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Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen

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Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen is a strategy video game for Nintendo's Super Nintendo. It is the first installment of an episodic series (although it is supposed to be the 5th episode), and was originally developed by Quest for the Super Famicom system (and subsequently Sega Saturn in 1996 with voice acting) in Japan. Enix of America only distributed 25,000 copies of the Super Nintendo version to the United States, which made it one of the rarest critically acclaimed video game titles to date. It was re-released by Atlus as a PlayStation game (along with Tactics Ogre: Let us Cling Together) in 1997 with the name of Ogre Battle: Limited Edition.

The series creator Yasumi Matsuno was inspired by the rock band Queen's second album, which contained two songs titled "Ogre Battle" and "The March Of The Black Queen", to name this game. Even the "Sea of Rhye" in the Ogre Battle world is named after "Seven Seas of Rhye".

The next game in the series, the 7th episode, Let Us Cling Together, was similarly named after a song in the album A Day At The Races. The next sequel, [[Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber]], developed by the original Ogre Battle's main programmer, instead of Mastuno, is the only one of the three not named after a Queen song.

Contents

Overview

Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen begins in the outskirts of the Zeteginan Empire, 24 years after the founding of the empire through conquest. Your main character is leading a revolution against this empire which has turned to evil through the use of black magic by the mage Rashidi.

The game begins with the seer Warren using Tarot cards to ask a series of questions to determine your suitability as leader of the revolution. There are several questions out of a fixed set which are randomly asked, each of which is associated with one of the 22 Tarot cards of the Major Arcana. Each question has three possible answers: one righteous, one evil, and one neutral. After you finish answer the questions, Warren wishes luck for the revolution and the game begins.

Ogre Battle mixes movement elements of a real time strategy game with the character development and combat of a role playing game. The game consists of a series of battles where you deploy units to fight against enemies and liberate occupied towns and temples. Each stage has a boss whose defeat signals the end of the stage. Both during and after the stage, towns and temples can be visited to gain information or items. The game also features an alignment system, both for the revolution as a whole (reputation) and for individual characters (alignment and charisma). These parameters are influenced by how the game is played.

There are 25 main stages in the game, with some variation possible in how the stages are played. There are also 4 hidden stages accessible through the main game with an additional stage as an easter egg. Note that the game can be completed without finishing all the stages. There are 12 different endings to the main game, depending on the conduct of the player during the course of the game.

Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen is often referred to as Ogre Battle. Four other games in the series have been released, of which [[Ogre Battle: Legend of the Zenobia Prince]] is most similar to the original, with [[Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber]] also being in the vein of the first offering. The other two titles, Tactics Ogre: Let us Cling Together and [[Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis]], have much more in common with Final Fantasy Tactics and other related video games.

Gameplay

Ogre Battle has two main modes of play, the world map and the tactical map. On the world map, the player can manage his characters changing their class, re-ordering them into different units, and erasing them. The player can also save and load the game, as well as manage items. In addition, the world map is where the player chooses the next stage, which can either be an already completed stage or a new stage.

Once the player has selected a stage, action shifts to the tactical map. Here, the player can deploy units and move them around. Each unit has a cost associated with it which must be paid to deploy the unit and every day at noon thereafter. There is a limit on the number of units which can be deployed at one time. Time passes on the tactical map alternating between day and night. Characters with high alignment fight better during the day while those with low alignment fight better at night. There are also towns and temples which can be liberated by units. Upon liberation, a random tarot card is drawn which can affect either the liberating unit's statistics or the reputation parameter. In addition, liberated towns provide income every noon which can be used to buy items (some towns have shops which can be used when a unit is stationed there) or pay for unit costs. In addition, there are often hidden towns, temples, or items which can be found by moving a unit close to the appropriate location.

One of the most important aspects of the tactical map is combat with enemy units. Each stage has a number of enemy units which attempt to re-capture the player's towns and temples. If a player's unit gets too close to an enemy unit, a battle ensues. During a battle, the view shifts to a close up view of the two combatant units. Characters alternate taking actions with the battle ending after one round of combat (many units can attack multiple times per round). The unit which caused the most damage is the victor and forces the other unit to retreat. During a battle, a player does not directly control their unit, but selects a tactic for the unit to follow (Best, Strong, Weak, Leader) which the characters follow when choosing who to attack. The player can also use stored tarot cards (which can cause damage or have a special effect), retreat, or change tactics during a battle.

