Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
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| Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together | |
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| Developer(s) | Quest |
| Publisher(s) | Atlus |
| Designer(s) | Yasumi Matsuno |
| Platform(s) | Super Famicom, Sega Saturn, PlayStation |
| Release date | JPN October 6, 1995 (SF) JPN April 13, 1996 (Saturn) JPN September 25, 1997 (PS1) NA 1998 (PS1) |
| Genre(s) | Tactical RPG |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: E (Everybody) |
| Media | 1 CD-ROM, SNES cartridge |
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (タクティクスオウガ Takutikusu Ōga?) is a Japanese tactical role-playing game game created by Quest.
The game was originally released in 1995 on the Super Famicom in Japan and then re-released on the Sega Saturn in 1996 and the Sony PlayStation in 1997.[1] The first game in the series, Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen, also appeared on these consoles, but featured dramatically different gameplay.
The subtitle of Tactics Ogre, Let Us Cling Together, is a reference to the Queen song Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together) from their album A Day at the Races. This is one of many references to Queen songs in the series, including Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen, which references "Ogre Battle" and "The March of the Black Queen".
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[edit] Setting and plot
The Game Boy Advance game is set before the events of chapter 5 - Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen and chapter 6 - Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber. Chapter 7 - Let Us Cling Together is set after all of the above games. In the PlayStation/Super Famicom version the player must lead the "Liberation Army" to bring freedom to the oppressed nation of Valeria.[2]
The game was innovative in its branching plotline. Crucial decisions made in the game determine the path of the story, the members of your army and the ending sequence. There are always multiple endings with radically different outcomes.
For eighty years, Valeria has been in constant strife, and its three leading ethnic groups all claim leadership. The three factions are:
- Gargastan: While these people make up 70% of Valeria's total population, they suffer constant inner struggle between moderate and radical theorists on how government should best be handled. This weakens what would be a dominant majority.
- Walstanian: An oppressed minority of Southern Valeria, making up only 10% of the population. Their suffering is the catalyst to the plot in Tactics Ogre.
- Bacrumese: These are generally the more "elite" of Valerian society, making up a solid 20% of its people.
King Roderick, aided by the forbidden powers of the "Hell Gate," is able to dominate the people of Valeria until Dolgare of Bacrum successfully leads his army to defeat Roderick. Dolgare then claimed the throne as his own, and was able to end the struggle between the ethnic groups. Under King Dolgare, the rights of the people were preserved, and all internal struggles in Valeria came to a temporary halt.
All is right until the entire royal family is lost due to a string of accidents. Because the late King Dolgare had no living heirs, the ethnic groups once again struggled for leadership: Bishop Branta of the royal court, Cardinal Barbatos of the Gargastan people, and Duke Ronway of the Walstanians all fought for control, but in the end, Barbatos and Branta stalemated. In order to preserve their power, the two men took separate measures: Cardinal Barbatos sought an "ethnic cleansing" policy and slaughtered thousands of innocent Walstanians and Gargastans, while Branta received aid from the Roslolians, the greatest order in all of Lodis.
The separation of the three races thus sets the stage for the beginning of the game. The player is greeted by a collage of scenes depicting the Roslolian Order's mysterious actions in Griate, home to Denim Powell, Kachua Powell, and Vice Bozek, the main characters.
[edit] Characters
[edit] Main Characters
- Denim Powell: The main character in Tactics Ogre. He was born in the city of Griate, a small Walstanian port town. He is the son of Father Plancy, and after Plancy was taken away by the Dark Knights and Griate was massacred, Denim, his sister Kachua, and his friend Vice plan a vendetta against the Dark Knights.
- Kachua Powell: Denim's sister and daughter of Father Plancy. She follows Denim in his quest for revenge. When Plancy vanishes, Kachua provides a motherly role for her younger brother. Despite this, she is strong willed and highly opinionated.
- Vice Bozeg: Denim's childhood friend. His parents were both murdered by the Dark Knights, and his hatred towards the Roslolian order is unequaled. His character vastly differs depending on the choices Denim makes in the game from being the person to see the truth or a sadistic enemy seeking revenge. He joins Denim in Chapter 3 Lawful, but if the player takes the neutral route, he is either exectuted or killed in battle after fighting Denim several times.
