Growlanser: Heritage of War review

Oct 8, 2007

From Odin Sphere to Persona 3, Atlus has sure had a successful bunch of games this year. The recently released Growlanser: Heritage of War seems to have gotten the best localization treatment: an 80-page artbook, three pins, a keychain, a media disc, and more - all for the typical retail price. The package itself is neat, but just like any Christmas package full of underwear and deoderant, Growlanser: Heritage of War turns out to be disappointing and thoughtful at the same time.

The Growlanser series has always had an RTS-lite battle system. In Growlanser, it’s very similar, but manages to collect new problems for its 2D-to-3D adaptation. Hitting enemies can be a chore; characters may find themselves standing still during intense combat. The transition from menu-selection to actual combat can grow tiresom, too. (Thankfully, for ordinary battles, you can put on“automatic”.) Still, just like former Growlanser titles, Heritage of War manages to provide us with a lot of strategic and oftentimes innovative battles. It’s nice to have a variety of objectives. Other typical RPG necessities, like dungeons and towns, are all here, but they’re usually limited in scope, unfortunately.