Fans of the original 1997Final Fantasytitle can finally celebrate, as a remaster is arriving in the form ofFinal Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles. The remaster will take players back to the war-torn world of Ivalice, now fully voiced and upgraded to slick modern visuals that retain the classic’s charm and style. The remaster was announced during the June Sony State of Play, and is scheduled to release on September 30.
Though this isn’t very long to wait,Final Fantasy Tacticsfans may need something to tide them over while they wait for the remaster’s launch. Luckily, there’s been no shortage of tactical RPGs in recent years, withplenty of excellent tRPG titles available from the last five years. These games are love letters to tactic RPGs from studios big and small, and are well worth your time if you’re a fan of the genre.
10Jagged Alliance 3
Mercenaries For Hire Go Up Against A Corrupt Government
LikeFinal Fantasy Tactics,theJagged Alliancefranchise hails from the 90s, with the first game releasing in 1994, three years prior to theFFgame. The third installment from Haemimont Games was released in 2023 and maintains the feel and storytelling of the first game through a new 3-dimensional look. The tactical combat inJagged Alliancecenters oncontrolling mercenaries through various missions that can range from making money to overthrowing dictatorships.
Thethird game lets players loosein Grand Chien, a nation torn apart by forces vying for control over its natural resources and residents. Players cancontrol over 40 mercenaries, each with their own backstories and quirks,or create their own unitsto send out into traditional, grid-based tactical combat.
9Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga
Bring The World Back From The Brink Of War… Again
The Empire of Veridia has finally ceased its bloody fighting, but its troubles are far from over. Just as its residents begin to relax into a life of peace, the Empress is abducted by a power-hungry General with a very different view of how to lead the nation. As a new war looms in the wake of the abduction and the empire is thrown into unrest once again,it’s up to a young, inexperienced academy graduateto face off against the General and change the future of the world forever.
Thus begins the story ofSymphony of War: The Nephilim Saga, setting up a classic fantasy storyline for the game to follow. The title was clearly inspired by classic games likeFinal Fantasy Tactics, and features abeautiful retro style, a well-developed world, and engaging tactical battles.It’s an impressive title, especially considering that the development studio behind the title, Dancing Dragon Games, is atiny indie dev teammade up of only three permanent members and six freelancers.
8Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp
Cute And Colorful Tank Warfare
The remake of the first twoAdvance Warsgames rolled onto the Switch in 2023, bringing the 2001 and 2003 titles to a modern audience. The reboot maintains thecharm and vibrant colors of the original games,which were beloved around the world despite never being intended for release outside of Japan.
The games throw fans into a worldwide conflict where four nations, each associated with a color,fight for dominance across different types of terrain and climate. The reboot lets players relive (or experience for the first time) the tank-based battle system of the first two games in theAdvance Warsfranchise, which fall somewhere between tactics and strategy.
7Solasta: Crown of the Magister
Tactics And Strategy With A Dungeons & Dragons Twist
Tactics meetsDungeons & DragonsinSolasta: Crown of the Magisterfrom indie dev studio Tactical Adventures. The game was successfully funded in a 2019 Kickstarter campaign, raising €243,855 (about $279,000 USD) of its €180,000 goal, and was released the following year. The team is currently developing a sequel (no release date announced yet), and a demo is available to try on Steam.
Solastaused a turn-based grid battle system likeFinal Fantasy Tactics,but with aD&Dtwist. The game uses the SRD 5.1 ruleset, giving the character classes and playstyle more depth than theirFFcounterparts. The game is similar to the popular AAA titleBaldur’s Gate 3andincludes online multiplayer as well as a dungeon-making modeto craft your own adventures. CallingSolastaandBaldur’s Gate 3tactics games is admittedly a stretch, but if you love tactics andD&D, this might just be the mashup for you.
6The Last Spell
Tactics Meets Roguelite In A Bid To Rid The World Of Magic
The Last Spell,developed by indie studio Ishtar Games,mixes the features of a tactics RPG with roguelite elementsfor a unique take on the genre. Like many other tactics RPG worlds, this one has been waging war for hundreds of years. Unlike the other tRPGs, the people ofThe Last Spelltried to end the wars by casting the Cataclysm, a massive magical spell intended to stop the fighting once and for all.
