Ogre Battle Complete Series Retrospective - Xygor Gaming

[Music] in 1993 enix published ogre battle the march of the black queen for super nintendo two full years after its release in japan the game was developed by quest and it absolutely was one of the most ambitious titles on the system it was a turn-based tactical rpg where strategy and organizing units plays a big role in the player's success interestingly the game takes its title and subtitle from two different songs by the british rock band queen attracting a cult following of fans ogre battle has become one of the most fun and impressive games that the system had to offer the story of ogre battle is darker and more political than many of the other games on the system 25 years ago andorra reigned as the queen of highland she was at first viewed as a beloved kind-hearted ruler when she was brought word that the neighboring holy ladician empire had plans to conquer her continent she planned a strategy to thwart the invaders sending word to the allied kingdoms however her planes were not taken seriously and the four kingdoms united against andorra in desperation andorra appealed to the sage rashidi considered one of the five heroes of legend she successfully repelled the invasions against her homeland declared herself empress and formed the zetagenian empire as she consolidated more and more power tyranny and evil has characterized her reign at the beginning of the game the player takes the role of the leader of a revolutionary force against andorra the liberation army when a new game is started the player is first asked a series of questions by a seer named warren these questions test the player's instincts philosophy and values the game then takes the players answers and calculates them into the heroes stats abilities and starting units i really love this aspect because it truly personalized the experience for the player and made every instance of ogre battle unique some of the questions you are asked are really interesting too like the trait you would most associate with a successful king tactical gameplay is the focus of ogre battle and much of the game revolves around placement of units on the overworld map groups can be moved around at the same time as other groups and they can also be positioned to stop encroaching enemies the main goal is to liberate towns which yields several benefits for the player the player can receive special items by doing so some of which are very powerful also you can gain tarot cards which have various effects for instance cards can be used to shift the day to night which influences the effectiveness of characters in battle each character in ogre battle possesses an alignment statistic when characters with high alignment liberate towns their reputation is raised they are more effective in the day time and tarot cards can also raise your character's alignment low alignment characters are the exact opposite they fight better at night and are weak against light attacks also when low alignment characters liberate towns their reputation will be lowered depending on your reputation the game will unfold in slightly different ways this can lead to recruitable characters treating you differently and even to different endings those who like to customize and optimize units and formations to produce the best possible outcomes will fall in love with ogre battle's system to form viable combat groups party management is necessary and it's a big focal point of ogre battle each unit makeup consists of five slots each of which require one slot for a leader most humanoid characters consume one slot whereas large monsters like griffins and dragons take up two slots leader stats also have an effect on the strength of the party as the rest of the party receives some bonuses depending on the leader's traits also some characters can traverse over parts of the map more easily such as octopuses over water and griffins over mountains there's also a class system and each character can transition to a new class when certain conditions are met for those who despise micromanagement ogre battle is not the game for you as customization and maintenance is a huge part of the game battles and ogre battle unfold in an almost fully automatic fashion but i actually found that this works quite well the game is centered more upon how you set up units and your characters act accordingly in battle the game is based around a set of defined attacks for each class that change depending on the row the character is located in for instance fighters will attack twice if they are put in the front row but only once if put in the back mages are best put in the back row because they will cast powerful spells against enemies rather than attempting weak attacks from the front row during battle you can use two types of manual interactions tactics and cards tactics defines the attack priority of the unit cards allow you to invoke the tarot cards you've been collecting in battle which have different effects depending on the card there are 22 cards in all and the cards can do such things as damage all enemies heal your party or disorient the enemy forces ogre battle's soundtrack is pretty good but it's a bit repetitive as you end up hearing the same general tracks over and over save for a few select circumstances what is there is good there just isn't enough variety because enix only distributed 25 000 copies of vulgar battle in north america a ridiculously low number is exceedingly difficult to find the game today as such the game has commanded a very high price thankfully the game was released on the sony playstation under the title ogre battle limited edition and also for the nintendo virtual console out of all the games in the tactical rpg genre ogre battle is definitely considered the most influential the game came out at a time where there was basically nothing else like it ogre battle therefore inspired a plethora of successors a sequel called tactics ogre let us cling together was released in 1995 but at the time it was only available in japan thankfully that game was also re-released on the playstation when it was finally brought to north america the influence of vulgar battle and tactics ogre can also be seen in final fantasy tactics square smash hit for the playstation this makes complete sense too because the team