Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis
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| Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis | |
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| Developer(s) | Quest |
| Publisher(s) | Atlus |
| Release date(s) | May 7, 2002 (US) June 21, 2001 (Japan) |
| Genre(s) | Turn-based strategy |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: E (Everyone) |
| Platform(s) | Game Boy Advance |
| Media | 1 Game Boy Advance Cartridge |
Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis is a tactical strategy game developed by Quest. It was originally released by Nintendo in Japan in 2001 on the Game Boy Advance, then later released by Atlus in North America in 2002.
True to its ancestors, Tactics Ogre and Ogre Battle, Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis features party-based tactical combat on an isometric playing field. The player has limited control outside of battle, being provided only extremely limited movement on a world map, a rudimentary shop function, an options menu, and an option to participate in a training session in which the player pits his own forces against each other in order to gain experience. Characters can be hired or acquired in combat, and there are interchangeable classes and a wide array of weapons, equipment and magic spells.
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[edit] Plot
Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis follows the adventures of (default name) Alphonse Loher, set in a timeline which takes place 23 years prior to the events depicted in Ogre Battle 64, and the original Tactics Ogre took place shortly after.
Alphonse, a knight in Rictor Lasanti's military unit, the Order of the Sacred Flame, a top army of the Holy Lodis Empire, is sent to the land of Ovis. When he is later separated from the main forces, he meets Eleanor Olato and Ivanna Batraal, two locals from whom he eventually learns the horrific events taking place in the adjacent regions.
Later events lead Alphonse to question the actions of his friend Rictor, and he separates from the main unit. He then begins his search for answers, starting with the regent Naris Batraal, and the legendary spear Longicolnis.
Despite there being two main endings (other endings happen if you lose in the final battle or do not take Eleanor with you to the final battle) depending on which choice the player makes at Urodela ("A" or "B"), hints in the "A" ending suggest that it's the choice Alphonse made, the most important hints being Alphonse's name being changed from Alphonse Tartare to Lans Tartare, and a scene in the very end showing a one-eyed Knight (Who was revealed to be Lans Tartare, leader of the Dark Knights) preparing to burn down a village where a priest was residing, which was shown in the very beginning of Tactics Ogre.
[edit] Game Mechanics
Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis offers a strategic field-and-class based combat system. Although the player starts with a meager army of only six units (with the classes of those units being determined by questions the player answers in the beginning of the game), the army can later blossom to as many as 32.
Each character is unique, being determined by several things: physical statistics, of which there are only three, strength, intelligence, and agility, alignment, ranging from chaotic to lawful, and element, based on the four original elements. Characters can also earn emblems, certificates given after performing a specific feat or reaching a certain checkpoint. Almost always, these traits are used to determine which classes are available for that specific character.
The game's playable units are divided into several categories; humans, demi-humans, dragons, the undead, and non-humans. The human class is the only category with interchangeable jobs, with each class being marked by a required, or multiple required statistics, and often an emblem. Some classes can only be unlocked by a certain gender, while other classes are reserved only for certain special characters.
Demi-humans, non-humans, and the undead cannot change classes. Although all categories of units in the game can be persuaded in battle, the undead alone cannot be bought. Instead, undead units are created by using a certain spell on deceased units. Dragons can change classes, but there is no choice involved, rather, a dragon instantly upgrades into a certain new class after reaching several checkpoints in statistics, with the class being determined by the dragon's alignment.
After customization of the player's party, the group of units (of which the max limit on any story-based level is eight, with quest-based levels having a restriction of five) engage in combat.
Battle takes place on a large, panel-based playing field. The area is composed of terrain types and various height levels, making movement a critical factor. There are several movement types, ranging from simple walking to airborne flight. A character's movement type is determined by the class of that unit, as well as various special equipment which can change movement type. Terrain levels range from basic dirt and grass, to water (in varying depths and types), to untraversable terrain, such as lava or blank space.
In actual combat, there are also many variations. Simple melee combat can be performed, either barehanded or with single-ranged weapons, to adjacent panels. This means the attacking unit must be directly next to the target, making mobility a critical ability. Some weapons offer different attack ranges, such as the two-paneled pierce attack of spear and lance weaponry, to the two-paneled selective attack range of the whip.
Ranged attacks require the use of either a bow weapon, or a special ability. With such emphasis on movement, ranged attacks are a certain advantage, as units can be far away from opponents, offering possible immunity to attack. Abilities require the use of either SP or MP, which both regenerate at a rate of 10 per player phase, and vary in impact sizes (panels).
When all units belonging to a specific force are exhausted, having performed their restrictive one action per phase (which includes both movement and ability usage, from attacks to items), the game changes to the opposing player's phase, and back and forth until certain victory conditions have been met by one player, such as destroying all opposing units.
[edit] Classes
Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis boasts a total of 37 different unit classes, separated into multiple unit categories.
[edit] Awards
Gameboy Advance RPG of the Year for 2002 given by:
gamespot.com
rpgamer.com
gamingworldx.com
[edit] External links
- Japanese-language Atlus web site
- Atlus USA web site
- Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis Unofficial Website
- Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis at MobyGames
