The Growlanser series is somewhat of a success in the US and Japan. Trading Figures, Soundtrack releases and even a special edition of this release, Growlanser: Heritage of War. However, here in the UK, Growlanser: Heritage of War was in-fact the first release published for sale on these shores. That honour went to Rising Star Games. A publisher now defunct, sadly, much like the Growlanser series itself.
Released in 2006 (2008 in Europe), Growlanser: Heritage of War features a unique story. No knowledge of previous titles is necessary. The game is split into five distinct Chapters, each featuring unique characters and plot development. The player begins as Seldous, an orphan whose orphanage was destroyed through war. Seeking to bring an end to the fighting between lands, and defend humankind against the deadly Screaper, Seldous revives an ancient weapon called the “Admonisher”. Bringing an end to the war by force, Seldous creates the Peace Maintenance Brigade and keeps order for 20 years. However, with Seldous and his colleagues now growing old, it becomes the turn of his son, Haschen, to control the warring lands.
The story in Growlanser: Heritage of War is progressed mainly in the style of Advance Wars. Slightly animated sprites of each character fill one half of the screen during their moment of speech. But is also progressed with some fantastic animated sequences. The usual clichéd character types appear – the lead as the all rounder, the delicate female arriving shortly after as the healing unit and the butch, all-out offensive unit next – and many appear as deep as tissue paper. Others have genuine motives for their actions, adding more credibility to the story than typical B-release RPG fodder.
Growlanser: Heritage of War – What is it Good for?
The game’s battle system can be confusing at first. It asks the playing to control real-time movement, yet not individual attack. However, within just a few battles, the principles of a real-time battlefield with a typical RPG statistics-based twist becomes second nature. In time, it allows for some devastating strategies. The conflict between automated and manual controls for your AI party may take a little longer – the majority of the first Chapter, in-fact – but once realised allows for adequate depth and a variety of combat strategy. Plates further add to the customisability of these strategies, working as an added layer of the Levelling System.
The player gains XP by defeating enemies and completing missions, with the levelling system largely determining each character’s progression automatically. The unique twist here however, is the way in which special abilities are earned. Equipping one of your party with an item may add a new Skill Plate to that character. In time, granting them a new ability. This could be either a Spell or a Knack. Keeping the Skill Plate activate will continue to level-up the ability, whilst removing it will freeze any progression. Inserting new Plates into the Ability Tree of each character can help to level-up previous Knacks and unlock new ones.
The Art of War
The title features beautiful hand-drawn backdrops for both interior and exterior locations. Some of these are truly stunning even now. However, the lack of detail on the character models when so few are presented on-screen at any one time can be quite jarring. The animated sequences are fantastic, and offer some of the most dynamic anime seen in a PlayStation 2 release in Europe. The soundtrack is reminiscent of some lower budget Square Enix titles, with harmlessly repetitive tinkering in towns and quiet times, and up-tempo pacing during combat sequences.
Growlanser: Heritage of War was never going to break any records. For all its pleasant RPG traditions and rennovation, it’s a title that never attempts to breakaway from the convention of the genre. PlayStation 2 owners and RPG fanatics will find a rewarding experience in Growlanser: Heritage of War, lasting over 70 hours.
2011’s Growlanser: Wayfarer of Time was the last we saw of the series. Two years later, Atlus would be acquired by Sega. The company has since benefitted from numerous hits – most notably the Persona series. It’s a shame that Growlanser has been seemingly left behind, as judging by Growlanser: Heritage of War, there was still plenty of room for the RPG series to grow.
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