Ogre Battle 64

"Atlus's best game yet!"

Ogre Battle 64 was released for the Nintendo 64 in 1999 by Atlus and Quest. This game is a great tactical RPG on the N64, and probably the best. I give Atlus credit for making their best game yet.

Gameplay - 10/10
This game really makes its appeal here. You control the main character named Magnus and are first are asked a couple questions by what I like to call, the “President” of Ogre Battle 64. You will be given a party determining on the way you answered the questions. With different answers to the questions, a different party will be given, but this is only the start. You then deplore into tactical action displayed on the current location you are on. Different maps hold different locations. You dispatch many units to liberate many strongholds and fight some battles along the way. Time also changes from day to night along with days passing. Of course, as you fight battles, the unit that fought it will be given an amount of experience. Once the EXP level has reached 100, it will reset, causing another 100 to be gained. Depending on your unit's level, more experience will be given for weaker units while less experience will be given for stronger units.

A cool thing for this game is fatigue. As a unit is dispatched to a location, that unit's fatigue rating will increase very slowly. You can “camp” along the way the reduce it quickly but if it reaches it's max then that unit will have to camp regardless if enemy units are heading towards the camping one or not. You can break camp anytime as long as the meter isn't at it's very top.

In order to clear a stage (scene), you will have to take over the enemy leader's stronghold. As you complete a stage, you will progress to another along with scenes to add to the story and plenty of checking up on your party. You can even travel around wasting days to get to your birthday! Well on the World Map of the game, you will see places that you have already fought in and liberated. You can go back to these locations and investigate for items or creatures to add to your battalion or to train your characters at the training spot on the location. Progressing through scenes adds a whole other jump to this game which adds a lot to the replay value.

As you progress, you can recruit characters that will want to join your battalion. Depending on your actions and what the game calls, “Chaos Frame,” you may or may not be able to get these characters. You should refer to a FAQ posted on GameFAQs for info on the Chaos Frame. Some characters will join you if your Chaos Frame is high, while some will join you if it is low. This adds a lot of replay value to the game as you can get many characters depending on your Chaos Frame and the choices you make as you progress. A very interesting character that may join you is a Lycanthrope. If you don't know what that is, it is a person who turns into a werewolf at night. Very cool. This is a cool character that made me play the game over and over again just to get him. Just a neat little pro in the game.

Story - 10/10
The story is pretty interesting as it progresses. You start out as military graduates and are assigned to the Southern Division of Lodis (the United States in this game). Your orders are to eliminate a group of rebels called Revolutionary Army who only want peace among the world. Soon after, you end up joining the Revolutionary Army because you also believe in what they do. Now, as a small group with little power, you try to take out the remaining divisions among Lodis and bring an end to hatred. As you go deeper into the story, you can acquire characters to add a much-needed boost to your units. The battle tactics are still the same and gives tons of fun when eliminating the enemy units. I won't ruin anymore story for you.

Sound - 10/10
The sound is really great. Atlus and Quest did a real nice job with the scenes in between battles. If Magnus is happy after a battle, the game will play happy music. If something unexpected happens then the game will play startling music. If a dramatic scene occurs, then the game will play dramatic music. Hmm...such thought. Well, the battle music can get annoying if you play the game 24/7 and will have you humming them in your sleep. It's very catchy and great to listen to.

Graphics - 9/10
Well, not the greatest on the N64 but is still very good. A dispatched unit's picture will be represented by the unit leader. If it is Magnus, you will see Magnus walking around the screen. If the leader is a knight then a knight will walk around the screen. The “sprites” as most people call it are very cool looking as they trudge across the map. The trees, mountains, plains, barrens, and other forms of land all have definition. Your characters have to look in a certain direction in order to spot an enemy unit. Really realistic because if your back is facing at enemy, you can't see them! They also did a great job with the graphics.

Replay Value - 10/10
This game has tons of replay value as you can get many characters and cannot get some. For example, you need to have Aisha, Saradin, and Debonair in order to get Destin but you can't have any of those people if you want Biske (the werewolf dude) and Carth. Also, three different endings are possible depending on your Chaos Frame. If it's low, you'll get the bad ending. If it is in the middle, you'll get the okay ending. If it is high, you'll get the excellent ending. All endings are great to watch except for the bad one, which (I'm going to ruin it for you) Magnus gets rejected from Palatinus and his name is forgotten. Very sad. Don't be depressed as you can replay again and get the happy endings!

Rent or Buy?
I highly doubt you can rent this anymore as the local Blockbuster doesn't carry N64 games anymore. If your friend has the game, borrow it and never give it back. It's that excellent of a game it'll keep you busy for years. I remember renting it from Blockbuster every week until they recalled it back. If you ever find this game, BUY IT! The only REAL way to get it is to but it online at places such as eBay and Amazon(dot)com. You can buy it new for nearly $80 or buy it used for a cheap $30. But, missing the game as I did and cussing at Blockbuster caused me to buy it new for $120. It was worth my cash though as I still play it today! In other words, BUY!!!!

Ogre Battle 64 for the Nintendo 64 gets a 10/10.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/29/05