History VideoGame / OgreBattle

** ''Knight of Lodis'' features one to ''LordOfTheRings''. When the ogre Rimmon, dies, he regains his "human heart" and says "my precious".
** Another [[LordOfTheRings LOTR]] reference, albeit bafflingly inappropriate, was LostInTranslation: a plot-pivotal organization in Tactics Ogre are the Dark Knights Loslorien; little known fact, the Japanese language uses the same character for the sounds 's' and 'th'.

* MightyGlacier: Many of the larger beast characters, like Giants and Dragons. Octopi are stellar examples as well (that is, [[CaptainObvious if deployed in the water]]). You would think that would include Golems; however, see FakeUltimateMook above.

What made this game different from other Strategy {{RPG}}s of the time, such as ''VideoGame/FrontMission'' and ''FireEmblem'', was a RealTimeStrategy presentation, as well as its open endedness. One started out as a leader of a rebellion against an evil empire, who with the help of a seer named Warren tries to save, or conquer Xenobia. Depending on how one plays the game, one's reputation can have him be seen as evil - and he can create a kingdom far worse than the empire he toppled. On the opposite spectrum, he can also be seen as an example of pure good, and even go as far as to give up the throne to its rightful heir.

A pair of side games were also released: ''Ogre Battle: Legend of The Zenobia Prince'' for the NeoGeoPocket (in Japan only) and ''VideoGame/TacticsOgreTheKnightOfLodis'' for the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance.

* LiteraryAllusionTitle: Almost every installment's title has something to do with {{Queen}}, as does the overall series title.

* ShoutOut: Yasumi Matsuno loves the band {{Queen}}. Both "Ogre Battle" and "March of the Black Queen" are the name of Queen songs, and the stage "The Rhyan Sea" is a reference of the Queen song "Seven Seas of Rhye". The subtitle of Tactics Ogre, "Let Us Cling Together", is another Queen song.

* ArsGoetia: Many of the characters in Tactics Ogre and Videogame/OgreBattle64 are named for Goetic demons. Barbatos, Martym, Andoras, Haborym, Aloser, Forcas, Balzepho (originally Baalzephon), and Vapula, among others.
** Then many of these names were changed for the PSP rerelease.

* StoryBranching: ''VideoGame/TacticsOgre'', ''OgreBattle'', and ''VideoGame/TacticsOgreTheKnightOfLodis'' all have dranching stories that terminate a single ending, though ''OgreBattle'' gave you an additional ending based on your alignment and actions.

''Ogre Battle'' is a series of games created by [[Creator/YasumiMatsuno]]. The first game, ''VideoGame/OgreBattleTheMarchOfTheBlackQueen'', came out in Japan for the Super Famicom, and was later brought to the United States by Enix to the UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem. Later was re-released and touched up a slight bit for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation by Atlus, in a "Limited Edition" package, which was ironically more numerous than the earlier SNES version.

''Ogre Battle'' is a series of games created by [[Creator/Yasumi Matsuno]]. The first game, ''VideoGame/OgreBattleTheMarchOfTheBlackQueen'', came out in Japan for the Super Famicom, and was later brought to the United States by Enix to the UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem. Later was re-released and touched up a slight bit for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation by Atlus, in a "Limited Edition" package, which was ironically more numerous than the earlier SNES version.

''Ogre Battle'' is a series of games created by [[IvaliceAlliance Yasumi Matsuno]]. The first game, ''VideoGame/OgreBattleTheMarchOfTheBlackQueen'', came out in Japan for the Super Famicom, and was later brought to the United States by Enix to the UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem. Later was re-released and touched up a slight bit for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation by Atlus, in a "Limited Edition" package, which was ironically more numerous than the earlier SNES version.

** The Hawkman class and the character Canopus Wolph, of the special Vartan class, are inspired by the Hawkmen and their leader Vultan from ''ComicStrip/FlashGordon''. Although, the true inspiration may still be {{Queen}}, who did the soundtrack for the [[Film/FlashGordon 1980 Flash Gordon film]]. One of the tracks was titled "Vultan's Theme (Attack of the Hawk Men)." ComicBook/{{Hawkman}} is also based on ''Flash Gordon''.