that produced final fantasy tactics headed by yasumi matsuno was largely the same as the one that created ogre battle and tactics ogre even beyond final fantasy tactics ogre battle's influence on other games in the genre such as fire emblem front mission and vandal hearts cannot be denied in 1993 ogre battle march of the black queen was released for the super famicom but the game didn't make its way to north america until mid-1995 within just a few short months when fans were getting their first taste of the game quest released its sequel tactics ogre let us cling together in japan like the first title the game was the masterwork of yasumi matsuno at that time the snes was at the very tail end of its life cycle and there were never any real plans to release the game here in the same form given the emergence of the 32-bit platforms like the sega saturn and sony playstation enix decided to port the game onto both systems this time north american fans could rejoice because this version was given a full translation and brought to the playstation in 1998 but even so the snes version is perfectly playable to english speakers via a translation patch also both versions are actually fairly similar in terms of graphical quality and gameplay while still a fantasy-oriented strategy rpg tactics ogre is in many ways a significant departure from ogre battle first of all the overall combat gameplay and battles were reinvented entirely instead of a free roaming map all battles and tactics over take place on an isometric battlefield based on a grid battles themselves are turn-based where each character has the ability to move one time each turn in addition each character can also execute one action per turn including attacks magical spells and item usage one amazing thing tactics over did well with the battle system was made elevation an integral part of combat this makes it impossible to cross certain terrain and can also give a positional advantage or disadvantage navigating through buildings water and other train made the player contemplate their moves ahead of time and plan out their strategy having to deal with this factor was very creative a great way to expand upon what other strategy rpgs had done another noteworthy facet of tactics ogre is the skill system in addition to randomized statistical increases with each level the game assigns each character a specific number of skill points after successful actions are taken there are several different types of skills which include missile skills which fire in a straight line indirect skills which are range based utility skills which allow for buffs and debuffs and transferring skills which allow the transfer of resources from one character to another among the available skills for each class the player is forced into decisions sometimes difficult ones to allocate points on top of the skill system there's also a complex class system that allows you to customize your party in a fashion similar to what is seen in final fantasy v and final fantasy tactics incredibly there are 56 total classes which is far more than i've seen in any other game unlike some games with a class system though you unlock new classes as you play through the storyline once they're unlocked they become available to everyone one of my favorites was the terror knight who is skilled in weakening enemy attacks and defense also the ninja can dual wield weapons and strike twice in combat each class offers something different and then there's the story this game is dark rather than an uplifting fantasy fairy tale this storyline hinges upon malevolence betrayal and death the main character is denam pavel a young fighter who joined the wallister resistance an organization founded to obstruct the ethnic cleansing campaign of hierophant balbatos see i told you the story was dark denom's father prancet pavel was taken in an attack on the family's hometown there are a huge amount of characters you can acquire through the game but not all of them play such a large role in the story and here's a side note i originally thought the game's subtitle let us cling together with some kind of reference to camaraderie and maybe the resistance at the center of the game's story however just like ogre battle march of the black queen the subtitle is actually another reference to a queen's song this was just a factoid i found interesting so i thought i would make a note of it in terms of how the game plays out you usually get storyline sequences that set up battles rather than forcing you into several battles at a time the game does a pretty good job at developing the storyline and characters to give you reasons to fight long after its original release tactics ogre was released on the playstation portable in 2011. this version made several changes to the game including new characters a re-translated script and menu changes i think this version streamlines the class and skill systems very well and is the best version to play today i'd even go as far as to say that the psp version is one of my top five favorite games on the system and it had plenty of great titles regardless both the snes and playstation counterparts are perfectly playable as well in so many ways tactics ogre was the spiritual precursor to final fantasy tactics this was because yasumi matsuno soon departed quest and went to squaresoft where he played the role of lead developer for the now renowned title to say that tactics ogre's characteristics were influential in final fantasy tactics would be a total understatement from the grid-oriented battle system to the dark story to the skill system matsuno essentially recreated the formula he had developed with tactics ogre it's just a total shame then that so many north american gamers played final fantasy tactics but not tactics ogre all in all tactics ogre is filled with the best qualities of a strategy rpg the title perfectly blends strategic planning and character development and it's the perfect corollary to strategy rpgs that fans would have already been familiar with in japan the game was revered and sold half a million units in 1995 alone it didn't catch on nearly as well in north america where its sales were dismal nevertheless quest deserves a lot of credit for this title even though it's so unknown to most westerners if you love final fantasy tactics or the vandal