8 Great Retro Tactical RPGs You Might Not Have Heard Of

[@mbe102]

If you see this comment, do NOT sleep on Jeane D'Arc, its freaking tons of fun.

[@mrbransformer4184]

but its the only pillow i have!!

[@zeem2524]

Psp right? Nevermind 😂

[@7111mohamed]

I remember coming across this game in my old hobby store. Didn't pick it up, since it was on the PSP and did not have the console, but I have it on the list to eventually play one day

[@Vulpas]

Eh, it's okay but unbalanced.

[@hugbuzzard]

Game rules!

[@thisisdirk]

Vanguard Bandits is my all time favorite tactics RPG. So happy to see it on this list. ❤️

[@gurvmlk]

Same. I saw the title of the video, and Ultragunner in the thumbnail, and was like, "We'll see about that."

[@ShadowCthulhu]

I remember Vanguard Bandits, too bad i missed out getting a copy.

[@fossil-bit8439]

Great video as usual! One of the lesser talked about tactical RPGs that I liked was Vandal Hearts. I quite enjoyed it. Very simplistic and easy to play.

[@GamingBroductions]

Thank you! We’ve talked about the first Vandal Hearts game in a previous video before but not the second, they would be good for a future video like this

[@NeoNinjaX87]

Timing could not have been more perfect for this video! Thanks for all the hard work you 2 put into these videos!

[@GamingBroductions]

No problem, and thank you for watching!

[@dangox3370]

One that I think people should look into is Stella Glow for 3DS. It seems really basic at first but if you stick with it you'll find a lot of interesting gameplay mechanics. Plus the writing is really good. All of the characters are very charming plus they each have a special ending depending on your actions during the game.

[@pancakesean6888]

Congrats on the sponsership! Glad to see the channel growing and some companies that make these great games taking notice. That's so cool!

[@sawwormGIF]

Vanguard Bandits was one of my favourite game on the PS1, enjoyed the branching paths and endings that the game offered

[@MidnightBlackandVictoria]

The funny path was very short, but wow was it great. Puck hijacking the Ultragunner never gets old.

[@residentrump3271]

I was never able to get the good ending....😭😭😭

[@TheGameReaper948]

​@@residentrump3271kingdom or empire path?

[@residentrump3271]

@@TheGameReaper948 I can never get the ending in which the main character isn't forced to defeat his allies. I haven't given it a go in quite some time

[@SpikeCuervo]

@@residentrump3271 you have to take care of your team mates, check their mood before each battle. It is necesary for them to be happy for getting the good ending.

[@Timeforceletsgo]

Thank you soooo much for showing me Energy Breaker. I was recently on a crusade to find tactical RPGs with town exploration, it is wild how little there are. This is awesome because I did not find this one on my search!

[@whiteiswong]

Jeanne D'Arc enhanced remaster would be great. A full remake could actually be amazing enough to warrant a sequel! Also noticed multiple channels having Persona 5 Tactica sponsorship, way to go Atlus!

[@midgetsparkle]

Energy breakers and Jean D'Arc, I love those games. Thanks for drawing now attention to them. I don't know why these easy to port games aren't just upscale and brought to modern consoles.

[@agranosclem]

Honorable mention to Vandal Hearts! Kinda sad it's not mentioned in the video, but this was my first Tactical RPG and I absolutely loved it, but no one seems to know about it. (but dear lord there are a TON of hidden gem TRPGs out there)

[@michaelp4122]

The PS3 Vandal Hearts PSN game would definitely be a hidden gem. Haven't played the series myself, but I own the two PS1 games and the PS3 one.

[@Sinistra359]

Omg played the heck out of vandal hearts! I remember starting a new playthrough right after I beat it because I wanted to see what the sprites for the other classes were lol. Sigh such fun times.

[@JaceyMitchell]

I like the "you MIGHT not have heard of". So many of these videos have titles like "10 games you've NEVER HEARD OF" and then list Final Fantasy Tactics and Fire Emblem. 😋 This list actually had several games I had never heard of. I fell in love with this genre in 2019 when I started playing FE: Three Houses. From there I moved on to Super Robot Wars, SD Gundam G Generation, Disgaea, Valkyria Chronicles, and eventually got into older previous gen games like Shining Force, Langrisser, Front Mission, and Tactics Ogre. It's my favorite game genre now, and I'm glad it's been getting a lot of love recently, but I'm always up for past games that I misser out on. Great list. Definitely some games I will be checking out. 😁

[@thomashooper2451]

This list is gold for Vanguard Bandits and Soul Nomad alone.

