, sometimes referred to as , is a series of five
tactical role-playing
Tactical role-playing games (abbreviated TRPGs), also known as strategy role-playing games and in Japan as (both abbreviated SRPGs), are a video game genre that combines core elements of role-playing video games with those of tactical (Turn-bas ...
and
real-time strategy
Real-time strategy (RTS) is a Video game genre, subgenre of strategy video games that do not progress incrementally in turn-based game, turns, but allow all players to play simultaneously, in "real time". By contrast, in Turn-based strategy, turn ...
video games developed by
Quest Corporation
was a Japanese video game company founded in 1988. Quest is best known for its critically acclaimed tactical role-playing game series ''Ogre Battle''.
In 1990 Quest was merged with the company Bothtec, the latter focusing on the development of ...
and is currently owned by
Square Enix
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational holding company, production enterprise and entertainment conglomerate, best known for its ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', ''Star Ocean'' and ''Kingdom Hearts'' role-playing video game ...
through
Square's acquisition of Quest. There are five original games in the series, one of which has received a remake and a subsequent remaster.
Overview
The first video game in the series, ''
Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen'', was released in 1993 for the
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Eur ...
in Japan, and two years later in North America. The title was a
real-time strategy
Real-time strategy (RTS) is a Video game genre, subgenre of strategy video games that do not progress incrementally in turn-based game, turns, but allow all players to play simultaneously, in "real time". By contrast, in Turn-based strategy, turn ...
role playing game
A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal a ...
, set in a
medieval fantasy
Historical fantasy is a category of fantasy and genre of historical fiction that incorporates fantastic elements (such as magic (fantasy), magic) into a more "realistic" narrative. There is much crossover with other subgenres of fantasy; those ...
world. The second game in the series, ''
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together'', was released in 1995 in Japan. It was a turn-based
tactical role-playing
Tactical role-playing games (abbreviated TRPGs), also known as strategy role-playing games and in Japan as (both abbreviated SRPGs), are a video game genre that combines core elements of role-playing video games with those of tactical (Turn-bas ...
game making use of
isometric graphics
Isometric video game graphics are graphics employed in video games and pixel art that use a parallel projection, but which angle the viewpoint to reveal facets of the environment that would otherwise not be visible from a top-down perspective ...
, and the title is largely considered to be "exceptionally influential" to the genre. Two subsequent games in the ''Ogre Battle'' series – ''
Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber'' and ''
Ogre Battle Gaiden: Prince of Zenobia'' – follow the real-time strategy gameplay of the original title in the franchise, while ''
Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis'' follows the turn-based tactical role-playing gameplay elements of the second game in the series.
''The Knight of Lodis'', released in 2001, is the last original release in the franchise. In 2010, ''Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together'' was remade for the
PlayStation Portable
The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 2005, ...
as ''
Tactics Ogre: Wheel of Fortune'', but the characters, story and setting are identical to the 1995 release. The creator of the series,
Yasumi Matsuno, directed the remake of the game. Matsuno was also responsible for another highly influential title, ''
Final Fantasy Tactics'', originally released in 1997. Though the title bears no relation to the ''Ogre Battle'' series, ''Final Fantasy Tactics'' is considered by some critics to be a spiritual successor to ''Tactics Ogre''. As of 2016, the franchise mostly remains active through re-releases of the first two games for the Nintendo's
Virtual Console
A virtual console (VC) – also known as a virtual terminal (VT) – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some Unix-like operating systems such as Linux, BSD, illumos, Unix ...
service in Japan, North America and Europe.
Both "Ogre Battle" and "The March of the Black Queen" were titles to
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
songs from their 1974 album ''
Queen II''. In addition, "Let Us Cling Together" is the subtitle to their song "
Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)
"Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)" (Japanese title: , ) is a song by Queen from their 1976 album '' A Day at the Races''. Written by guitarist Brian May, it is the closing track on the album.
The song is notable for having two choruses su ...
" from 1976's ''
A Day at the Races''.
Video games
Main series
Side stories
Related software
A prerelease demo of ''Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together'' was made available in early October 1995 for the
Super Famicom add-on
Satellaview. It consists of a battle in a preset map where the player has full control over two opposing teams, similar to the training mode in the full version of game.
In 1996, Bothtec Corporation released in Japan a CD-ROM containing a collection of images and artwork used in ''Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together''. The package is titled ''Tactics Ogre Complete Works'' and also includes icons, wallpapers, databases and a screen saver. It is available for
Windows 95
Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented operating system developed by Microsoft as part of its Windows 9x family of operating systems. The first operating system in the 9x family, it is the successor to Windows 3.1x, and was released to manufacturin ...
and
Mac OS.
Reception
Sales
The series has sold over 2 million copies worldwide, placing it among the
best-selling Japanese role-playing game franchises.
Critical reception
Among critics, the series was acclaimed both in Japan and North America. According to the
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
GameRankings
GameRankings was a video gaming review aggregator that was founded in 1999 and owned by CBS Interactive. It indexed over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 video games. GameRankings was discontinued in December 2019, with its staff bei ...
, the SNES release of ''March of the Black Queen'' has an average aggregate rating of 84%, while the PlayStation port of ''Let Us Cling Together'' has an average of 81%. ''Ogre Battle 64'' has an average of 86% and ''The Knight of Lodis'' 84%. In Japan, gaming magazine
Weekly Famitsu scored the Super Famicom releases of ''March of the Black Queen'' and ''Let Us Cling Together'' 33/40 and 34/40, respectively.
[Ne.jp]
accessed on February 23, 2019 The magazine also provided high scores for ''Ogre Battle 64'' (33/40) and ''The Knight of Lodis'' (34/40), while ''Prince of Zenobia'' received a slightly lower score, 28/40.
The PSP remake of ''Let Us Cling Together'' is the most critically acclaimed release in the series, with an average of 88% at GameRankings and a score of 36/40 from Weekly Famitsu.
, GameRankings
GameRankings was a video gaming review aggregator that was founded in 1999 and owned by CBS Interactive. It indexed over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 video games. GameRankings was discontinued in December 2019, with its staff bei ...
, accessed 2011-02-18Geimin.net
(archived from the original, in Japanese) October 24, 2016, accessed on March 17, 2018
See also
* List of Square Enix video game franchises
This is a list of video game franchises by Square Enix, a Japanese video game development and publishing company formed from the merger of Enix and Square on April 1, 2003. Square Enix acquired Taito in September 2005, which continues to publish ...
* '' Final Fantasy Tactics''
References
{{Square Enix franchises
Square Enix franchises
Video game franchises introduced in 1993
Video game franchises
Video games developed in Japan
Japanese brands
category:Tactical role-playing video games by series