Fantasy Tactical RPG-Any suggestions?

[Philemonite]

Just like the title says, I need a Fantasy Tactical RPG to play, and I can't think of any. I played most of them, usually on consoles, but I would really like to find a good one for PC. DS or PS2 suggestions are also OK, other consoles are less appreciated.

PC
Baldurs Gate I/II, Icewind Dale I/II, Neverwinter Nights I/II, Geneforge Saga, Avadon, Arcanum, Heroes of Might and Magic 1-6, Temple of Elemental Evil, Age of Wonders, Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes, King's Bounty, Mount & Blade: Warband, Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader, Planescape: Torment, Kamidori Alchemy Meister, Grotesque Tactics 1/2

DS
Fire Emblem: Awakening(3DS), Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2, SMT:Devil Survivor 1/2, Disgaea DS, Rondo of Swords


PS2
Disgaea, Disgaea 2, La Pucelle: Tactics, Makai Kingdom, Phantom Brave, Soul Nomad, Suikoden Tactics,


GBA
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis, Final Fantasy V Advance, Shining Force:RotDD, The Lord of the Rings:The Third Age, Fire Emblem 6/7/8

PSP
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together, Final Fantasy Tactics

PSX
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together, Final Fantasy Tactics, Vandel Hearts 1/2


Genesis
Shining Force I/II


Saturn
Shining Force III

[Airk]

If you have a 3DS, the new Fire Emblem is AWESOME.

Otherwise, you're pretty much SOL. The genre essentially does not exist on the PC (Unless you count, like, Battle for Wesnoth or some ports of old console titles like Shining Force that you can buy on Steam or Good Old Games.).

OTOH, I guess you could get Disgaea or Disgaea 2 for the PS2. I didn't actually LIKE those, but apparently a lot of people do. I did rather enjoy an earlier game by that company however - La Pucelle: Tactics.

[Philemonite]

Not yet, but I might get it, I heard a lot about new Fire Emblem. I am actually playing Dawn of Heroes, I was very pleasantly surprised when I tried the game.

I played La Pucelle: Tactics a year ago, but I didn't get very far. I need to remember which one of my friends has it. It seamed like a great game, I just didn't understand how you learn new spells. In Disgaea it was easy.

[psilontech]

Tactics are involved...

Baldurs Gate I/II
Icewind Dale I/II
Neverwinter Nights I/II

[Philemonite]

Baldurs Gate II

Best. Game. Ever. I wish I have never played it so that I can play it for the first again.

[Ogremindes]

On DS and GBA since it's compatible:
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, and A2. (Some hate the law system. I'm not one of them. I think A1 is better than A2)
Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor, and Devil Survivor 2 (yes that's SMT:DS. DS1 has an improved version for 3DS, but I don't believe it changes much. Not your typical TRPG battle system, but awesome games none-the-less)
Final Fantasy V Advance (not a TRPG, but the job system of FFV is the genesis of that used by Final Fantasy Tactics)
Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon (port of Shining Force)
The Lord of the Rings:The Third Age (GBA version)
Fire Emblem (GBA)
Disgaea DS

[Tebryn]

The first two Disgaea games are on PS2 and made by the same people that made La Pucelle Tactics though much much more polished. Same with Makai Kingdom and Phantom Brave. Both good games but not as good as Disgaea. Final Fantasy Tactics can be played on PS2 but you'll have to get real lucky finding it.

[Gnoman]

The first two Disgaea games are on PS2

Not sure about the second, but the first game's been ported to DS.



Something that I haven't seen mentioned. On PS2, there's Suikoden Tactics (takes place roughly concurrently with suikoden IV).

[tonberrian]

If you have Steam, Shining Force and Shining Force 2 are both available for relatively cheap.

[Tebryn]

Something that I haven't seen mentioned. On PS2, there's Suikoden Tactics (takes place roughly concurrently with suikoden IV).

Ya there is...but I personally didn't recommend it because...it's not very good.

[Airk]

The first two Disgaea games are on PS2 and made by the same people that made La Pucelle Tactics though much much more polished.

