I was fortunate enough to have acquired translated copies of this which were masterfully done. I found only about 1 or 2 typos throughout the entire game and had a total blast with the storyline. Speaking of story, this game has it in ways that we'll probably not see again for a very long time given the current landscape of gaming. The story is revealed over the course of three separate discs or scenarios if one prefers to call it that which follow the heroes in the long and often difficult fight against the Cult of Bulzome. Saves can be made at the end of each scenario in order to record the strengths of the main heroes and every member of their force for when they're encountered on the other discs. This is especially nice in the third scenario when all the forces meet up with one another for the penultimate battle against evil. There were some questionable choices made as to who the game focuses on as the main protagonist but it doesn't take away from the epic feel of the world you're thrust into. The game runs a staggering 160 hours if you are meticulous about leveling and completing every bit of content as I have.

The gameplay is that of a started grid based top down strategy game in the vein of final fantasy tactics, although this release came well before that one was even thought of. The battle interface is simple, to the point and not bogged down in a great deal of menu management. While battles may take a great deal of time to complete I did not find myself in a slog very often as there are normally plenty of enemies to keep your attention along the way. Unit strengths follow the usual trifecta of sword > axe > spear > sword, while magic is effective nearly 100% of the time. I personally found the combat simplistic but with very deep overtones as a single misstep could land a mage in the crosshairs of a cheeky archer or an angry frothing dwarven berserker. Characters level up in traditional RPG fashion and later battles can be very hectic with a lot of units to keep track of at once. Characters at about the midpoint of the game can be promoted into much more powerful classes. The character must be at least level 10 in order to promote though it is a good idea to level them beyond that point to give yourself a slight advantage in combat. Careful management of levels, stat boosting items and party balance can make for a force that compliments one another very well. All in all the combat is very good though certainly not as breathtaking as the storyline.

The art style is very old school anime keeping very well with the medieval theme. Characters are given interesting and appropriate outfits with a bit of cheesecake here and there. (Looking at you Hedoba and Marky) However the cheesecake seems to fit well the personalities of those it's given to and doesn't feel out of place as it does in some games. The sprites are a bit blurry on the battlefield and the 3d renders are notably dated but they looked amazing for the time and I can't find fault in their creative use of polygons and skinning. Females especially were given a beautiful art direction in this game with one of the most notable being the powerful general Spiriel and the evil high priest Basanda. The graphics in my opinion stand the test of time because of the story and flow of battle around them. The only ding would be at the end of scenario 3 where some of the promotes appear to have been done by a different art team. 9.5/10 to the art team!

Overall this game was a treat. It was like sitting down with a good thick book and just losing myself entirely in another world. I would consider it a must play for those who love heavily story based games based in the strategy genre. Be forewarned though if you're playing the translated copy crashes may occur. Save early, save often to avoid this hurting you too much.

Synbios is best hero! Screw you Julian!