* TookALevelInKindness: Deneb, who became less evil with every game. In ''VideoGame/OgreBattleMarchOfTheBlackQueen'' she was an absolutely evil witch, known for kidnapping and torturing people ForScience and so utterly horrible that ''not'' killing her in cold blood was considered an act of ''evil''. In ''VideoGame/TacticsOgre Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together'' she was just a servant of Nybeth, probably a bad guy but not given nearly as much emphasis on it. By ''VideoGame/TacticsOgreTheKnightOfLodis'' she was an eccentric but non-evil and even quite charming witch (oh, excuse us, "Witch♥") who ran a traveling magic shop, a role she reprised for the PSP remake of ''Let Us Cling Together''. Interesting to note that Knight of Lodis took place decades before Ogre Battle.

* TookALevelInKindness: Deneb, who became less evil with every game. In ''VideoGame/OgreBattleMarchOfTheBlackQueen'' she was an absolutely evil witch, known for kidnapping and torturing people ForScience and so utterly horrible that ''not'' killing her in cold blood was considered an act of ''evil''. In ''[[VideoGame/TacticsOgre Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together'' she was just a servant of Nybeth, probably a bad guy but not given nearly as much emphasis on it. By ''VideoGame/TacticsOgreTheKnightOfLodis'' she was an eccentric but non-evil and even quite charming witch (oh, excuse us, "Witch♥") who ran a traveling magic shop, a role she reprised for the PSP remake of ''Let Us Cling Together''. Interesting to note that Knight of Lodis took place decades before Ogre Battle.

* TookALevelInKindness: Deneb, who became less evil with every game. In ''VideoGame/OgreBattleMarchOfTheBlackQueen'' she was an absolutely evil witch, known for kidnapping and torturing people ForScience and so utterly horriblee that ''not'' killing her in cold blood was considered an act of ''evil''. In ''[[VideoGame/TacticsOgre Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together'' she was just a servant of Nybeth, probably a bad guy but not given nearly as much emphasis on it. By ''VideoGame/TacticsOgreTheKnightOfLodis'' she was an eccentric but non-evil and even quite charming witch (oh, excuse us, "Witch♥") who ran a traveling magic shop, a role she reprised for the PSP remake of ''Let Us Cling Together''. Interesting to note that Knight of Lodis took place decades before Ogre Battle.

* TookALevelInKindness: Deneb, who became less evil with every game. In ''VideoGame/OgreBattleMarchOfTheBlackQueen'' she was an absolutely evil witch, known for kidnapping and torturing people ForScience and so utterly horriblee that ''not'' killing her in cold blood was considered an act of ''evil''. In ''[[VideoGame/TacticsOgre Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together'' she was just a servant of Nybeth, probably a bad guy but not given nearly as much emphasis on it. By ''VideoGame/TacticsOgreTheKnightOfLodis'' she was an eccentric but non-evil and even quite charming witch (oh, excuse us, "Witch♥") who ran a traveling magic shop, a role she reprised for the PSP remake of ''Let Us Cling Together''.

This game was very popular in Japan, for its story, and well-executed, if different, gameplay. Its reception in the West was a little poorer, though; the original SNES version was skipped and instead it was released on the [=PlayStation=] in the wake of Matsuno's next game, the rather-successful ''FinalFantasyTactics'', and was perceived to be a shallow copy of a game which was, in actuality, its own SpiritualSuccessor. A [[VideoGameRemake remake]] for [[UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable PSP]] was announced in July 2010, re-subtitled ''[[TarotMotifs Wheel of Fate]]'' in Japan but keeping 'Let Us Cling Together' in English. Its original release achieved cult status at best in America, but the re-release is thus far getting great reviews, with some even preferring it to ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics''.

* TheObiWan: The protagonist of the first game towards Magnus, depending on how you play it.

