My first... and few dips into the genre of tactical RPGs was Final Fantasy Tactics when I was a youngster. I remember those long nights playing in the dark room and pretending to be sleep when the times call for it very fondly. Many, many years have passed and to this day, I still think back to that game with a deep desire to play again. I just loved it so much and it was such a great time. I forgot my main point, but yea, I loved this video and I definitely need to get back into it. I need to try Triangle Strategy now!

Shining Force will always be my favorite. From the moment I got my first SEGA Genesis and saw the screenshot of a Centaur fighting a Dwarf, I knew I had to play that game, and it introduced me to my favorite RPG genre.

I *LOVE* TRPGs, largely because 1) I adore the character progression you typically see in these games, with branching paths for each character (the one thing holding Triangle Strategy from being my game of the year) and 2) I have a soft spot for political intrigue stories, and TRPGs tend to have a monopoly on these types of stories.

Loved this video! I think you've done an excellent job selling the genre and preparing JRPG fans to ease into it. I shared it with a discord I'm on in hopes of getting some people to take a chance on some sweet sweet tactics. I also really enjoyed the process of getting to contribute to the video via your calls for comments in the community. Very cool.

Thank you for a video which is both thorough and inspirational. I am a lifelong fan of Tactical RPG's and you have done a great job summarizing the strengths that drew me to this genre many years ago. Please make more content about the games you love to play. I added 4 games to my wish-list just from watching this video.

As someone who has bounced off of the TRPG genre for years now, this was just the motivation I needed to give them a try again. I appreciate the thoroughness of the suggestions from you and the community, thank you!

I always thought of Tactical RPGs as advanced chess games, lol. I'd never even seen non-grid ones! Thanks for all the info!

I find tactics games very relaxing to play myself, which is why I love them. Due to the turn based nature, you have ample time to carefully consider every decision and try to play for the optimal outcome. The best TBS games are transparent and all the information determining the outcome of your actions is presented to you up front. Your actions are mostly deterministic (or, at least, the random aspects can be accounted for) so the outcome is based purely on knowledge, creativity, and skill. I love the feeling of being handed very limited resources, in the form of manpower, gold, items, or what have you, and the challenge of fighting your way out of difficult battles while attempting to maximize the few advantages you have.

Haven't seen Into the Breach mentioned so.. I recommend it, really good indie game, a lot more focused on the thinking puzzle part that the other T-rpgs and since it's a roguelike, you have tons of replay value

I got my start with tactical rpg's on Fire Emblem for the GBA. It's actually a great first timer game. It's very distilled to the fundamentals, and easy to wrap your head around. Perma-death only makes you stronger, forcing you to develop strategies that will take you to the endgame. All those game resets are necessary practice.

I loved Front Mission 3. Didn't know remakes of the first 3 are planned. That warms my heart.

This video was a beautiful representation of the genre!! In the larger gaming community tactics RPGs dont get enough love, my only wish is that more people fall in love with it

My absolute favorite genre! You brought really good points for beginners, I’m glad more people are getting into tactical games! 2022 has been insanely good for tactical/strategy rpgs. I gotta recommend the Mario + Rabbids games, specially Sparks of Hope. They’re not the most difficult games, but they bring various new ideas to the genre and have a unique and fun play feel to strategy. It’s competing for GOTY with triangle strategy for me!

Great video! I’m relatively inexperienced as far as TRPGs go, but, as always, your video has encouraged me to give more a go. Also, not specific to this video, but your channel in general has really caused my verb set in how I think and talk about games to expand by leaps and bounds. You do great work.

Amazing job as allways !! Really well explained and lots of details of this genre that i love a lot. Mega fan of your channel day by day!

Not a lot of people talk about this sub-genre which is a shame because I feel like there's a lot to tactical RPGs that people can get into if they only knew how cool and technical it is. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this sub-genre and may you enjoy your next journey into a world full of excitement and tactical gameplay! ♟️🎮

Great video. I really like this style of introducing genres. Thank you! I didn't even realize hybrid was a thing as I haven't played any new tactical RPG games recently outside of Fire Emblem (an all-time favorite of mine).

