Strategy Retro Games

Despite being released over two decades ago, Final Fantasy Tactics is still praised by many as being one of the greatest and most influential strategy games ever made. The game features a compelling narrative by Yasumi Matsuno (who later created Final Fantasy XII and Vagrant Story), lovable characters, and incredibly deep gameplay mechanics. The Job System allows players to customize their entire party in unique ways, ensuring the game never becomes predictable or stale. The challenging nature allows for serious storytelling while the pacing ensures there's never a dull moment.

Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together is truly one of the greatest strategy RPGs ever made. Released in 1995 in Japan, it pushed the Super Famicom's graphic and audio capabilities beyond their perceived limits and laid down the template for pretty much every isometric strategy RPG for decades afterward. While Final Fantasy Tactics made the genre commercially mainstream, Tactics Ogre adds replayability through its branching narrative where allies can become enemies based on player choices, creating three distinct story paths. The series stands as one of the pillars of the strategy RPG.

Advance Wars rightly takes the top spot among GBA strategy games and has been heralded as one of the greatest strategy games of all time. Intelligent Systems created a positively stunning turn-based strategy title that IGN called an absolute must-have for the GBA. The game features 18 different units, terrain that affects mobility and combat stats, weather conditions affecting visibility and strategy. Unlike SRPGs like Fire Emblem, Advance Wars is pure strategy where success is based entirely on tactics and decisions. It is credited as a trendsetter, with its influence seen in newer games like Wargroove.

The seventh entry in the Fire Emblem series is by far the most important game in the franchise, as it introduced Fire Emblem to Western audiences in 2003. Its greatest strengths are its amazing sprite work, which holds up even today, and its elegant simplicity. The 2D sprites truly captivated players with intricately done artwork that remains some of the best in the series. With dragons to slay, epic collectibles, and some of the best explorable levels on the GBA, The Blazing Blade defined tactical RPGs for an entire generation of Western gamers.

The PSP remake of the legendary PS1 game features an amazing new translation, a revamped control scheme, and gorgeous new anime-style cutscenes. These additions allowed the outstanding gameplay to shine without obstacle and produced a game that earned an Editor's Choice award from multiple RPGFan reviewers. Community votes consistently place it at #1 among PSP tactic games, with over 800 gamers ranking it as the best tactical RPG on the platform.

Advance Wars: Dual Strike received universal acclaim according to Metacritic and won Best Strategy Game for the DS from IGN in 2005. It earned the Editor's Choice Award from both IGN and GameSpot, and GameSpy awarded it Game of the Month. The DS dual-screen functionality added new strategic layers while maintaining the pure tactical excellence of the GBA originals. Community rankings consistently place it at #1 among DS strategy games.

This 1993 real-time tactical RPG by Yasumi Matsuno is outstanding as a strategy game. It features one of the first console games to have multiple endings (twelve possible), fantastic orchestral music, and unique quasi-real-time combat. Nintendo Power listed it as #180 in their Top 200 Games on Nintendo systems. Fans consistently praise its tons of content to unlock, immense replay value, and unique gameplay style that blends RTS and RPG elements in ways rarely attempted since.

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon is described as the best strategy game on the DS by The Gamer. This DS remake of the original Famicom Fire Emblem brought series favorite Marth to Western audiences for the first time in an accessible format. The remake adds modern polish: cleaner grid visuals, mid-battle saves, a slicker UI, and core series mechanics like the weapon triangle. It's a highly polished and well-balanced example of strategy gaming and one of the strongest turn-based strategy experiences on the DS.

If you want a strategy RPG you can sink hundreds, if not thousands, of hours into, Disgaea is the one. Every battle is a complex system of interlocking gameplay mechanics where you can manipulate the properties of the tiles themselves. In many ways, it's more like a puzzle game than an RPG. You can level up weapons by diving into one hundred levels of battles inside every weapon. The quirky storyline follows Laharl, an aspiring Overlord, with lighthearted dialogue and explosive character interactions.

FFTA features five playable races and dozens of different classes or jobs. Its unique Laws system where a judge decides the rules for every battle (banning certain weapons, items, or spells) adds another layer to the FFT game loop. Players must think outside the box or deal with consequences of breaking a law. This adds strategic depth that makes every battle feel fresh and challenging in ways the original FFT didn't achieve.