[@606PikeCountyByGod]

I played Energy Breaker this time last year, one of the coolest games I'd played in a long time. I ended up using a guide for the spells and it made for a much more pleasant experience.

[@Vulpas]

Yu Yu Hakusho Tactics and Onimusha Tactics are both a bit simple but really fun, they serve as perfect entry points for the genre.

[@westonmeyer3110]

Onimusha Tactics especially

[@michaelp4122]

Came out only months before FFT Advance, so most people missed this. Isn't there a tactical Growlancer game for PSP? Langrisser 1&2 is also a great gem.

[@westonmeyer3110]

@@michaelp4122 Growlanser 1 and 4 are on the PSP

[@alvercaine8893]

never let down by your vids, even some battle hunter in the trailer. vanguards bandits is a game that i love cause it's in this little niche of fantasy mechas, with white knight chronicles and escaflowne. kudo for the arv the lad 3 mention too, this game is incredibly underatted, , i put it with grandia and skies of arcadia in that "explore and adventure rpg" slot

[@brucewatkinson5254]

Energy Breaker was one of those SFC/SNES RPG's that was introduced to me by my Grade 7 classmate, who was an exchange student from Japan and he had his older brother's SFC collection with him when he and his family emigrated to Canada back in the 1990's. I was invited over to his place during the summer and we had taken turns playing it, while he provided a rough translation of the menu prompts and what was going on with the plot. If you guys can get a copy with an English Fan Translation, it's worth a playthrough. Especially with the game being a fun time and sporting a rockin' OST from that console generation.

[@Daniel_Rodrigues_89]

Holy shit! Having a japanese exchange student as a classmate who happens to be a gamer with a SFC collection sounds like the coolest thing ever! Did he have other cool stuff around? Can only imagine the huge JP exclusive RPG catalogue for the SFC that could be fantranslated...

[@nightday2030]

Devil Survivor is a tactical RPG I did with the most grinding. Most of the time bidding and rising one specific demon for a Fusion because that freaking demon has a "Mana Surge" ability to increase mana capacity or finding one sepcific elemental resistance trait so the demon I fuse will no longer have any weaknesses.

[@Kamuyy]

Great video as always! Saiyuki was my jam back in the day and I remember the were transformations well. Especially the old lech that turns into a tree, and the pompous prince that turns into a turtle. Another turn based RPG that was kinda low key was Vandal Hearts, with excellent gameplay and story, plus bonus fountains of blood. Another one is Valkyrie Profile Covenant of the Plume. I found that game super punishing when I was younger, especially on a certain route where the final boss was brutal AF

[@Broseftoast]

I didn’t expect another video so soon after your recent star ocean one. Love the videos man great job

[@GamingBroductions]

Yeah we had a quicker turn around for this one so it was a busy week haha. Thanks man!

[@Broseftoast]

Hey bro, I just wanted to take a second today to see your most recent upload to wish you a Merry Christmas! or happy holidays or whatever lol. I know we're just random strangers on the internet, but you're one of my favorite channels dude. Your videos are super entaining plus really nostalgic for me lol. You also show me a lot of games I didn't realize I missed during my childhood (especially the PAL region ones *cries in terranigma*) I hope you can continue doing what you're doing as long as you keep enjoying it. Anyway man, wanted to send you nice wishes and good vibes since its christmas. Wish you all the best and success on your channel brother. @@GamingBroductions

[@GamingBroductions]

@@Broseftoast Hey dude, really appreciate the thoughtful message! Hope you had a Merry Christmas yourself and got to enjoy some quality time off! It always helps the motivation to read messages like this knowing that the content resonates with some people on that level. Thanks a bunch for watching and supporting the channel, we’re looking forward to a whole new year of videos and seeing what 2024 brings 💯

[@xxalucard66xx]

Another badass video! Nice to see Soul Nomad get some love, it's one of my favorites outside of Tactics and Disgaea. Good stuff. :D

[@GamingBroductions]

Thank you! Soul Nomad is a very slept on game for sure

[@cpthardluck]

Gurren Lagann takes inspiration from GaoGaiGar, which takes inspiration from Mirai Robo Daltanious, which was the anime that the Voltron dudes originally asked for instead of Go Lion.

