Went into this thinking there was no way I wouldnt love Tactics Ogre? I love turn based and strategy games, this is a classic, the art is gorgous, what could go wrong?
Unfortunately bounced off pretty hard due to how slow this game is in every facet. Fights are very slow-paced - movement speeds are low, damange numbers are low, hp pools are high - which, for me, made proper planning and strategizing very difficult. If flanking an enemy takes 8 turns, maybe deathballing down the middle and slowly grinding out the W becomes the more attractive option.
The campaign is slow as well. Everyone is very wordy (not a negative, just adds to the pacing of the game) and there are a lot of filler engagements between plot moments.
Even recruiting new teammates takes forever: Weaken the enemy, get the right character with the right ability into position, use the ability (which is a % chance, and not a kind one), fail, tank their damage, heal up, use the ability again, repeat. Bonus frustration guaranteed when you have an AI controlled Guest character in the party, who sees the 5 hp dragon you were trying to recruit and decides their big moment is now.
There is still a very solid strategy game in there, the plot is interesting & politically complex for its time, AND you can recruit an octopus, who are the best animals! But I thought I would obsess over this, and instead I just kinda like it a bit
Unfortunately bounced off pretty hard due to how slow this game is in every facet. Fights are very slow-paced - movement speeds are low, damange numbers are low, hp pools are high - which, for me, made proper planning and strategizing very difficult. If flanking an enemy takes 8 turns, maybe deathballing down the middle and slowly grinding out the W becomes the more attractive option.
The campaign is slow as well. Everyone is very wordy (not a negative, just adds to the pacing of the game) and there are a lot of filler engagements between plot moments.
Even recruiting new teammates takes forever: Weaken the enemy, get the right character with the right ability into position, use the ability (which is a % chance, and not a kind one), fail, tank their damage, heal up, use the ability again, repeat. Bonus frustration guaranteed when you have an AI controlled Guest character in the party, who sees the 5 hp dragon you were trying to recruit and decides their big moment is now.
There is still a very solid strategy game in there, the plot is interesting & politically complex for its time, AND you can recruit an octopus, who are the best animals! But I thought I would obsess over this, and instead I just kinda like it a bit