These are all valid tips but I can’t help but disagree with the “start out on easy mode”. I feel like part of the draw is feeling that (fair) challenge that makes you want to level up and sometimes that disappears on easy mode

Thanks for tips Alex and the Backlog Battle community. I picked up all the 3DS Fire Emblem games throughout the years, before the prices skyrocketed and have always had a hard time getting through them. I’ve always been told that playing in ‘casual’ mode is not the right way to play, but permadeath has always given me a bit of anxiety. Glad to hear that you played through Awakening with permadeath off.

A nice, and brief, introduction to tactical/strategic RPGs. thanks for the insights and recommendations.

I'm so happy I found another fan of 13 Sentinels' SRPG gameplay. Most fans think it's the weakest part of the game, but it's my favorite. There really isn't much like it. My favorite SRPGs are the Metal Gear Ac!d games. Both were really good, and I know people prefer the second game, but both are just as good for different reasons. They showed that stealth and deck building gameplay in SRPGs has a lot of potential. Too bad they probably will never see a port outside the PSP.

This video helped me get back into tactical / strategy RPGs. I also first played ultima 4 back on NES, really liked that style of play and then forgot about it until final fantasy tactics, which I absolutely LOVED. Then I really just fell more into other types of games and haven't played many true turn based RPGs since. I'm very glad I found your video!

My first was vandal hearts and it made me love this genre so i would recommend that one if u like older games

Tactical RPG’s are definitely niche but if you get into them they sink their hooks into you and never let go. FFTactics, FFTactics Advance, FFT A2, Shining Force, XCOM, Valkyria Chronicles, there are really so many great ones. I’m replaying Tactics Ogre on my Switch for like the 10th time. Game is so good!

For turn based the upcoming Tactics Ogre is a must

Thanks for the tips! It’s a genre I definitely want to try but seems intimidating sometimes. I’ve particularly had my eye on 13 Sentinels, so I’m glad to hear you like it so much!

This might be a weird and niche suggestion but if it’s available to you I think a great TRPG to get SMT and Persona fans into the series is SMT Devil Survivor 1 or 2. It blends deep visual novel aspects and relationship building along with tactical elements inspired by the SMT games.

My first was Vanguard Bandits on PS1, loved it so much that I went and found all the other ones on the PS1. Currently own all listed titles and am currently waiting for Tactics Ogre:Reborn, Front Mission Trilogy, and Metal Slug Tactics to come down the pipeline.

Nice video. This has been my favorite genre since I first played Final Fantasy Tactics on ps1. Moved over to the brutal Dynasty Tactics on ps2 and have been playing the genre ever since.

I love them, im currently playing Fell Seal while I wait on tactics ogre, its great by the way! I think having to have Tanks, DPS, Healer, etc... is what does it the for me, I love how you can switch classes, get passives & abilities from other classes and combine that to make your own unique class. And the battles requiring different strategies, like some enemies are weak against fire magic, or earth, but water heals them or does no damage. I think that's why I love them so much, the customizability of every part of your character. The pre-planning of battle. The combat. The scale. The magic (and magic effects). The classes. The items. Everything. Tho ill admit i really dont care much for story as long as it isnt terrible, but i feel the same way with movies & shows, story is always last for me in everything lol

Just found your channel and now I’m a fan! Thanks

As a long time fan, some entries to check out are XCOM: Enemy Within and XCOM2, both of which are fantastic sci-fi tactics games where permadeath only enhances the connection you have with your squads.

Just came across your video! I recently borrowed Digimon Survive from a buddy. As a longtime Digimon fan, I’ve been enjoying it. My buddy got it cause of the tactical rpg fighting, but was underwhelmed by it because he’s a die hard for tactical rpgs, and the game didn’t prove challenging enough for him. However, as a newbie to this, I’ve been enjoying it. It’s made me want to research the genre as well as visual novels. Your video was excellent for us beginners. Thorough and well said. Appreciate it and subscribed!

Thank you so much for this video!

Tactical RPGs always reminded me of playing a board game. I loved DnD as a kid but never had any one that wanted to play. TRPGs brought that feeling to life even all by myself

I agree here, It's ok to disable permadeath in Fire Emblem if you feel it will make it easier to learn the mechanics. (And besides we all know 90% of the people will just reset the game if a character dies, which honestly, kinda goes against the whole point of permadeath in my opinion.)

I would've put Valkyria Chronicles as a hybrid personally. I've played Strategy RPG for years and it really takes you by surprise the first time you take control of a Harter and come under fire in real time. You can even lose units before they act if you're not careful. It's really unique, I don't think I've played other games like it.

