5 of the Best Tactical RPGs Ever

Tactical RPGs are favored with certain RPG gamers for their high level of customization and strategy. Unlike normal RPGs which often have specific plot characters as playable, tactical RPGs allow you to build an army of custom named and custom classed soldiers. With typically 5-10 characters under your control for each battle, there are so many combinations that tactical RPGs are fun and intellectually engaging.

What is a tactical RPG?

Tactical RPGs are a specific kind of role playing game that uses a completely different battle system. In this system characters move around on chess-board like planes designed to look like different areas (a town, a swamp, a mountainside, etc). Enemies also exist on this plane and must be defeated by using abilities that lower their Hit Points to zero. Both you and your enemies move around the plane during each turn so arranging your army becomes part of the strategy. Tactical RPG battle systems vary depending on the game, but all involve using tactics in these war-like battles instead of just hitting "attack" on each turn. Battles also often take 15 or more minutes each, so they are much longer than usual RPG battles and are the main focus of these games. Tactical RPGs mostly don't include free roaming outside of battle very much.

The Five Best tactical RPGs Ever

1. Final Fantasy Tactics

This fantastic game in the Final Fantasy series came to the Playstation in 1998 and took gamers by storm. The in-depth war and political intrigue coupled with a hugely innovative battle system made for a game that has almost limitless replay value. Gamers will beat this game time and time again because of its wonderful gameplay. A surprise hit for Final Fantasy, as a spinoff, this game helped fuel sequels on the GBA and Nintendo DS, but these games were poor and childish in comparison to the original.

2. Disgaea: Hour of Darkness

This game released for the Playstation 2 in 2003 was hailed as the next big tactical RPG after Final Fantasy Tactics. With its innovative tactical gameplay that followed much of FFT but made it more quick paced, fun, and exciting, Disgaea made a huge splash in gamers' hearts. Along with its great gamplay was a cast of wacky and hilarious characters that made the storyline as fun as the game itself.

3. Tactics Ogre

Released in 1995 for the SNES and later Playstation, this game was the precursor to Final Fantasy Tactics. With remarkably similar gameplay in most ways, this game was clearly the inspiration that formed its future successor. In fact, both games were directed by Yasumi Matsuno when he moved from Quest to Squaresoft. As the first game to really break into tactical RPGing as we see it today, this game is a hugely important part of gaming history and a great game in its own right too.

4. Fire Emblem Series

This series of games dates all the way back to 1990 in Japan but America didn't see their first release until 2003 on the GBA. This tactical RPG uses a unique style of battle. Characters move around vast grids one at a time and engage in one-on-one battles that break into mini battle screens. Customization is very minimum and really limited to the quality of weapon that each character holds. Much of the game is based on probability and a huge part of it is placement strategy and predicting enemy movements. Characters can move quickly. Also if a character dies in Fire Emblem they are gone forever. This has made for an intense and sometimes frustrating gameplay, but one that is also extremely fun.

5. Suikoden Tactics

To accompany the Suikoden series and act as a rival for Final Fantasy Tactics, this game was released in 2005. Though certainly not a perfect game by any stretch of the imagination, it deserves a spot on the list of great tactical RPGs if only for its interesting take on the tactical battle system. Characters can change the elemental value of floor panels giving them significant boosts or weakening them. These panels can be changed by elemental rune attacks or special items. By changing panels and moving across the levels, characters can strategically minimize damage. The game is short for a tactical RPG however and has a weak storyline.

Sources: Wikipedia