Tactical role-playing game

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A tactical role-playing game^[1][2][3][4] (abbreviated as TRPG; sometimes referred to as strategy role-playing game^{[5][6][7][8][9]}, or SRPG) is a type of video game which incorporates elements of traditional computer or console role-playing games, and turn-based tactics games. In Japan these games are known as "Simulation RPGs" (シミュレーションロールプレイングゲーム, "Simulation RPGs"^?)^{[10][11][12][13]}, 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".^{[citation needed]}

This sub-genre of role-playing game principally refers to games which incorporate gameplay from strategy games as an alternative to traditional RPG systems.^[14] Like standard RPGs, the player controls a finite party and battles a similar number of enemies.^[14] And like other RPGs, death is usually temporary. But this genre incorporates strategic gameplay such as tactical movement on an isometric grid.^[14] Unlike many other video game genres, tactical RPGs tend not to feature multiplayer play.

Contents 1 History 1.1 8-bit/16-bit generation 1.2 32-bit 1.3 Seventh-generation consoles 1.4 Tactical RPGs on the PC 1.4.1 Genre blurring 1.5 Massively multiplayer online gaming 2 Popularity 3 See also 4 References

[edit] History

See also: Chronology of tactical role-playing games

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 Ultima III: Exodus. 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 traditional RPG in its appearance, pacing and rule structure. Early table-top role-playing games, likewise, are descended from skirmish wargames.

[edit] 8-bit/16-bit generation

It is generally accepted that Nintendo released and published the first tactical RPG, Fire Emblem for the Nintendo Entertainment System (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 Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken 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 was a unique title by SystemSoft. Where Langrisser and Fire Emblem used a square-based grid, Master of Monsters used a hexagonal grid. Players could choose one of four different Lords to defend their Towers and areas on the grid by building an army of creatures to destroy the opposing armies. This game had a sequel for the Playstation called Master of Monsters: Disciples of Gaia, 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 the player to walk around towns and talk to people and buy weapons.

One game released solely in Japan for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (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: Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen was released for the SNES 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 SNES 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 Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber 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 later. Final Fantasy Tactics shared some staff members with Tactics Ogre and shares many of its gameplay elements. A prequel to the original Tactics Ogre, Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis was later released for the Game Boy Advance.

[edit] 32-bit

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 was arguably the most responsible for 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.

In more recent times, a loyal American fan-base has been established by Nippon Ichi, makers of the popular PlayStation 2 games La Pucelle: Tactics, Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, Phantom Brave, Makai Kingdom, and Disgaea 2.^[15] 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 Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure, 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. La Pucelle: Tactics and Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, which Atlus re-released due to high demand, have become genuine cult hits for the Playstation 2.

[edit] Seventh-generation consoles

Valkyria Chronicles (2008) for the PlayStation 3 utilizes the seventh-generation console processing power by using a distinctive anime/watercolor art style, as well as incorporating third-person shooter elements. After selecting a character in the overhead map view, the player manually controls him/her from a third person view. This mechanic allows for, among others: free movement to a certain range, manual aiming with extra damage for headshots, a limited cover system, and real-time hazards, such as interception fire and landmines. The game has been described as "the missing link between Final Fantasy Tactics and Full Spectrum Warrior." ^[16]

[edit] Tactical RPGs on the PC

Many 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 complexity and freedom when interacting with the surrounding environment. Notable examples include the X-COM^[17] series, the Jagged Alliance^[17][18][19] series, and the Silent Storm^{[18][20][21][22][23]} series.

Incubation: Time Is Running Out^[17] (1997), part of the Battle Isle series, was one of the first strategy titles to use fully 3D graphics and support hardware acceleration on the 3dfx Voodoo.

Gorky 17 (1999) is a tactical RPG, and the first title in a series featuring the same main character, Cole Sullivan. Later titles in the series are third-person shooters.

Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel^{[24][25][26][27]} (2001) is a spin-off of the Fallout series of CRPGs.

Freedom Force^[28][29] (2002) and its sequel, Freedom Force vs. the Third Reich^[30][31] (2005), are some of the few examples of tactical RPGs that are played in real-time.

The UFO series of games (UFO: Aftermath, UFO: Aftershock^[32][33][34] and UFO: Afterlight) by ALTAR Interactive are an X-COM-inspired series of games that feature real-time play.

