Summary
- Final Fantasy Tactics is a classic grid-based tactical RPG, but newer games like Unicorn Overlord provide more freedom of movement.
- The Diofield Chronicle and Dragon Ball Fusions offer innovative gameplay mechanics beyond grids in tactical RPGs.
- Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope showcases an unlikely pairing of Mario and Rabbids, with diverse characters and traversal options.
When RPG fans think about tactical RPGs, Final Fantasy Tactics tends to come up. It's one of the best in the genre and certainly one of the best Final Fantasy spinoffs to come out of the long-running franchise. It used grid-based gameplay for players to move characters around, similar to a chessboard.
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While great, there have been innovations in the field to give players more room to run around. These tactical RPGs don't use grids. Whether one style is better than the other is up for debate, but for now, let's look at why these games are great and rank them based on their overall quality and how they do away with the classic grid.
6 Dragon Ball Fusions
An Original Adventure Stuck On The 3DS
Dragon Ball Fusions
- Released
- November 22, 2016
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Cartoon Violence, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Publisher(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Franchise
- Dragon Ball
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo 3DS
- How Long To Beat
- 20 Hours
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
Dragon Ball Fusions came out perhaps too late in 2016 when the 3DS was on standby as Nintendo fans hotly awaited the Switch in 2017. It’s not easy to find now, but players who do track down a copy will be rewarded with an original adventure that doesn’t rehash the same Dragon Ball arcs ad nauseam. Players can create their own characters and then interact with familiar faces through tactical battles.
Players are free to fly around maps before engaging enemies with slick combos, made better when teammates are around. As the title suggests, fusing with others plays a large role in the gameplay and story. Some of these fused characters are a bit hard to unsee, but that’s what makes the game weird and special as a Dragon Ball adaptation.
5 The Diofield Chronicle
Square Enix’s More Open Tactical Successor
The DioField Chronicle
- Released
- September 22, 2022
- ESRB
- t
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix, Lancarse
- Publisher(s)
- Square Enix
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, PS4, Switch, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One
- Genre(s)
- Strategy, RPG
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
While there hasn’t been a new Final Fantasy Tactics game in quite some time, 2008 for North America to be exact, Square Enix has been putting out plenty of spiritual successors. For the grid-based fans out there, Triangle Strategy is a game that deserves more love. While not as immediately addicting, The Diofield Chronicle deserves some recognition, too, for trying to do something different.
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Set in a fantastical medieval setting, players will go through a linear progression of missions, each harder than the last. Party offerings are small, and players can move units around in The Diofield Chronicle like an RTS before engaging the enemy. It’s a blending of genres that is better implemented with a later game selection, but again, the game should be checked out.
4 Mario + Rabbids Sparks Of Hope
An Unlikely Pairing
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
- Released
- October 20, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is the second game that paired Mario with Ubisoft’s rabbit-like Rabbids. The pair seemed odd at first, but it worked well enough to get a sequel, which is easily the better game with a vast amount of improvements. Players can take a small roster of characters into battle, each equipped with a certain weapon type.
Mario sports two pistols, for example, and characters have more range on a mission between no more grids and traversal combos. Players can explore a small world in between missions and upgrade characters through various means. It’s a good time overall, even if it perhaps doesn’t reach the same heights as the more transitional turn-based Mario RPG games.
3 Unicorn Overlord
Part RTS, Part Tactical RPG, All Amazing
Unicorn Overlord
- Released
- March 8, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Vanillaware
- Engine
- unity
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Platform(s)
- PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Switch
- Genre(s)
- Tactical, RPG
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Unicorn Overlord is the latest game from Vanillaware, and like all other games before it, this one is completely original. Players will move squads around the map instead of controlling individual characters. On missions, players will dictate where these squads should go, whether that’s to capture a base, talk to an NPC, or fight an enemy squad.
If squads do run into enemies, the battles will play out automatically. Between the free movement system and the automatic battles, Unicorn Overlord has a lot of RTS elements. The one thing keeping it from a pure RTS, though, is the leveling-up system. Players can explore a semi-open-world environment to take on side quests and visit towns apart from continuing the main campaign, which gives them more to do compared to the typical tactical setup.
2 Baldur's Gate 3
Different Ways To Approach Each Situation
Baldur's Gate 3
- Released
- August 3, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Larian Studios
- Engine
- Divinity 4.0
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- Full cross-platform play.
- Cross Save
- Full cross-platform progression.
- Franchise
- Baldur's Gate
- Number of Players
- 1-4
- Split Screen Orientation
- Vertical Only
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Verified
- PC Release Date
- August 3, 2023
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- December 7, 2023
- PS5 Release Date
- September 6, 2023
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, macOS
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- How Long To Beat
- 100+ Hours
- X|S Optimized
- yes
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- Local Co-Op Support
- 1-2 Players
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Baldur's Gate 3 took a good PC franchise and turned it into an overnight sensation for both PC and console platforms. It won award after award when it was released in 2023, and players are still enjoying it now. The character choices are one reason why players keep coming back for more, as they can see branching storylines.
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The combat choices are equally as attractive. When enemies are encountered, players can take their party and move around the map freely to attack with weapons or magic out in the open or from behind the shadows. With a deep skill tree, a solid list of party members, and side quests galore, this is easily one of the longest tactical RPGs around. It’s good to see that the West still has what it takes to rival the high standards of Japan’s many tactical RPG offerings.
1 Valkyria Chronicles
War Does Change Sometimes
Valkyria Chronicles
- Released
- October 31, 2008
WHERE TO PLAY
Valkyria Chronicles is a prime example of a non-grid-based tactical RPG. The series premiered in 2008 and includes four main games and one action-based spinoff. The main games all have the same gameplay style wherein players select units before a mission and then move them around freely on the battlefield on their turn. The only thing holding them back is a meter, and characters can't move once it depletes.
Enemies can fire freely during this period, but once characters stop to manually aim their weapons, time freezes. The first game is as good a place as any to start, as it's a more fantastical alternate history take inspired by World War 2. It's a shame Sega hasn't revisited this franchise since the fourth entry in 2018, but those who have missed the series so far should hop aboard the Valkyria Chronicles train.
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