Just wanted to say thanks for making this! I’m a long time fan of the genre (mainly Fire Emblem) and I appreciate your efforts here.

I absolutely love tactical RPGs. Front Mission 3 was my first, I had no idea what the genre was when I was a kid. Now I play the X-COM games and Gears Tactics. Tactics Ogre is next.

TRPG is by far my favorite genre. Its both chilling but also something you break your head on even when you dont play. The sense of progression and feeling that you get to know the characters and battle system better and better is just so sattisfying. For me it was the mix of Advanced Wars and Fire Emblem 7 that got me into this genre. Because, portability is just such a luxury. I love my Switch with so many (T)RPGs and visual novels. Really feels like these genres gets the most out of the portability aspect as it is so easy and nice to do a couple of turns, chapters and put it away again.

Tactical RPGS are my favorite type of turned based RPGS, and the only modern turn based RPGS I play besides Persona. Hybrid RPGS are also good. I’d recommend anyone who enjoys TacRPGS to try Valkyria Chronicles. It’s a very fun modern warfare type TacRPG, and has some of my favorite gameplay in the genre.

Banner's saga is a great entry for the genre.

This is a perfect video for me. Ive played a few of the classics, fft, front mission 3 and valkyrie profile on the ds. But i just cant seem to get into them these days but i own a lot of them. I want to get into them so im trying.

Never been a fan of turn-based combat games (let alone S/TRPGs) and yet, after trying Disgaea 5 demo last week I remained charmed. It's interesting to see how tastes change with time :D

Here to sing praises to 13 sentinels! Sci-fi story for the ages! One of the best stories, and story deliverance I've ever experienced. Xenogears and the Xenosaga trilogy were my previous Sci-fi GOATs, but 13 sentinels bumped them out for first place. WHY AREN'T YOU PLAYING THAT GAME?!

In my 30 plus years in gaming tactics games are some of the very best games in the industry. I'll never stop playing. Hope FFT gets an amazing rework or remake imo. 😁😁

Ah, now you've got me pulling up the Shining Force 2 OST again, haha.

TRPGS featuring multi class/job characters are my very favorite part of the genre! Be it finding the synergy between skills or permanent passives, or just grinding it out until each member gets a cherished skill (like counterattack!) is one of my favorite gaming passions. Two titles that shine in this regards are Fell Seal: Arbiters Mark and God Wars: Future Past.

If you all like TRPG def recommend to look at the Tactics Ogre series, which has directly inspired FFT. A new Tactics Ogre game is coming out next week on consoles and PC (new version of LUCT from PSP).

Great as always. Thanks!

Tactical RPGs are my favorite genre, triangle strategy was my game of the year.

I fell in love with the Tactical RPG subgenre back with the original OgreBattle: March of the Black Queen. I rented it from a Blockbuster Video and I think I was the only person that rented it because weeks later they decided to sell the copy they had and I hoovered it up. Ever since then I've played everything I can get my grubby mitts on. My recent favorites have been FE: Three Houses, the XCOM series, Hard West 1 & 2, Symphony of War (which is very like OgreBattle), Tower of Time and of course Mario + Rabbids. Super excited to play TacticsOgre again with the remake.

13 Sentinels was my gateway as well! Just beat it about a month ago and since having played and bested FE3H and started DioField

Hi there 🙂 I'm from the UK I have just recently subscribed to your channel. I just watched this vid and really took me back! I started rpgs and tactical rpgs back in the super Famicom/playstation 1 era I have lots of fond memories of playing ff-tactics back then I had to import this game from the USA as the UK didn't get ff tactics until the psp! I remember going in blind I had never played a tactical rpg before I was 16? If I remember correctly but everything about this amazing looking game just pulled me in the visuals the character's magic and the deep back history of ramza beoulve and delita hyral I was hooked! Even though after 2 or 3 days I was still learning all the systems of this great game 😄 I think there was a character called marquis elmdor? And with my super souped up thief class after 2 or 3 grueling attempt I managed to steal all the genji equipment he was equipped with! I remember this game at the end bringing a tear to my eyes because of what had happened and the realisation the game was over😟. After that I went on to tactics ogre years later I'm really looking forward to reborn next week also keep up the great work! Love your videos I'm sorry this isn't directly about this video but I just wanted to share this moment because of watching your video and my love of jrpgs and trpgs. Thanks and now I think I'm going to check out some more of your uploads 🙂. good luck with your channel in the future.gaz uk

