TACTICAL ROLE-PLAYING GAME

A 'tactical role-playing game' (abbreviated as 'TRPG'; sometimes referred to as 'strategy role-playing game' or 'SRPG') is a type of video game which incorporates elements of traditional computer or console role-playing games, and tactical wargames. In Japan these games are known as "Simulation RPGs", a designation which might seem peculiar to native English speakers. This stems from the Japanese usage of "simulation" as a short hand for "strategy simulation game". The tactical role-playing genre is a sub-genre of turn-based tactics or real-time tactics, depending on whether a game is turn-based or real-time (like ''Freedom Force'').

Contents

History

8-bit/16-bit Generation

32-bit/Modern Generation

Tactical RPGs on the PC

Popularity

Notable games in the tactical role-playing genre

Notable game companies

See also

References

History

Many early Western computer role-playing games used a highly tactical form of combat, such as parts of the ''Ultima'' series, which introduced party-based, tiled combat in ''. Conventionally, however, the term tactical RPG refers to the distinct subgenre that was born in Japan. 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.
All tactical RPGs are descendents of table-top role-playing games, such as ''Chainmail'', which were mainly tactical in their original form. Indeed the very format of a T/CRPG is like a tabletop RPG in its appearance, pacing and rule structure.

8-bit/16-bit Generation

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It is generally accepted that Nintendo released and published the first tactical RPG, ''Fire Emblem'' for the Famicom (NES), created and developed by Intelligent Systems. Released in Japan in 1990, ''Fire Emblem'' was an archetype for the whole genre, establishing gameplay elements that are still used in tactical CRPGs today (although a number of these elements were taken from ''Ultima III''). Combining the basic console RPG concepts from games like ''Dragon Quest'' and simple turn-based strategy elements, Nintendo created a hit game, which has spawned many sequels and imitators. It was not until the release of '' for the Game Boy Advance, many years later, that the series was formally introduced to non-Asian gamers.
Among the first imitators was ''Langrisser'' by NCS/Masaya, first released for the Mega Drive/Sega Genesis in 1991. It was translated for North American release and retitled ''Warsong''. The ''Langrisser'' series differed from ''Fire Emblem'' in that it used a unique general-soldier structure instead of controlling main characters. ''Langrisser'', too, spawned many sequels, none of which were brought to North America.
''Master of Monsters'' (''MoM'') was a unique title by SystemSoft. Where ''Langrisser'' and ''Fire Emblem'' used a square-based grid, ''MoM'' used the first true hex-based grid. Players could choose one of 4 different Lords to defend their Towers and areas on the grid by building an army of creatures to destroy the opponent armies. This game had a sequel for the Playstation called '', which had limited success and was bogged down by slow gameplay.
The first game in the very successful and long-running ''Super Robot Wars'' series came out for the Game Boy in 1991 and is thus another early example of the genre.
Another influential early tactical RPG was Sega's ''Shining Force'' for the Sega Genesis, which was released in 1992. ''Shining Force'' used even more console RPG elements than earlier games, allowing you to walk around towns and talk to people and buy weapons. Shining Force was the first experience many Western gamers had with the genre.
One game released solely in Japan for the SNES, ''Bahamut Lagoon'', began Squaresoft's (now Square Enix) famous line of tactical RPGs.
Four games from the ''Ogre Battle'' series have been released in North America: '' was released for Super Nintendo Entertainment System and is more of a real-time strategy game in which the player forms computer role-playing game-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 re-releases were marketed in North America by Atlus, as was '' for the Nintendo 64.
''Tactics Ogre'' is a much more direct influence on the sort of tactical RPGs that gamers recognize today such as ''Final Fantasy Tactics'' and ''Disgaea: Hour of Darkness''. It was also the first to bear the name "Tactics" in the title, a term gamers would come to associate with the genre. 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'' shared some staff members with ''Tactics Ogre'' and shares many of its gameplay elements. A prequel to the original ''Tactics Ogre'', '' was later released for the Game Boy Advance.