- Warren Moons: An unplayable class known as Lord Mancer. Formerly acting under Zenobia's King Tristan, Warren was exiled for reasons unknown at the start of the story. The "Warren Report" is his account of all events that transpire throughout the game. Sometimes, it unlocks secrets.
- Lans (Lancelot) Hamilton: An unplayable class known as Paladin. A holy knight from the Kingdom of Zenobia. His identity is not well known and he is said to have been exiled from his own country. He brings his companions - Warren, Sir Guildus and Sir Mildain - with him to Valeria, who are exiled as well, and he eventually meets Denim. Lans and his company act as tutors at the beginning of the game. Lancelot, Warren and Canopus were characters in Ogre Battle.
- Canopus Wolff: Lans' red-headed companion, a class known as Eagle Man or Vultan. Nicknamed the 'Wind Rider', Canopus served in the revolutionary army of Zenobia and helped restore its rightful throne to King Tristan. He is incredibly tough and usually follows Denim in his rebellion, being the first special character to join.
- Mildain Walhorn: A White Knight of Zenobia who is exiled alongside Lancelot Hamilton, Canopus, Warren and Guildus. Travels with them to Valeria in search of work and can be recruited. He is the only White Knight who is always able to be recruited by Denim.
- Guildus Winzalf Burn: Another White Knight of Zenobia who accompanies Lans and the others to Valeria. Travels with them to Valeria in search of work and can be recruited. He has also been exiled by King Tristan. Guildus is recruitable in every version of Chapter 3 but the Neutral route.
- Lans Tartare: Leader of the Roslolian Order who has come to Valeria in Bacrum's aid. Lost his right eye in a duel with Lans Hamilton. His origins are detailed in Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis.
- Duke Judah Ronway: Leader of the oppressed Walstanians of Valeria. Shortly after the beginning of the game, Denim makes a name for himself by liberating Ronway from prison. Depending on the choices Denim makes, he and his army can follow a variety of fates.
- Cardinal Rayunder Barbatos: Political figurehead of the radical Gargastans in charge of Southern Valeria's government. He is an extremely brutal man, willing to slaughter the minorities under his rule (Walstanians) in order to keep them in check.
- Bishop Branta Mown: Supreme ruler of Bacrum-Valeria. Has done more than any other faction in Valeria to cater to Lodis' demands.
[edit] Party Members
- Donald Presance: An Exorcist and the former head of Krizar's orphanage. While he was away, Gargastan forces destroyed the orphanage and killed everyone inside. Presance now seeks to avenge the innocent who died needlessly.
- Zapan Illudus: A Berzerker and mercenary for hire. He is currently under contract by Duke Ronway. Depending on Denim's actions, Zapan may join the party or be an enemy. Events leading up to Zapan joining you cause Aloser to become a persistent foe.
- Aloser Danya: An Archer and girlfriend of Leonard. Depending on Denim's actions, she may join you, fight against you, or join only to abandon you later if the player rejoins the Liberation Army. The path to gain Aloser into your party causes Zapan to become a major adversary.
- Forcas Lida Rhende: Knight from Bacrum and member of the Valeria Liberation Front. When Denim meets him, Forcas has been captured by the Walsta Liberation Army. He is secretly in love with Sisteena.
- Byan Rozen Ohwn: Wizard and another member of Bacrum's Valeria Liberation Front. He is also captured in another location.
- Selye Foriner: Oldest for the four Foriner sisters. A former priest of the Filaha Order, but after seeing the effects of Branta's actions, she forms and leads the Valeria Liberation Front to combat his forces. Depending on Denim's actions, she may join his side or be killed by the Roslolians. Starts as a Valkyrie.
- Shelley Foriner: Second oldest of the Foriner sisters. When her sisters form the Valeria Liberation Front she instead sides with Branta. She attacks Denim, and while he can kill her, he can also allow her to escape. Doing so may make her re-think her position. Her default class is Siren.
- Sisteena Foriner: The third Foriner sister. Co-founder and second in command of the Valeria Liberation Front. She fights along side Denim against a group of Gargastans, but their differing views causes her to leave afterwards. Denim's actions may cause them to run into one another, though. Joins as an Amazon.
- Olivia Foriner: Youngest of the Foriner sisters. She stays with the Filaha Order despite all that has happened. She is the only one of the four that joins with Denim no matter what he has done. She seems to know some things about Denim, that even he doesn't remember. She joins as a Priest.