Classes

One of the most important aspects of Ogre Battle is the class system. Each character has a class which determines the characteristics of that character. There are over 75 different classes available in Ogre Battle, but any given character is limited to a subset depending on their race. For instance, human characters can either be male (fighter) or female (amazon). There are also Dragons, Wyrms, Pumpkins, Angels, Giants, Hellhounds, Octopi, Hawk Men, Demons, Gryphons, Mermaids, Golems and Undead class trees. Within a tree, there are usually level, alignment, and often charisma requirements. In addition, some classes also require the use of a special item. Finally, the two human class trees are unique in that they have the most branches in their tree and characters can be demoted to move along a different path.

Apart from statistic increases at level-up, a character's class also determines how the character moves and fights. Each character has a terrain type where they move fastest and fight the best (some classes also get additional attacks), with flying characters able to move quickly over all terrain. In addition, each class has a set of attacks characters can perform, ranging from physical attacks targeting one opponent to magical attacks targeting a whole unit.

Cast

In addition to your hero and the standard characters you can recruit and fire at any time, there are 18 unique characters who can be recruited to your revolution: Lans (Lancelot), Warren, Canopus, Gilbert, Deneb, Ashe, Lyon, Aisha, Norn, Rauny, Saradin, Tristan, Yushis, Debonair, Slust, Fenril, Galf, and Fogel. Most of these characters have special requirements for them to join you. The presence of some characters in your revolution can affect the ending of the game.

There are also many NPCs characters who serve as either stage bosses or appear for various events during the game. Many of the characters in Ogre Battle appear in other games in the series.

