This game has to be the best tactical RPG on the PS, and among the greats of the genre on any system. The only thing lacking is multi-player, but if you are creative you can make it multi anyway. I did this by giving certain characters to different people. Thus one player takes one flank of the kingdom and proceeds to conquer at his/her own pace. This is one of the best overall games I have played, it is up there with Civ II Multi-player Gold.

Brigadine conquers common weakness of war-games that they drag on once you just start doing good. With too many armies to control, too many cities to manage sometimes you lose track of what you were doing with your last saved game. As soon as that situation begins to emerge you are close enough to the end to keep the energy going to conquers the continent. The game is pretty easy. The beginning for some countries being the only difficult part. Though with a nation such as New Almekia, if you split the nation 3 ways and go multi-player it get very interesting. But that takes three willing players and that isn't always the easiest thing to find.

But what makes the game is the monster and class system. All of the monsters gain experience and levels. After 10 levels they can change into a higher form(ie Dragon into a Red or White Dragon). The main difference between Rune Knights and Monsters is that Monsters can die and Rune Knights(almost always) are human. That makes powerful monsters more valuable, if you lose your 20th level Tiamat it is gone forever. Many a time I was distraught by the fact that my 19 level archdemon, who I brought up from 1st level, died.

Monsters(in no real order )-

Angel- Perhaps the most well rounded(over powerful) monster in the game. Though they lack in physical strength(for their rune cost) they have high agility which allows them to dodge attacks. Where their power comes from though is their spells. They begin with Divine Ray and Heal, both great spells. Divine Ray will do around 180 PoD(Points of Damage) to any unit in range and more to units of black element. They are one of three monster that can progress to a forth stage of development. This requires a specific item and for the angel to be a 30th level Seraph. As an ArchAngel they receive Holyword another great white spell. As Seraphs they get four more wings and a lance instead of a sword. I'm not sure what the Lucifer can do as I've never been able to get an Angel that high of a level with out beating the game, though I'm sure it's mean.

Demon- The opposite of the Angel. Slightly stronger with physical attacks, and slightly weaker spells. They begin with Curse(black version of Devine Ray) and Venom(a weak attack spell good for taking out half-dead units at a long range). They can also go to the forth stage of development and transform into a Lilith. Again it sounds mean, but I've never done it. I have had a Satan once and that was mean. ArchAngels are stronger then ArchDemons, but the Demons make it up in higher levels.

Dragon- Probably the best overal monster. They are expensive, but worth ever rune point. Their only weakness is that they have low agility, but it goes up with levels. They have a mean breath weapon that they can always use at least twice in a battle. They can turn into red or white dragons, each with its own specialty. In their third evolution(Salamander and Fafnir) you'll be hard pressed to find anyone to stand up to them one on one.

Hydra- The Dragon nemesis. Probably a touch stronger up until 20th level, but weaker after because it maxes out as Taimat it's 2nd evolution. Hydra are very slow unless you get them on water. When on water the regenerate HP. They also have a very powerful breath weapon. They are very clumsy and have low defense, but they make up for it with very high attack power and high HP.

Gryphon- A solid front line flyer. They have good movement range and good attack power. They are one of the few flyers who attack at full power against land units. This gives them an advantage against land bound creatures of equal power. How ever they are weak against flyers. As a Holygriff they are quite means because they receive a ranged attack.

Wyvern- The rival of the Gryphon. Slightly faster and weaker. They make the best quick, strike units. If you have 3 or 4 wyverns under on fast Rune Knight(maybe a Ninja) they make a very effective group to take out a misplaced Rune Knight on the enemies army. That is taking advantage of the enemies stupidity, but you have to ask yourself, are you above exploiting someone's weaknesses? Their third evolution rivals the strength of Dragons. Bahamut(which looks exactly like the Dragons) is only slightly weaker and posses similar abilities to the Dragons.

