Developer BlackJack Studio revealed the next game in the long-running Langrisser RPG franchise with a debut teaser trailer on Thursday. Titled Langrisser: Sea of Sword, it marks a next-generation leap for the series. It’s releasing globally on iOS, Android, Steam, and PC and is officially open for pre-registration now.
The Langrisser series has been going strong for 35 years now and is known for its squad-based tactical battles and branching story paths. Langrisser: Sea of Sword builds on that foundation, but the story takes the series in a darker, more intense direction. Bucking the series’ recent trend of bright and straightforward heroic adventures, the new installment instead focuses on the clash of factions and struggle for power, where fates of whole nations hang in the balance and your decisions can shape the course of fate.
You play as a nameless protagonist trying to regain their lost memories while traveling with a mysterious white-haired girl across a continent shrouded in the Sea of Mists. The teaser trailer gives us a glimpse at the game’s darker tone, with images of discarded weapons and armor strewn across a beach as if leftover from a bloody battle. Then we see sun-drenched city streets and castles, which are replaced by decaying underwater remnants.
Official sources told IGN that the game’s soundtrack was composed by renowned RPG composer Yasunori Nishiki, who’s built a strong reputation for his sweeping orchestral compositions. He’s perhaps best known for being the lead composer of the Octopath Traveler series, for which he was nominated for Best Music at The Game Awards. He’s also contributed arrangements to the Final Fantasy VII Remake series, Kingdom Hearts III, and Granblue Fantasy Versus.
Nishiki is far from the only experienced member of the creative team. Development is being run by BlackJack Studio, the team that also developed Langrisser Mobile, the series’ most recent title in 2018 that’s still being supported to this day. But since it’s been several years since the release of the previous title, you can bet on Sea of Sword seeing a significant leap in graphical fidelity.
While the graphics have improved, they haven’t replaced the hand-painted anime art style the series is known for. We get a brief look at characters at the end of the trailer, where it will be clear to fans of the series that character designs are still consistent with the ones they know and love. They’re just more detailed now.
Alongside the debut trailer, BlackJack Studio announced that Langrisser: Sea of Sword will release simultaneously worldwide on mobile, Steam, and PC, though a specific release date was not provided. They also shared that the first gameplay video is in the final stages of polishing and will be ready for public release soon. So stay tuned to IGN to see that. Or sign up for pre-registration on the official website to get the latest news and updates.
