A tactical role-playing game (usually simply called tactical RPG, sometimes referred to as strategy role-playing game) is a type of computer game or video role-playing game (RPG) in which the focus of the gameplay is on making tactical decisions in battles. In some sense, they may be viewed as a hybrid of traditional role-playing games with turn-based strategy games.
Comparison with traditional RPGs
Tactical RPGs differ from traditional RPGs in several ways. Rather than controlling a few characters, players control far more characters than in traditional RPGs (though not as many as in typical real-time strategy games). Each character has different attributes, including different strengths and weaknesses and different repertoires of moves and spells. In tactical RPGs, combat usually takes place on a grid of many squares. Positioning is of vital importance in tactical RPGs: each square, possibly representing different types of terrain, has different properties, such as elevation, magical energy type, etc. The effectiveness of each attack will depend on both the attributes and positioning of the characters in combat. In order to defeat the opponent (usually the computer as these games tend to be single-player games), the player needs to plan far ahead on each map. A tactical RPG may be analogized to a form of chess. Many, but not all traditional RPGs are turn-based; by contrast, tactical RPGs are invariably turn-based games because of their complexity and the amount of thinking required on the part of the player.
Popularity
Many tactical RPGs can be both extreme time-consuming and extremely difficult. Hence, the appeal of most tactical RPGs is to hardcore, not casual, computer and video gamers. Tactical RPGs are quite popular in Japan but have not enjoyed the same degree of success in the United States.
Influential Games
The early origins of Tactical RPGs are difficult to trace from the American side of the Pacific since so much of the genre developed in Japan. Two famous game series which have seen American shores include Fire Emblem and Ogre Battle. Fire Emblem started as a Nintendo Family Computer ("Famicom"), and had several sequels on the Famicom, Super Famicom, and Game Boy Advance. It was not until the release of Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken for the Game Boy Advance that the series was introduced to non-Asian gamers. Four games from the Ogre Battle series have been released in North America: Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen was released for Super Nintendo Entertainment System and is more of a real-time strategy game in which the player forms CRPG-like character parties that are moved around a map in real-time. When two parties meet, the combat plays out with minimal user interaction. A later release, Tactics Ogre was originally a Super Famicom game that was not released outside of Japan. It was later ported to the Sony PlayStation, along with Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen. Both of the PlayStation rereleases were marketed in North America by Atlus, as was Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber, for the Nintendo 64.
Tactics Ogre is a much more direct influence on the sort of tactical RPGs that gamers recognise today such as Final Fantasy Tactics and Disgaea: Hour of Darkness. Not only are characters moved individually on a grid, but the view is isometric, and the order of combat is calculated for each character individually. Although this game defined the genre in many ways, it is not widely recognized by American gamers because it was released to American audiences several years out of date. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance actually uses a version of the Tactics Ogre game engine. A sequel to the original Tactics Ogre, Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis was later released for the Game Boy Advance.
Vandal Hearts was an early PlayStation title that helped popularlize tactical RPGs in the US. It was released by Konami and featured a 3D isometric map that could be rotated by the player. A sequel was subsequently released, also for the PlayStation, and Konami has announced a third title in development for the Nintendo DS.
Final Fantasy Tactics arguably did the most to bring tactical RPGs to the United States. Developed by former employees of Quest, the developer responsible for the Ogre Battle series, it combined many elements of the Final Fantasy series with Tactics Ogre-style gameplay. Because it bore the popular Final Fantasy brand name, many RPG fans played it who might not have otherwise been enticed.
In more recent times, a loyal American fan-base has been established by Nippon Ichi, makers of the popular PlayStation 2 games La Pucelle Tactics, Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, and Phantom Brave. Of these games, Disgaea has been the most successful to date, and was actually the first Nippon Ichi game released in the US even though La Pucelle was developed and released first in Japan.
Game Companies
