Review: Tactics Ogre - Let Us Cling Together (PSP)

STOP WALKING IN FRONT OF MY HOT DEATH YOU BASTARD IDIOTS!!!!!!

Originally released in 1995, Tactics Ogre has always been a game considered well ahead of her time. Unfortunately most people don’t know that because most people don’t have the patience to approach Tactical RPG’s. Fortunately SquareEnix has given gamers another chance with an incredible PSP remake. The outstanding storyline is always the huge draw (and the reason most people play RPG’s in the first place) and the improvements make it hard to stay away. I usually try to lead people into an article with the question of ‘is it good?’. I’m gonna save everyone the trouble and say right off the bat that yes, this is a VERY good game. So keep reading if you love RPG’s. If not, piss off and go shoot something, Philistine.

Since Tactics Ogre pioneered the genre let’s take a basic knowledge of RPG’s and give a quick explanation of the Tactical edge. Take away the turn based gameplay and give the turns to whomever has the highest speed rating - time magic has a much bigger effect than other RPG genres. Playing the high ground has actual tactical advantage - so archers can have their day (as can magic users). Big changes and fixing previous flaws: this was the goal for SquareEnix. The big change comes in the form of the CHARIOT system. Battle that’s going bad? Making overall bad decisions? Maybe you just plain suck at games - don’t freak out and kick your cat, turn back the clock. The CHARIOT system gives you a rewind as far back as 50 moves. This makes the frustration level drop like a rock and gives the opportunity to explore various solutions during gameplay. This is huge. The old system scaled enemies to the most powerful character in the party - making the leveling process a bitch. Now your whole party levels. This means once in a while you have to place a character aside while the capable do the leveling but hey, it happens.

Battle Points are given out after a battle to purchase skills (of which there are a ton) to increase various attributes but the new kick is a very specific balancing act between skills and increasing attributes (having a ton of skills but little power when wielding them or vice-versa). This keep any one character from becoming too powerful. The fixed camera angle can be brought to an overhead view so that your suicidally prone partners (did I fail to mention that?) can be worked around whilst they occasionally prance about. After the game is completed the ‘World’ system gives the players the chance to revisit parts of the game and play through while making different decisions and going down different paths - this adds a huge amount of replay value. And you’ll want multiple play-throughs believe me. The new special effects and great voice acting is just icing on a cake.

Really the list of cons is pretty damn small. The aforementioned suicidal tendencies of your teammates is pretty big but has been addressed. Other than that is the weak multiplayer - at least in comparison to War of Lions. I don’t understand being able to download another person’s character (controlled by A.I.) to use in your game but having no co-op or competitive modes. This seems like the equivalent of making a sandwich in front of an Ethiopian, locking that sandwich in a glass case, feeding the key to a dog, and then shipping that dog off to Abu Dhabi. The lack of a graphical overhaul is a drag also.

Fans of the genre will eat this up like a fat kid at the Golden Corral. If games of this type aren’t this thing then…well…you’ve stopped reading a while back. Those of you who have read this far will come to the conclusion (as I have) that Let us cling together is a improved version of what was already and incredible game on the Super Famicon in 1995. Anyone with a love for the admittedly small niche that is the Tactical RPG will find hours upon hours of bliss with SquareEnix’s latest offering. Buy with confidence.