Very helpful video, thank you :)

Well been playing this genre for about 20 years and its still my favorite game type slow and steady is the way to go imo i dont like fast paced stuff as u can imagine everything from Final Fantasy Tatics, Fire Emblem, Fell Seal and many more ... i like the long battles ,the risk of losing someone 4ever, even the bad luck sometimes is amazing but shitty at the time ( me dying from a 1%crit or missing a 98% chance to hit ) i like the class sistems and customizing the characters how i please and i love the replay abiity of said games because the same battle can be diffrent if u have diffrent classes on the same soldiers , i understand its not a genre for everyone i think nowadays people have less patience or time to actualy think in a game and just act "brainless" to relax or have fun but i still would like to see more TBSRPG's in the current market anyway that's my 2cents have a good day everyone !!

Xcom 2 is one of the best tactical game

Great Video! Tactics has always been one of my favorite genres. I have fond memories of Shing Force, Ogre Battle and X-Com UFO Defense. I would also recommend the Disgea series and PC rpgs like Divinity 2. Oh I almost forgot... SUPER ROBOT WARS!!! :)

The reason i love tactical rpgs is the complexity of combat. I first got into rpgs with the old school jrpgs like final fantasy breath of fire on the playstation. I loved these games, and i still do to this day. The great stories, lore rich worlds, and complicated characters spoke to me in a way that video games had neved done before. Because of that i often didnt care about the shallow combat these games had. You know how most fights boiled down to; attack, attack, attack, cure, attack, and attack. It didnt much matter to me because these games strengths far outweighed their weaknesses. Tactical rpgs were a godsend for me because combined the tactical combat of an rts with character and story of an rpg. Combat was now one of the funner parts of the game. Ive discovered many different forms of rpgs since then and i love them all, Action rpgs, open world, crpgs, etc... At the end of the day tactical rpgs are still my favorite.

Interesting video! I'd say it's more than just a tactical RPG's battles being individually shorter than exploring JRPG dungeons--there's a quality difference there, too. You're trading in a bunch of highly repetitive, low-complexity encounters for one big, interesting one. If a JRPG dungeon is a plate loaded up with circus peanuts, then a TRPG battle is a slice of tiramisu: the tiramisu is dense and individually much more filling than any one marshmallow, but once the meal is over it'll leave you with a more complex and interesting flavor relative to the total calories consumed. By the way, game recommendation: you should totally check out Telepath Tactics: Liberated. It's highly rated for a reason. 😉

You had me at "Front Mission 3".

Tactical RPG is one of my favorite genres, at least it will be a good consideration when I want to buy a game. - Btw, my Tactical RPG experience is quite unique. I come from a small town in a developing country, and in the 2000s it was still quite difficult to get access to game consoles, especially original ones, even for the games you can only get from pirated CDs. when people already have PS1 I just got SEGA. And around 2007 when some of them already had PS3s I had a PS1 that was given to me by a cousin. And my love of Tactics RPGs started on PS1, from the game Suikoden 2. I know it's a TBS game, but their war mode uses a simple Tactics formula that got me started. Then I started looking and found Brigandine, an interesting tactical RPG with a good story, but because of that, pirated CDs often crash, so I'm looking for another game with rpg tactics as the main element. I also found Vandal Heart 2 and Front Mission 3, and because I like robots I took both. But my impression of the two is very different, Vandal Heart 2 has a story that is quite dark for a 9 year old child like me at that time but for some reason the story is very interesting and the battle system provided is unique because in the movement phase one character and 1 enemy run simultaneously makes the possibility of a miss attack more on a target not in a position than a miss because of the system. But Front Mission 3 I really didn't like it, it has a unique story, especially like the military, but I realized when playing tactical rpg, when I shoot opponents from afar I don't like them returning fire. - but i still like robots so i am looking for another tactical rpg robot games that cant shoot back every time. And I found Vanguard Bandits, uniquely the knight robot is something I've never seen at the time, especially when I grew up watching Gundam anime where they shoot each other. And I love it so much, I really feel like the main character is me compared to Vandal heart 2 where I still feel like I'm moving other people's stories. Moreover, they use 3D animation for the battles and have branches in an attempt to reach the ending. Then the tactical rpg that I played started to be more or less, especially when I had a computer and found Emulators for VBA and NDS. Play the games Onimusha, Tactics Ogre, Final fantasy tactics, and Fire Emblem in VBA. Continued on the NDS continued the Fire Emblem series, and a few other games I can't remember, but the one that caught my eye the most was Pokemon Conquest. Combining Pokemon with tactical rpg, with the main characters Azai Nagamasa and Eevee which I really liked at that time.

