Drive Me Off a Bridge, I Think I'm Dreaming

Do you like Final Fantasy, but hate the effeminate boys and giant chickens? Well Tactics Ogre is like Final Fantasy Tactics without the chocobos. Because in the world of Tactics Ogre, chocobos are raped then eaten alive as their farms burn down around them. Not much whimsy around these parts. Well, except a slutty witch.

In case you haven't heard, the band is getting back together to remake Tactics Ogre for the PSP. The original game, for those who have never played it, is not to be confused with the Ogre Battle series. While both spawned from the brilliant Queen obsessed mind of Yasumi Matsuno (also the creator of Final Fantasy Tactics, Vagrant Story, and Final Fantasy 12), Tactics Ogre is a grid based Strategy RPG and spiritual precursor to Final Fantasy Tactics. Ogre Battle is that hard-to-describe-but-amazing-RTS-auto-battle-RPG thing.

Even though it shares the name of the Super Famicom original, Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together is not a port. This game is a remake, but not in the traditional sense. Most remakes seem to make a graphical update the priority. And while the graphics will definitely be improved in this game, the team plans to preserve the 16 bit look of the sprites. Tactics Ogre on PSP is considered a remake because of the core changes that are being made by the original creator himself. Matsuno and his team are rebuilding the game from the ground up, as his goal is to present this classic in a form that can be appreciated by a modern standards.

There are some major game design changes being made in this game. This version won't just have new job classes, but the skill system for existing classes is being reworked. One of the big reasons I prefer FFT to Tactics Ogre is the variety and customization in the former's job class system. Well, it looks like Tactics Ogre will finally be getting some of that depth. Fighter classes will now have the option to equip newly created "battle skills" much like the magic classes were able to equip spells in the original game. Also, job classes are no longer restricted based on gender, meaning your favorite female crush can finally become a Priest or a Lich! Players are allowed to bring 12 units into battle this time around, while also facing much larger armies of up 18 enemies. These changes will vastly alter the way the game was played before, and in an interview, Matsuno claimed "your old strategies simply won't work anymore."

Other improvements include a sped up interface and battle system, a bar that shows the unit action order, a fully adjustable battle camera (finally!), and a mid battle save feature. These updates will make playing the game a lot more accessible for a modern audience. I swear to you, the sluggish battle speed is what kept me from finishing Tactics Ogre: Knight of Lodis on the GBA. Thank you for hearing my pain!

Most importantly, Tactics Ogre on PSP is getting a story overhaul. Matsuno is not only rewriting the script, but he is adding a ton of new story content as well. New playable characters with new stories, additional side stories for the older characters, and much more in-battle text between characters are some of the changes he plans to make towards his greater goal. Matsuno wants to make a deeper, more emotional story. You may have heard me mention it in the past, but I've always felt that the one thing Tactics Ogre did better than Final Fantasy Tactics was story. I'm glad to see it being updated so a new audience can experience possibly Matsuno's greatest tale. You think making choices in Bioware games has lasting narrative impact on your experience? Haha, just wait till you play Tactics Ogre. When I first played the original I actually debated on burning down a village just to become one of the most powerful classes in the game.

It might also be worthy of note that Matsuno is not the director of this remake. He is lead game designer and writer. Something tells me his past relations with Square Enix and his current status as a free lance developer are the reasons he is not "in charge" of the project. Honestly though, I could care less. I know this is his game, and I never thought he'd ever get the chance to work with Squaresoft IP ever again. This means the potential for Matsuno to do a real sequel to Final Fantasy Tactics, Vagrant Story, or Ogre Battle still exists.

I pray Kajiya Productions is in charge of the localization. They were responsible for the amazing Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions re-translation, and Joseph Reeder's take on Matsuno's script in that game would be a perfect fit for the Ogre universe. Alexander O. Smith would be great too as his work on Vagrant Story and Final Fantasy 12 are some of the best localizations ever.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTT!!!

I can't believe this is happening. My favorite game developer has returned!