendo Switch emulator so I can play that one.

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It would be great if Nintendo themselves would make that with their own Steam-like game store. But I doubt that will happen for a long time.

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