[@cpthardluck]

Also, not a fan of when people blame the algo on vid performance. The reality is that your vocal delivery and script writing needs a lot of work if you want to do deep dives. Your delivery is very formulaic, and your scripts aren't very deeply considered. You are, personally, lacking a lot of experience and insight when it comes to what is essentially literary analysis. This is why your lists are likely a more stable bet for you at this point. I'd urge you to continue making these types of vids while doing more research and studying on literary analysis and auditing your past videos to see where your vocal patterns become monotonous.

[@PringleTheOne]

That first game... no one gonna know bout that one, I grabbed it on a jrpg compilation of translated roms, I gota give it a shot. Love how your bro does the intro edit, super clean, banging narration too, good stuff Brothers!

[@TylerJBrown192]

Damn, it’s pretty wild as a JRPG fan and subscriber to this channel that I’ve never heard of any of these games whatsoever. It makes me feel excited, like I have an entirely undiscovered trove of art to parse through. Thanks for the recommendations!

[@GamingBroductions]

No problem, glad to hear you some new games to check out! Hope you enjoy them

[@michaelp4122]

Open your mind! But yea, enjoy, I thought all of these were common. Try Front Mission, Shining Force, and Langrisser series.

[@revelnotion1060]

Another banger of a video. Thank you for all the RPG content you've been cranking out. Keep up the good work. 👍

[@GamingBroductions]

No problem, appreciate the kind words and thanks for watching!

[@Murasame]

Such a nice intro and video! Rare to find people that fit my demo so well as people always seem younger or they just don't have similar views.

[@benf1742]

I would put forward the following: Warsong Brigandine Master of Monsters Dark Wizard Vandal Hearts Military Madness

[@toolman4745]

Every time one of your videos pops up in my feed I get so excited. Love everything you put out. Arc the Lad 4 is amazing but for some reason I sold it back in the day once I played it, but I just bought it off EBay so I'll have to play it again in the near future. Trigun is a fantastic anime, I watch it every 5 years or so.

[@Veri7a]

1:15 man we haven't gotten this close to Toonami since the 2000s. You're holding the torch now man!

[@FoNgThOnG]

Vanguard Bandits was my jam! God I loved that game as a kid.

[@mcnalga]

Thank you for making this video as I just got into emulation and been wanting to play Tactical RPGs I missed out on when I was a kid.

[@zeem2524]

Intro reminds me of those Toonami clips 🎉 👍

[@westonmeyer3110]

That’s what he was going for

[@s4nd3rpr1m3]

many thanks, I'm always on the lookout for more tactical strategy!

[@GamingBroductions]

No problem, thanks for watching!

[@monkebiznez]

I just discovered your channel and I'm enjoying all your content so far.

[@GamingBroductions]

Nice, love to hear that

[@VincentVanBro]

“The light is your guide” 🎶 Dammit I say this every time. The intro is perfect 🤌

[@Morraak]

Also, I dont know how the Star Ocean and Super Mario RPG videos are underperforming, they were so good! Especially the Star Ocean one.

[@michaelp4122]

Star Ocean is long, I am skipping that myself because I just don't have 2 hours to watch.

[@Marty-V]

It's 02:45 here.. alarm goes off in about 3 hours. Time for bed, what? Gamingbroductions got a new upload? Aight I'm here.

[@dddaaa6965]

Go to bed

[@DavisGSee]

I've always liked SRPGs, but I feel like I've only truly been able to appreciate them recently. I attempted Final Fantasy Tactics multiple times in my youth, but was only able to get through it this year. Now I know why it's so beloved! Vanguard Bandits is one I've played over and over from quite a young age, though. I'm always pleased to see someone mention it, as it truly is a hidden gem!

[@Vulpas]

Onimusha Tactics and Yu Yu Hakusho Tactics are good ones, easy to get into.

