The 3DS has been a wonderful machine for RPG fans, with games of various sizes, styles and prices arriving on the system. The eShop has played its part, often with low-priced efforts that can nevertheless be rather fun.
The Mercenaries Saga series has been a decent example, and we quite enjoyed its first sequel earlier in the year. Now Mercenaries Saga 3: Gray Wolves of War - developed by Rideon Japan and published by CIRCLE Entertainment - is next in the series; a trailer and story summary are below.
Long ago there were two continents, split into north and south by a large ocean. These two continents under went vastly different development. In the north continent, the Flare Kingdom, with their advanced industry and powerful military background, expanded their sphere of influence. They annexed neighboring states until the entire north continent was under their control. On the other hand, the tribes of the Kirialos country in the southern continent were at constant war over their plentiful resources.
Having achieved domination of their own continent, the Flare Kingdom set their sights on Kirialos's resources. The Flare Kingdom intervened in the wars on the south continent in the name of peacekeeping, but took complete control in the blink of an eye. The Flare Kingdom set up a puppet government in Kirialos, whilst syphoning the wealth obtained from its resources back to their own continent.
That's when the "Liberation Army" appeared - it's sights set on overthrowing the Kingdom and its puppet government.
To deal with this uprising, the Kingdom set up a local ministry of war. The name of the Kingdom's foreign campaign regiment was "Coronea".
The mercenaries who joined this unit, be it for money, fame or honor, became known as the "Kingdom's Dogs". This is where their story begins.
It's out on 15th December in North America, and hopefully in Europe not long after. Are any of you tempted to pick this up?
Comments 31
Isn't the 3ds dead? I thought it died a while ago but very few games are coming out.
Awesome, liked the second one. Wonder if we'll ever get the first one.
Looks nice, but the background just annoys me. That purple background just makes the entire thing look [i]really[i] small. Probably won't get it.
@James_mussell98 Of course not. There's still Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World, Pikmin 3DS, Mario Sports Superstars, Tank Troopers, The Boxboy Collection, Ever Oasis, and a myriad of third-party and indie releases.
@James_mussell98 The 3DS is as dead as the Vita.
Not.
@James_mussell98 Nah, just because it's not getting the big names doesn't mean it's dead (and to be fair it DID just get Pokemon Sun/Moon). But on this specific series, Mercenaries Saga 2 is actually one of the most full-featured budget titles I've ever seen. Good stuff if you like Final Fantasy Tactics, where it gets most of its DNA.
I hadn't heard of these! I'll definitely check the first one out and poke around a bit. Looks like a style I'd enjoy, art wise at least!
Hopefully, this game is as good as the 2nd one. (But why isn't the first one on the eshop?!)
There is also Ever Oasis. Probably the one game I'm really looking forward to.
Love mercenary saga 2 really reminded me of final fantasy tactics. will definetly get this one.
Yay.
loved the second one. Excited for the third one.
I am convinced that no strategy game will ever surpass Fire Emblem Awakening.
@TossedLlama Yeah, don't go in expecting a riveting story, but if you just want something to scratch that tactics itch, I'd say go for it. It's very no frills (and even shares assets with other Rideon games), but there's a lot of gameplay for the price (and multiple endings/a new game+!).
@invictus4000 I mean, I consider tactics style games different than RPG strategy games like Fire Emblem. Tactics tend to add a third dimension (height), more equipment than just weapons, less characters per map, characters learning skills as they level up (though Fire Emblem is starting to add stuff sorta like that)... I mean, they're similar but I'd consider them different subgenres.
@TossedLlama I played 2, didn't finish it because it felt unpolished to me (wasn't a bad game though), but as far as I recall I didn't once feel like I missed anything with not playing 1. For all I know it was a separate story entirely.
Big names? Dragon quest XI, monster hunter XX, pikmin, yoshi woolly , dragon quest VIII and a new ip , ever oasis .
It is not great but 3ds is fine after 6 years .
@TossedLlama I don't think Rideon has any other tactics games, but they do have another series (which shares assets with Mercenaries Saga) where one is a cooking-heavy RPG and the other is a roguelike with cooking elements (Adventure Bar Story and Adventure Bar Labyrinth). Again, no frills but solid games if you like those genres (I personally really enjoyed Adventure Bar Labyrinth, and I'm a big roguelike fan).
Tactical pickings are slim on 3DS if you're looking for Final Fantasy Tactics-like games (so Fire Emblem wouldn't necessarily count). Not sure what you've played, but offhand I can think of Stella Glow (which has a "good" ending and an "okay" ending), Ambition of the Slimes (another CIRCLE production), and Lord of Magna (which is kind of lightweight and fanservicey, but could hit the spot if you're looking for something less intense).
yeah!! looking forward to this game! 😁
@TossedLlama Oh yeah, the Tales cooking system is golden. I would say Adventure Bar's cooking system is heavier on the gathering-and-recipe-seeking side than the actual cooking side.
In Stella Glow's "ok" ending, one (or possibly two depending) of the non-final boss characters die. But the world is still saved so it's not technically a "bad" ending.
@legendwaker I'm looking forward to it as well, though I am hoping it will be on the Switch too. It looks really Secret of Mana-esque.
Loved the previous one so ill be getting this one as well
@TossedLlama
Mercenaries Saga 2 is a solid purchase for less than the price of a lunch.
no great story or plot, but lots of great strategy RPG missions to keep you busy.
"But everything changed when the flare nation attacked"
Best selling video game of the year releases on 3DS a few weeks ago.
ISN'T THE 3DS DEAD?!
Finally! A new 3DS indi game for the Eshop. It's been about three weeks since we last had one.
Mercenaries Saga 2 was surprisingly good as far as budget SRPGs go. Will undoubtedly get this.
@TossedLlama I guess since the good ending in Stella Glow is based on affinity with a certain character, they made it so the ending you get without bothering with that isn't TOO terrible, but different enough that players who went the extra mile get a reward.
Oh yeah, Tactics Ogre is good stuff too! I hear you on having mixed feelings about multiple endings though. It really depends on the game.
I'm just not sure I'd be able to take the Circle Entertainment translations in an RPG with a story - Brave Dungeon, which they're also localizing, is the same way.
I've liked their games chosen for localization a lot though. I might pick this one up with a good NL review even though it's not my genre of choice (and I would honestly check the script of Brave Dungeon for grammatical errors for free if they'd let me)
The first game was excellent i highly recommend this Low budget strategy RPG. Its alot like Final fantasy Tactics and any fan of that game will appreciate this one.
@James_mussell98 umm 3ds dead? Not even close. There are some gaems comming in 2017. This ship keeps rolling right along
I'll download this in a sale.
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