hearts or fire emblem games you'll definitely enjoy this one as well it's completely underrated by the year 2000 quest had released two great strategy rpgs ogre battle and tactic ogre both found their way to multiple platforms and energized the growing base of strategy fans in just a few short years though the future of the ogre battle series became entirely uncertain this was because series mastermind yasuni matsuno left the company for squaresoft where he played the lead role in creating final fantasy tactics before he departed though he began to lay the foundations for a new game which would combine the characteristics of the first ogre battle titles in the meantime nintendo released their next generation 64-bit platform the nintendo 64. one of the things plaguing the system which was never truly rectified was its lack of rpgs of any kind many fans were elated then to learn that quest planned to create the next title in the ogre battle series despite the departure of matsuno though the developers originally planned for the title to be released on the 64 dd an n64 add-on ultimately was made into a standard cartridge and the 64 dd peripheral was canceled in north america with atlas as its publisher ogre battle 64 person of lordly caliber was released in late 2000 to a small but enthusiastic audience in north america ogre battle 64 plays much much more like the original ogre battle game compared to tactics ogre it borrows ogrebattle's real-time strategy format and combat takes place in an isolated screen rather than a fully rendered grid-like map containing all the characters however battles do play out a little differently like the first game you don't have direct control over characters during battle and your characters automatically attack and receive hits from enemies regardless you can select an overarching battle strategy such as attack strongest enemy attack the leader etc battles themselves can end before the annihilation of the enemy if the maximum amount of turns complete without a victor when this happens the enemy units will appear a short distance away on the world map and can be pursued or avoided almost every tactical decision is in the player's hands in ogre battle 64. the campaign is organized into chapters and there are submissions within each chapter there are specific objectives to each submission also mostly the capture occupation of an enemy target like the first game unit composition and organization is a huge part of the experience your army is comprised of units of five slots that are arranged on a three by three grid many players take up one slot but some of the bigger allies take up more than one placement on the grid is important and it's best to place strong characters on the front line the magicians and healers in the back each unit also requires a leader after completing campaigns your characters gain experience level up and eventually progress through a class-based skill progression system as far as the story goes the game follows magnus gallant a recent graduate of the ishka military academy and captain of a small force as a recurrent theme from the previous ogre battle games civil war soon unfolds drawing magnus into a revolutionary force under frederick raskin its leader hugo the tactician a trusted advisor also plays a major role in the saga storyline sequences play out in between battles similarly to what is seen in tactics ogre and the pacing was done very well in my estimation like tactics ogre the story is quite dark especially for a game on the n64 a system known for appealing to a generally younger audience uniquely enough even some of the mature elements like swearing was retained which was almost unheard of for the n64 game deals with morality religion and defiance many of the same themes one would expect from a game in the ogre battle franchise however i don't think you really need to play the other games to jump into this one it's really a self-contained epic unlike the previous two games in the ogre battle series person of lordly caliber was an original subtitle and was not a reference to a queen song either way it's a great subtitle that matches the game's theme as it relates to magnus ogre battle 64 also includes a very innovative ending system where the player receives one of three endings depending on the choices they make through the game there's a chaotic ending a neutral ending and a lawful landing all of which play out in very divergent ways this was a great way to build the lore of the experience and also add replayability as far as the music goes the soundtrack was composed by masaharo iwata along with two others that have been part of the ogre battle team the music is distinct and includes many horns and trumpets and certainly invokes memories of the previous two games i found that the musical score was among the best aspects of the game it really added to its epic feel along with all the praises i do have two key criticisms of the game first the animations were very clunky it's hard to describe but the movements almost seem like they suffer from some kind of lag after seeing how smooth the animations were in the previous two ogre battle games this was kind of disappointing especially because the game was on a newer platform also the graphical style of the game suffers from an odd type of blur instead of crisp pixels the characters almost seem nebulous and fuzzy this is especially noticeable too because the game's text windows are completely crisp and solid and sometimes appear directly over the blurred effect it's a definite annoyance that's hard to get used to if there's one thing about the game i wish were more polished it would be this that said i personally think over battle 64 is such a good game that it's my favorite title on the nintendo 64. yes that's right i even think it beats out games like ocarina of time it's that good it's a great strategy rpg on a system that had nothing else like it and it stood out for its dark story thought-oriented gameplay and great characters another refreshing factor was that an average playthrough takes about 40 hours which is virtually unheard of for an n64 game for all of its merits sales of ogre battle 64 were low in north america and the game never truly caught on making it similar to the other two ogre battle games while the title is still a classic with