Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together - Premium Edition (PSP) - Reviews

(4.8)

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14.3.2011

Of the many remakes and ports over the years to the PSP the new revamped Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together is not only one of the best tactical RPG's on the PSP but also one of the finest remakes on any console. A completely overhauled experience from its 1995 SNES origins it benefits hugely from a new translation, graphical overhaul and re-mastered soundtrack, Tactics Ogre is a complete work of passion and a reminder that Square Enix can still do a very good job when they really try (the less painful memories from Final Fantasy XIII and XIV the better!)Tactics Ogre places you in the shoes of a young man struggling to bring stability to the Islands of Valeria which are wracked by conflict between three warring ethnic groups warring for control of the Islands.The story is hard-hitting and director Yasumi Matsuno (Final Fantasy XII, Vagrant Story) was directly inspired by the events that unfolded during the Yugoslav Wars in the 1990's and the ethnic cleansing in Bosnia. Class conflict between radicals and moderates, acts of terrorism and wide scale civilian slaughter serve are just a part of a story that can be both tragic and shocking. Leading a band a characters, all with personal motivations, allegiances and flaws ranging from the heroic to the sinister it's a testament considering the miniature sprites on screen it is surprising how attached you can get to the characters and how effective and compelling the story is.Tactics Ogre starts you off with a relatively small roster of characters which quickly grows up to become a small army from which up to twelve characters can participate in the isometric tactical battles which the original release of Tactics Ogre was largely responsible for defining in the first place. Each character moves according to its speed stat and how many actions it has done in a turn or how many places it has moved. Elevation, terrain and line of sight all come into play with regards to how the combat will be resolved.The original game was characterised by a somewhat brutal difficulty level which is addressed by two major new changes for the new Tactics Ogre. Firstly there is the new, optional CHARIOT system, this smart feature remembers the last fifty combat moves allow you to backtrack to any action and start again before you made a wrong move that lead to the death of one of your characters or the decimation of your team. While the CHARIOT system certainly stacks the odds in favour of the player the system is, as mentioned, entirely optional (and the game will track how many skirmishes are cleared without it) so it's perfect for players new to the strategic RPG sub-genre or people who want to see that each character will make it through to the ending (as in this game characters can die permanently which often resulting in changes to the story).The second new change is to the levelling system. Rather than levelling individuals it is the characters `class' system which levels up instead. Thus once your archer class reaches level twelve, all other archers be they veterans or newly recruited units will be at that same level. However this new system doesn't reduce the characters individual customization in the slightest, after each conflict units earn skill points from combat which can be invested into any of a long list of skills. These skills allow options such as, wading through water, using a class of magic, deflecting arrows etc. Since the list of skills you can equip to each unit is limited it becomes very important to deploy a varied party rather than just knights and mages. The only downside of the changes to the class system is that the more advanced classes that appear towards the end of the game will require a lot of standing at the very back of the map to gain the experience to level up safely.However one of the greatest new additions to the game doesn't even come into play until the end of your first playthrough. Completing the story mode unlocks the `World Tarot' system which allows you to revisit various `anchoring points' in the story and chose different plot options. Throughout the story many different conversation choices must be made opening the plot into numerous different branches with radically different (and often, tragic) outcomes. A first playthrough is likely to last between thirty and forty hours but on completing the game and being able to explore the full extent of the story with your roster of characters will increase the games lifespan well past a hundred hours. Now instead of fearing how each decision will affect the rest of the game it can be liberating to explore the different outcomes of your choices. There are no definitive `good' or `evil' choices that have to be made; instead the options that must be made are rather there to make you decide if the ends justify the means. It's regrettable that some of Square-Enix's most recent RPG's such as Final Fantasy XIII can't match the maturity and character told here.Multiplayer is included, however it's strictly limited to downloading and battling AI-controlled versions of another players party. While the lack of a full suite of multiplayer modes is not a deal breaker it is disappointing that so little has been done here.The presentation of the game likewise is a mixture of old and new, character sprites remain blocky and small however the character portraits and spell effects are much more impressive, the overall richness of colour is a tribute to the art direction. The excellent translation and dialogue further adds to the depth of the story. Likewise while the sound effects that go with the characters are squeaky and unimpressive the sweeping remastered soundtrack by Hitoshi Sakimoto (Final Fantasy XII, Valkyria Chronicles)is fantastic, perfectly complementing the mood and should be played with headphones on.The mature and well developed story is defiantly one of the main reasons to buy this game. It's a complex story with plenty of text bubbles to read and comparatively few voiced sequences. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together is however also well worth playing for its well-balanced party customization options and its excellent tactical combat. Don't let the sprite heavy, text intensive presentation put you off, anyone that truly enjoys deep, meticulously crafted RPG's will enjoy every second of this offering.PREMIUM EDITION - The game comes in a larger, well designed box, inside is a hardback, 44pg book with some character art, there is no extra information or world maps or the like which is a bit of a shame. The soundtrack is a UMD disc with 6 pieces including the Tactics Ogre overture. Nothing notable, but for the same price as the standard edition, obviously the better buy!)