Rance 03: The Fall of Leazas is the newest entry in the long-running series by Japanese developer Alicesoft to come to the West. Remaking the classic RPG from 1991, the game uses a system like Rance 01’s and is particularly well known as the only one to feature voice acting.
Who Is Rance? A Controversial Protagonist
The Rance series tells the story of the homonymous warrior, a great hero whose achievements are spread throughout various games. However, he is not a role model by any stretch.
Rance is actually a sleazy bastard who is not quite as strong as he is bold and is strongly motivated by pretty women. Lazy, with his mind always in the gutter, he often astonishes serious individuals, but he still ends up achieving results against all odds.
It is important to get this out of the way because his characterization is a strong point of the experience. Rance is a selfish bastard who acts immorally frequently, and he often behaves as if all cute or beautiful women are his property.
His extreme egotism definitely irks some people, yet he also has a charismatic side to his bastard actions. In a way, his very strong delusion of grandeur is what compels him to become a stronger warrior and do what must be done, even if he is no ‘good guy’ and is always after some reward.
The Story of Rance 03: The Fall of Leazas
With all that said and done, Rance 03 is an interesting point in the story, as it directly connects to events and characters from Rance 01 and Rance 02. It all starts on the day Leazas falls, which happens very suddenly.
In the blink of an eye, Leazas is no more, as Helmanian forces have invaded it with the help of fiends. Instead of a long war, the conflict actually starts from within the castle walls, making the situation very dire.
Seeing the hard trials ahead of her, Princess Lia sends ninja Kanami to seek out Rance for help. Now he must look for Chaos, as it may be the only way to break through the fiends’ barriers.
Gameplay Mechanics & Exploration
As we go around the free cities looking for clues and fighting monsters and enemy forces, we can form a large party with warriors of various skills. Besides the mage Sill and the ninja Kanami, who are part of the initial party, we also rely on the strength of individuals from previous games and newcomers.
Rance 03 mixes visual-novel segments with a turn-based RPG. The game takes the framework from Rance 01 and evolves it with some tweaks. Exploration is menu-based, with towns offering multiple points of interest, including an inn to restore your party’s health and various stores. As the story progresses, we unlock more towns and dungeons on the overworld.
Dungeon Design & Strategy
Every dungeon is structured as a map of cards, with each point we choose defining our path options. We can move only forward or to the immediate diagonals, so our choices limit where we can reach, and reaching specific points demands planning.
To get the lay of the land, players can find maps within the dungeons, which help with organization. Most of the time, we can see the next cards. Thanks to this, we know where enemies, treasures, and traps are, but there are also some hidden cards.
As there is no turning back, leaving the dungeon can generally be done at any point using a special item. The only way to save there is by using a one-time Save Lion item or returning to town to use a free-save menu, so it is important to keep your resources in mind to avoid losing progress.
Combat System & Party Management
When it comes to battles, Rance 03 offers a party system instead of item chips. We have limited slots for skills and can pick them from any of the characters available at the moment.
During fights, we will have access only to those selected skills and cannot change them mid-battle. It is possible to pick multiple skills from the same character, but only those with active options will be available in a fight.
As such, we must make strategic decisions, as having more allies also means having more potential targets. On the other hand, some allies like Sill may have multiple interesting options to exploit enemies’ weaknesses.
Unique Features: Voice Acting & Visuals
An interesting detail to keep in mind is that Rance 03 is the only game in the series to feature voice acting. The series had always avoided it, and fans argue that this choice added more flexibility for the developers when writing scripts, with Rance X’s absurd length potentially causing bankruptcy otherwise.
The voice acting does wonders to make characters stand out, with every performance being excellent. The protagonist is limited to battle voices, which is a shame because they fit his over-the-top nature so well.
Visually speaking, Rance 03 is also striking. Character designs are colorful, modern, and very detailed, and even the interface has a strong sense of style that makes the overall atmosphere distinctive.
Final Verdict: A Must-Play RPG Experience
When we take everything into account, Rance 03 is a very complete RPG experience. It offers an epic journey that will be even more special for those who love the Rance world, and it represents a significant gameplay evolution from its predecessors.
While some players may find it a little cumbersome to deal with the saving restrictions and the way the game limits various items to a maximum of three, this is intentional. The game design uses those details as an active part of the challenge, and the developers avoided dumbing down the experience with unnecessary modernization while still keeping it fair and manageable.
The end result is fantastic, making Rance 03: The Fall of Leazas a strong example of a unique and bold take on the turn-based RPG formula and an experience that every fan of the genre should try.
Rance 03: The Fall of Leazas (PC)
9.0
Must-Play
Rance 03: The Fall of Leazas is a nostalgic and unapologetic remake of the 1991 classic from Alicesoft, combining visual novel storytelling with strategic turn-based combat. With enhanced visuals, full voice acting, and a cast of morally complex characters, it offers a unique RPG experience that stays true to its chaotic roots.
The Good
A Unique Gameplay System – The custom party based on skill choices offers a fantastic strategic handling of the turn-based system
Intentional Ignoring of QoL – The game knows how to cleverly limit the player as an extra challenge
An Epic Journey – Rance 03’s story offers a strong sense of epic journey from start to finish
Visually Striking – The game has colorful, stylish designs for the characters and interface
The Voice Layer – Japanese voice acting does wonders to make characters shine
The Bad
The Rance Barrier – If his shameless antics and the hardcore situations of the game are strong issues for you, this won’t be your cup of tea