[@codingjhames]

Another refreshing selection for this holidays vacations time to play 😊❤

[@turnbasedtoddy7664]

That intro hits every time

[@residentgrey]

Nice Tales of Phantasia ref at the end. That is another underrated game.

[@MrElbowsmash]

Phantom Brave is easily my favorite NIS game, so it being on the list is a pleasant surprise.

[@NucleaRaptor]

Vanguard Bandits was probably the first RPG I ever played. So many carefree childhood summers spent trying to figure out how to get anything other than the bad ending, lol. Unquestionably peak SOVL.

[@remitemmos9165]

ah you got me with energy breaker, never heard of it before, thanks! all the others I knew/played :)

[@axelrosima7573]

Wow this opening was pretty cool and nice video too.

[@rchassereau2]

Great video! Learned of some new ones I'll have to check out

[@yurtcobain]

Devil Survivor is an outstanding game

[@DeffoZappo]

Phantom Brave is one of my favorite games of all time. I wish it was more popular so we can get another one

[@thewalleh]

The flash of "battle hunters" gave me great joy. One of the few discs I still have cause it's likely to never see a remake haha

[@GamingBroductions]

Hell yeah, it’s an incredibly obscure game that very few know about

[@danfortuna1984]

love these kind of videos. i love TRPGs and i never heard of vanguard bandits but def gonna check it out

[@johnwilson8543]

Glad to seen Vanguard Bandits getting some love. It truly is a hidden gem. I put it on my psp way back, and it was really suited to the on the go format.

[@nathanc6516]

Good video, subbed.

[@GamingBroductions]

Welcome, thanks for the sub

[@BlackShogun]

Arc the Lad: ToS always stood out as a non traditional trpg, which is likely why I played it. Surprisingly fun fr

[@GamingBroductions]

Explorable environments go a long way, I wish more tactical RPGs would incorporate it

[@guileffb]

SMT Devil Survivor is a great game, but has to be one of the hardest ones I've ever played

[@westonmeyer3110]

If you understand the basics of SRPGs and utilize most or all of Devil Survivor’s unique functions then it becomes quite easy.

[@jarredcombs7603]

I’m a big Brigandine fan, the PS1 and the new switch one. Have you played those, or are they featured in any of your videos? I would love your take on them. Also, Dragon Force on Saturn is fantastic.

[@NatsuMatto]

The thing about Jeanne D'Arc is that it's a gorgeous game for people who love tactical RPGs but don't want to or care to spend 50 hours lost in the weeds of job classes and min/maxing certain evolutions of specific character classes in order to win the game. For me (who owned FFT and several other tactical games that I never finished) JDA hit an absolute sweet-spot.

[@jamesgoatcher]

Kartia is my favorite from the list. Amano’s art is perfect, except for that dude that looks like Beavis from Beavis and Butthead. I also love how short the game is. A perfect hit it and quit it title for a busy lifestyle.

[@TheGameReaper948]

Vangard bandits is one of my most favorite games ever. The scoring was full of bangers that always fully set the mood to every emotional setting for every scene. And then the joke intro on top of the absolute masterpiece that was the original opener and the third gameplay being a joke branch. It was amazing

[@Sinistra359]

Tactical rpgs are my FAVORITE genre! Thanks for this video!

[@mmixes]

I remember having save files of both Kartia and Vanguard Bandits with a checkmate condition where I'd always get a game over no matter what LOL

[@markdiaz8895]

Im happy that i have all of these...except energy breaker. Thats a dope one tho! It was definitely fun to watch this!

[@dracri112]

great intro!

[@GamingBroductions]

Thanks!

[@kleberpereira3162]

Never knew there was a freakin YU YU HAKUSHO tactical RPG! Thank you so much

[@westonmeyer3110]

It’s not a good game though. Easily the worst SRPG on the gba.

[@kleberpereira3162]

@@westonmeyer3110 Ouch. Too bad. Thanks

[@MarsofAritia]

there's a bleach one on the ds that's not bad.

[@andyf3269]

I forgot about the yu yu hakusho rpg! I loved that game. Great video yet again and so soon ❤ tis the season🎅🏻

[@Silverman160Zero]

I spent waaay too much time playing Devil Survivor Overclocked back then. All the routes, the secret boss, almost everything. And the absurd power that was Holy Dance. I miss it.

