Valkyria Chronicles
Let’s kick this list of games like Final Fantasy Tactics with a series that is widely available on most modern consoles: Valkyria Chronicles.
It’s your choice whether you want to go for the remastered version of the first game, or jump right into the newest entry Valkyria Chronicles 4, you really can’t go wrong with either as both of them are excellent games.
In Valkyria Chronicles, you jump between a tactical map mode where you’ll make your bigger picture choices such as where to deploy units, and how to approach objectives, and the perspective of your individual soldiers.
When you select a unit, you zoom into their perspective and are then able move and attack with them according to their strengths and weaknesses.
There are different unit classes to play around with such as Scouts that have high mobility and vision, but have only average health and offense, and Shocktroopers that have low mobility but carry a ton of firepower with improved defense.
Whether you’re playing VC1 or VC4, you’ll experience a dramatic story about war, death, and a mystical race of people known as the Valkyria that have powers impactful enough to change the course of a war. Both games have their moments where they will be incredibly challenging even to the most experienced strategy and tactics game fans coming from Final Fantasy Tactics.
If you’re wondering about Valkyria Chronicles 2 and 3, they exist but only on PSP. And in the case of VC3, it was only released in Japan. They are both fine games if you decide to play them, but the smaller screen also leads to smaller battles which kind of waters down a part of what makes the other two games fun.
Disgaea 5
Disgaea is one of the longest running strategy tactics RPG series in existence. It became popular around the same era as the PS1 classics like Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactics Ogre (which we’ll get to), and it has blossomed into one of the most iconic franchises in the genre.
If Final Fantasy Tactics and some of the other games on this list aren’t complicated enough for you, enter Disgaea. Specifically we would recommend Disgaea 5, but any of the games will give you the same experience.
The series is a min-maxer’s dream, allowing you to reach insane heights in both damage and levels, and reward your work with challenging content. Also there are a lot of complex mechanics to wrap your head around which should keep you busy for hours on end.
Finally, unlike the more serious tones of games like Final Fantasy Tactics, Disgaea games are generally a bit wackier, lighthearted, and silly. Even if you’ve never played a Disgaea game before, you’ve probably see the iconic Prinny penguin-like creatures before (dood). And oftentimes, you play as characters that would traditionally be considered the “bad guys” such as Laharl from Disgaea 1 who is the Son of Satan.
Wargroove
One of the flaws of Final Fantasy Tactics is that the space between major battles is long. There are lots of random battles, the load screens are long, menus can be cumbersome, cutscene dialogue can take a while to play out etc. There’s a lot of “stuff” in-between slowing you down.
Wargroove, one of the more recent games on this list having come out in 2019, takes classic and familiar-looking turn-based strategy from the era of games like Final Fantasy Tactics and Advanced Wars, and puts it in a modern faster-paced package without sacrificing quality.
In Wargroove you’re still getting that tight, tactical gameplay complete with classes, movement across a map, coordinating attacks within a turn and even long-drawn out epic battles. But the pace between battles is quicker, cutscenes are efficient and you’re quickly off to the next fight.
It builds on previous games too. In Wargroove you have a commander that you can select (up to 12) that will give your army some flair as suited to your needs/wants based around the type of strategy you want to employ. And there’s even online multiplayer too.
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
While Final Fantasy Tactics is what is usually remembered from the PS1-era of tactics games, it was actually Tactics Ogre that got the ball rolling.
Tactics Ogre is an extremely similar, and is arguably the quintessential game like Final Fantasy Tactics, and in a lot of ways it is the same thing but without the Final Fantasy-inspired jobs and world.
That might sound like it’s a negative but it’s not; Tactics Ogre has a plot and lore just as interesting as Final Fantasy Tactics’, and at times is just as dark if not darker. It also features branching plot points which was rare for games in the PS1 era.
In fact, the version that was remade for PSP and PS Vita, Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together, allows you to go back and forth through the game’s plot and play out different choices to see what would have happened.
Of course, because it’s a strategy tactics game, one that heavily inspired Final Fantasy Tactics, you have lots of classes to choose from that are able to attack and move around the game’s grid in different ways.
Jeanne d’Arc
Jeanne d’Arc is the most underappreciated gem of strategy and tactical video game genre. Despite never getting the recognition that Final Fantasy Tactics has received over the years, it’s just as deserving.
Jeanne d’Arc takes place in a fictional version of the Hundred Years’ War starring a main character inspired by the real-life Joan of Arc. In this world, there are demons and monsters, and these fantasy elements are heavily woven into the game’s plot and gameplay.
Jeanna d’Arc also uses the familiar grid based movement system and features characters that have their own unique attacking and movement styles; it has all the typical elements that you would expect.
However, Jeanne d’Arc evolves the strategic elements of attacking and defending in a unique way. In Jeanne d’Arc, attacking creates opportunities called Burning Auras, where the space behind the defending enemy can be moved into by another character to increase their damage.
You can utilize weaker attacks to open up a Burning Aura and then move a powerful character with MP for a big attack to deal damage. On the flip side, you can also move your hero characters closer together to create a Unified Guard which will help defend against attacks.
Jeanne d’Arc, like many of the games like Final Fantasy Tactics, can get very difficult at times, you need to ensure that you’re taking advantage of everything the game teaches you to survive.
Besides all of that, like we mentioned earlier, Jeanne ‘d Arc tells tale that is bizarrely somewhat historically accurate aside from the fantasy elements, and is dramatic, well-written, and filled with likable characters and lots of twists and turns.
The only downside is that the game only exists on the PSP, a now very outdated console.
Fire Emblem
Alongside Final Fantasy Tactics, Fire Emblem helped popularize the strategy genre, especially for Nintendo fans. It has proven to have long-term appeal and numerous games have released over the years including the upcoming Three Houses. Unlike Final Fantasy Tactics which has mostly been forgotten about by Square Enix, Nintendo treats Fire Emblem like a major tent pole franchise.
Like any good strategy game, Fire Emblem games feature gameplay that requires you to think carefully about your moves like a game of chess. They are renowned for their difficulty and are filled with moments such as figuring out which units to send where, knowing the strengths and weaknesses of each class, and how to pair units up for the maximum boost.
Later games in the franchise have done a better job at telling cohesive stories and having well fleshed out characters, but the strategy is always at its core. Also like Final Fantasy Tactics, death is permanent in most Fire Emblem games which gives it that extra edge for hardcore fans.
With tons of different unit types and weapons to choose from, any Final Fantasy Tactics fan should feel right at home.
That does it for our picks for games like Final Fantasy Tactics. Have any other additional suggestions? Let us know in the comments below and we’ll look into them!
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