Playable Characters

He is the leader of the Liberation Army, also known as the "Opinion Leader", and Destin the Valiant in the Episode VI. It should be noted that no default name exists for the Opinion Leader, rather he is given the name Destin in Episode VI (Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber). The name in the Japanese version translates to "Destined Forlord" which is a reference to Warren choosing Destin via "Destiny". As far as gameplay goes, he is the most crucial character to the game. When he dies, it's game over. Destin's own Charisma and Alignment ratings will also affect whether or not characters join you, whether NPCs give you important items, and ultimately what ending you will get when you beat the game. Destin also is deployed automatically and is the only unit that does not collect wages. There are four different unit types Destin can become (with different colors in the PS version), and the best one (three attacks in the front row) is his true makeup based on his appearance in Episode VI (Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber) as a playable character. In OB64 Destin serves as a mentor to Magnus Gallant, the main character, and can also be fought as the final boss of the game depending on which path Magnus takes. In Episode V though, Destin is for the most part a silent protagonist, only speaking directly to a few characters in the entire game (Posha, Tristan, Debonair, Endora, and Rashidi). Little is known of Destin's past, or how he came to meet Warren. Maybe he used to live in the mansion above Warren's castle, as a high class person, and this may be the reason for the name of his class. This is a speculation, though. There is another speculation that says that Destin is really Jan Zenobia, the older brother of Tristan Zenobia (and thus, the rightful heir to the Zenobian throne, which Destin ironically turns over to Tristan, the presumed rightful heir). However Destin and Tristan are the same age, whereas Jan would have been two years older than Tristan.
Born in the city of Valna, Sharom, Lans is a knight who was refuged in the city of Zeltenia just east of Warren's castle. His wife died because of a sickness, when being chased by Empire's men, the only thing that he was able to keep from his wife was just a music box that he regards as the memories of his late wife, and his reason for living. He has lived to see the death of King Gran avenged and serves Destin loyally for the entire campaign. When Diablo is defeated, Lans is appointed to be the commander of the Zenobian Guard. However, a short time after, he was officially stripped of his rank, and exiled from the country (in order to be sent on a secret mission, in the Zenobian official reports, he was said to be dead after a terrible torture of Lodis' Dark Knights, however, this report turns to be false because Lans is in a deplorable condition, but alive in the city of Heigm, in Valeria).
Warren is a wiseman, a talented wizard and astrologist whose tarot-card fortunes rarely miss their mark. At the beginning of each new game, Warren is the hooded seer who questions the Opinion Leader. He does so in order to determine his/her worthiness as leader of the rebellion. As a point of interest, he bears the same name as Warren Moon, an NFL quarterback.
Not long after the fall of the Zeteginean Empire, Warren was reported missing in action after being pulled to the Underworld during a secret mission to the island of Valeria.
Canopus is a demi-human, mercenary-like character who will join you early in the game if you can convince him to. He seems to be, basically, part human, part eagle. He looks mostly like a human male with the wings of an eagle on his back, with long, bright, fiery red hair, a tanned complexion, and a piercing gaze. He is also called "The Wind Rider" by many, a title he obviously earned earlier in life from his various exploits. He seems to prefer using clubs, hammers and spears in battle with little protective armor and is somewhat of a barbarian style fighter in nature. He has a sister Yulia, who he is quite overprotective of. Also his best friend Gilbert Oblion, the ruler of the small country of Sharom, whom he fought alongside with many times years ago, plays a large role in the Zenobian revolution. After the Empire is defeated and the new Zenobian Kingdom established, Canopus is promoted to General of the Beast Brigade of Zenobia's expanding army by King Tristan. However, he does not keep this position for long, due to a certain incident, he is stripped of his rank and exiled from Zenobia with four other Zenobians. It is later revealed this is a cover up for a secret mission he and the other four zenobians have been assigned to by their King Tristan. This important mission eventually brings them to the small island country of Valeria. Where they meet a teenager named Denim Powell and participate with him in guerilla activity, breaking free Duke Judah Ronway from his imprisonment at Amorika Castle by the oppressive Gargastan kingdom of Valeria. This is the catalyst for the beginning of a civil war which eventually encompases the whole island of Valeria and in the end, changes it and its people forever. Canopus and a couple other Zenobian knights survive this new war, fighting alongside the hero Denim, eventually finding the artifact they were seeking, that had been stolen from Zenobia. Canopus and the other surviving zenobians are thus able to return to Zenobia with the stolen artifact and it is assumed they are reinstated by their king.
An old warrior in his late fifties, Gilbert is the ruler/govenor of the small kingdom of Sharom which more or less merged with its larger neighbor and ally, the kingdom of Zenobia. Even though he's not getting any younger, Gilbert is still one of Zenobia's best warriors and beast masters. He uses a long whip in battle and is painfully efficient with it. His Wyverns and Gryphons add a great deal of strength and mobility to Zenobia's armies. His best friend, Canopus Wulf, fought alongside him in his earlier days and the two became fairly well known war heros. He is also somewhat romantically interested in Canopus's sister, Yulia, but does not let this interest cloud his judgement. He doesn't seem like the type of man to put personal love first. His first love is obviously his country and protecting the people he rules and he ends up becoming a very valuable and powerful ally to Destin Faroda in his revolution against the Zeteginean Empire. After the end of the war and the Zeteginean Empire is destroyed, he helps establish the New Zenobian Kingdom, under the rule of King Tristan Zenobia. After this however, Gilbert believes his initial disloyalty to Zenobia when the highlands invaded 24 years ago cannot be so easily forgiven and Gilbert more or less exiles himself, electing to follow Destin Faroda and his companions to the continent of Palatinus, to investigate the intentions of the powerful militant country of Lodis (occupying Palatinus), and whether they plan on using their occupation to invade Zenobia. At the conclusion of Episode VI Gilbert returns to Zenobia, to report to King Tristan what he and Destin found out about Lodis' intentions. Gilbert also makes a cameo appearance in one of the endings in Episode VII, in what is known as the "Gilbert ending".
