For Producer Masaru Saito, Brigandine Abyss Has Been a Long Time Coming

Brigandine is not a household name, but it certainly has a loyal following of diehard fans always hoping for more. That's why Brigandine Abyss , only the third game in the series in 28 years, is such a big deal. Due later this year on Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC, it's a brand new entry that retains the deep turn-based tactical gameplay of earlier installments while going its own way in terms of visuals and narrative. It promises six different story campaigns, and a special Mission Mode in which players control one of 24 different factions, each with its own unique win condition. Last weekend at PAX East in Boston, I was fortunate to sit down with Masaru Saito, the producer of Brigandine Abyss , at the NIS America booth. Via a translator, Saito-san spoke at length about the game's story, mechanics, and novelties, as well as the dream team of artists, composers, and directors he assembled to make it. VGCHARTZ: Tell me about the setting and story. Is everything completely separate from previous games in the series? SAITO: There are actually no connections to the previous games, so it's a completely stand-alone story. There was the original PlayStation version that released in 1998. There was also an expanded Grand Edition in Japan. And then there was The Legend of Runersia , which was about 20 years after that. And then this title, but they're all stand-alone storylines. VGCHARTZ: That's a perfect segue to my next question. Over 20 years passed between the first and second Brigandine games. But only 6 years have passed between the second and this third game. What led to the decision to make a new sequel? SAITO: To be honest, we had wanted to develop this even sooner than we did. But...