Tactical RPG are my second best genre to play(4x game is the first. e.g. Civ 6 & CK3). I like to think/plan in games rather than rely on reflex and eye and hand coordination games like souls/action game. My fave TRPG are Super Robot War Series and Tactics Ogre.

Really cool and wholesome video, Alex!! I can’t wait to play 13 Sentinels. I got that game on release date when it came out on PS4 and I’ve yet to play it because of my backlog. I’m currently playing Xenoblade 3 and I’m only in chapter 4 so I’ll be ready for 13 Sentinels by 2025 lol. I’ll still be watching your content however 😂

Final Fantasy Tatics: war of lions, cant go wrong with it.

Hope this video gets more people to enjoy the genre :D! I always liked more strategy based games.... I used to be quite good at Age of Empires & Starcraft. "Feels like chess", executing my ideas and having the ability to experiment, enjoying fantasy elements and medieval settings are probably some of the main reasons I like S/T RPGs. One day I saw Disgaea and somehow I knew that I need to play that. I bought a PSP, Vita and the Switch just so that I can play Disgaea! haha.. (I even bought Disgaea 5 twice - in English and Japanese). In some ways, Disgaea has ruined me as it has generally very quick battles, can set your own goals and I actually enjoy grinding in this game series haha

Front Mission 3 got me into TRPGs, love that game. I still remember spending hours trying to hack through websites to get new parts hahah. I would also love to see the Vagrant Story battle system integrated into a TRPG.

Playstation1 introduced me to JRPGs, I loved the grandeur of quality art and riveting story, but I long found myself not enjoying grinding through mindless battles against random encounters. And then I tried Tactics Ogre, my introduction to TRPG, when I played this game I enjoyed the battles even if they took longer, even grinding for stats of various classes as part of my next battle strategy. Next game was Brigandine, that game was grand, it feels like you are a general trying to win a war and then a commander to lead single battles, there are many characters with interesting histories that you'll get to know and care about. I knew that TRPG is the genre I much preferred esp. games that has mercenary-like squad where you can recruit minor or unnamed characters that are open to stat growth and becomes valuable to battles. I am glad that game developers are still creating them and remastering the classics for modern gamers. Today, my Western and Japanese TRPG backlog is close to a hundred now, to which I could say I have enough supply to last a lifetime.

Oh man I have to check out some of these games...I obsess over one game usually...right now triangle strategy...but tactics ogre looks up my alley

Another great video!

I'm surprised no mention of Disgaea anywhere, but I guess a lot find it to much focus grinding and lesser so on the story. And I can certainly put my thumbs up behind Valkyria Chronicles.

FM III is what got me interested in TRPG, but Super Robot Wars F on the PSX is what really hooked me.

I see it's becoming popular these tactical-rpg games. Final Fantasy Tactics is still one of my all time fav. games. (Btw, some people like Disgaea a lot.) People thought I was nuts. It was such a niche when I was young. Anyway, these type of games work very well on handheld consoles.

Sometimes you want to just do a map as a test to see what happens and know what it is going to throw at you and then on your second run you can think of how to handle with that. Diofield is an excellent first game since it was made pretty much for newcomers. Experience yourself with the smaller scale like 13 Sentinels than go onto stuff like Tactics Ogre, Lost Eidolons, Valkyrie Chronicles etc. Agree on perma death being off to start with only do that once you're comfortable with the genre. PS: If you have time Alex you should check out Lost Eidolons since I think you'll love it since it's basically a more serious low budget indie Fire Emblem. For me, it calls back to all the stuff that made me fall in love with Fire Emblem.

FF Tactics Advance and Tactics Ogre: Knight of Lodis were my first tactical rpgs, on GBA. Always love the Japanese trpgs, but i'd like to give some honorable mention to some of the western tactical RPGs, like Divinity: Original Sin 2 which plays just like a turn based tactical jrpg, but without the grid. Great writing and quests. Then there's Pillars of Eternity and Tyranny, which are more what we're calling hybrid here, also referred to as real time with pause, but Pillars of Eternity 2 actually allows for the choice between turn based and real time with pause. Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous allows you to switch between combat modes on the fly, which is pretty nifty. The Shadowrun games are turn based cyberpunk trpgs. And many more! Great western tactical rpgs I feel like should be supported, so they can make more of them.