Lizard Man- One of my favorite filler units. They are solid cheap units, great if you have an extra 30 Rune points that you don't know what to do with. They can stand up to powerful units(for a turn or two). As a Lizard Guard they recieve a weak ranged attack, but weak or no it's a ranged attack. They also can move over water which comes in useful sometimes.

Hell Hound- A far weaker version of the Wyvern that doesn't fly. But they have a really cool ability that only the Ninja posseses as well. They can attack and move away. This allows them to attack and hide behind the line. They are very weak HP wise, but they are very agile. They are great against Golems who almost always miss them. They have a breath weapon which is decent. Their evolution to Fenril basically just makes them stronger and turns them black.

Unicorn- Great for an army without a priest. I wouldn't put them on the front line, but that's not what they are there for. The can heal and cure which sometimes is vital, sometimes it's useless. Turning them into a Nightmare is pointless. Nightmares attack stronger(but still very weak) and their spells are so-so. The Pegasus is much more useful, though it is basically a beefed-up Unicorn.

Giant- I'm not sure why they gave them two options for evolution but they did. I haven't noticed any real difference between them besides elemental color. At 30th level with the right item they can change into Loki or Thor depending on which path you chose. I never have had Loki or Thor but I'm sure they are mean. I don't really like Giants, they are very similar to Golems. Both a big, mean and clumsy. I'd rather have a Dragon or a Hydra it is worth the little extra. Their height makes for some interesting visuals in combat. if you have seen them you know what I am talking about.

Golem- Basically a cheaper weaker form of Giant. They can't have any status effects on them such as poison. That comes in handy sometimes. They are the third unit that can go to the forth stage of evolution. As far as I know they don't need an item to do it. Again I never have had a Talos, but I have had a Bronze Golem. They are still very clumsy, but as Stone golems they recieve a ranged attack. It sucks but it's free; can't complain.

Roc- One of the most overal best monsters in the game. They can fly, fight and turn units into stone. As Phoenixes they are quite mean. They are probably the most powerful 2nd evolution creature(maybe Taimat but it's close). As a Phoenix they can regenerate and do a ranged heal. The heal works on enemies as well, but in a tough fight it is a life saver. I hate fighting against them, you know they are mean then.

Centaur- Cheap archers. A good add on monster. They are horrible in a stand up fight, but good to keep back and pick on enemies from a distance. As High Centraurs they are the same but with better range and green hair.

Jinn- I hate Jinns. They are mean, but they always die. Great for a quick strike, but when they run out of Spell Points they are totally useless. When they get attacked they can't counter. They can only progress once and they have four choices. The choices are all the same just different elemental color.

Other Monsters- Pixie, G-Scorpion, Ghoul, Merman and Mandrake. I don't like these stupid little creatures and only use them if there is nothing else to use. Pixies get decent as Fairies, but still not good. Ghouls are mean as Vampire lords, but try getting one to 20th level to do it. Merman are OK on water, but you almost never fight on water. Mandrake can paralyze creatures and have a lot fo HPs but are worthless otherwise.

Rune Knights can go on quests to find new Rune Knights, magical items and other quests which can raise stats or wound them for a month. Magic items can be anything from Diamond Armor to a book that raises intellegence. They usually raise stats but sometimes offer special abilities such as flight. The storyline is fun but not overbearing. The character's personalities are there but you can ignore them. Cador for example the Death Knight is hunted by the Valkerie Halie. (Some spoilers) One interesting thing is that when you raise the Rune Knights who begin at a low level to a high one they are more powerful then a character of the same class and level who starts there at the begining of the game. I'm not sure why that is, but it does make one want to bring the young Rune Knights to high levels. Also one loophole in the game is that if you have a mage between 1st and 9th level you change their class to a priest. This is very effective because the priest will have about three times the magic points that an equal level priest will have. It is very useful in Cai's kingdom because of the lack of priests.

You can also use any of the six kingdoms(Esgares with a code). It requires a sequel that may never come to be. As a stand-alone it is still one best games I have ever played.

Recommended: Yes