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Tactical Role-playing Games

Unlike turn-based role-playing games, tactical role-playing games went about an entirely different way for party members and enemies to do battle. Instead of focusing on player and enemy actions from a side or front view, battles are fought either from a top-down or isometric perspective. In the 1980's, the early tactical role-playing games were such games as Tunnels of Doom and Ultima III: Exodus, in addition to The Dragon and Princess and Bokosuka Wars. Tactical RPG's are not unlike tabletop RPG's and wargames such as Dungeons & Dragons. One could even draw a comparison to the age-old games of chess and checkers.

A battle in a tactical RPG usually begins on a map, with the player's party positioned on one side of the map, and on a far-off side lies the group of enemies. Players and the enemy AI take turns executing their actions. Similar to chess and checkers, movement of party members and enemies are done on a grid, with each square panel being valued at one step, if you will. Depending on the physical attack, ability, or magic spell, its area of effect will vary greatly.

In the 16-bit era, many classic strategy RPG's were released such as Shining Force, Ogre Battle, and Fire Emblem. These games are considered some of the most memorable titles during this era. Of those three series, Fire Emblem ended up being the most successful, as Nintendo continues to make new Fire Emblem games for their newer consoles. During the life of the Sony PlayStation, Squaresoft released Final Fantasy Tactics, which to many is viewed as the best tactical RPG ever made. The battle mechanics were complex, and the battles were quite challenging, so it kept the game entertaining. In some tactical RPG's, such as Final Fantasy Tactics, there can be permanent party member deaths if the player does not revive them from death in a certain amount of time. To some players who are not as skilled in tactical RPG's, that game mechanic can be frustrating to deal with during battles.

Developing effective strategies in becoming victorious in battles is key in tactical RPG's. Here are some things to consider when fighting in a battle in a tactical RPG:

Try to spread out your party members on the map, as it would lessen the chance of your party being caught in a wide area of effect magical spell by an enemy mage.
Before using an attack, check to see what is its area of effect. To do this, after selecting an attack in the menu, it will show you a preview of which panels it affects on the grid, then if you are satisfied with that area of effect, you can execute it.
Be mindful of any party members who need to be healed, so it is a good idea to have an effective healer in your party.