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No, this is not about a game show/turn-based strategy genre mash up. It's about the return of the Ogre series with the re-release of Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together on PSP. It's also about one little change to a game that has big consequences: the ability to rewind time, both on the battlefield and even to key turning points earlier in the story. That's where the "Wheel of Fortune" comes in.
This Ogre will be "the perfect version of the original Tactics Ogre game," says Square-Enix's Andy Ahn. He promises about 30% more story, a refined battle system and UI, and, as previously mentioned, the Wheel of Fortune.
Like in the Fire Emblem series, when a character dies in Tactics Ogre, he stays dead. But you don't just lose a party member — the game's branching, decision-based storyline may shift as well. But with the Wheel of Fortune, you can rewind a battle by up to 50 turns. Play through the same way again and you'll get the same outcome, but if you vary your tactics you'll get a different result — hopefully one where everybody lives.
Will that dumb down the gameplay? Maybe. Personally, I know I'd rather rewind time back a bit than reload a save and have to repeat an hour-long battle to get back to where I was. But I'm a wimp these days.
The original Tactics Ogre was also known for its branching paths and multiple endings, which required numerous playthroughs to witness. The Wheel of Fortune works here, too: You can reset your progress to an earlier decision point and opt for a new path forward. It's not completely painless, though — you'll lose whatever progress you had previously made after that point in the story, which could be tens of hours.
I'm curious about how this will all play out, and if it improves the game or not. But it's interesting to see a mechanic we're familiar with in other genres pop up here, and in both micro and macro forms.
