The German Langrisser, a peak of Japanese tactical RPG. Demanding structure and mature writing, essential for genre fans.
Your verdict
Category
Tactics1 player12+
Description
Turn-based tactical strategy in which heir Leon liberates his continent from a tyrant empire. Published by Masaya, released in Japan in 1991. Troop deployment on maps, tactical movement and turn-based combat, diplomatic decisions and epic scenario. First Der Langrisser on Super Famicom, the founding entry of the Langrisser series.
Langrisser, Der review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
4/5
Story
★★★★★
"Captivating"
Satoshi Urushihara gives this continental war portraits of a delicacy unusual for a strategy game: elongated features, worked drapery, gazes that carry the drama. On the map the units remain plain, sober tokens, a deliberate contrast that turns every dialogue scene into an illustrated pause.
Noriyuki Iwadare writes a military campaign score that refuses grandiloquence: marches carried by clean brass, more inward castle themes, battle figures built on a steady pulse rather than on frenzy. The moments of betrayal or mourning receive very simple melodies, and that is where the music hits hardest.
The real daring lies in the choice: several times the story lets you join the empire you were fighting, and then develops an entire campaign from the other side. Companions change, alliances turn over, and the game carefully avoids naming a morally clean camp. Few tactical games of the period dared allow this much latitude.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"Mild"
Addictiveness
"Captivating"
Difficulty
"Difficult"
Lifespan
"Massive"
Leading Leon through a war of liberation means chaining long tactical battles where you deploy commanders and mercenaries across sprawling maps, each fought over several turn-based phases. Diplomatic choices open branching story paths that beg for replays to see other routes, and the depth of each skirmish rewards patience. As the saga's founder, it keeps a reputation as a demanding, content-rich tactical RPG.
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
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Collector interest
A 1995 Masaya/NCS Super Famicom tactical RPG, Japan-exclusive on original cartridge, the third entry in the Langrisser line and the first on SFC to feature a branching multi-route scenario system. The Rev 1 fixes several scrutinised bugs. Intact boxed CIB with cardboard sleeve and illustrated manual has become a target for Langrisser/Masaya collectors, and the cote climbs hard, sustained by physical scarcity and by the recent return of the franchise via the Langrisser I & II Remake.
Is Langrisser, Der still worth playing in 2026?
Der Langrisser is the German localized version of Masaya's great SRPG, namely a multi branching sequel that covers several moral paths and unlocks very different endings. The commander with mercenary squads system demands genuine thought about composition and reach, and the political writing remains mature for the genre. An English fan translation also exists. Recommended to fans of tactical RPG with narrative choice and to those curious about a Masaya heavyweight overlooked in the West.