Deneb is a Witch character who has become a staple of Ogre Battle games. After being defeated in battle, she asks the player to forgive her. Forgiving her results in a sidequest, the reward of which is a Glass Pumpkin that allows Witch characters to recruit Pumpkinhead units, as well as Deneb's aid in battle -- but forgiving her also results in a Reputation drop for the Leader.
Captain of the Zenobian Royal Guard under King Gran Zenobia. Rashidi used his magic to disguise Gares as Ashe, which is how Gran and the royal family were assassinated. Ashe accepted the blame for Gran's death, because he was unable to protect the royal family. Ashe was imprisoned for 24 years. He was resigned to his eventual death from old age, until he was freed by the Liberation Army. He met General Debonair on the battlefield and was able to show him the error of Empress Endora's ways.
Lyon the Beast King is a mercenary who claims to be the best Beast Tamer in Zeteginea. He offered the Zenobian Liberation Army his services at a price, and also informed them of a way to bring down Zenobia Castle's walls. He specializes in leading dragons, wyrms, and other reptilian creatures.
The former High Priestess of the Holy Zeteginean Empire, and lover of Kaus Debonair. Norn was the first person to see the effect Rashidi was having on Empress Endora, so Rashidi stripped Norn of her rank and sent her to maintain Diaspola, a jail for political prisoners. Norn was told by Endora that Debonair died in battle with the Zenobian Liberation Army. This is only a half truth though. Debonair surrendered Zenobia Castle and returned to Zeteginea to question Endora's policies. Endora saw him as a traitor, and had him imprisoned. Thus the Debonair that was loyal to the empire was "died" fighting the Liberation Army. Norn fought the Liberation Army seeking revenge, and wanted to meet her lover in death. However, Destin was able to convince her that Debonair was still alive, and Norn joined the Liberation Army. Debonair was later rescued at the Temple Shangrila, reuniting the two lovers. After the revolution was completed, Norn hoped to marry Debonair, but he immediately left with Destin to go to Palatinus. It is presumed that she has retaken her role as High Priestess under the reign of King Tristan.
The first female paladin of the Highlands, and the daughter of Highland General Hikash Winzalf. She ran away from the Empire when she saw how heartless the Highlands had become and when her hand was offered to the sinister Baron Apros in marriage. Apros sent bounty hunters after her to bring her back dead or alive. Rauny was tracked by the bounty hunter Ares to the Castro Canyon, where she joined the liberation army. Shortly after, Rauny played a hand in the death of her corrupt fiance Baron Apros. As the Zeteginian Empire crumbled, Rauny was forced to face her father in battle, where she had no choice but to kill him in a fierce battle. At the end of the revolution Rauny, a daughter of the Highlands, marries Tristan the true heir. This political marriage aided in the New Zenobian Kingdom being formed with little dispute.
The mage Saradin was one of Rashidi's apprentices until he saw his master starting to seek the ways of darkness. When this happened, Saradin turned on his master, prompting another of Rashidi's students, Albeleo, to turn him to stone. Since that day 25 years ago, Saradin remained as a frozen statue, waiting for someone to awaken him, which happened when Destin figured out that he wasn't a sculpture and disabled the curse. Saradin joined the Rebels after defeating Albeleo.
Prince Tristan was thought to have been killed with the rest of his family 25 years ago. But his nanny, Banya, rescued him and kept him hidden. He made his way to Malano to stop the wedding between Baron Apros and Rauny. He joined Destin and after the Zeteginean Empire was finished, Tristan became monarch and later known as "The White King". His actions are reflected in other Episodes by many characters. A japanese-only "Ogre Battle: Legend of the Zenobia Prince" featured him as the main character in his adventures prior to meeting Destin Faroda.
Debonair is a proud warrior who seriously believes in doing what's right, and that meant maintaining his loyalty to Empress Endora. But when Destin fought him, he started to question his matron and heads off to investigate her actions himself. He was imprisoned by Endora, and rescued by Destin some time later. After the revolution, Debonair left with Destin to investigate Lodis.
When Yushis' sister, Mizal, formed a contract with Rashidi and came to Earth, other angels were sent to bring her back. Many of them were caught and/or destroyed by the Empire, and among the captured was Yushis. Yushis was held prisoner in Antalia ever since. Her only goal was to recover her sister and save her from Rashidi's evil. She was freed by Destin and confronted her sister later on, and had no choice but to kill her.
The High Knight of Fire, he is one of the Three High Knights who long ago helped humans to fight with the Ogres along the 12 White Wizards in the Ogre Battle. When the Zenobian Revolution passes over Muspelm, The Floating Continent where he lives, he fought against the Revolutionary Army because he was charmed with the magic of Rashidi to fight against them. When they defeat him, he recovers from Rashidi's spell, and will join the Revolution if they wish it. There is a rumor which says that Slust had been born in Nirdam, due to the color of his skin, and because there are no black people in Zenobia. After helping the Revolutionary Army in defeating Demundza, he returns to his island to continue his life, seducing women around Muspelm.
The High Knight Of Ice, she is another of the Three High Knights, and the only female. She was the owner of the Brunhild, the sword which enables comunication with the Gods. However, she gave this sword to the humans for protection. She owns the floating island of Organa, and just like Slust, she fought with the Zenobian Revolutionary Army. After being defeated, she will only join the Revolution if their Opinion Leader is worth it. After the estabishment of the New Zenobian Kingdom, she returns to Organa to have once again a peaceful life.
The High Knight of Wind, he is often called Fogel, the Dragon Rider, and said to be the strongest among the Three High Knights. He always strove for a strong opponent, with a proud and arrogant attitude. There is a legend which says that Fogel fought against a dragon for seven days and seven nights, and defeated it after very fierce combat. However, after that, the Gods sent a curse over him for being such an arrogant person, and turned his human body into a reptilian dragon body. As his comrades do, he will fight against the Rebellion and join after his defeat if their Opinion Leader is worthy of his service. His curse remains unlifted even after the success of the Revolution.
The general of the Netherworld, he led the demons in combat against the humans during the legendary Ogre Battle. He offered his services to the revolution in exchange for the Brunhild sword. Accepting this offer completely changes the ending of the game.