32-bit/Modern Generation

The 32-bit era saw many influential tactical RPGs, such as Konami's ''Vandal Hearts'', Square's ''Final Fantasy Tactics'' and ''Front Mission 3'' and Sega's ''Shining Force 3'', considered by many to be the pinnacle of the genre.
''Vandal Hearts'' was an early PlayStation title that helped popularize 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 North America. 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 CRPG 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 '', '', ''Phantom Brave'', ''Makai Kingdom'', and ''Disgaea 2''. Of these games, ''Disgaea'' has been the most successful to date, and was the second Nippon Ichi game released in North America (the first being '', published by Atlus) even though ''La Pucelle'' was developed and released first in Japan.
Tactical RPGs are more popular today than ever, as more companies have recognized the large audience of these types of games, particularly Atlus and Nintendo. '' and '', which Atlus re-released due to high demand and have become genuine cult hits for the Playstation 2.

Tactical RPGs on the PC

Many (often ignored) Western PC games have utilized this genre for years, as well. Differences include a tendency toward stronger military themes without many of the Fantasy elements found in their console (and mainly Japanese) counterparts, as well as greater freedom when interacting with the surrounding environment. Notable examples include the ''X-COM'' series, the ''Jagged Alliance'' series and the ''Silent Storm'' series.
''The Battle for Wesnoth'' is an open-source, multi-platform tactical RPG that is very much in the style of the more popular console variants.
Tactical wargames such as the ''Steel Panthers'' series also sometimes combine tactical military combat with RPG-derived unit advancement.
Many CRPGs, such as '' Prelude to Darkness and the ''Gold Box'' games of the late '80s and early '90s, also featured a heavy form of tactical combat.
''The Temple of Elemental Evil'' hearkens back to tactical RPGs' table-top roots by implementing the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' 3.5 edition ruleset. ATARI INTRODUCES 'GREYHAWK: THE TEMPLE OF ELEMENTAL EVIL'
''Freedom Force'' and its sequel, ''Freedom Force vs. the Third Reich'', are some of the few examples of tactical RPGs that are played in real-time as opposed to being turn-based.

Popularity

Many tactical RPGs can be both extremely 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.
That said, the audience for tactical RPGs has grown substantially over the last decade, and PS1 and PS2 titles including ''Suikoden Tactics'', ''Vanguard Bandits'', '' and '' have enjoyed a surprising measure of popularity, as have hand-held wargames including ''Final Fantasy Tactics Advance'' (GBA). Japanese console games such as these are no longer nearly as rare a commodity in North America as they were during the 1990s.

Notable games in the tactical role-playing genre

★ ''Arc the Lad''

★ ''Disgaea'' series

★ ''Dofus'', a tactical MMORPG

★ ''

★ ''Vandal Hearts'' series

★ ''Final Fantasy Tactics''

★ ''Fire Emblem'' series

★ ''Front Mission'' series

★ ''Jagged Alliance'' series

★ ''Langrisser'' series

★ ''Luminous Arc''

★ ''Ogre Battle'' series

★ ''Namco x Capcom''

★ ''Tactics Ogre series

★ ''

★ ''Shining Force'' series

★ ''Silent Storm'' series

★ ''Super Robot Wars'' series

★ ''X-COM'' series (turn-based tactics featured in parts of the game franchise)

★ ''Tear Ring Saga''

Notable game companies

★ Intelligent Systems

★ Atlus

★ Konami

★ Microprose

★ Nintendo

★ Nippon Ichi

★ Nival Interactive

★ Sega

★ Square Enix

★ Working Designs

See also

★ Console role-playing game

★ Computer role-playing game

★ Turn-based tactics

★ Real-time tactics

★ Tactical wargame

★ List of turn-based tactics video games

★ Role-playing battle systems

References