New Tactics Ogre Gaiden details, media

[05.02.01] » First concrete story and gameplay information on the GBA sidestory to Tactics Ogre.

   New information has surfaced on Tactics Ogre Gaiden, which reveals how the game will fit into Ogre Battle Saga and some of the changes the developer is making to the original title's gameplay.

  The Game Boy Advance sidestory to Quest's seminar strategy RPG now carries the tentative subtitle "The Knight of Lodis," a reference to the island nation which has served as a main enemy in many of the past series games. Though the handheld installment will not be a complete chapter in the saga, it will detail events leading up to the Valerian War which preceded Tactics Ogre. The story will take place in a new area of the Ogre Battle world, as players take on the role of a lowly knight in a small dukedom in the west of Galicia. Though no concrete plot details are known, the story should bridge the gap between chapter 6, Ogre Battle 64, and chapter 7, Tactics Ogre.

   As with Ogre Battle 64, Quest seems to be building off the basic gameplay of the past title while adding a few new refinements. Many of the main features of Tactic Ogre's turn-based battle system will return for the handheld version; every unit will once again have a certain level of 'compatibility' the each type of terrain, elevation and facing will be a large factor in the battles, and weather effects will have an increased significance. Not only will troops with the proper elemental alignment receive stat bonuses in the proper weather conditions, as in Tactics Ogre, but it will not be possible to change the conditions of the field with more powerful weather spells, such as a flash flood or a heavy snow storm. Tactics Ogre's somewhat tedious training mode will be making a return, but players will now be able to link two GBAs together to train against human opponents. The battles will also retain much of the scope of Tactics Ogre -- the maps will as large as 32 x 32 squares and players will be able to take up to 8 units into battle.

   Tactics Ogre Gaiden: The Lodis Knight is scheduled for release in Japan sometime this summer. No US publisher has been announced, but Atlus or Nintendo themselves may be bringing the game stateside later in the year. In the meantime, take a look at 12 new screenshots of the game in action.