22. Vanguard Bandits. Best tactical RPGs 2021

Almost Tekken.

The creators of the legendary Clock Tower and the brilliant Twilight Syndrome may specialize in horrors, but Human Entertainment also gave us a great SRPG title; a title overshadowed by Final Fantasy Tactics and Fire Emblem, but still.

Vanguard Bandits is a game clearly inspired by the Front Mission franchise. Similarly to the series from Square, the game focuses on giant mech battles – except the game from Human Entertainment takes place not in the future but in the past, sometime around the Middle Ages.

Vanguard Bandits is a rather difficult game, which stems from the lack of so-called grinding. This means that there are few occasions to gather experience points and upgrade our units. Additionally, the game features a unique gameplay system that favors defensive tactics – that’s because we are unable to heal our warriors on the battlefield. Those elements make Vanguard Bandits a truly unique title for hardcore fans of the genre.

The game from Human Entartainment can now be easily bought in PlayStation Store and tested on PSP, S Vita, or PS3. Vanguard Bandits holds up rather good, and, despite rather dated visuals, provides as much fun as it did back in 1998. The game’s three story campaigns will have the fans spend dozens of entertaining hours.

21. Incubation: Time is Running Out

In its time Incubation was among the most beautiful games available on the market.

Incubation: Time is Running Out is a part of the somewhat forgotten series from Blue Byte Software. This 1997 title won the hearts of many a gamer and remains one of the best SRPG titles available on PC.

Time is Running Out is the fourth installment in the Battle Isle franchise, presenting the fate of the residents of planet Chroma. The story focuses on a mission of a team of space commandos sent to investigate an abandoned colony. As it turns out, a mysterious virus was responsible for the vanishing of the colonists. Our task is to survive and solve the problem, thus protecting our own homeworld from destruction.

Incubation is characterized by its mission design – the tasks are planned like puzzles. Jumping right in the thick of battle will only result in our commandos permanently dying. Thinking several steps ahead is what gets us results in this game, allowing us to take down even the strongest of enemies.

As we gather experience points, our soldiers gain new abilities and specializations. This makes us care about them as if they were our own family. In this aspect, Incubation resembles the X-COM series; its focus on direct combat and the lack of an additional management layer, however, places Time is Running Out right in the middle of SRPG canon.

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20. Othercide

The styling along with the difficulty level are Othercide's strong selling points.

Othercide stands out primarily for its visuals. The monochrome color palette is complemented by red, which highlights important elements during battles. The isometric perspective also works out perfectly.

The gameplay takes a handful of cues from the latest installment in the XCOM series and infuses it with Dark Souls inspiration, which is always expressed in a higher difficulty level and permadeath active. The heroines we send into battle are assigned to selected classes and we have to make sure that using their strengths complement each other in order to survive in clashes with overwhelming enemy forces.

Othercide somewhat went by without much publicity. The publisher seemingly neglected this game, probably harming it a little. If you get a chance to play, don't hesitate.

19. Ring of Red

Giant robots in the wild.

Fans of giant robots combined with turn-based action tend to remember only one series – Front Mission. There are, however, more similar productions available on the market. Ring of Red is one of such gems, definitely deserving to be mentioned in any discussion about the best SRPGs.

The game presents an alternative history of the world, in which Japan, having lost World War II, is occupied not only by the US, but also by Soviet Russia. Due to ideological differences, a new conflict erupts. From that point, the game more or less follows the historical events of the Korean War and the long-lasting conflict between South and North Korea; only reenacted in Japan. This political-fiction scenario turns out to be highly interesting and gives Ring of Red a truly unique character.

The story is not the only strong point of the game. Ring of Red focuses on gameplay that combines turn-based strategy with real time battles of giant mechs. We can assume direct control of their armaments and manually aim at enemy units. This makes the battles much more thrilling, giving the player direct influence over the course of battle.

Unfortunately, mediocre translation, which succesfully prevented most of the players from understanding the plot, and the below-average visuals resulted in low sales numbers. Konami scrapped any ideas they may have had for a sequel and the game itself was quickly forgotten.

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18. Stella Deus: The Gate of Eternity

Character design resembles earlier installments in the Persona franchise.

