Koei
Super NES
1995
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Brandish is an action RPG that was released by KOEI for the Super Nintendo in 1995. It had other contemporary releases, including for the PC Engine CD-ROM2 (TurboGrafx-CD), NEC PC-9801 and FM Towns but these were Japan only releases. The U.S. release was censored due to some revealing costumes and the plot also had significant changes.
Brandish is played from a top down perspective like many similar action RPGs of the time. I won’t go into the plot but it’s safe to say it is a suitable fantasy storyline for a video game RPG. The sound wasn’t much to speak of and the music was fairly repetitive. Even the graphics were not spectacular but they were good enough not to detract from the game play which is what counts. As far as action RPGs go, it is actually a pretty decent game despite some of the shortcomings it has. It was quite a popular series of games in Japan.
While several sequels were made, none saw a U.S. release. There was a remake for the PSP titled Brandish: The Dark Revenant that was initially released in Japan in 2009. It was finally released in downloadable form in the U.S. in 2015. To play the original you will need a Super Nintendo and an original cartridge or be willing to emulate. As far as sequels, you will probably have to learn Japanese or perhaps track down a fan translation if there are any. If you like action RPGs of that era then this is one worth playing.