Here's the funny thing; I HATED Disgaea. It was grindy, battles felt generic (Oooh another map full of strangely colored squares!) and the humor wasn't funny. Oh, and I didn't care about the characters, because by and large, they were annoying.

I really enjoyed La Pucelle. Not sure how it is "less polished" than Disgaea except possibly for the grindy postgame content.

[Philemonite]

On DS and GBA since it's compatible:
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, and A2. (Some hate the law system. I'm not one of them. I think A1 is better than A2)
Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor, and Devil Survivor 2 (yes that's SMT:DS. DS1 has an improved version for 3DS, but I don't believe it changes much. Not your typical TRPG battle system, but awesome games none-the-less)
Final Fantasy V Advance (not a TRPG, but the job system of FFV is the genesis of that used by Final Fantasy Tactics)
Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon (port of Shining Force)
The Lord of the Rings:The Third Age (GBA version)
Fire Emblem (GBA)
Disgaea DS

I think I played everything that is remotely RPG for GBA and many DS games.

TA is awesome, I like the first one better, but the second one is great too.
I haven't played a TOgre in a long time. I still remember Person of lordly caliber for N64.
Every time I start playing Devil Survivor I stop less then 5 hours into the game. I like it, but I always stop playing it very soon.
I'm a FFVI/VIII fan myself, so V is low on priority list. I should really do a I-IX run.:smalltongue:
SF2 is the first SRPG I ever played and I love it. I heard there are a few nice hack, I should really play it again.
The Lord of the Rings:The Third Age? You learn something new every day.:smallbiggrin:
Played all the FE games for GBA, I'm actually setting up a PbP game here.
I love Disgaea humor, and that Prinny in the upper screen is hilarious. My favorite line in the entire game:
"Flying saucers, probes, brain suckers, midgets with glowing fingertips."


The first two Disgaea games are on PS2 and made by the same people that made La Pucelle Tactics though much much more polished. Same with Makai Kingdom and Phantom Brave. Both good games but not as good as Disgaea. Final Fantasy Tactics can be played on PS2 but you'll have to get real lucky finding it.

That's it, I'm making August Nippon Ichi month, I hope my friend still has all those games. And I have to add Soul Nomad & the World Eaters to the list.


Something that I haven't seen mentioned. On PS2, there's Suikoden Tactics (takes place roughly concurrently with suikoden IV).

I like Rhapsodia.:smallbiggrin:


If you have Steam, Shining Force and Shining Force 2 are both available for relatively cheap.

I think I played SF2 so much that I should be baned from playing it ever again.:smalltongue:


Ya there is...but I personally didn't recommend it because...it's not very good.

I liked it.


Here's the funny thing; I HATED Disgaea. It was grindy, battles felt generic (Oooh another map full of strangely colored squares!) and the humor wasn't funny. Oh, and I didn't care about the characters, because by and large, they were annoying.

I really enjoyed La Pucelle. Not sure how it is "less polished" than Disgaea except possibly for the grindy postgame content.

One thing I don't like about Disgaea is that it is such a grindfest. On the other hand I liked the humor very much, I even watched the anime.

I like your suggestions so far, maybe we can make some kind of a list?

[Knaight]

Essentially everything ever made by Spiderweb Software (The Geneforge Saga in particular) fits into this category. They are also excellent games, with a few exceptions (stick to Avadon, Geneforge, and Arcanum).

[Philemonite]

Essentially everything ever made by Spiderwick Software (The Geneforge Saga in particular) fits into this category. They are also excellent games, with a few exceptions (stick to Avadon, Geneforge, and Arcanum).

I never played Geneforge, can you tell me anything about it?

[Knaight]

I never played Geneforge, can you tell me anything about it?

The short version:

Plot: You are playing a Shaper, a mage from an order that creates life, off to an apprenticeship, but end up stranded on an island that was, for some reason, forbidden to entry. As you explore the island trying to get off you get caught up both in the mystery of why the island was barred (the non-spoiler version is that there were some very dangerous projects conducted on the island and things got out of hand), and more importantly caught up in the conflicts between the societies left on the island. These societies consist of creatures called servile, Shaper created servants who were abandoned on the island and who built their societies up from there - and their conflicts and philosophies are intricately tied up into the matter of the Shapers who created them, including you.