Level-5's cult PSP classic is one of the most accessible games in the tactics genre, with a gentle introduction to strategic battle basics and clear tutorials. The Burning Aura system rewards units who team up to attack the same enemy, while Jeanne herself can use a fantastic transformation power that allows continued attacks after kills. This magical, demon-fighting version of the historical figure leads one of the deepest and most creative tactical RPGs on the system. Some consider it even better than Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.

Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis follows Alphonse through a tale of treachery, violence, and the never-ending despair of war. This game doesn't pull any punches; the world is bleak and gloomy. One of the most underrated game franchises, Knight of Lodis delivers the signature Tactics Ogre depth on portable hardware. The story of mysterious occurrences on the island of Ovis creates an atmospheric tactical experience that rivals console counterparts.

Front Mission 3 is a tactical role-playing game that has been looked on more favorably as years have gone by. Instead of swords and sorcery, players control pilots fighting in large bipedal mechs (wanzers). What makes it unique is that each wanzer has body, left arm, right arm, and legs - each with their own health bar that can be optimized. For players preferring a militaristic or sci-fi theme, Front Mission offers a great alternative that retains similar gameplay to traditional SRPGs while feeling completely fresh.

Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones is one of the most approachable entries in the Fire Emblem series and laid groundwork for Fire Emblem: Awakening. It introduced a world map with grinding potential and multiplayer through the Link Arena where players could fight to the death as individuals or groups. It's considered a contender for the easiest game in the series, making it an excellent entry point while still offering the deep tactical combat the franchise is known for.

Super Robot Taisen OG2 is more than just a mecha-themed RPG; it's a celebration of the genre. Its engrossing story, complex characters, and tactical depth make it a must-play for fans of GBA strategy RPGs. The gameplay is a mixture of Fire Emblem and Front Mission while having unique elements. With a completely redesigned UI and longer attack animations, OG2 established itself as more than just a sequel. It was also the first Super Robot Wars game commercially released overseas.

The Sword of Hajya has deep combat for a Game Gear game, managing to take the best elements of the Genesis Shining Force games and compress them into a tinier 8-bit adventure. Players need strategy to finish battles, and the developers made every battle feel different. Electronic Gaming Monthly praised its musical score, graphics, and lengthy play time. VideoGames magazine awarded it Best Game Gear Game of 1994, and Retro Gamer included it in their top ten Game Gear games.

The sequel to the acclaimed original takes strategy RPG combat and applies it to modern armed conflict with even more units, COs, and strategic depth. Building on the near-perfect foundation of the first game, Black Hole Rising adds new Commanding Officers with unique abilities, more complex maps, and refined gameplay. It's part of what made the GBA the definitive platform for portable strategy gaming.

When it comes to meat and potatoes strategy role-playing, nothing tops this - no matter the console. Brigandine is structured like Dragon Force, putting the player into the role of a monarch conquering the continent of Forsena. The battle system is smooth and intuitive - concise but varied. Summoned monsters gain experience and can change classes, but if they die, they're gone for good. This adds a whole new strategic element. Original copies now sell for upwards of $300, testament to its cult classic status.

Written by Nobuya Nakazato (heavily involved in Konami's Contra series), Vandal Hearts features very good tactical combat and a deep story. Similar to Tactics Ogre and Final Fantasy Tactics but much more bloody, it offers a distinctive take on the SRPG formula. Anyone looking for a fantasy strategy game to get stuck into will have a blast, as the game brilliantly balances its complex story with strategic combat. It was one of the first major tactical RPGs on the PlayStation.

Part of Koei's Historical Simulation line focused on Japan's Sengoku period, Nobunaga's Ambition offers strategic complexity few other series can match. Computer Gaming World called it one of the best strategic war games ever designed. Next Generation listed the series as #34 on their Top 100 Games of All Time. As of 2018, the series has shipped over 10 million copies worldwide. Players can choose from four campaign scenarios and work toward unifying Japan, managing diplomacy, economy, and warfare.