The list so far: The Definitive 50 N64 Games

Quest’s legendary Ogre Battle franchise started out on the SNES with Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen. It got a similarly long-named sequel on the N64 with Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber.

Ogre Battle 64 is a strategy RPG – a true rarity for the N64. Taking into consideration its mostly pre-rendered graphics, in addition to its genre, the game would probably feel more at home on the Super Nintendo or even PlayStation. That just makes it stand out all the more on the 64 though.

You play as Magnus Gallant, a recent military graduate from the Kingdom of Palatinus who begins his career suppressing rebellion, but ultimately joining the revolution.

As with the original Ogre Battle, you don’t control your characters directly. Instead, you manage their equipment and arrange them into units through a menu, and merely send them out to do your bidding.

You organize your troops on 3×3 grids, with up to 5 characters per unit. Logically, it’s best to maximize the usefulness of your stronger melee fighters by putting them up front, and keeping your ranged attackers protected in the back. Units can be equipped with items you buy or find and levelled up through experience in battle. By combining the right stats with the right equipment, you can also up a character’s class.

Each unit also requires a leader, and protecting him or her is vital. Lose the leader, and the whole unit is defeated. This can work in your favour too, because the same rule applies to enemies. Actually, commanding your troops to attack an opposing leader is one of the few options you have in-battle. Other than that, you kind of have to sit on the sidelines and watch your fighters do their own thing.

After organizing your units, Ogre Battle’s strategy is more about directing your units on the map. Across Ogre Battle’s levels, you dispatch your units from your starting stronghold and direct them on where to go. You can send them to confront enemy units and capture strongholds, but make sure they stay adequately rested, and don’t let them get too far from your other units, or they could end up cornered.

With all of its strategic depth, 43 missions, and six possible endings to try to find, Ogre Battle 64 is a serious undertaking. It also contributes some much needed variety to the action, shooting, and racing heavy N64 line-up.

Let me know what you think of Ogre Battle and the Definitive 50 in the comments section below. Don’t forget to like this video, share this video, and subscribe. Check back next week for entry #13 on the Definitive 50 N64 games.