Setting: The setting is one of the main selling points of Geneforge, because it is extremely well thought out. The Shapers were researchers, they were proud of what they did and used it heavily, and it really, really shows. Shaped life is everywhere on the island, from the thorn batons (creatures that are basically a muscle inside a plant shell that can contract to throw specially shaped and bred thorns as weapons) to doors (moving plants encased in stone that can shift up and down) to the fauna, from the serviles made as close to human as possible to monsters shaped for war. Moreover, the factions are believable, as are the characters within them - they all seem so human, and as different as different people with a shared philosophy often are. On top of that, the game doesn't shove all characters into them; there are various other settlements and such as well. In short, the setting feels real, the characters in it feel real, their conflicts feel real, and it is generally beautifully handled.

Mechanics: Geneforge is a class and level based RPG, where the classes affect how expensive skills are to buy. Most of it is fairly standard, but certainly well made. The selection of skills is fairly small (20ish), as is the selection of spells and creatures, but all of them are useful, and it's a matter of fewer options which are all worthwhile over more options that contain junk. The combat system involves an action point system where you have 8 action points and can spend them on things - movement is 1 for a variable distance, item use and reloading 3, firing 5, and you can do things like use an attack item and a weapon on the same turn. However, it could be boring, were it not for the one thing different - you are a Shaper. You get to Shape. Those creatures in the game? You get to make them (some of them), you get to customize each one you make, and when you want new ones you can dissolve the old ones. There's strategic adaptability, there's party based tactical combat, and you have options that range from making one extremely powerful creature to loading up on the weaker ones. You can choose to mix it up personally, or to hide by an essence regeneration pool (which, in a brief aside regarding the setting, is a triumph of Shaper microbiology research) making new creations to replace those that die fighting for you at the other end of the area you're in.

In short: Geneforge is pretty much the masterpiece of Spiderwick Software, and one of the best RPGs I have ever seen from anyone.

[Philemonite]

That definitely sounds interesting, I will try to find the game.

[Triaxx]

If you haven't played it, Heroes of Might and Magic looks pretty tactical from an outside perspective.

Icewind Dale is a pretty good tactical RPG, meaning it's a bit light on story, but still awesome.

I also Recommend Temple of Elemental Evil, with the Circle of Eight mod. It's okay without, but much better with.

[Anteros]

Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together for PsP or Psx. It's wildly different from the ogre battle game you played though.

[Grinner]

That definitely sounds interesting, I will try to find the game.

While I love these games, I will add that they're not really tactical RPGs, as tactics don't really play into combat too much. Victory tends to go to the strongest, not the smartest.

Avadon, by the same company, is far more of a tactical RPG.

You can get a bundle of the Geneforge games at Good Old Games, though.

[warty goblin]

If you haven't played it, Heroes of Might and Magic looks pretty tactical from an outside perspective.


I'd think if you're going with something that has that much of an overtly strategy feel, you'd be better off with the original Age of Wonders, or the very recent Elemental: Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes.

Actually a person could make a hell of a good tactical RPG out of Legendary Heroes combat. You'd just need to prune the X4 strategy bits off.

The King's Bounty games are another option, though they've never really clicked with me for some reason. The people they do click for seem to absolutely love 'em though, so the demos are well be worth a shot.

[Anteros]

The Heroes of Might and Magic games are great. Especially 2 and 3.

[Hunter Noventa]

If you can find them, there's Phantom brave and Makai Kingdom for PS2, from the makers of Disgaea. Personally I didn't find them as fun as the Disgaea games, but they're not bad games by any stretch.

But it seems like you have most of the major bases covered for those consoles. There's some nice stuff for the PSP or PS3 as well, but you don't have those.

[Airk]

The King's Bounty games are another option, though they've never really clicked with me for some reason. The people they do click for seem to absolutely love 'em though, so the demos are well be worth a shot.

