There are certain series that have been lost to the sands of time. One of them is Ogre Battle, which was renowned for its tactical endeavors. Among the best games was Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together, which first made a name for itself on the Super Famicom. It wasn’t until its PlayStation port appeared that it finally appeared in English, establishing itself as a PlayStation Classic. But, while that version of the game is very good, we’re here today to talk about why the Tactics Ogre PlayStation Portable version is the best.
Another RPG, Another Hometown Destroyed.
Is it too much to hope for peace in games? When it is a tactical affair, yes. Tactics Ogre takes place on the Valerian Isles. After the Dynast-King Dorgalua died, the islands fell into disarray. Everyone tried to claim power. The Bakram and Galgastani clans each took a part of the territories, but war is truly never-ending.
Denam, his sister Catiua, and their friend Vyce are pulled into the conflict when Galgastani’s allies, the Holy Lodis Empire’s Dark Knights, abduct Denam and Catiua’s father and destroy their hometown. The trio, seeing no one to turn to and knowing enough is enough, must pull together the Liberation Army to fight back and take the kingdom.
For the Best Experience, Go Portable
While the original Tactics Ogre is incredible, the PlayStation Portable version is one of those games where it goes above and beyond to make the original better. It may have the same look and feel, but it is essentially a remake that completely revitalizes the game. There are new characters, decisions people can make, jobs are handled differently, and even the battles push you farther than ever before.
The changes to the battle system are a big deal, considering this is an isometric, turn-based, strategic-RPG. You wouldn’t think it could get much different, but it does. Initially, it was a 10v10 fight on some maps. Now, some can have up to 18 enemies and 12 party members. Characters have new skills they can use. Rogue was added as a class, and classes earn experience points instead of characters. You can also revive fallen characters. Which is good, because the AI is better and will go after your healer ASAP and have its characters target people in your party who would be susceptible to their attacks.
It also has a richer story. The story was completely rewritten and retranslated, new plotlines were added, and the World Wheel of Fortune system appeared. This allowed you to make certain decisions when playing. The choices would allow you to see hypothetical situations where certain things did or didn’t happen, and the ramifications of those actions. Not to mention, having a whole new character like Ravness Loxaerion around shook things up.
There was even free DLC! Though, given the state of the PSP now, getting those free downloadable scenarios isn’t really possible.
Return to the Valerian Isles
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together is the strategy game for people who loved Final Fantasy Tactics and always lamented that there was never more. After all, Final Fantasy Tactics was originally the spiritual successor of the original Tactics Ogre. While finding original PlayStation copies is difficult, especially since it was never released as a PSOne Classic, the PSP version is at least available in the PlayStation Store for people with a PSP or Vita.
