The first video game in the series, ', was released in 1993 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in Japan, and two years later in North America. The title was a real-time strategyrole playing game, set in a medieval fantasy world. The second game in the series, ', was released in 1995 in Japan. It was a turn-based tactical role-playing game making use of isometric graphics, and the title is largely considered to be "exceptionally influential" to the genre. Two subsequent games in the Ogre Battle series – ' and ' – follow the real-time strategy gameplay of the original title in the franchise, while follows the turn-based tactical role-playing gameplay elements of the second game in the series. The Knight of Lodis, released in 2001, is the last original release in the franchise. In 2010, Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together was remade for the PlayStation Portable, but the characters, story and setting are identical to the 1995 release. The creator of the series, Yasumi Matsuno, directed the remake of the game. Matsuno was also responsible for another highly influential title, Final Fantasy Tactics, originally released in 1997. Though the title bears no relation to the Ogre Battle series, Final Fantasy Tactics is considered by some critics to be a spiritual successor to Tactics Ogre. As of 2016, the franchise mostly remains active through re-releases of the first two games for the Nintendo's Virtual Console service in Japan, North America and Europe.
Video games
Main series
Side stories
Reception
Among critics, the series was acclaimed both in Japan and North America. According to the review aggregatorGameRankings, the SNES release of March of the Black Queen has an average aggregate rating of 84%, while the PlayStation port of Let Us Cling Together has an average of 81%. Ogre Battle 64 has an average of 86% and The Knight of Lodis 84%. In Japan, gaming magazine Weekly Famitsu scored the Super Famicom releases of March of the Black Queen and Let Us Cling Together 33/40 and 34/40, respectively. The magazine also provided high scores for Ogre Battle 64 and The Knight of Lodis, while Prince of Zenobia received a slightly lower score, 28/40. The PSP remake of Let Us Cling Together is the most critically acclaimed release in the series, with an average of 88% at GameRankings and a score of 36/40 from Weekly Famitsu.