I can't believe I forgot about King's Bounty. Very interesting games, overall, but definitely not for everyone, and not actually the most strategically deep, since the actual combat is a liiiittle bit light.

[TaRix]

It's Spiderweb Software, actually. Spiderwick is some book/movie series thing.
While I like the Disgaea series, I'm less inclined to call it a tactical game after a while and consider it a big exercise in munchkinry. Doesn't make it less fun though.

Oh, if it wasn't mentioned yet, Spiderweb's doing a charity sale or something; pay what you want for a big bundle of titles. Haven't looked into it much since I already own 'em all.

[Anteros]

Oh, if it wasn't mentioned yet, Spiderweb's doing a charity sale or something; pay what you want for a big bundle of titles. Haven't looked into it much since I already own 'em all.

I just checked it out. Seems that ended about 2 weeks ago.

[dgnslyr]

Rondo of Swords for the DS is a pretty unique tactical RPG - you attack by walking through people, not by standing next to them. On the other hand, you'll probably want to go through the tutorial or look up some walkthroughs and guides, because the game, while not hard, is pretty opaque. The game does not always make its mechanics clear, even with the tutorial. The writing is pretty solid, too.

Final Fantasy Tactics is the Best Thing Ever and miles better than Tactics Advance. You can get the new version for the PSP, or hunt down the original for PS1. I think I found a used copy on Amazon for something like $30 USD, which isn't too bad for a full-length game.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Any mention of Mount & Blade: Warband? I find it absolutely delightful.

[t209]

For Flash Version,
I just played at world's end chapter 1 and Mardek RPG.

[Deadline]

Let's see, you've mentioned that you consider Baldur's Gate to be a tactics RPG, so here's a few you might like if you haven't already played them (All of them are available from GOG.com):

Fantasy:
Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader - a fantasy version of the Fallout mechanics (you can do either turn-based or real-time). I still need to pick this up and give it a try.
Planescape: Torment - a great RPG (along with Icewind Dale and Baldur's Gate, it's kind of like a CRPG holy trinity), though the combat (while similar to BG), is probably not what you are looking for. It's near the top of my short list of "Greatest RPGs of all time".

Sci-fi:
Fallout
Fallout 2
Fallout Tactics

[GloatingSwine]

Are you likely to have to play it with other people in the room?

Because Kamidori Alchemy Meister is a fantastic tactical RPG, it's challenging, has appreciable depth, absolute masses of content (90 hours for a first playthrough, and there are extra new game + maps that will probably take you two or three playthroughs to even see), a decent story (in fact, three, there are three branches which lead to a totally different main plot, though all the side plots are the same), and relatable characters who it's easy to care about.

Only drawback. Porn. Admittedly, not a lot thereof compared to the size of the game, but it's a h game, because Japan.

[Triaxx]

Why would you say fantastic tactical RPG with multiple plot lines and then put porn as a downside? Sounds like the icing on the cake. The peanut butter in the chocolate if you will.

[Cogwheel]

I just checked it out. Seems that ended about 2 weeks ago.

I have a spare bundle or two if anyone wants it. Contact me by PM.

[Slayn82]

Well, there is both Grotesque Tactics games on steam, and they are sold often with a good discount. They are parody, where you comand a group of villains to save the world, as the forces of good were already defeated. Good jokes, the gameplay is somewhat constrained, but for less tha $10 you get 2 games and the soundtrack when in offer.So, money well spent.

[Anteros]

I have a spare bundle or two if anyone wants it. Contact me by PM.

I would, but I feel like I should pay something for their games with as many hours of enjoyment as I've gotten from them over the years.

[Philemonite]

If you haven't played it, Heroes of Might and Magic looks pretty tactical from an outside perspective.

Icewind Dale is a pretty good tactical RPG, meaning it's a bit light on story, but still awesome.

I also Recommend Temple of Elemental Evil, with the Circle of Eight mod. It's okay without, but much better with.