Stella Deus is one of the games that nobody’s ever heard of, being a Japansese game released just after the reveal of Xbox 360. A shame, because the work from the creators of the legendary Megami Tensei series certainly deserves more attention.

The Gate of Eternity tells the story of the attempts to open the eponymous gate. The world of Stella Deus stands on the brink of destruction after humanity has angered God. Or at least that’s how they explain the emergence of the mysterious fog that kills everything it touches. A group of people, however, inspired by a female shaman of a long-forgotten religion, embarks on a quest to find another explanation for the mysterious phenomenon. Their actions put them at odds with the rest of the world, making them heretics and blasphemers in the eyes of other people. The plot of the game focuses on the conflict between faith and science. This adds an intersting twist to the usual story about saving the world.

Gameplay-wise, Stella Deus is exactly what we could expect from yet another SRPG. Turn-based battles employing rock-paper-scissors mechanics and a throng of options when it comes to character development are what makes the game a pleasure to play.

Let’s not forget about the great visuals. After all, The Gate of Eternity was created by the people responsible for the earlier installments in the Persona series. This gives us a beautiful-looking game with an equally good combat system and intriguing plot.

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17. Shadowrun: Dragonfall – Director’s Cut

This particular blend of fantasy and sci-fi yielded surprisingly good results.

Shadowrun is a cult table-top RPG system that prompted a couple of great games over the last quarter of century. Arguably the best of them was Shadowrun: Dragonfall. The game perfectly blended an unusual, futuristic setting with rock-solid gameplay.

The unique asset of the Shadowrun universe is the mix of cyberpunk with magic and fantasy. The future world straight from Blade Runner is inhabited by trolls, orcs and elves. This combination provides a captivating setting for the protagonist’s adventures. This is Dragonfall’s punching power. The universe is complex and original, cherry-picking the best features of fantasy and sci-fi genres and serving them in one solid meal.

Shadowrun does a great job of combining traditional RPG with tactical fights. The players are free to roam the world and take all sorts of missions and quests. If an enemy is encountered, the game switches into tactical, turn-mode in which the player controls the protagonist and their companions. The main advantage of this solution is that it allows us to immerse in the game world better – in other SRPGs, if you’re not fighting, you’re probably watching cut-scenes of NPCs interacting with the protagonist. Not here: in Shadowrun: Dragonfall, players explore the bizarre cities themselves.

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16. Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume

A Japanese take on the Norse mythology turned out pretty gloomy.

There was a ton of great jRPGs and SRPGs for Nintendo DS. Finishing all of them would suffice for a couple of years of incessant gameplay, so not many people decide to go off the beaten track, marked by series such as Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest. We shouldn’t, however, forget gems like Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume.

Covenant of the Plume is the third installment in the series inspired by the Norse mythology, dishing up a world, in which everyone wants to be a warrior, and the only natural policy is war. The protagonist is a young, albeit experienced soldier. The kid is fed up with the glorification of conflict, but at the same time yearns for revenge on gods, whose machinations led to the death of his father and sister. The main theme of Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume, is rebellion against rusty traditions and “default” culture, to which one is born.

The game combines classic mechanics of tactical role-playing games with a strong focus on action-packed combat that became the trademark of the Valkyrie Profile games. The player can call other members of the party to perform a certain attack during fights, hence building up a combo that can be ended with a special finisher. This solution works great and gives Covenant of the Plume its unique flavor, which can’t be found in other games.

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15. Vandal Hearts II

Growing up isn’t easy.

Vandal Hearts II is another little gem from the fifth-gen consoles. The game stood out mainly because of the combat system, which rendered battles much more exciting. It’s also a rare specimen from Konami’s golden era – let’s remember that the discussed title was released at roughly the same time as Metal Gear Solid and Silent Hill.

The story of Vandal Hearts II focuses on a hero living in a land ravaged by a civil war. The bloody conflict is a background for the boy’s jurney towards adulthood and his development. The protagonist wishes to build a great army that could maintain peace in the kingdom. The plot is full of intrigues and choices that allow to reach the ultimate goal with different methods. Vandal Hearts II has as many as nine endings, determined by decisions made both on the battlefield and elsewhere.