- Haborym Van Rams: A blind Swordmaster of unknown origin. He has some sort of history and unfinished business with the Roslolians. He'll always willingly join Denim, if he can save Haborym, or even find him for that matter. Haborym can not change classes from Swordmaster.
- Orias Obderhode: A Priest and daughter of Gargastan's Necromancer Nybbas. She hates her father because of his work and what he did to her brother. She looks after Debordes while in his state.
- Debordes Obderhode: A Terror Knight who was killed for rebelling against Barbatos. After death, his father Nybbas restored Debordes' body back to life, but it lacked a soul. However, the more time he spends with Orias and Denim, the more he is able to reclaim his old self.
- Jenounes Apatizer: A Dragoon who once lead the Gargastan Dragoon Battalion. Barbatos manipulated him to kill innocent people and even his own men. When Jenounes learned the truth he rebelled, but was imprisoned. He only joins in the Lawful route.
- Oxyones Lavin: A Dragon Tamer from the northern Gargastan border. Her home and family were victims of Jenounes' attacks and she seeks to kill him. Although she ambushes Denim to get to Jenounes, if Denim knows the truth of what happened he might be able to convince her to stop and join his side.
- Deneb Rhobe: A Sorceress who fought for Zenobia's freedom in Ogre Battle alongside Canopus and Warren. Her experiments with monsters, and resulting fall out with the public, has caused her to pack up and move to Valeria. She now runs a traveling shop that moves from town to town every few days. She might be willing to join forces with a loyal customer who has supplied her with enough money and items.
- Ganb Backstein: A Beast Master and soldier to Barbatos' forces. He has trouble getting along with other people, and often makes friends with beasts and monsters. He is very protective of his Gryphons, and would do anything to spare their lives. Denim might be able to use this to convince Ganb and his gryphons to join forces.
- Radlum: A Warlock who is the last survivor of a now destroyed kingdom. He wishes to find the Dragon Magic within Hell Gate. He may have some connections to the Zenobians that he hasn't mentioned, though in the Japanese translation of the game, upon dying, Radlum confirms he is Albeleo from the original Ogre Battle, and states he must find a new body. In the North American and PAL translations, his death text is changed and there is no further connection between him and the other games.
[edit] Non-Player Characters
- Plancy Powell: Father of Denim and Kachua. During the Griate massacre he was taken hostage by the Roslolian Dark Knights. His capture was the motivation for Denim to start his quest.
- Moruba Foriner: A leader of the Filaha Order. He got mixed up in the politics of Bacrum and wound up a target of Branta. After his wife died, three of his daughters left to follow their own ideals. He himself left Bacrum for Banhamuba Temple, leaving Olivia in charge of the Order.
- Leonard Leci Limon: Duke Ronway's second in command. He is rescued by Denim in Krizar when Nybbas and his forces attacked the city. Although he starts as a sort of mentor to Denim, his role changes depending on Denim's actions.
- Zaebos Rozenbach: Cardinal Barbatos' second in command. He strongly enforces Barbatos' ethnic cleansing. Depending on Denim's actions, he may be fought a second time as a Death Knight in Hell Gate.
- Nybbas Obderhode: Though a Gargastan, he doesn't really care about the war. Nybbas is only using it to collect bodies to practice Necromancy in an effort to find immortality. He has even tried his methods on his own son. He also has a growing interest in reaching the very depths of Hell Gate. He is fought once in Chapter 1 and is seen again sneaking up on Guildus in Chapter 2, but unless the player takes the Neutral route, he is not seen again until Hell Gate, and it is unknown what happened after the brief scene.
In the Chapter 3 Neutral route, Nybbas is a secondary villain and must be fought once. Chapter 3 Neutral assumes Guildus was killed and was then resurrected as a Death Knight. Nybbas uses a ring of death to change into a Lich upon his death. In Hell gate, he is fought again as a lich on floor seven.
He is the last battle in Hell Gate.
- Balzepho Van Rams: Second in command of the Roslolian Dark Knights. Despite showing strong leadership skills, he actually harbors many dark secrets about his rise to power.
