The graphics of TO are pretty good-I like the way the Status portraits look and how Denim and Kachua's clothes change when you reach Chapter 4. I like how the classes look, the Gunners look pretty cool, but for so many characters, there is a drawback-Most of the special characters that occupy an available class (Such as Presance, Debordes, Orias, and Aloser) are just the same as the other classes, but they do have their own portraits. Other special characters that do occupy a normally available class like Harboym(sp) and Sisteena have custom sprites, which should be mentioned.
The soundtrack is pretty good-The overworld theme is really good, but if you listen to it for extended periods of time then you'll get bored and hate it. The battle musics do tend to fit the scenes and mood of the battle-Such as you hear fierce and high-tempo music during a Decisive battle and quiet music during a night battle. The sounds are more or less just repeated-They can be pretty boring after awhile, because by the end of Chapter 1, you would have probably heard most of the sounds the game has to offer.
The difficulty is Tactics Ogre's Achilles heel-You have 10 units, no biggie, right? Well this means the enemy can have up to 10 units including the leader, and the AI can make it worse-Such as when you're trying to save Seleye in Chapter 3N, it's insanley annoying because they usually kill her before you can heal her or get her away. Another one of the main flaws of the difficulty is the fact that your characters die extremely easy. Sure, you can revive them, but for the first half of the game, you are without the Revivify spell and any unit lost is basically gone for good. You sometimes grow attatched to them-Especially if it's someone like Guildius or Mildain or Canopus. :( The only solution to that problem is over-leveling. This may take awhile because most enemy encounters are only 4 enemies, and you might use all 10. I'll admit-It does take awhile, but the game will be alot more easier if your units are about 5 levels above the harder-And the Final Boss, which so many on da internet complain about being so hard can be as easy as killing a priest with physical attacks if your characters are around level 40-50 (And besides, it's fun slaughtering the final boss at level 50, even if it does take forever to get to that level.
) Training and over-leveling is a must in TO if you don't want to lose half-your party in one battle.The storyline of TO is definatley its high-point. It is not at all linear, there are several choices you can make to affect the outcome-such as in the first chapter, you have to make a choice to move on to chapter 2L or 2C. Chapter 2L is linear, but in Chapter 2C, you have another choice offered at the end, to move either onto 3N or 3C. The enemies you fight and party members you can recruit also change, such as in Chapter 3L, Guildius, Mildain, and Vice join, but in Chapter 3C, then you get Guildius and Mildain and Vice dies, and in Chapter 3N, you only get Mildain and Guildius and Vice die. Another variety is that Harboym(sp) joins in all 3 chapters-In chapter 3L and 3C, you have to save him, but in Chapter 3N, he's practically a hidden character and is incredibly easy to miss. Other varieties between the chapters is that they end in the same place but you have to fight different opponents-In chapter 3L, you have to fight just Oz because you kill Ozma earlier, in chapter 3N, you fight Ozma because you kill Oz earlier, and in chapter 3C, you have to fight BOTH Oz and Ozma at the same time because Oz escapes eariler. Another thing is that you can only go through the forbidden power quest if you went through chapter 3C (or 3N if you were incredibly lucky in saving Selye at the beginning). Whichever path you choose, they all lead up to the same chapter and the same ending-Though different based on your current special characters.
If you are good at TO and level up alot, then the game is pretty enjoyable-If you don't level up much and keep losing your party members, then you'll probably hate it. I managed to level up alot (And I was even at level 50 at the end when I first played through), so I really like the game. There is definate replay value, such as a load of sidequests and different outcomes for lots of different endings, and if you can find it, TO is an excellent addition to your collection of PSX RPGs. If you are looking for TO, then try amazon or a used-game store. I bought it from a used-game store for 45 dollars and it was worth every penny. 9.55/10
Pros:
-=Some good graphics=-
-=Canopus=-
-=Great storyline if not some bad translations near the end=-
-=Loads of replay value=-
-=Liches-The one unit war-wagon=-
-=a great soundtrack=-
Cons:
-=Pretty hard to find=-
-=Is extremley easy if overleveled, and extremley hard if underleveled or at the same level as your opponents=-
-=Some custom characters don't get much Characterization=-
-=LLLLAAAAAAAANSSS!!! (Not Lans Tartare, fool!)=-
-=Saving Seleye at the beginning of Chapter 3N is INCREDIBLY hard=-