Unfortunately, this spell had some unforeseen consequences, bringing hordes of monsters into the world and causing even more trouble than before. Now,players are tasked with protecting a group of magesas they attempt to cast the last spell that will banish magic from the world and bring peace back, hopefully without any other hiccups this time.
Players spend the daytime hours rebuilding their fallen defenses, training and positioning heroes, and preparing for the coming battle.Night ushers in the monsters, which have to be taken out with a combination of skills, spells, and other RPG elements.
5Triangle Strategy
Test Your Values In A Tactics RPG From Square Enix
From the team behind theBravely DefaultandOctopath Travelerseries comesTriangle Strategy,a Square Enix tactics game. Released in 2022, the game bears a striking resemblance to the originalFinal Fantasy Tactics.LikeTactics,Triangle Strategycenters on a war-torn land with tactical battlesplaying out across an isometric grid-based combat system.
“Triangle Strategyasks players to lead their troops to victory by being a good leader, or face the consequences.”
In addition to the typical strategic battles of the tRPG genre,Triangle Strategyadds several new mechanicsto play with. Players are tested on their sense of justice using three values—utility, morality, and liberty. In addition, getting the troops to do as you command will require convincing them that it’s the right choice to make, withevery major decision being put up to a vote. The game asks players to lead their troops to victory by being a good leader, or face the consequences.
4Fire Emblem: Three Houses
A Modern Take On A Tactics Classic
You can’t talk about tactics RPGs without a mention ofFire Emblem.Thelong-runningFire Emblemserieshas consistently set the gold standard for tactical games, featuring arich fantasy world with medieval influences and perpetual conflict.Fire Emblem: Three Housesis the latest game in the mainline franchise to use the tactical RPG style.
The 2019 game also incorporated time management and social interactions, in a new 3D style, for a game that retains the appeal of a tactics RPG with a modern twist. The story centers around Byleth, a teacher at an Officers Academy.Players can choose between three different houses, each representing a nation that’s trying to gain control over the continent of Fódlan. Your actions and strategy are called upon in battle in this entry in this classic franchise.
3Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark
Classic Tactics RPG Called By Many A “FF Tactics” Spiritual Successor
Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Markwas created by the small dev team 6 Eyes Studio, but it frequently draws comparisons toFinal Fantasy Tactics, with many fans calling itthe closest thing to the classicFinal Fantasygame you can get.Fell Sealdescribes itself as:
“Astory-driven, turn-based tactical RPG set in a fantasy world with a touch of steampunk.”
The story centers around the Arbiter Kyrie as she leads her troops through the world in an effort to maintain stability and help people resolve their conflicts with the help of the overseeing Immortals Council. As she goes about her work,Arbiter Kyrie discovers hidden corruption tainting the good deeds of the Council,throwing her into the middle of a worldwide conflict threatening to upend the delicate balance of good and evil.
2Unicorn Overlord
Overworld Exploration And A Unique Take On Tactics Combat
Unicorn Overlordis one of the mostwell-known modern tactics RPG. Created by Atlus and Vanillaware, the game combines the tried-and-true elements of a tactics RPG with unique features that set it apart from many other tactics games. The gameincorporates RPG-like overworld explorationthat’s often missing in the more linear games of the tactics genre.
It also takes a new approach to tactics combat,combining automatic skill activation with real-time battles,instead of the usual turn-based battles of tactics RPGs. Players can customize their characters and skills to optimize them for battle, shifting the flow of battle and changing their approach to the battlefield.
1Tactics Ogre: Reborn
Branching Storyline Where Choices Really Matter
Hailed by many as one of the best tactics RPGs of all time,Tactics Ogre: Rebornwas a modern restoration of the 2010 classic. The game plays out like a traditional tactics RPG, with a grid-based battle system, a huge selection of troops with unique skills and classes, and an intriguing tale.
But whereTactics Ogredeviates from traditional games is in its branching narrative. The game places players in the middle of a warring nation in the wake of its king’s death. Players must navigate through the conflict, making difficult decisions along the way and seeing these choices make a large difference in the way the events of the game play out.
Every playthrough ofTactics Ogreis different thanks to this unique narrative system. This means you’ll have plenty to do until the release ofFinal Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chroniclesas you discover this and other fantastic modern tactics RPGs.
