Summary
- ASH: Archaic Sealed Heat is a hidden gem JRPG with a unique tactical experience on the DS.
- Bahamut Lagoon offers a linear tactical RPG with powerful dragon allies in a turn-based layout.
- Children of Zodiarcs emphasizes dice rolls, card selection, and challenging gameplay.
Tactical RPG fans have a lot of choices spread across the various consoles out there including the Steam Deck. Nintendo’s biggest tactical series is Fire Emblem which they have grown closer to over the past decade. PlayStation fans have seen a smattering of random things like Final Fantasy Tactics and the various Disgaea games.
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Those are all great franchises but not every tactical RPG has been blessed with countless sequels or even one. These examples, not tied to any pre-existing franchise, only got one shot. So, while Pokemon Conquest was only one game, it is tied to the larger Pokemon and Nobunaga’s Ambition franchises, thus it doesn’t count. Here are some great examples that do count though.
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ASH: Archaic Sealed Heat
A Lost Mistwalker Gem
- Developers: Mistwalker, Racjin
- Publisher: Nintendo
- Platform: DS
- Released: October 4, 2007
ASH: Archaic Sealed Heat is one of the few games that Mistwalker developed that did not get released officially in the West. It’s a tactical RPG not connected to any of the other Mistwalker projects under Hironobu Sakaguchi, who also helped create Final Fantasy within Square Enix.
Players will move around a grid like in a typical tactical RPG but when players attack, things will phase into a turn-based battle. The system is similar to Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor which did get released in North America. For those interested, there has been some effort on an English fan patch for ASH: Archaic Sealed Heat and it is worth it to see this unique tactical experience on the DS.
6
Bahamut Lagoon
The King Of Tactical Dragons
Bahamut Lagoon
- Released
-
February 9, 1996
- Developer(s)
-
Square Enix
Most Square Enix fans know Bahamut as a Summon in the Final Fantasy series. In the glory days of the SNES, they had other plans with The King of Dragons but Bahamut Lagoon was not tied to Final Fantasy at all. It was a linear tactical RPG wherein Hero units could move across a grid-based map.
When they engaged with an enemy, battles would switch to a typical turn-based layout. Heroes could have a squad of soldiers with them divided into classes along with powerful dragon allies. Magic could be used in the field as well before engaging in turn-based battles.
5
Children Of Zodiarcs
Roll The Dice
- Developer: Cardboard Utopia
- Publisher: Square Enix
- Platform: PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One
- Released: July 18, 2017 (NA)
There was a point in the mid-2010s when Square Enix started funding indie projects via their Square Enix Collective branding. Children of Zodiarcs was one of those projects that was developed by a studio in Montreal, Cardboard Utopia, for Square Enix so it’s still framed in the guise of a JRPG. It’s a throwback to old-school tactical games with no voice acting and a heavy emphasis on dice.
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Every action players take requires the roll of the dice which can increase attack power, grant bonuses, and improve accuracy. There’s also some card selection in the mix too and this tactical game is not an easy one to master.
4
Code Name: S.T.E.A.M.
A Folklore X-Com
Code Name: S.T.E.A.M.
- Released
-
March 13, 2015
- Publisher(s)
-
Nintendo
Intelligent Systems is a developer known for its tactical RPG prowess thanks to the Fire Emblem series. Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. is a bit different as the gameplay is more in line with the X-Com franchise. Characters are based on folklore and older books like The Lion from The Wizard of Oz appear.
Aliens are invading Earth and President Lincoln commands a secret organization hellbent on stopping paranormal threats. Characters use steam to move and act on their turns and leftover reserves can have characters counterattack when enemies move. Despite their legacy, Intelligent Systems was not given another game to develop.
3
Jeanne d’Arc
A Magical Reimagining Of A Classic War
Jeanne d’Arc
- Released
-
November 22, 2006
- Publisher(s)
-
Sony Computer Entertainment
Jeanne d’Arc was a one-off from Level-5 on the PSP. It was a historical reimagining of the war between England and France involving Joan of Arc with a twist. This European countryside was filled with magic and anthropomorphic animals.
The tactical battles played out on traditional grid-based maps wherein units could move and attack enemies. The big gimmick revolved around magical bracelets that could turn certain units into powered-up versions of themselves like a Power Rangers transformation. It was a nice way to help differentiate itself from other tactical RPGs at the time.
2
Kartia: The Word Of Fate
A More Demonic Pokemon Tactics
Kartia: The World Of Fate
Tactical
RPG
Narrative
Fantasy
Kartia: The Word of Fate was developed by Atlus and it had some big names attached to it. Kouji Okada was the producer and he had directed and produced several Shin Megami Tensei games before this. Art was handled by Yoshitaka Amano who had worked on concept art for Final Fantasy since the beginning.
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Battles were handled on grid-based maps but instead of hero units doing all of the fighting, they could summon monsters in large quantities to aid them too. This gave the gameplay an RTS edge to it that not many tactical RPGs have tried and it’s a shame this game was a PS1 one-off.
1
Lost Dimension
There’s A Traitor In Your Midst
- Developer: Lancarse
- Publisher: Atlus
- Platform: PS3, PS Vita
- Released: July 28, 2015 (NA)
Lost Dimension was developed by Lancarse who had worked with Atlus on several projects like the first two Etrian Odyssey games. This tactical RPG has no grid and players can instead move freely on their turn before taking action.
The game is about an elite squadron of psychics shortly who are sent in to stop a group of terrorists but there is a twist. As players progress, they have to figure out who is a mole for this terrorist group and the results differ with each playthrough. Think of it like Among Us meets Valkyria Chronicles and that’s about the sum of it.
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