- Volac Winzalf: A Roslolian, but the records of his past were destroyed. He keeps a close watch on Branta in order to keep him in line. Interestingly, his surname is very similar with the Ogre Battle characters Rauny Vinzalf and Hikash Vinzalf (also part of Guildus' surname), which could mean that he might be Zenobian, but since the records of his past were destroyed, there has been little confirmation to this (and the fact that he claims to be from Lodis)
- Barbas Dud Goose: The most violent and crazed of the Roslolians. A very disobedient soldier who wouldn't even think before killing his own allies. Both Balzepho and Lans Tartare have to keep a close eye on him. Barbas and Martym replace Branta as the primary antagonists.
- Martym Nowmas: The laziest and/or most cowardly of the Roslolian Dark Knights. He lets his men do all the work, but takes credit for it anyway. He is also somewhat disobedient, but nothing compared to Barbas. Martym can be fought once before the confrontation in Eden, but he escapes.
- Andoras Gafrun: A member of the Nirdum Royal Family and now a Roslolian. His home land was destroyed by Lodis, and the few survivors were forced to join Lodis. Andoras became a Dark Knight to keep them safe. He is fought on the very top of Eden and is only fighting to protect his family. With his dying breath, he tells Denim that Barbas and Martym are heading for dolgare's tresure in the bottom of Eden.
- Ozma Mow Gracious: Sister of Oz and the only female Roslolian. Her job is to find and eliminate the Valeria Liberation Front. In the Lawful route, she is killed while Denim is saving Haborym, whereas in the Neutral route, she becomes the final battle in Chapter 3. In the Chaotic route, Ozma fights alongside Oz.
- Oz Mow Gracious: Brother to Ozma and also a Roslolian. Like his sister, he is tasked with fighting the Valeria Liberation Front. Depending on the route Denim takes, Oz is either the final battle in Chapter 3 Lawful or is killed at the fort defending Seleye in the Chaotic route, where he escapes. Interestingly, the battle is present in the Neutral Route but he is beaten. He also charms Seleye in the fight in Neutral and orders his troops to kill her.
[edit] Development
This was the second game known to be directed by Yasumi Matsuno, following its prequel, Ogre Battle, which featured a considerably different game style. It has a few successors in spirit, including:
- Final Fantasy Tactics (PlayStation)
- Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (developed by Square for the Game Boy Advance)
- Black Matrix (PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Dreamcast, Game Boy Advance)
Each of these games shares similar gameplay aspects with Tactics Ogre. Ogre Battle 64 and Tactics Ogre: Knight of Lodis were not created by Matsuno. They were created by Quest after Matsuno was hired by Squaresoft (now Square Enix) to create titles similar to the first two Ogre Battle games. Although several key developers joined Matsuno at that time, Square later bought Quest outright, along with the rights to Ogre Battle. Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy Tactics Advance are both Matsuno-created, and were released by Squaresoft and Square Enix respectively.
[edit] Gameplay
The game has a similar style to most tactical RPG's: the player builds up a team of several characters with changeable classes and fights on an isometric playing field. The order of movement is determined by the speed of individual characters, in contrast to games in which each side moves its entire team at once.
The gameplay is intermixed with expositional cutscenes revealing the plot, shown in the same isometric view as the battles. Movement and team management between battles are done through a map interface.
[edit] Classes
Most human characters begin as either amazons or soldiers. By leveling up correctly, they can later progress to the other male or female classes, although most advanced classes are limited to certain alignments - lawful, neutral, or chaotic.
[edit] Human Classes
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Concerning the 'Gunner' class, once a character has changed into this class, they cannot change to a different class. Making a character a Gunner is a permanent change.
Additionally, the Angel Knight and Lich are only obtainable when a character who has the right qualifications dies in battle. The character is automatically resurrected into one of these two classes.
Only females may become an Angel Knight, while only males may become a Lich. As well, the qualifications to become a Lich require a special item.
[edit] Special Classes
In addition to the normal male and female choices, classes exist which are unique to certain characters and may become available only if the plot takes a particular turn. There are also enemy classes, accessible to the player only through use of a Gameshark.
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[edit] Non-Human Classes
The only non-human classes who can change class are dragons.
