Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis Game Boy Advance

The Tactics Ogre franchise debuts on the Game Boy Advance with the side-story Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis -- a strategy RPG. As Alphonse, a member of the Order of the Secret Flame, your task is to investigate the strange happenings on Ovis, an island that has been under the rule of the Holy Lodis Empire for the last 15 years. Your assignment serves as a mere precursor of things to come, however. When an enemy is encountered on the World Map, a battle is initiated. Battles are turn-based and take place in multi-leveled 3D fields. Position on the battlefield, terrain, elevation, and weapon and element alignment all come into play during the course of a skirmish. Weather, too, plays an important role in battle. For example, a sudden deluge can cause water levels to rise, affecting the lower areas of the battlefield.

Gaining experience in battle will see your characters raise in level. However, by performing special feats on the battlefield, either good or bad, your character may be rewarded with an emblem. Emblems can imbue your character with new abilities or aid in class changes. In total, there are 32 emblems to be found. A character's class refers to his race or occupation and is a major determining factor in the abilities and strengths of a particular party member. Male, Female, Demi-Human, Undead, Dragon, Transmigratory, Beasts, and Denizens of the Netherworld represent just a handful of the various in-game races. They encompass a wide variety of character types as well, including: Angel Knights, Archers, Beast Tamers, Clerics, Ninjas, Valkyries, Witches, and more.

Three modes are available outside of the main story mode, namely Exploration, Battle, and Exchange. The last of these allow two players to trade items, spellbooks, and even characters with one another. All the modes make use of the same main save data and can be used to acquire better or rare equipment and items that would otherwise be nearly impossible to find in the main game. Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis provides three battery save slots to record your progress, with over 40 hours of gameplay and multiple endings. ~ Gavin Frankle, All Game Guide