Also known as Langrisser, Warsong is one of the lesser-known gems for the Sega Genesis. Combining roleplaying elements with turn-based strategy, and presented in a colourful Anime style, its hard to see why the game was released to such little impact.
The game starts in a beseiged castle, being defended by the main heroes of the piece. At this point you control Redin, a young prince warrior, and his elderly (but deadly) mentor Volkov. Both are flanked by up to 80 soldiers, which can be purchased (as with every level) before battle commences. In addition to your two heroes, you are introduced to several other key characters who will later join your forces. As the game progresses, you can wield up to 8 heroes and 640 soldiers.
Each level is prefaced as a scenario, with some storyline to help the plot along. Then you purchase your troops (which can include foot soldiers, horsemen, archers, mermen, Griffins and plenty I've not discovered yet), distribute any items you've discovered amongst your heroes, and set up your positions in the way you see fit. Tactical placement is key to success - different heroes and units have their strengths and weaknesses based on territory - for instance, Mermen will cut through almost any enemy unit while they're in water, but on ground they're slow and inconsistent. Archers operate best in wooded areas, and foot soldiers are deadly if you can get them to an elevated position, such as a castle wall or hill.
As well as your army, the map will also be filled with your opponents, which appear as yours - a selection of hero characters surrounded by armies made up of orcs, ghosts, soldiers and assorted monsters. Some levels sport a few neutral characters who will simply attack whoever is closest. They can be used to great advantage, so watch out for them.
From here, the bloodlust can commence. Battle is usually locked within two or three turns, and its a case of hammering down the soldiers for each enemy hero - if you can kill the hero then his units die with him. For each unit or enemy hero killed, the
slayer recieves experience which can be used to level up as the game progresses, giving each of your characters a choice of paths to follow (warrior knight or magic knight, cleric or templar, for example). There is usually a main mission to complete as well, such as reaching a specific area, rescuing a beseiged army or finding a buried artefact. Be careful with your heroes though - if one is killed, you won't be seeing them again through the game. And be extra careful with Redin - if he goes, it's game over.
So with a combination of wizards, knights, armies, mythical beasts, buried treasure and a heroic storyline, how does the game play on the GP32? Perfectly, to my mind. The graphics, while small, are clear enough to make for comfortable viewing, and the music is great. The controls are quite intuitive, even on default settings, and the savestate feature of DrMD is a Godsend. Save often and you can experiment with insane tactics without having to worry so much.
In conclusion, Warsong is an absorbing and unique war/strategy/roleplaying fusion that not nearly enough people seem to know about. I've been ruthlessly addicted to it for some time now, and its nice to find a new game of such depth without having to track down instruction manuals to know how to play it. That said, once you've familiarised yourself with the rules, there are plenty of sites offering general hints and advice.
In addition to Warsong, it's sequal Langrisser 2 was also published for Genesis, SNES, PC Engine and Sega Saturn. DrMD doesn't seem to support the Genesis version yet (it crashes as soon as the level starts), the SNES version was only released in Japan (a translated version does exist, but the Japanese original is probably more decipherable!), and I've not managed to locate the PC Engine edition. As for the Saturn, maybe we should wait to see what the GP2X has to offer...