While the base dragon class depends on the dragons' element, the second-tier classes, the White and Black Dragons, are dependent on alignment while the third-tier classes, the Holy Dragon and Tiamat, are dependent on the number of kills the unit has delivered, with the Holy Dragon requiring fewer than 30 kills and the Tiamat requiring 50 or greater. Please note that these conditions are in addition to the normal level requirement.
Hydra is a separate class entirely, and can neither change class, nor be changed into. It can only be recruited during battles.
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Additionally, most non-human classes can be recruited through shops, though a few can only be "Persuaded" to join your team in battle or obtained during battle by special means. The battle-only recruits are: Gorgon, Goblin and Cyclops.
The Pumpkin Head cannot be recruited through normal shops, but must be recruited from Deneb after selling her a Glass Pumpkin (found in the Hell Gate). The player may recruit one Pumpkin Head for each Glass Pumpkin they find.
Finally, the Ghost and Skeleton, while found and Persuadable in-battle, may also be obtained by using a Resurrection spell on a character who has been killed in battle.
[edit] Reception
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together received positive critical reaction. GameSpot deemed it "a blast from the past for just about everyone." Comparing it to Final Fantasy Tactics, GameSpot says "Aesthetics aside, however, Tactics Ogre is purer and more playable than its hi-tech descendant and definitely worth a look from strategy/RPG enthusiasts."[2] RPGamer echoed that sentiment, stating "the core of this game's epic story and groundbreaking gameplay are timeless, emblematic reminders that the game is and forever will be a masterpiece. The original is always the best."[3]
Fans were grateful that Quest ported the game to the PlayStation. RPGFan noted "Overall, Tactics Ogre is a great Strategy/RPG and with its depth and replayability this is one game fans of the Ogre Battle Saga should not miss. Atlus deserves credit for bringing another great Ogre Battle game over to the PlayStation and making many people happy!"[4]
In March of 2006, the Japanese Famitsu magazine readers voted on their 100 all-time favorite games, and Tactics Ogre was named number seven.[5]
Due to the limited release of this game and the reluctance of its owners to sell it, the game tends to be hard to find. Used copies of the Playstation version routinely sells for more than $80[6] -- a testament to its enduring fan base and rarity.
[edit] Soundtrack
| Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together | ||
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| Soundtrack by Hitoshi Sakimoto, Masaharu Iwata | ||
| Released | 1995 | |
| Genre | Video game music | |
| Label | DataM/Polystar | |
| Professional reviews | ||
The music of the game was popular among fans of the series. RPGFan stated in its review of the soundrack that "As I have never played any of the games in this series, nor particularly been a fan of strategy games, the true power of this soundtrack is perhaps lost on me. But what I can say is that what it does, it does well, and it doesn't need any live instruments to do it, either. This one is recommended if you're a fan of the series or a fan orchestral music game music from those days of old."[7]
The PlayStation version of the game received some criticism for being remixed SNES music and thereby not taking full advantage of the systems audio capabilities. Most reviews were favourable however, with one review stating "The soundtrack is excellent as usual. This series is known for its powerful musical scores, and Let Us Cling Together is no deviant. The soundtrack is particularly good at accenting the evil intentions of villains and the courageous nature of the protagonists."[8]
| Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together track listing[7] | ||
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Orchestral disk
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Orchestral disk
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[edit] References
- ^ "Retro Review of Tactics Ogre," Game Informer 174 (October 2007): 134.
- ^ a b c Peter Bartholow. "Tactics Ogre for PlayStation Review", GameSpot, 1998-05-14. Retrieved on 2006-12-05.
- ^ a b Bryan Boulette. "Tactics Ogre - Staff Retroview", RPGamer. Retrieved on 2006-12-05.
- ^ a b Silverwolf X. "Tactics Ogre Review", RPGFan. Retrieved on 2006-12-05.
- ^ Colin Campbell. "Japan Votes on All Time Top 100", Next Generation, 2006-03-03. Retrieved on 2005-12-05.
- ^ VideoGamePriceCharts.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-15.
- ^ a b c Derek Strange. "RPGFan Soundtracks - Tactics Ogre ~ Let Us Cling Together:", RPGFan. Retrieved on 2006-12-09.
- ^ Jnk2k2. "Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together review", netjak. Retrieved on 2006-12-09.
[edit] External links
- Reviews
- Miscellaneous
- Illustrated Tactics Ogre story with saved game downloads (PlayStation)
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