* KarmaMeter: Two kinds: a meter that gives your army's overall reputation, and the "alignment" stat for individual units.
** The "Charisma" stat also qualifies - it moves in the same way that the "Alignment" stat does, except much slower - but advanced classes all require ''high'' charisma, meaning that the advanced evil classes are some of the hardest to get in the game (being high [=CHA=], low-to-mid [=ALI=])

''Ogre Battle'' is a series of games created by [[IvaliceAlliance Yasumi Matsuno]]. The first game, ''VideoGame/OgreBattleTheMarchOfTheBlackQueen'', came out in Japan for the Super Famicom, and was later brought to the United States by Enix to the SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem. Later was re-released and touched up a slight bit for the PlayStation by Atlus, in a "Limited Edition" package, which was ironically more numerous than the earlier SNES version.

This game was very popular in Japan, for its story, and well-executed, if different, gameplay. Its reception in the West was a little poorer, though; the original SNES version was skipped and instead it was released on the [=PlayStation=] in the wake of Matsuno's next game, the rather-successful ''FinalFantasyTactics'', and was perceived to be a shallow copy of a game which was, in actuality, its own SpiritualSuccessor. A [[VideoGameRemake remake]] for {{PSP}} was announced in July 2010, re-subtitled ''[[TarotMotifs Wheel of Fate]]'' in Japan but keeping 'Let Us Cling Together' in English. Its original release achieved cult status at best in America, but the re-release is thus far getting great reviews, with some even preferring it to ''FinalFantasyTactics''.

The third game in the series was ''VideoGame/OgreBattle64'' for [[SuperTitle64Advance (you guessed it)]] Nintendo64, also known as ''Ogre Battle: Person of Lordly Caliber, Episode VI''. Going back to the roots of the series, [=OB64=] featured a similar form of gameplay as ''Ogre Battle''. The hero of the game is a platoon leader named Magnus who at first works for a puppet government until eventually joining a rebellion to stop expansion of the Lodis empire, present in ''Tactics Ogre'' and mentioned in ''Ogre Battle''. Along the way he meets (and possibly clashes) with the protagonist of the first Ogre Battle game (Now called Destin). The game ends with a very large CliffHanger; stating that the villain from the first game is about to come BackFromTheDead.

A pair of side games were also released: ''Ogre Battle: Legend of The Zenobia Prince'' for the NeoGeoPocket (in Japan only) and ''VideoGame/TacticsOgreTheKnightOfLodis'' for the GameBoyAdvance.

* StoryBranching: ''VideoGame/TacticsOgre'', ''OgreBattle'', and ''TacticsOgreAdvance'' all have dranching stories that terminate a single ending, though ''OgreBattle'' gave you an additional ending based on your alignment and actions.

* TookALevelInKindness: Deneb, who became less evil with every game. In ''VideoGame/OgreBattleMarchOfTheBlackQueen'' she was an absolutely evil witch, known for kidnapping and torturing people ForScience and so utterly horriblee that ''not'' killing her in cold blood was considered an act of ''evil''. In ''[[VideoGame/TacticsOgre Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together'' she was just a servant of Nybeth, probably a bad guy but not given nearly as much emphasis on it. By ''VideoGame/TacticsOgreKnightOfLodis'' she was an eccentric but non-evil and even quite charming witch (oh, excuse us, "Witch♥") who ran a traveling magic shop, a role she reprised for the PSP remake of ''Let Us Cling Together''.

A pair of side games were also released: ''Ogre Battle: Legend of The Zenobia Prince'' for the NeoGeoPocket (in Japan only) and ''TacticsOgreTheKnightOfLodis'' for the GameBoyAdvance.

The series's next installment, ''[[TacticsOgre Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together]]'' (Episode VII), was the final game made by Matsuno before he left for other pastures. ''Tactics Ogre'' differed widely from ''Ogre Battle'': it was far less open-ended, it did not take place on Xenobia, it was a TurnBasedStrategy and focused on a much smaller group of people. ''Tactics Ogre's'' story followed Denam, his sister Catiua, and his friend Vyce as they joined a rebellion against a totalitarian regime run by Cardinal Balbatos. They soon were caught in the web of political intrigue, and forced to make unimaginable sacrifices for the freedom of their kinsmen. The storyline has multiple branches, and the choices Denam makes effect the state of the world around him, and the fates of him and his friends. It touches on the themes of class warfare, democratic reform, et cetera, and continues in the direction throughout, unlike its many counterparts which swerve into the direction of Magic Stones.