[@bdgilliam7610]

I love lists like these. Very helpful in finding games to add to my enormous backlog. Lol

[@GamingBroductions]

Glad to contribute to the cause lol

[@dobadobadooo]

Yooo, Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits is genuinely one of the most fun experiences I've ever had with a SRPG, _loved_ the story, gameplay and cast. Probably in my top 5 RPGs for the PS2, it really is that good imo. Like, it's hard to explain what exactly it is about the game that appeals to me so much, but everything about it just works for me.

[@XeviousvSBlackmanta]

I love me some Vanguard Bandits!

[@Basedard]

I'm shocked that I didn't know 2 of these...honestly thought I had played all the srpg's. Great list.

[@Scuzoid_Melee]

Oh cool, as someone who has played and mostly enjoyed (Not a fan of Nippon Ichi srpgs) the first 9 games (including the ad) in your list I was not at all expecting to be surprised by game 10, even after having seen the thumbnail. Tyvm for the recommendation.

[@ytgytgy]

Saiyuki Journey West!! My sister got that for Christmas in 01. We watched the crap out of DBZ on toonami back in the day, and having a video game that was based in the same legend was a treat.

[@GamingBroductions]

Nice! Yeah I’ve always been really fascinated by the whole Journey to the West story so anything that’s based on it automatically has my interest

[@ytgytgy]

@@GamingBroductions MAGIC SON GOKU. MAGIC SON GOKU.

[@milkweedreflections]

Vanguard Bandits is extremely cool. Played through that game like 3 times. Used to own the actual ps1 disk back in the day.

[@adamujhelyi4340]

I always gotta bring up The Banner Saga when tactical rpgs are involved. Simple but great combat, awesome art, amazing music and atmosphere

[@betterinsodapop]

I watch every single Gaming Broductions vid, as I love old RPGs and find the vids to be relaxing and informative. Used to watch these a lot during breaks from my super stressful job, years ago. I didn't know ANY of these games really, but my one takeaway from this one has been: MAGIC SON GOKU MAGIC SON GOKU MAGIC SON GOKU MA MA MA MA MAGIC SON GOKU!

[@Morraak]

The only one of these that I have is Phantom Brave, never really could get into tactical jrpgs but I enjoy hearing people talk about them.

[@ProducerX21]

I love me some Disgaea 1 and 2. Disgaea 4 is my favorite, but I don’t think I’d call it retro or a hidden gem. Thanks for content

[@krixousragnarr2458]

I still hate that you can get 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7 on Pc but my fav 3 is still stuck on PS3 and Vita.

[@GamingBroductions]

Yeah I want to talk about the Disgaea series another time for sure but they’re pretty popular so just wasn’t fitting for this type of list. Thanks for watching as always 👌

[@magitek_riding_imperial_witch]

Nice video! Majin Tensei I and II for the Super Famicom are good additions to the list. God Wars is newer(ish) but as a total weeb, I love the setting, characters, and classes. I played it on Switch but its on several platforms. I'd also classify the Goldbox AD&D games for MS-DOS. Order of the Griffon for the Turbo Graphics 16 and Warriors of the Eternal Sun on Genesis are also great D&D games with tactical combat. Though, admittedly they might be hard to get into if you're not intimately familiar with older editions of the Dungeon & Dragons rulesets.

[@jamesgollinger208]

PS1 was probably my favourite era for RPGs, generally. Loved Kartia, loved Vanguard Bandits; you should check out the Vandal Hearts games. The first was fun, if straightforward. The second had a really neat mechanic where you would have one of your characters to perform an action and the enemy would have one of their characters perform an action simultaneously. This means if you go to attack a character who's moving that round, you'll hit an empty space. You have to anticipate what the opponent is doing and counter it.

[@jamesgollinger208]

And I guess Grandia could be considered tactical, seeing as how you can move.

[@johnc7389]

Joke's on you, the mechs on the splash art for Vanguard Bandits has been seared into my memory since I was 10.

[@zombiejesus2000]

Loved that arc the lad game growing up. Blast from the past. Pretty sure I still have the disc somewhere.

