Vanguard Bandits

 It's time to talk about PS1 RPG number 3,252-5C.

Okay, there aren't THAT many of them, though sometimes it feels like it. It really is amazing to think about how popular RPGs, especially JRPGs, were during the late 90's and early 00's. I miss those days, I really do. Of course, there was plenty of love for RPGs in other sub-genres as well, especially strategy RPGs. Final Fantasy Tactics was the catalyst for the genre's mainstream popularity in the west, but it was far from the only one. I've already reviewed a handful of strategy RPGs, including Shining Force, Front Mission 3 and Saiyuki: Journey West. It's not my favorite genre, but it's definitely up there and it may be the genre I like the most but know the least about. A lot of strategy RPGs never really left Japan until more recently, Fire Emblem comes to mind. I mean, when Super Smash Bros. Melee came out, a lot of gamers and even reviewers were legitimately confused as to who the hell Roy and Marth were and why they were in the game. But the success of the aforementioned Final Fantasy Tactics did lead to at least some attempts to bring more of these games stateside. Vanguard Bandits was one of those games.

Vanguard Bandits was translated and published by Working Design, who were no stranger to obscure RPGs. They are probably best known for their translations of the Lunar series and we have encountered them before during our Alundra Review (Alundra is still not an RPG though). It definitely had their trademark translation style, which stood out for better and worse here, as well as their typical level of quality. VB is a well put together, if a little uninspired strategy RPG. There was a lot to like here, even if it wasn't particularly innovative. In many ways, it feels a lot like the aforementioned strategy RPGs in terms of presentation and graphical style. However, it does have plenty of its own style. The graphics are pretty good across the board, they feature solid 2D sprites for characters with detailed, interesting backgrounds. The in-battle cutscences (we will get back to those) look really good for a 5th generation game. This came out in 1998 but wasn't released in the U.S. until 2000, the very end of the PS1's lifecycle, and it shows in a good way. The sound was also excellent, the in- and out of battle tracks do a great job of setting a mood and establishing atmosphere. Vanguard Bandits is definitely solid in the more technical departments. The controls are good, it's easy to get around the battlefield and the menus are fairly straightforward for as deep and complex as they are.

The story is also pretty basic, you take control of a young mercenary named Bastion, who works alongside his father Kamorge to protect citizens from the power hungry Junaris Empire. The empire has been an aggressor on the continent of Eptina for a long time as they attempt to forcibly unify its inhabitants under its reign of terror. Battles on Eptina are fought with giant mechs called ATACs, which only a select few can pilot. The empire has the best technology and most powerful ATACs, but our heroes have machines of their own to fight back. They may not be able to defeat the empire, but Bastion and Kamorge can at least protect some innocent citizens and keep them at bay. That all changes when Kamorge slain in battle, killed in cold blood by the villainous General Faulkner. Bastion swears revenge, before conveniently learning the truth about his past from his dying father. He sets out to find the legendary ATAC known as Ultragunner while using his newfound influence to take on the Empire and slay Faulkner.

The story is just okay, but I don't think that's a major problem in a strategy RPG. I do wish the characters were a little stronger. Bastion is pretty solid as a young, plucky underdog thrown into a position of great power, but most of his compatriots are just okay. None are particularly bad, but they aren't exactly memorable. The Flirty Reyna and overly intense Galvas are probably the best. But you also have gimmicky characters like the food-obsessed Barlow, womanizing Andrew and generic Devlin. I will say their ATACs all look cool, but it doesn't change the fact that they don't have much personality. In a way, the translation works against the characters as it features the quirky, bombastic style typical of Working Design. The characters are all pretty tame and they will just bust out with a random pop culture reference or ridiculous quote, which is a problem. At least it's not like Alundra, where the characters are constantly cracking jokes at ridiculous points in the story. Honestly, the villains and other Empire characters are probably the best characters in the game. Faulkner is great as the manipulative, sadistic monster who is doing his best to wrest power from the Empire's true heirs, the niaive Duyere and the kind, caring Sadria. Again, not super memorable but not bad by any means.

The gameplay is pretty similar, it's a good, solid strategy RPG that doesn't break any new ground but plays well and offers some fun. As with most strategy RPGs of the era, battles are fought on a grid-based map with a variety of elevation. AP allow your character to move and perform attacks, while FP prevents your character from getting stunned. As with most games of this ilk, you need to maximize your point usage and minimize your enemy's advantage by avoiding rough terrain and attacking from the back or side. While some of the characters do feel a little bit different, most of their move pools are very similar, so they all kind of play the same way. There aren't that many opportunities to try different strategies, a lot of the moves either work or they don't and you will find yourself using the same moves over and over again off all the characters. The most strategic you will have to get is with counter attacks, you will have the option to attempt to dodge, defend, fight back or counter when an enemy attacks you. Dodging will require the least AP, but it isn't always effective. Fighting back or countering uses tons of AP, but lets you deal damage after or before an enemy attacks. Of course, the enemy has the options too, so you need to be cognizant of that when attacking.

Overall, there is a lot to like about Vanguard Bandits, but I wouldn't actively go out of my way to play it again. The game can be beaten in about 16 hours, though there are a few different tracks you can take to complete it. It's kind of like Front Mission 3 in that way. That was probably the game I found myself comparing Vanguard Bandits to the most. Aside from the obvious "strategy RPG about giant mechs" thing, they both had very similar progression. I think I prefer Front Mission's grittier, less anime-focused aesthetic and what it tried to accomplish story-wise. I think I preferred Vanguard Bandits' combat a little bit, as there was less dependence on RNG, and its translation was way cleaner. At the end of the day, I would put FM3 just ahead of Vanguard Bandits, as I felt it was more ambitious. I gave FM3 a 7.25 I think, and VG was pretty close so...

7/10