Paradise Cracked^[17][35] (2003) is a Russian tactical RPG that received low scores from critics^[36].

Metalheart: Replicants Rampage^[37][38][39] (2004) is a post-apocalyptic cyberpunk tactical RPG inspired by Jagged Alliance, Syndicate, and Fallout.^[37] Metalheart received extremely poor ratings from the press as well as gamers.^[39]

Shadow Vault^[40][41][42] (2004) is a Slovakian SRPG that received similarly poor reviews^[43].

The Battle for Wesnoth^[44] (2005) is an open-source, multi-platform tactical RPG inspired by Master of Monsters and Warsong.^[45]

Hammer & Sickle^[46][47] (2005) is a tactical RPG co-developed by the Russia-based companies Novik & Co and Nival Interactive and published by CDV in 2005. It is set in the Silent Storm universe, following the events in the series, and uses the Silent Storm engine.

COPS 2170: The Power of Law is another poorly-received^[48] tactical game/RPG made by an Eastern European developer.

Night Watch^[18][49][50] (2006) is a game developed by Nival Interactive based on the Russian novel and film of the same name. It uses the Silent Storm engine.

Brigade E5: New Jagged Union^[51] (2006) is a game that bears strong resemblance to Jagged Alliance.^[51] It also incorporates an innovative real-time/turn based hybrid system known as "Smart Pause Mode" in an attempt to add further realism to the genre.^[52] A sequel, titled simply 7.62, was released in 2007.

UFO: Extraterrestrials (2007) is another X-COM-inspired tactical game, this time made by Chaos Concept.^[53]

Project Xenocide and UFO: Alien Invasion (both currently in development) are modern, open source homages to X-COM.^[54][55]

[edit] Genre blurring

Rebelstar (1984) and Laser Squad (1988) were precursors to X-COM created by the same developer, Julian Gollop. They did not, however, feature character development like the titles in the later series.

Tactical wargames such as the Steel Panthers series (1995-2006) also sometimes combine tactical military combat with RPG-derived unit advancement.

Avalon Hill's Squad Leader (2000), a man-to-man wargame based on the Soldiers at War engine, has been compared to X-COM and Jagged Alliance.^[56][57]

Shadow Watch has also been compared to X-COM^[58], though it is missing the earlier games' upgradable units.

Some CRPGs, such as Ultima III: Exodus^[59] (1983), Wizard's Crown (1985), Pyrrhic Tales: Prelude to Darkness^[60] (2002) and the Gold Box games of the late '80s and early '90s (many of which were ported to Japanese video game systems), also featured a heavy form of tactical combat. The Temple of Elemental Evil (2003) hearkens back to tactical RPGs' table-top roots by implementing the Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition ruleset.^[61]

Tir-nan-óg is a series of role-playing video games that premiered in Japan on the PC98 and later released for Windows. The latest title in the series is also being released for the PlayStation 2 and PSP.^[62]

[edit] Massively multiplayer online gaming

Neverwinter Nights was an early MMORPG hosted by AOL that utilized the Gold Box engine and featured competitive, team-based tactical combat.

DOFUS is an MMORPG which features tactical turn-based combat.^[63]

The Continuum is a planned RPG browser game that features tactical movement and zoom-in turn-based combat ^[64]

Tactica Online was a planned MMORPG that would have featured tactical combat^[65], had development not been cancelled^[66].

Strugarden is a Japan-exclusive 3D MMORPG which uniquely employs separate movement and attack rounds. ^[67]

Vantage Master Online^[68] is a free multiplayer RPG by Nihon Falcom based on the Vantage Master series of TRPGs.

[edit] Popularity

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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, Disgaea: Hour of Darkness and Stella Deus: The Gate of Eternity have enjoyed a surprising measure of popularity, as have hand-held war games including Fire Emblem. Japanese console games such as these are no longer nearly as rare a commodity in North America as they were during the 1990s.

According to one developer, it has become increasingly difficult in recent years to develop these sorts of games for the personal computer in the West.^[69] Several have been developed in Eastern Europe with mixed results.

[edit] See also

• List of turn-based tactics video games
• Role-playing battle systems
• Role-playing game tabletop

[edit] References

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