Langrisser Mobile will be getting a worldwide release! A closed beta is planned for later this month, and I have had an opportunity to spend some time with the early build of this strategic mobile game. The title feels like it is trying to offer a blend of new and classic storylines combined with the kind of strategic gameplay Fire Emblem Heroes players may be familiar with.

The main Langrisser Mobile story follows a young man named Matthew and his friends, Aimeeda and Grenier. Bozel comes to their small town, attempting to take Aimeeda into custody and claiming the trio is an affront to his god. The goddess takes control of Aimeeda’s body and teleports them to safety. They then meet with Jessica and her apprentice and set about their task, which is to recast Langrisser. You then go around places on the map. Random battles may show up, signified by an enemy and suggesting the rewards and recommended levels, and you can also see matches that advance the story. You can only have a few units on each map (the amount varies). This is a turn-based tactical game, where your units all move, then the enemy’s. Your units might also have special skills that can aid allies or damage enemies. Some classes are stronger or weaker against others. Each match usually takes around five to ten minutes to complete. Story segments typically happen before and after each fight, with the translation being mostly okay. (There are some spots that are questionable, such as Zalrahda’s voice actress referring to herself as “she,” but the text reading “he” or Bodamicus saying that he and Matthew should use “sword language” to communicate.)

The Time Rifts are another way to experience battles and older Langrisser stories. Due to Aimeeda’s ability, you sometimes undertake trials to find pieces of the Langrisser to reforge it. New chapters means new storylines. The first unlocked is Langrisser II: Journey of the Light, which has seven major stages with 12 minor fights between them. These allow you to bring in your own units and better understand past storylines, while also having new matches to fight on new maps against sometimes familiar foes. It seems like a way to pay tribute to past games.

Langrisser Mobile, even in this early state, seems like it attempts to give people multiple ways to better their characters. You get certain characters, like Matthew, Aimeeda, and Grenier, right away as part of the story. Others are summoned via tickets you earn as you play. (Or pay for, either with real cash or gems.) You can improve a character’s rarity by collecting shards to improve them. They earn experience via playing. You can master their current classes to gain new skills. You can upgrade their class to “transfer” to a new role. (For example, Jessica below can become a cleric or archmage, for example.) They can have different units with them, which can be unlocked and switched ahead of a battle. You can acquire equipment (and improve these pieces) to make people stronger. It takes a few in-game chapters to get to these upgrades,

One thing I have noticed about this early version of Langrisser Mobile is that it kind of expects you to be familiar with both Langrisser and these sorts of mobile games. While early battles will explain that horses are basically the same as wolves, in regards to which weapons are most effective against them, and acknowledges that priests will beat the undead/dead and archers will take down flying units, it does not take the time to really explain any sort of weapon triangle in the way Fire Emblem does. This early build also did not explain what the different sorts of currencies are, leaving a lot of things to self discovery or via checking in with a log-in event that was occurring while I played and allowed me to click a button to go to a certain feature.

It seems like Langrisser Mobile is going to attempt to offer an array of different sorts of maps and matches for people to play through, while telling both an original story and reminding people of what the past games were like. Characters can be improved in a variety of ways as you play, so the three you are given to start and ones you summon can become more useful as time goes by. The early build I played had quite a bit to it, though at times the amount of activities immediately available were somewhat overwhelming. Still, it seems like it might be something tactical gamers may want to sample and explore either during its closed beta or after it launches.

The closed beta for Langrisser Mobile will begin on November 29, 2018. The game currently has a 2019 launch window for Android and Apple iOS devices in the west.