With so many other notable SRPGs already out for portable consoles, Hero's Saga: Laevatein Tactics fails to emulate the magic of its forebears such as Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactics Ogre, and also fails to define itself among contemporaries like Rondo of Swords and Jeanne D'Arc. GamesRadar still loves classic SRPGs; it's just that at this point, Hero's Saga feels like a step back.
Why is it that you can't have a strategy-RPG without some grand-scale war going down? Hero's Saga Laevatein Tactics is one of the newest additions to the popular genre, and it's more of the kingdom-clashing we've come to love. The impetus for battle this time revolves around mysterious weapons called "Vaettir Arms" that house the souls of powerful heroes past within them. There's a bit of flavor to the proceedings from some of the references to European countries in the text, but for the most part, it's a pretty familiar war story.
Hero's Saga Laevatein Tactics is a long way from perfect. The battles are not swift, even by the standards of tactical games. Getting the characters and weapons the player wants is a remarkably random endeavor, also. Despite these flaws, the game as a pure tactical scenario actually manages to rise above more prominent choices on the DS such as the Luminous Arc series, delivering a unique and enjoyable tactical experience that should engross devotees of the genre.
CheatCC says, "While Hero's Saga Laevatein Tactics has a few good things going for it in the gameplay department, the extremely cheap one-hit-kills super moves take much of the enjoyment out of the game. Add this to the terrible A.I., the cookie-cutter RPG storyline and characters, and the host of better SRPGs already available on the DS and there's just not much of a reason to pick up HSLT."
