So, I mentioned in comments last time that I translated the PSP remake of this game, but what I failed to mention is that I never played the SNES version before that -- the PSP version was my first experience with Brandish. And it's kind of fascinating to see some of the subtle differences.

Fun fact about this game's legacy: it's protagonist Varrik showed up as the player character in a very famous Earthbound ROM hack called The Halloween Hack. Made by a certain developer by the name of Toby Fox...

As much as I don't want to be that person, even just watching the footage of this game felt disorienting and headache inducing. It's unfortunate because it actually doesn't look that bad aside from that. The map looks fun at least!

I have seen this game mentioned often and always thought "how could anyone have thought this is playable", once again, your hard work and dedication has revealed and incredible and clearly playable gaming experience that just needed a bit of explanation :-D.

I couldn't get beyond the way the levels have to be rotated when I first tried this game back then while my other gripe at the time was, "this blonde girl is so much cooler looking and she's front and center on the box, why can't I play as her!?" Now all these years later... I still stand by those personal criticisms. 😅

Wow, that artwork on the thumbnail is definitely from a 90s JRPG, what with the total disregard for Western sensibilities at the time (as well as now). I recall that when Pokémon Colosseum was brought to Western audiences, Rui’s outfit had to be lengthened since her skirt and top in the Japanese release were considered too risqué for Western children apparently. 😏

This game was released before Diablo 1 was released for the PC.

There's something both hilarious and relatable to me about you ending the game with your money maxed out and also saying you didn't buy most of the spells because of how expensive they were. I did the exact same thing when I played this game with my dad as a kid, though I did go back at the end to buy them just to see what the spells did.

Hearing about some of this game's weird quirks makes me wonder how much I'd like the Mystery Dungeon games if I hadn't been introduced to them as a kid through the GBA Pokemon ones. I realize they REALLY casualized the heck out of DX for the newest release, but...yeah, no, I'mma hold out hope for a proper new Pokemon Mystery Dungeon game will someday be made...just, not on the Switch, as Pokemon as a whole hasn't been too great since the 3DS days, minus some side games. (...Arceus is a side game, don't @ me)

You make a convincing argument that there is a lot here that makes the movement worth it. Honestly, the longer I stared at the gameplay, the better it looked. Wouldn't mind giving it a try! The art if anything looks REALLY nice!

Brandish: The Dark Revenant, a remake on the PSP, is a better title in all possible ways. Mostly because the rotation doesn't make your head hurt.

I got this for a song in the 90s when a rental place retired it. I really enjoyed it.

One thing that really stuck with me during your play through was how well and quickly you mastered the controls. I still had no idea where we were, but it didn't matter cause you were confidently at the helm driving us through the dungeon. This game was a delightful little gem with so many interesting elements which you've really captured here in your video, and in the experience watching you play it live on stream. Thank you for this video!

There's such a difference between watching streams of a game, and seeing a review. I never thought much about trying this game, but I dare say this gives me some vibes of games that I love, ie Solstice, etc.. and is making me (gasp) consider giving it a whirl. It is a beautiful game and the exploration definitely looks rewarding. Nice work, Grumbles.

Always glad to see new YT videos from you!

You're videos made me so excited that both times I've discovered your videos and started to watch them I've spilled juice all over my desk! 🤣

"unintentionally punched everything straight back to hell"

A nice review for this underrated dungeon crawler, I've played sequel first but I was just as impressed with first once I played it after completing the former. Suprisingly, I was never bothered with the unique control scheme although it took time to get it used to.

I played through this one a couple of years ago just in a quest to finish the adventure games on the SNES. It was not great but not abhorrent. I felt as if a handful of small changes could have made it a fantastic experience.

Excellent review! I've got to try Brandish out some day. Thank you for highlighting the good features and the sticking points.