I'm not sure if you've noticed, but there have been a truly startling number of strategy and tactics RPGs released not just this year, but in recent years as well, with a lot more scheduled
I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but there have been a truly startling number of strategy and tactics RPGs released not just this year, but in recent years as well, with a lot more scheduled for the near future. Without even trying I was able to find well over a dozen of them fresh in the pot, ready to drink, or percolating for the near future. The sleeping subgenre, largely confined to consoles and mobile by a complacent or uncaring set of publishers, has exploded onto PC full force.
Among those who love these games they’re often called SRPGs, from the Japanese gaming culture phrase usually translated as « simulation » or « strategy » RPG. These were a mainstay of ’90s and turn-of-the-millenium gaming. Classics like the Fire Emblem games, Tactics Ogre, Shining Force, and Final Fantasy Tactics are beloved, but they fell off by the mid-2000s. Even these games weren’t always released widely, or were confined to the walled garden of Nintendo’s consoles.
Plus, recent big-budget RPGs from the likes of Square have focused on real-time combat and action mechanics, and so what’s left for the turn-based enjoyers? They’ve got a lot of indies for that, and—well, it turns out that most of them like tactics games as much, or more, than turn-based traditional RPGs.
The success of Fire Emblem: Awakening in 2012—and every Fire Emblem since—has finally well and truly translated into releases that come to PC. Starting a few years ago, as far as I can tell, a lot of indies just said « Well, shit, they never put these on PC, so I’ll make my own! » Now development is so much simpler and the genre so much more popular that we’re getting semi-retired industry pioneers—the creator of freaking Fire Emblem, for example—back in the SRPG-making game. Enough of that, though. Let’s get to the games.
Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga
Release date: June 10, 2022
(Image credit: Freedom Games)
OK, I’m partial to this one and I’m listing it first because it’s a recent hit. With over 3,200 reviews on Steam (opens in new tab), 96% of them positive, Symphony of War is a triumph of indie ingenuity. It’s also a great pick if you’re on Steam Deck. To avoid repeating myself, however, I’ll quote my recent review:
« There’s a simple delight to JRPG character customization. Extend that to an entire squad of characters on a tactical grid? Now you’ve got your classic strategy JRPG, like Fire Emblem or Final Fantasy Tactics. Extend it to an entire army of several dozen squads? That’s the rework you get in Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga. Setting out a buffet of customization around your army and its generals is just enough to shake up a genre that was quickly becoming one-note—even if the otherwise generic story does it no favors. »Triangle Strategy
(Image credit: Nintendo)
Release date: March 4, 2022 (Switch)
One of the games that prompted this article, Triangle Strategy was a pretty well-received SRPG that clearly « got » the genre. It’s published by Square, and comes from the same internal « Project » initiative and producer that brought us Octopath Traveler (which about a year after its Switch debut also brought its 2.5D aesthetic right onto PC, so fingers crossed Triangle Strategy follows suit).
Triangle Strategy has a funky plot focusing on the conflict between the ideologies of Utility, Morality, and Liberty. It boasts multi-tiered maps and a tactical focus on traversing different height levels—characters can do things like drop ladders so that others can get higher. It also uses a series of limited upgrade resources, ensuring you pick certain characters and stick with them.The DioField Chronicle
Release date: September 22, 2022
(Image credit: Square Enix)
Another big one from Square, The DioField Chronicle is to be a real-time tactical strategy RPG, which is a whole new thing as far as I know. You command your characters on the battlefield in real-time, directing their attacks ala an RTS.