For what I could recommend which you might love because just like triangle strategy features choices that matter spanning a long play time is Record of Agarest War which you can find on steam. Though I will say it is more geared towards people who know what they are doing.

Shining Force 2 for the Sega Genesis was my first tactical RPG at age 7 (1996). I didn't understand it at first and hated it, mostly because my other games were platformers like Sonic and brawlers like Golden Axe. Then my best friend's older brother came over and played it and I quickly got the hang of it. 4 years later and I've restarted Shining Force 2 over a dozen times, always getting stuck on the same part about 35-40% of the way through the game; sometimes leaving my Sega on for days at a time because the save feature didn't really work. (Walkthroughs and FAQs were only starting to be written, with a couple reliable cheat code sites.) In the end, I figured out the puzzle because it was literally the last thing I could do. Which ultimately made beating the game that much sweeter, never giving up on the adventure and seeing all my promoted heroes smash Zeon's army was super satisfying. (Also Sarah is best girl) 10/10, will revisit childhood triumph again

Shining Force 1 & 2! These were my first TRPG's.

One of my favorite genres! Started with the first US fire emblem, Advance wars and FFTA. I would check out Dofus and Wakfu, they are mmos crossed with TRPGs, super fun and engaging

the first that i played in the genre was probably between the project x zone games and fire emblem awakening ever since i started to love them so much is like an rts where you well, manage an army and do stuff but without city building or economies, just combat and that's what i like about it

Totally agree on Front Mission 3. I love everything about that game!

Finished FF tactics on ps1 back when I was in gradeschool. Those were the days.

Excellent video! I still need to get around to playing 13 sentinels. I have it on ps4 and am tempted to get it for switch regardless. I agree the switch feels like the best place to play SRPGs. All of your recommendations were amazing. I don't see many people recommending the Mercenaries series of SRPGs. They're on PlayStation PC and switch. Maybe Xbox Idk. But they're all super inexpensive. The first few were mobile titles ported to consoles and then the later ones were made for consoles I believe. Either way they're very simplistic. I'd argue the perfect starting because it has all of the elements of the genre. The game feels as if it's designed specifically to get you into these kinds of games. The stories arent all that incredible but some characters are charming. But most importantly it's the Combat. Fun and addictive. Great job system. Fun progression. Short games too. Most are less that $10 usually.

The great thing about TRPGs is that you're like playing a chess. You have to think carefully how you make the moves and win the battles. I'm also at first dont know the flow of TRPGs. I'm used to TB RPGs where you just aproach the enemy like typical battles. But when i get the hang of it, i become to love TRPGs. I like playing Super Robot Wars and Disgaea series and Tactic Ogres.

I'd recommend the XCOM series. Enemy Unknown and XCOM 2 are Tactical RPGs through and through, maybe not too easy to undertand at first, but very rewarding when you do and clean a map with only overwatch

Finally, a video for me. A non-TRPG fan😂😂 maybe this will help me dislike the genre less 😂

Really cool video!

Just throw them into the deep end with Disgaea games. :D The big draw to me for the genre is usually characters, and... how engaged I can get with battles, it doesn't matter if they're hard or not, but I'm not just going through paces, but carefully planning my actions. And the fact that most of the games, allow you to have different approach and still be successful is sugar on top. Even all the same characters, levels, skills, equipment as someone else, and still having completely different approach. While most RPGs shoehorn you in the same pattern of playing, especially the more difficult the content gets. Not like SRPGs aren't to blame there either, FFT for example at times was so limited in options... Tactics Ogre LUCT too. Another great thing is satisfaction of cracking the system, grasping it all, and it all coming together, while it's present in majority of RPGs ofc, dunno why, but in SRPGs it usually feels completely different. My favorites in the genre are Devil Survivor games, I'm a huge SMT fan, and those games have fun combat, good characters, some of my favorite demons from previous games, and... allow for more customization too (early to mid game at least, late game shoehorns you in with less options for demons on higher levels). Disgaea series, because they're fun, and goofy, but know when to take themselves serious too, so telling a story, while being funny, is not something that many are able to achieve. And Front Mission 3, because game is just... great all over, so engaging in every aspect, and I even hate mecha genre usually, I've watched 700+ anime series/movies, and don't think 10 of them are mecha... but like there are some exceptions there, there FM3 is exception too.