Heroes are nice, but I hate buying units every week. It comes down to numbers, and that's not really what I like.
IWD is a great game ad IWD2 has one of the best narrations I have ever heard.
I played ToEE a long time ago and it was a bugfest. Can you (or someone else) PM me a list of mods and patches I should use?


Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together for PsP or Psx. It's wildly different from the ogre battle game you played though.

I played Knights of Lodis, I think that's similar. Unfortunately I don't have a PSP.


I'd think if you're going with something that has that much of an overtly strategy feel, you'd be better off with the original Age of Wonders, or the very recent Elemental: Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes.

Actually a person could make a hell of a good tactical RPG out of Legendary Heroes combat. You'd just need to prune the X4 strategy bits off.

The King's Bounty games are another option, though they've never really clicked with me for some reason. The people they do click for seem to absolutely love 'em though, so the demos are well be worth a shot.

Age of Wonders is a great game, for such an old game it has so much freedom in combat.
I haven't even heard of Fallen Enchantress, I will definitely give it a look.
In all my years of gaming experience I have never played King's Bounty.


If you can find them, there's Phantom brave and Makai Kingdom for PS2, from the makers of Disgaea. Personally I didn't find them as fun as the Disgaea games, but they're not bad games by any stretch.

But it seems like you have most of the major bases covered for those consoles. There's some nice stuff for the PSP or PS3 as well, but you don't have those.

Why do people always forget Soul Nomad when listing Nippon Ichi games?:smallwink:


Rondo of Swords for the DS is a pretty unique tactical RPG - you attack by walking through people, not by standing next to them. On the other hand, you'll probably want to go through the tutorial or look up some walkthroughs and guides, because the game, while not hard, is pretty opaque. The game does not always make its mechanics clear, even with the tutorial. The writing is pretty solid, too.

Final Fantasy Tactics is the Best Thing Ever and miles better than Tactics Advance. You can get the new version for the PSP, or hunt down the original for PS1. I think I found a used copy on Amazon for something like $30 USD, which isn't too bad for a full-length game.

I like my games to be fun. Rondo of Swords has an interesting battle system, but it feels like a chore. And like most Fire Emblems there is no way to get some more EXP before continuing the story.:smallfrown:
I like TA better, but that's because Nu Mou and Vieras.


Any mention of Mount & Blade: Warband? I find it absolutely delightful.

Is it possible that there is a good game that I haven't even heard of? I will give it a look.


Let's see, you've mentioned that you consider Baldur's Gate to be a tactics RPG, so here's a few you might like if you haven't already played them (All of them are available from GOG.com):

Fantasy:
Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader - a fantasy version of the Fallout mechanics (you can do either turn-based or real-time). I still need to pick this up and give it a try.
Planescape: Torment - a great RPG (along with Icewind Dale and Baldur's Gate, it's kind of like a CRPG holy trinity), though the combat (while similar to BG), is probably not what you are looking for. It's near the top of my short list of "Greatest RPGs of all time".

Sci-fi:
Fallout
Fallout 2
Fallout Tactics

I actually don't play "action RPGs", since I like my games to be party based, but I might give this one a try.

Yes, Torment, I remember it well.:smallwink:

No Sci-fi, please.


Are you likely to have to play it with other people in the room?

Because Kamidori Alchemy Meister is a fantastic tactical RPG, it's challenging, has appreciable depth, absolute masses of content (90 hours for a first playthrough, and there are extra new game + maps that will probably take you two or three playthroughs to even see), a decent story (in fact, three, there are three branches which lead to a totally different main plot, though all the side plots are the same), and relatable characters who it's easy to care about.

Only drawback. Porn. Admittedly, not a lot thereof compared to the size of the game, but it's a h game, because Japan.

I played Sengoku Rance (for the gameplay), so that should answer your question.
Isn't Kamidori Japanese only? I heard there was an English translation, but you have to mess with your computer setting to install it.


Well, there is both Grotesque Tactics games on steam, and they are sold often with a good discount. They are parody, where you comand a group of villains to save the world, as the forces of good were already defeated. Good jokes, the gameplay is somewhat constrained, but for less tha $10 you get 2 games and the soundtrack when in offer.So, money well spent.

