Langrisser IV & V: Final Edition (1999)

Langrisser IV is the fourth in the long-running Japanese strategy RPG series. Cleons, the king of the country Regenburg, offers his general Gizarov a reward for his achievements on the battle field. For a mysterious reason, Gizarov chooses only one small town, called Gotaal. Immediately after having the town in his possession, Gizarov presses the population with heavy taxes. Landius, the son of Gotaal's mayor, fails to convince Gizarov to stop raising the taxes, and as a result, he has no other choice but to support the people in rebellion... The game returns to the traditional gameplay style of the first two Langrisser games. You create your character and choose his class by answering questions in the beginning of the game (similar to Ultima games). Before the battles, you should recruit mercenaries, buy weapons and items, etc. Once in battle mode, you command several units led by stronger generals. Each unit has its own "judgment" ability"; units with high judgment ability will perform more moves during a turn. The story of Langrisser V is closely connected to the one told in Langrisser IV - the two games form a kind of a sub-series within the Langrisser universe. The game's plot revolves around Sigma, an artificial human created by the great warlock and scientist Gizarov. One say, Sigma is awakened from his sleep inside a storage crystal in one of Gizarov's labs by Lambda, a girl who was also created by the scientist. Apparently, a powerful lord named Rainforce has invaded Gizarov's laboratory with the intention of destroying it. Meanwhile, a powerful artificial human called Omega, another "child" of Gizarov, distracts Rainforce. The two heroes flee to Regenburg, a country under Gizarov's rule, only to find out that they will soon have to stop a greater evil endangering the world - a new leader of darkness, who is after the powerful evil sword Alhazard... Langrisser V features classical Langrisser-style gameplay: you prepare your units before a battle, buy items etc., and in battle control various types of army units (archers, pikemen, etc.), together with the generals. The "Judgment System" from the previous game is back: your units can perform several moves per turn depending on their "judgment level". Like in Langrisser III, there is an element of "love simulation" in the game - at certain points you'll have to choose between various answers that will determine the further development of your relationship with the female party members.

• Release Date: January 28, 1999