I love tactical RPGs/SRPGs 1) Tactics Ogre: LUCT 2) Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions 3) Triangle Strategy 4) Fire Emblem Awakening 5) Brigandine: Legend of Forsena 6) Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII 7) Disgaea 5 Complete 8) Front Mission 3 9) Tactics Ogre: Knight of Lodis 10) Suikoden Tactics 11) Hoshigami 12) Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance 13) Sayuki: Journey West 14) Jean D'Arc 15) Disgaea 1: Hour of Darkness 16) La Pucelle Tactics 17) Makai Kingdom 18) Phantom Brave 19) Heroes of Might & Magic 3 20) Valkyria Chronicles So many to mention. SRPG is my genre.

Divinity Original sin 2 is a must, probably the best tactical rpg that I have played

I started with FFTA, then advance wars 2, then went to xcom enemy within, followed by FFT war of the lions, fire emblem awakening, then front mission and now xcom2 is my jam. I'm currently eye balling mario v rabbids kingdom battle, xenonaughts and triangle strategy.

Thank You!

I personally think The Last Remnant (PS4, Switch, PC, even on google store / appstore) is probably one of the best ways to introduce a tactical game to a beginner. The game is easy on you if you play the easy mode, but is definitely replayable by going beyond, grinding hard to get characters, items, special bosses and more challenges. In fact it is my number 1 favourite game. It's a fantasy tactical turn-based JRPG where you command a small army at once, each different from another, different weapon types, usages, magic, special abilities that can bombard the whole battlefield - and the unique aspect is that there is no grid. The battles are on a plane and you can check on the minimap where each of your squad is. You can flank enemies, get flanked, you can stall parties from attacking another party, use strategic positioning to escalate areal damage to hit multiple parties. In my book a masterpiece that deserves a sequel, just alone for the unique race called Sovani which are lynx-like humanoid people with four arms, using four one-handed weapons or two two-handed weapons. The game also features Quick Time Events for crits, debuffs or counter-attacks, so it keeps those who want more action from a tactical game satisfied. The story might be bit boring to some people, but unfolds in the later half of the game in a unexpected way.

I really recommend Fire Emblem 3 House's. It really is an amazing game.

Tactics Ogre and Final Fantasy Tactics made me fall in love with the genre, but I think if I were recommending TRPGs to someone new, I'd probably point them to Fell Seal. The gameplay is just so good, and even the writing/character holds up a lot better than something like Triangle Strategy. There's also the multiple difficulty sliders. Watching a few friends play, everyone took a different approach in regards to permadeath, drowning, and all the other difficulty options. (I liked to buff the number of enemies on a map as high as it would go, including an extra 'elite' unit per level, but I'd turn off wounds and permadeath.) I'm hoping when TO:Reborn releases, it'll be a new entry point for people. Heck, maybe we'll see remasters (or just new releases) of the other games in the series.

I not into TRPG's, I'm so not into them that I bought Fire Emblem 3 Houses thinking it was a standard turn based or action JRPG. Turns out 6 play throughs and 300+ hours later it was a good mistake. So FE3H's is my recommendation for any beginner. Imo it has the perfect beginning to ease you into tactical combat, I never felt lost, confused or overwhelmed by the battles or any of its mechanics and when the difficulty ramps up later I was ready for it. The story is another matter though, it's really good but it takes a turn that's a real gut punch. What I had to do to some of the characters, especially poor Bernadette, has stayed with me.

I was sold at 13 sentinels in the opening moments

Tactics ogre is another great game to give a try. This is such an amazing genre of people only give it a fair shake.

Tactical RPGs are the best! I might be a little biased. I've never heard of that Ultima NES game thanks for the recommendation. And great point about how Tactical RPGs allow the player to express themselves through their playstyle, I've never thought about it that way. Bahamut Lagoon is great underrated SNES TRPG btw!

This is something the community of (RPG) gamers needed in order to let prejudices about TRPGs aside and hopefully for good 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 and glad to see 13 Sentinels in between. Such a good game! (Hoping for a sequel or prequel over here 🙋🏽)