My friend has them, and I tried them. They are kinda maybe for me. Not bad, but there is something missing.

That was long. I will make the list of mention games and add it to my first post. We can make a nice playground compendium.:smallbiggrin:

[SanguisAevum]

Vandel Hearts.

Its an old PS1 game, but will play on a PS2.

One of the best Tac-RPGs i played.

[Philemonite]

Vandel Hearts.

Its an old PS1 game, but will play on a PS2.

One of the best Tac-RPGs i played.

I liked it, but the lack of free battles and limited funds really hurt. I was kinda spoiled by the sequel.

[Triaxx]

Literally the only mod you need, (and the only one available as far as I know) for ToEE, is the Circle of Eight, which is found from Co8.org. Read the instructions when installing. There's still a couple of bugs I recall, but they're things that are all but impossible to fix as an end user.

And while I can understand not wanting Sci-Fi, if you ever change your mind, those three games mentioned are absolutely fabulous.

[Hunter Noventa]

Why do people always forget Soul Nomad when listing Nippon Ichi games?:smallwink:


Because while the plot was great, the gameplay was mediocre at best, at least in my opinion.

[Philemonite]

I actually liked the battle system. However, I am a big fan of The Last Remnant, so squad based combat is a huge plus for me.

[heronbpv]

Can't believe we reached this far on the thread and there was no mention to Langrisser 2/Der-Langrisser (for the genesis/SNES consoles). Though it's assuming you're willing to play in an emulator (there's a very good fan-translation of both games in the internet if you don't read japanese). It's one of my favorite games of the genre, and Langrisser 2 in particular can be veeeery difficult depending on your choices for class advancement.

There are other games of the series for the PS1, but I haven't played any of them, nor do I know if they've been translated.

[GloatingSwine]

I played Sengoku Rance (for the gameplay), so that should answer your question.
Isn't Kamidori Japanese only? I heard there was an English translation, but you have to mess with your computer setting to install it.


There's an english translation, yeah. I can't remember if you need to change your system region to install it (easy to do on 7 or 8, you just click Japan in a box then restart, though hilariously if you're running Windows 8 it then gives you the Windows 8 store for Japan).

Also, its USP as a tactical game is the concept of map control. As you move one of your units into a map square you take control of that square and keep it until an enemy moves into it, at which point control switches to their side. Maps are split into rooms, and if you take control of a square in a room that has no enemies, or kill the last enemy in a room whilst a character is in it, you take control of the room. The big influence of control is that you can only move your full move through squares you control, and can only move one square at a time into squares you don't control, which you can use as a method of delaying enemies from capturing your base (instant game over) or attacking your squishy ranged characters. Maps are time limited as well, and certainly on your first playthrough when movement ranges are lower and you have to spend longer fighting through enemies those limits can be pretty tight.

There's no character permadeath, of which you will be glad, because there are several maps at least on the first playthrough where there'll be something really hard that you can only feed characters to until they've either delayed it long enough or battered it down through attrition, and some of the maps are quite hard.

You can repeat any map at any time, and will frequently do so for crafting ingredients (item crafting is at the core of the game, your character is an alchemist, a professional item crafter, and many of the main and side quests will involve making something to solve a problem.)

Out of battle, you run a shop, and you have to improve your workshop so you can make better items and make items to sell to cover your guild fees and house your ever growing horde of minions (who can also work in your shop, but that makes them unavailable for maps.

For reference, my first playthrough was 90 hours. I've done two of the plots so far, as usual for a h-game they're a character romance route, but the themes of the character romance is intertwined with the main plot (For example, if you're on the elf character's path the differing lifespan of humans and elves, and how it affects their responsibilities to the world around them, are at the centre of the plot).

[Philemonite]

That sounds awesome, I really need to find a new game, I have a feeling I played every tactical RPG ever.:smalltongue:
I'll try to find it.