[@Masterom2000x]

Vanguard Bandits was amazing. Still have my copy. I miss working designs as they brought over some of the best RPGS of the time.

[@Outshinedsg]

This video really delivered! Even as a fan of the turn-based strategy genre, I had never even heard of most of these except for Devil Survivors and Phantom Brave. Although it's a little better known than these games, my vote for "underrated tactical RPG" would probably be for Yggdra Union. The chain system is just super unique and I've never played another tactics game like it. I feel like most modern tactical games now broadly fall under Fire Emblem, Final Fantasy Tactics, or XCOM as to where they draw their inspiration from, which is a shame because there is a lot of room in the genre for innovation.

[@armorvil]

Kartia isn't the first to do that ; the first T-JRPG I know that lets you alter the ground by creating holes or hills is on the Sega Saturn : Riglord Saga (Japanese name) / Blazing Heroes (US name) / Mystaria : The Realms of Lore (EU name) - yeah the game has a different name for each region lol. I really liked this game, too. It might also be the first T-RPG with pre-rendered sprites on a 3D battlefield. Pretty sad that Riglord Saga 2 was only released in Japan.

[@michaelp4122]

Riglord Saga was a blast. I was not expecting to enjoy this game as much as I did and I hope they make a fan translation of the sequel one day

[@Rjmusic257]

Great video! Tactical RPGs (shining force and later, fire emblem) got me into rpgs in general. Neither of my two guesses for this list were on it 😆 But these sound like great games as well. I thought for sure shining force would make it in. As well as something from the super robot wars series. Anyway, thanks for the video fellas!

[@MarsofAritia]

two of the most popular series in the genre hardly belong on this list lol

[@Rjmusic257]

@@MarsofAritia True but I think for a western audience, Super Robot wars qualifies. And shining force is kind of unknown these days too I’d say. I only came across those games by chance

[@InitialDL84]

I want to give strategy/tactical RPGs another go, last time I tried was back in 2003 with LA Pucelle Tactics. I just couldn't get into it back then, but maybe now that I'm older and want to give them another shot, I may just do that. Appreciate this list!

[@hatmangates883]

Try something like Vandal Hearts (ps1). It has very simple mechanics that can ease you into the genre.

[@thegamersician]

My first thought: Nice... there better be Jeanne D'Arc *is happy*

[@Krokador]

I have a PS1 copy of Vanguard Bandits. Found it in a video store in the clearance bin for 5$ back in the day. Played through it once. It was fun. There was a point in time the game was worth like 120$ on ebay, idk if it's still the case xD

[@thewingedavenger1007]

Merry Christmas!

[@hazzar7784]

Holy shit, someone talked about Vangaurd Bandits!!! What a gem

[@jeffwiese4037]

Yasuhiro Nightow was'nt just the artist of trigun he created it

[@ithydoodles]

I really loved the game at 21:40 YYH Tournament Tactics.

[@TheZotmeister]

Did a full playthrough of _Kartia_ on Twitch back when I was a regular streamer. Excellent game horribly overlooked, and even teaches you some _kanji_ if you want to think about it that way.

[@opa-age]

Amazing vid!

[@GamingBroductions]

Thank you!

[@DimbDumbDumb]

Maybe because my love for an obscure 80's and 90's anime plus video games, i already know & play those games, and expect for feda the emblem of justice to be mention here, but once again good stuff that you show here

[@clemvador]

I don't see it mentioned in the other comments, so Tear Ring Saga on PSX by the original creator of fire emblem is definitely one of these great tactical RPG usually not known outside of the old fire emblem fan base.

[@AnthonyReyes89]

Can anyone point in the direction of that absolutely amazing intro track.

[@ProtonTech1]

I think knights in the nightmare deserves some light on. Amazing weird hard trpg.

[@nihouma11]

I have to recommend Weeks Arms XF personally, while Would Arms is will known XF doesn't seem to be, and I love it so much

[@WinspearUltima]

This is great set of recommendations here one I’m interested in is Katria with Yoshitaka Amano art being so recognisable for me I have to try it out.

[@Mat23]

Great video! Try the remake of Hoshigami on DS.