More details have surface about the fortcomming game for the Game Boy Advance. Find out about the Mental Gauge!
Quest has released details on some of the minor changes that Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis will have in it. The biggest is the all new "Mental Gauge." No, it doesn't gauge brain power. It measures moral. If the gauge is blue, then the character is in a positive mental state, and red for the opposite. Mental State is determined by the allies and enemies around a character.
Also, the game will have 3 save slots. You will also be able to save in the heat of battle. This will be a permanent save, not a temporary one.
Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis is due out June 21th in Japan. So all you importers get ready!
Last updated: 05/09/2001 by Max Lake
Nintendo of Japan has announced the release date of Tactics Ogre Gaiden: The Knight of Lodis for GameBoy Advance, it is scheduled for release on June 21 in Japan for 4800 yen. There is a two-player battle mode in the game, allowing you to fight against a friend over the link cable (two copies of the game is required).
Still no word on if/when the game will be released outside of Japan.
(Thanks to Magic Box for the info!)
Last updated: 05/03/2001 by Zosha Arushan
With the recent rash of screens, there has been some misinformation forming around the Quest title. Let's get some things clear:
Tactics Ogre is considered "separate" from the Ogre Battle games. While they share characters, and are from the same world, there is a markedly different style of gameplay. However, it is still part of the Ogre Battle Saga -- The series' true name. That is why Canopus had an important role in Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together, and why we might be seeing a few familiar faces in this next installment of the Ogre Battle Saga.
The Tactics Style of gameplay is not realtime. In fact, while it enjoys a 3D-isometric view, it is still entrenched in the absorbing strategic turn-based play that many have come to know and love. In essence the game revolves around the agility of a character: their "Wait Time" (WT for short). The longer the WT, the slower the character is in battle. It is of key importance to remember that weapons and armour will raise WT, and that sometimes a tradeoff is what needs to occur. Recall that in the original Tactics one could get around this problem and dominate the game by having all characters level up as Ninjas (for male soldiers) or Archers (for women), and then returning them to the class of your choice, creating a high DEX, AGL-based character. In other words, unlikely to get hit, and faster than their opponents. It is unknown if Quest will alter the AGL, so as to make the next game "fairer". With the advent of multiplayer battles, one should consider this strategy before entering their team.
Another unknown is whether the company will bring back Tarot Cards. In Let Us Cling Together, one could have a character pick up a card that was left behind after an enemy was killed. There were a variety of these including:
- STR Card (raises Strength)
- VIT Card (raises Vitality)
- INT Card (raises a user's Magic-casting ability)
- DEX Card (raises a user's dexterity, helping them to not only raising the hit %, but also raising one's evade)
- MEN Card (raises one's mentality, to help block the use of offensive magic)
- LUK Card (this would either raise or lower a character's luck.)
These cards would raise stats by one to three points, and while this may not seem like much, it certainly added up.
For those familiar with the Ogre Battle side of things, the ALI system in the original Tactics would raise a few eyebrows. In the SFC title, one could actually choose their supporting character's ALI. Characters that joined you according to the story had their own, of course, and the strange thing was that no one's ever changed, other than the Hero's. That was also based upon decisions in the game. Something entirely different for fans of the Army-based titles. Will Quest continue from the previous Tactics title, or will we see a more Battle style? It is unknown.
While most of this article is based upon the earlier SFC title, most of this will apply to the AGB sequel. How much is a mystery until a certain Dragon has had the pleasure of playing it.
Last updated: 01/12/2001
One of the lesser-known titles appearing on AGB is Tactics Ogre. As of now there is only one screenshot available of the quasi-sequel to the Super Famicom Classic. Currently these titles have been released as part of the OBS:
These titles bring us a story of a world torn in war; the Age of Zeteginia is an era of bloodshed and oppression and tells of the brave warriors who lead a people's revolution into their homeland.
While it is a part of the Ogre Battle Saga, it should be noted that the game is not titled "Ogre Battle" for a reason. The Tactics series deals with an entirely different gameplay method from its similarly titled brethren. In Ogre Battle, one deals with a large army and have many units consisting of multiple characters.
Not so in the Tactics series. Using the original TO as an example, here is a basis of how the battle sequences worked. You could choose up to ten characters to join you in 3D-isometric battle. Each character (including your hero,) may be equipped with four items of equipment such as Swords, Axes, Polearms, Shields, Helms, Armour, etc. In addition you can choose from many Classes, which should be familiar to fans of the OBS.
On the ¾ perspective view of the Battle field characters have only so many steps, and the number is determined by what class the character is. Weapons may have a long, mediary or short reach. Bows have the longest reach and can have a larger Range by placing the archer on a higher plane. Spears or other polearms have a reach of two "blocks" and prevent a counter-attack from the enemy. Swords, Axes and other weapons are considered short range and you need to have your warrior next to the target.
One other important matter dealing with movement is Terrain Height. Most character classes can jump two or three steps up. However, Winged Men (such as Hawkmen or Eaglemen) and other Winged Creatures (Gryphons etc.,) are not affected by TH. They may also fly over obstacles such as rivers or lava.
While overly simplified, this small overview should give unfamiliar gamers an idea of how the battle system works.
While nothing is known of the story in TOG, looking at its predecessor, one can expect a convoluted and complex plot, complete with the Ogre Battle Saga trademarked multiple paths and endings.
Tactics Ogre Gaiden: The Knight of Lodies