[Deadline]

Would Valkyria Chronicles (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valkyria_Chronicles) qualify? It takes place in a roughly WWI-II type era. It's not Sci-fi, and despite some elements it isn't quite fantasy either.

But it is awesome.

Edit - The Avernum series of games fits your request pretty uniformly.

[Triaxx]

Do you have an N64? If so, then go hunt down Ogre Battle: Person of Lordly Caliber. It's an absolutely awesome game.

[Anteros]

I actually liked the battle system. However, I am a big fan of The Last Remnant, so squad based combat is a huge plus for me.

Oh I love Last Remnant. Thank you for reminding me of this. I need to finish my hard mode run of the game.

[Philemonite]

Can't believe we reached this far on the thread and there was no mention to Langrisser 2/Der-Langrisser (for the genesis/SNES consoles). Though it's assuming you're willing to play in an emulator (there's a very good fan-translation of both games in the internet if you don't read japanese). It's one of my favorite games of the genre, and Langrisser 2 in particular can be veeeery difficult depending on your choices for class advancement.

There are other games of the series for the PS1, but I haven't played any of them, nor do I know if they've been translated.

I never tied it, I should give it a shot. Emulators are no problem I have a collection (Genesis, SNES, N64, Saturn...)


Would Valkyria Chronicles (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valkyria_Chronicles) qualify? It takes place in a roughly WWI-II type era. It's not Sci-fi, and despite some elements it isn't quite fantasy either.

But it is awesome.

Edit - The Avernum series of games fits your request pretty uniformly.

I don't have a PS3 yet, but it's a good suggestion.


Do you have an N64? If so, then go hunt down Ogre Battle: Person of Lordly Caliber. It's an absolutely awesome game.


I haven't played a TOgre in a long time. I still remember Person of lordly caliber for N64.


Oh I love Last Remnant. Thank you for reminding me of this. I need to finish my hard mode run of the game.

One of the best games ever.:smalltongue:


There's an english translation, yeah. I can't remember if you need to change your system region to install it (easy to do on 7 or 8, you just click Japan in a box then restart, though hilariously if you're running Windows 8 it then gives you the Windows 8 store for Japan).

I managed to install it last night, it wasn't actually that hard. I love it, the battle system is awesome. I played until I passed out.:smalltongue:

[Triaxx]

Bahamut Lagoon is also pretty awesome now that I think of it. It's on the SNES and was only released in Japan. If you don't care about the story, it's still pretty playable even if you don't read japanese, as long as you get translations for the commands.

[Philemonite]

Bahamut Lagoon is also pretty awesome now that I think of it. It's on the SNES and was only released in Japan. If you don't care about the story, it's still pretty playable even if you don't read japanese, as long as you get translations for the commands.

I love Bahamut Lagoon, my favorite part is making squads. For such an old game it has a very deep tactical system. And the story is not bad.

[Anteros]

I don't know about Der-Langrisser. When I tried them with the fan patches they turned to German halfway through the game. Maybe there is a better version out there though.

[Sheep Overlord]

I can't say much about the quality for it (as I haven't played it in years, though I think I enjoyed it) but there's a game for the PSX called Eternal Eyes which qualifies. Online reviews seem to be not so hot for it, but it's the only one I can think of that hasn't been mentioned. Final Fantasy Tactics-like gameplay, but using monsters instead of people for the most part - your protagonist at least is human, there might be others as well - and your monsters can promote to a variety of different other creatures based on item use or how you use them in combat or something to that effect.

[Philemonite]

I can't say much about the quality for it (as I haven't played it in years, though I think I enjoyed it) but there's a game for the PSX called Eternal Eyes which qualifies. Online reviews seem to be not so hot for it, but it's the only one I can think of that hasn't been mentioned. Final Fantasy Tactics-like gameplay, but using monsters instead of people for the most part - your protagonist at least is human, there might be others as well - and your monsters can promote to a variety of different other creatures based on item use or how you use them in combat or something to that effect.

I played it long, long time ago, but I didn't get far. Then I lost the game. The gameplay was nice, I should give it another chance.