Konami’s inventive combat system was called Dual-Turn. Its premise was simple: enemy units move at exactly the same time as ours, which forces the player to take more possibilities into consideration. It totally changes the feel as compared to other turn-based games. The unique mechanic is what makes Vandal Hearts II a mandatory game for every SRPG aficionado out there.

14. Langrisser I&II

Rest assured, skirmishes are simpler than they may seem.

The Langrisser series is not the most famous in the genre, although it has its loyal fans. The remake of the first two installments, which debuted in the early 1990s, surprised many people with its execution. Not only did the developer decide to refresh the visuals, but also made it possible to play using the original pixel-art graphics.

While the story is pretty cliché (a fantasy world where forces of good and evil clash), the gameplay comes across much better. The action is observed from top-down perspective, but we do not have direct control over the clashing armies. So, we need to make sure that our soldiers are properly trained. And it should be noted that we irreversibly lose fallen generals.

1. More about Langgrisser I & II.

13. Grand Kingdom

The UI in Grand Kingdom is hardly minimalistic!

Grand Kingdom is the most recent game on our list. Released in 2016, it remains one of the most original tactical role-plays to ever hit the European market. For this reason alone, Monochrome Corporation’s game had to be included in our summary.

We play the part of a leader of a mercenary group, which is a part of a larger structure, unifying numerous soldiers of fortune. Four kingdoms wage ceaseless wars, and it’s entirely up to the player which side they’ll choose to support.

Grand Kingdom is a game for new generation consoles, so it allows us to take advantage of all the blessings brought to us by the Internet. In the game, we take part in battles fought against other players. We sign contracts with either side of the conflict and fight in battles, the outcome of which is determined by the decisions made by all of the participants, which in turn shapes the game world. This fascinating system actually makes Grand Kingdom a game without an end, especially if you get the chance to fight against other players.

In terms of the battle model, Grand Kingdom may evoke some Darkest Dungeon associations. We watch the battles from the side, and positioning of units is the key to fully utilizing the combat abilities of our avatars. Every attack has to be performed at a certain distance from the target; being in the right place is the most important factor.

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12. Wasteland 3

If you're bored of sand-filled wastelands, then the ice-covered lands of Wasteland 3 will be salvation.

Wasteland 3 has learned a lot from the criticism of the previous installment of the series, which was far from perfect in terms of graphics and tech polish. The third installment in this iconic series is not only much prettier, but also runs and works much better.

The gameplay in the third installment of the Wasteland series has not changed too much. Exploration of the frozen lands is intertwined with turn-based battles, development of your own settlement, and many conversations, which use a dialogue system similar to the one from Torment: Tides of Numenera.

The production of the inXile studio is more of a classic RPG than a typical sRPG similar to Japanese productions, but as in the case of Divinity: Original Sin, this doesn't interfere with any of the fun. So, if the Japanese vibes found elsewhere on this list don't seem to suit you, the more down-to-earth Wasteland 3 will be a good choice.

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11. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked

Godzilla isn’t the only abnormal problem of Tokio – demons roam here, too.

Shin Megami Tensei is a series of outstanding jRPG games that most of the time seem to be overshadowed by Persona – a spin-off of the series. Devil Survivor is another side installment of SMT that’s an obligatory part of every jRPG lover’s collection.

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor depicts an unforeseen invasion of demons in contemporary Tokyo. The game’s protagonist and his friends are given uncanny machines that allow them to communicate with and conjure the creatures. It’s their only hope in the city overrun by supernatural beasts. The situation becomes even direr when the protagonist finds he can now see clocks above other people’s heads, which are counting down the time they have left. The goal is to persevere and influence the fate of our fiends – otherwise all of them will be dead within a week.

Devil Survivor successfully combines elements typical of an SRPG with the MegaTen trademark. Our character can negotiate with enemies and convince them to join our side. The comprehensive system of our opponents’ character and mood allows us to engage in conversations with demons.

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor initially wasn’t officially released in Europe, so the owners of Nintendo DS had to do without the game for some time. Fortunately, an enhanced edition titled Overclocked was eventually released – it had a little bit better graphics, audio and dialogues, as well as an additional story chapter.

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