This massive collection brings together the soundtracks from the first three Langrisser titles across five different platforms, making it one of the most comprehensive strategy RPG music compilations out there. Composer Noriyuki Iwadare crafted a body of work that defined the Masaya brand, and hearing tracks like "Theme of Langrisser" and "Sword of Holy" back to back across their Genesis, SNES, Saturn, and PlayStation incarnations is a fascinating study in how the same melodies were reshaped by different hardware.
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The bombastic army marches and stirring prologues hold up remarkably well, carrying a distinctly early-90s anime flair that set Langrisser apart from its rival Fire Emblem. The real treasure here is in the details. Unused tracks from the original Langrisser are included, giving fans a peek behind the curtain at Masaya's development process.
The numbered "Your Army BGM" and "Enemy Army BGM" tracks chart a clear evolution from the simple but punchy TurboGrafx-16 original through the richer orchestrations of Langrisser III, with subtitled pieces like "Kingdom Knight," "Breakthrough," and "Hard Battle" revealing how much more thematic ambition the sequels carried.
Whether you grew up importing Mega Drive carts or discovered the series through the Saturn remakes, this collection is a love letter to one of the most underappreciated strategy RPG franchises. The 2015 release ensured these scores finally got the archival treatment they deserved, preserved in high quality across all their platform-specific variations.
It is essential listening for anyone who appreciates how 16-bit and 32-bit hardware each brought something unique to Iwadare's compositions.