a cult following it suffered from lack of appeal to the n64's target demographic and its niche genre even so anyone that played the two previous ogre battle games or love final fantasy tactics vandal hearts or fire emblem will certainly enjoy this one too ogre battle tactics ogre and ogre battle 64 were all defined by their unique style and strategic oriented rpg gameplay before 2002 the series gained a niche but hardcore following the series faced a crossroads when franchise mastermind yasumi matsuno left quest for squaresoft in 1995 but fans were overjoyed that the company continued the ogre battle series even without him following the release of ogre battle 64 in 2000 tactics ogre the knight of lotus was released in north america for the game boy advance in 2002 in almost every way the knight of lotus plays much more like the original tactic sober game than the other ogre battle titles combat takes place on a grid-based isometric battlefield where each character can move and take an action each turn like tactics ogre elevations structures and waterways play a big role in positioning your units and executing a strategy to overcome the enemy the game's story is developed via storyline sequences that play out between battles however you also have the opportunity to visit shops for items and equipment and also gain experience through training sessions between your own characters like other games in the ogre battle series the game also features multiple endings each determined by the course of actions you take in the game knight of lotus has five possible endings ranging from great to poor with the best ending taking the most wherewithal to obtain there is also significant choice the player must make about halfway through the game that i won't reveal which plays a big role in the ending you get at the beginning of the game you start with only 6 units interestingly enough their classes are determined by the series of questions you answer a mechanic carried over from other games in the ogre battle series some characters can actually permanently die off which was pretty rare for a game like this but characters integral to the story cannot die in such a way the knight of lotus features a class system whereby human characters can choose from various fantasy-oriented archetypes that will be familiar to players of the game interestingly enough some of the classes are restricted to males and others to females for instance only males can be the swordmaster dragoon or warlock whereas only females can be a valkyrie siren or dragon tamer class system is really great and gives amazing customization to allow the player to construct their team the way they want but it does come with some drawbacks namely some classes are so overpowered compared to the others especially the ninja though i think the game was hoping the player would construct a balanced team of various classes i can see how industrious players would just make a team full of ninjas and knights by the end of the game you can recruit over 30 characters i really have to hand it to this game's graphical style it's entirely reminiscent of the first game and the sprite based graphics are beautiful i think its visuals are among the best of any game boy advance game they're bright animated and fit the game's fantasy motif perfectly the menu system is actually quite good too and even though the game's pretty complex for a gba title it was easy enough to configure and navigate through because masaharu iwata returned to compose the soundtrack you already know it's great and it's certainly reminiscent of previous ogre battle games his use of brass horns and marching songs are certainly unique and definitely stand out from other rpgs like final fantasy and breath of fire the only unfortunate downside is that the game boy advance lacked the sound quality that could be produced by the cd and dvd based consoles of the era if you like the original tactics ogre you'll also enjoy tactics over the night of lotus if you're only used to the other two ogre battle games it will play a little bit differently either way this is one of the best rpgs on the gameboy advance and it's possibly the system's best strategy oriented one battles gameplay classes and story are straight out of the formula that made the series enjoyable in the first place compared to other games in the ogre battle franchise the knight of lotus definitely flies under the radar but i can't really understand why it's a great game in its own right [Music] even though the ogre battle series is unknown to many gamers it still has a cult following a fans unfortunately it's a franchise that's been effectively dead for some time quest was acquired by square in 2002 and has never again returned to the series those most responsible for the creation and development of the series have long gone onto other things though many of them still remain with the company on other projects even if no new ogre battle game is ever made though the quality of the existing games in the series still stands as some of the best and most complex strategy rpgs of their time its fans revered these games as completely innovative departures from typical turn-based rpgs and even those that never liked the series would have to admit there was nothing else like it if you like this retrospective and remember the ogre battle series leave a comment below about your favorite game in the franchise and what made it special to you if you like my videos please subscribe to my channel and click the bell below to be alerted upon the addition of new ones also please consider supporting my channel via youtube's join feature to receive member exclusives such as advanced videos and complete video transcripts you

Channel: Xygor Gaming

Views: 59,890

Rating: 4.9523034 out of 5

Keywords: Ogre Battle, Ogre Battle Series, ogre battle, ogre battle series, Ogre Battle review, ogre battle review, tactics ogre, tactics ogre review, tactics ogre series, ogre battle snes, snes ogre battle, ogre battle 64, Ogre Battle 64, Ogre Battle retrospective, Ogre Battle series retrospective, ogre battle retrospective, ogre battle complete series, ogre battle complete, ogre battle 4k, ogre battle explained, Ogre Battle Xygor, Ogre Battle HD, Ogre Battle series

Id: e6-0WgOyavY

Length: 25min 24sec (1524 seconds)

Published: Thu Jul 08 2021