Can you elaborate onnthe retro gamer part? Is because if the character design? I am a retro game and have nothing but hype
As for the second part, langrisser is very simillar to fe. The main difference is that any unit can recruit general troops and lead a small army a feature that 3 Houses seem to be taking. I played both 1 and the snes version of 2.
The firat has... issues. I have seen some insane fluctuation of the damage dealt in the very same situation, which is crippling in a game whit permadeath, and sevaral unit are 100% identical to each other. The plot is also your run-off-the-mill "save the world from the big bad evil guy." It's mhe experience, but they may improve it.
As for 2, it is one of my favorite srpg. For starters they introduced multiple path and allowed you to join every faction, including the "garnef". The plot is relatively simple, and has some problem, but it did a cool in making every faction both relatable and flawed. And the indipendent route is one hell of a power trip when you get to kick the butt of everyone whit a very small force.
The gameplay improved everything. Generic troops are more varied and effective, and you can build an unit as a dedicated commander, there are much more spells and equipment that allow formany peculiar strategies. You can play the same route several times whit completely different strategies, wich, coupled whit the 4 routes, give the game great replaybility.
The only problem is that the game can be a litle too easy if you optimize the mc on creation(you get a questionaire that give you stats, spell or items depending on your answers. If you always pick the stats increasing one the mc will be Chuck Norris), or exploit the gamebraking stuff, and it has only a soft permadeath this time, if we can call it a permadeath at all(units don't die, but you get a worse ending if they get killed even once, so you will still likely reset on a death).
Sorry if i got carried away.