Ogre Battle 64

"A few minor flaws, but they don't hamper the game's greatness at all."

You could not imagine my sheer excitement come Christmas. I was looking forward to it for my annual 100 dollar pick-me-up, and sure enough, there it lay under the Christmas tree, amidst all my other presents. I convinced Dad to take me to buy a game - specifically Ogre Battle 64, which I had borrowed, rented, and loved as my own. I hit 8 (yes, 8) stores before finding it (Thank you, Sears!). And I was no less disappointed.

Graphics:

The graphics aren't exactly the selling point of the game, but they definitely show a lot of effort on the part of the developers. The lighting effects (usually showcased during spells) are incredible - casting shadows, flickering, and so on. The character sprites are hard to get used to and there isn't much 3-D, but everything is clear and it's easy to tell an enemy unit from one of your own. The town settings are reused a lot, but they look good, and the battle stages are pretty well done (my favorites are Snow and the rare River). The battle map is well rendered and easy to navigate, and there aren't any camera problems.

Graphics get a 8/10.

Sound:

The music is varied and often good. It definitely suits the mood of the level - rushed, relaxed, or hostile. Unfortunately, Hugo's theme is intensely annoying after the 30th time hearing it, and there are other tracks that get on my nerves after frequent listening. Some of the tracks were also remixed from the original, such as the beginning menu and the first level.

As for sound effects, they are for the most part average. Basic slashes, grunts when dying, or the 'whoosh' when a spell is sent into the opponent. There is unfortunately no voice, but I'd rather read captions than listen to the same sayings over and over again.

Sound gets an 8/10.

Play Control:

Extremely basic. Point and click. Nothing to it.

Play control gets a 9/10.

Story:

Magnus Gallant, recent graduate of the Ischka (sp?) Military Academy, is looking to become a knight. He is sent to pick off a rebel faction, who are mainly lower class people who resent their poor treatment. Magnus, after a while, begins to see the truth, and defects to the rebels. The ragtag group soon expands, and they take on the most controlling force in Zeteginia - Lodis.

The story is extremely well put together with many assorted twists and turns (which I will not spoil for your sake). It starts a little cliched but develops extremely well. This is definitely one of the strong points of the game.

Story gets a 10/10.

Game Design/Play:

Ogre Battle will not fail to disappoint. There are more than 60 different characters to use (some clearly better than others, unfortunately - you'd think Vampires were good?), a lot of endings to see, and many, many choices to make and paths to follow. There is a huge set of equipment all for you to use, and so many little side quests and bits of story that it's just delightful. Almost every level has a treasure to find or a place to discover.

Game Design/Play gets a 10/10.

Buy or Rent? Well, this type of game is clearly not everyone's favorite, so I would suggest at least a rental before you buy it. And you should buy it.

Overall: Ogre Battle is an extremely well put together piece of art that pulled the Nintendo 64 straight out of the gutter - at least RPG wise, but a lot of people will agree with me generally. A rare gem indeed, Ogre Battle is a great addition to any gamer's library.

Ogre Battle gets a well-deserved 10/10.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 08/05/01, Updated 02/09/03