Draft:Tear Ring Saga Series: Berwick Saga: Lazberia Chronicle Chapter 174

Tear Ring Saga Series: Berwick Saga: Lazberia Chronicle Chapter 174
Developer(s)	Tirnanog
Publisher(s)	Enterbrain
Platform(s)	PlayStation2
Release	May 26, 2005

Tear Ring Saga Series: Berwick Saga: Lazberia Chronicle Chapter 174 is a tactical role-playing game developed by Tirnanog and published by Enterbrain. The game was released in Japan on May 26, 2005 on the Sony PlayStation2.

The game sold 177,202 copies in its first year, outselling its contemporary Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. The game was never released in any other regions officially, though an unofficial fan translation was created and released in February of 2020.

Gameplay

Berwick Saga is a tactical RPG using a hexagon-based grid. Unit activation does not follow the phase system seen in many games of the genre like the Fire Emblem series, nor does it use the speed stat of units to determine when and how often they may take their turns as in games like Shining Force. Instead the activation of units is based on the number of units remaining in each faction's army, for example if the enemy has twice as many units as the player, the enemy will be able to move two units every time the player moves one. The game is divided into turns, which end when all units have activated. The player is always given the first activation in each turn regardless of the ratio of units.

The game has over 40 maps, spanning 15 chapters of story. In each map, there is a main objective that ranges from defeating all the enemy units, to capturing or defending a key location, to escaping from pursuing enemy forces. Often the player is given a strict time limit of turns to complete the map by.

Separate from the tactical gameplay is the game's central menu in the city of Navaron, where the player may buy supplies, recruit mercenaries into their army, or acquire side quests from NPCs.

Plot

The game takes place in the continent of Lazberia, which has been locked in an endless war between two major military powers: the Berwick League and the Raze Empire. At the start of the game, the Berwick League has lost much of its territory, including its capital Valemtine, to an Imperial campaign following a disastrous battle that saw the death of Mordias IV, the king of Veria, the foremost of the League's 24 member countries. The player takes control of Reese, the son of a war hero and nobleman from the tiny Berwick League member country Sinon, as he answers the call of Mordias' son Volcens, who has retreated far from the front lines to the duchy of Narvia and its fortified city, Navaron.

Development and release

Berwick Saga is markedly different from its predecessor Tear Ring Saga. In an interview posted on his blog series creator Shouzou Kaga recalls that Tear Ring Saga placed too much emphasis on the story, and the game balance and strategy aspects were sacrificed as a result. Kaga was not credited for the game in any way, though his involvement is evident as his later games in the Vestaria Saga series use a map that can be found in the files for Berwick Saga.