* OutOfFocus: This tends to happen for a lot of named characters. They don't want the plot hinging on someone who could have died a little while ago before they became really important. So the dev team for ''TacticsOgre'' uses the "Put them in the background; put in some other events if they show up/alter other events if certain characters are present in the player party". If the really crucial characters die, then you often get a game over or a major changing event. (ie, should Catiua die, the game continues on as if she committed suicide in a cutscene) However, in the ending, any named characters who joined you will get a closure scene. So if you recruited as many optional characters as you could, and kept ''everybody'' alive in ''TacticsOgre'', be prepared to sit through a much ''longer'' ending! And consider how many characters were part of a group, too - there are ''so'' many variations on the ending, too!

** ''Knight of Lodis'' is a little better about keeping the named characters in focus due to its much smaller cast in general as well as how there are fewer variations on the story. (ie, it's either Path A or Path B - in ''TacticsOgre, you had two chapter twos and three chapter threes) However; there are still a bit of variations on the two endings if certain pairs of characters survived or not. [[spoiler: You get a special scene if Rictor and Ivanna survive - I bet you didn't know that, did you?]]

* StoryBranching: ''TacticsOgre'', ''OgreBattle'', and ''TacticsOgreAdvance'' all have dranching stories that terminate a single ending, though ''OgreBattle'' gave you an additional ending based on your alignment and actions.
** When ''TacticsOgre'' was remade for the PSP, the "Wheel Of Fate" was added, allowing the player to see the shape of the story so far, and upon completing the game, allows them to go back and remake key decisions to see how it would have effected the story.

* TookALevelInKindness: Deneb, who became less evil with every game. In ''VideoGame/OgreBattleMarchOfTheBlackQueen'' she was an absolutely evil witch, known for kidnapping and torturing people ForScience and so utterly horriblee that ''not'' killing her in cold blood was considered an act of ''evil''. In ''VideoGame/TacticsOgreLetUsClingTogether'' she was just a servant of Nybeth, probably a bad guy but not given nearly as much emphasis on it. By ''VideoGame/TacticsOgreKnightOfLodis'' she was an eccentric but non-evil and even quite charming witch (oh, excuse us, "Witch♥") who ran a traveling magic shop, a role she reprised for the PSP remake of ''Let Us Cling Together''.

** The Hawkman class and the character Canopus Wolph, of the special Vartan class, are inspired by the Hawkmen and their leader Vultan from ''ComicStrip/FlashGordon''. Although, the true inspiration may still be {{Queen}}, who did the soundtrack for the [[Film/FlashGordon 1980 Flash Gordon film]]. One of the tracks was titled "Vultan's Theme (Attack of the Hawk Men)." {{Hawkman}} is also based on ''Flash Gordon''.

* SayItWithHearts: Deneb.

* TookALevelInKindness: Deneb, who became less evil with every game. In ''VideoGame/OgreBattleMarchOfTheBlackQueen'' she was an absolutely evil witch, known for kidnapping and torturing people ForScience and so utterly horriblee that ''not killing her in cold blood'' was considered an act of ''evil''. In ''VideoGame/TacticsOgreLetUsClingTogether'' she was just a servant of Nybeth, probably a bad guy but not given nearly as much emphasis on it. By ''VideoGame/TacticsOgreKnightOfLodis'' she was an eccentric but non-evil and even quite charming witch (oh, excuse us, "Witch♥") who ran a traveling magic shop, a role she reprised for the PSP remake of ''Let Us Cling Together''.

*** However, in Videogame/OgreBattle64, the numeric alignment is replaced with a visual scale representation of "lawful" and "chaotic", and in the game's context, "Lawful" doubles as "good".