Notable villains

Also referred to as "the Creator of Chaos", or "the Sage of Zeteginia". Rashidi (along with King Gran) was originally one of the 5 heroes that brought peace and stability to the continent of Zeteginia. However Rashidi killed his friend King Gran, and manipulated Empress Endora into conquering all nations on the continent of Zeteginia 25 years ago . He had an affair with the Archangel Mizar, using her to gain access to the Black Diamond. He used his powerful magic to charm the three High Knights so they would not interfere with his plans. He attempted to join forces with Galf, general of the Netherworld. He was defeated by Destin's army at Shalina Temple. Rashidi sacrificed himself, using his own blood to for the ritual required to complete his plans. He broke the seal on the Chaos Gate that was Shalina Temple, allowing Demundza, King of the Netherworld to return to Earth to presumebly begin the second Ogre Battle. However the rebel army was able to beat Demundza back into the netherworld before his power became too great. Unbenownst to anyone (except the "erased" General Kerikov), Rashidi reincarnated into the body of a demi-god, at the conclusion of Episode VI. It seems as though this was one of Rashidi's plans right from the beginning. It is briefly mentioned in episode VI that Rashidi visited Palatinus during Yumil's infancy, and it is likely that he left his daughter Mari here during this time. It is also revealed by Saradin that Rashidi did research on the Infernal Aura, a condition that occurs once a limiter/seal on human power has been released. There are numerous occasions where Rashidi granted his "power" to individuals, including Empress Endora, Prince Gares, Baron Apros, High Priest Randals, and General Previa (while Kapella and Albeleo were apprentices of Rashidi, it seems that their power was their own).
The evil Prince of the Empire, he has totally forfeited his humanity for dark power so he can rule with an iron fist. He was responsible for the murder of Aisha's mother. Destin's army fought him multiple times, including an army of Gares' at Zeteginia. The Gares that the rebellion fought were Gares' soulless armor, animated by Rashidi. It is unlikely that the true Gares ever left Rashidi's side, as he assisted Rashidi's plans. This is emphasized by Gares hightailing it to Shalina with Rashidi rather than defending his mother and rightful throne.
The Zeteginean Empress discovered that the land of Lodis in the northern continent of Galicia was planning an invasion of all southern lands. No one, including the Zenobian kingdom under King Gran, would listen to her warnings, except Rashidi. Rashidi twisted her original noble intention of protecting the contintent from Lodis' invasion, into conquering the entire continent for herself. She fought to her last breath against the Rebellion, and was killed in her homeland of Zeteginea.
General Hikash is renowned as the Empire's most noble warrior. He was too devoted to his homeland and to Empress Endora to help Destin, even though he knows of the wrongs the Empire has committed. Destin had no choice, as he standed in his way, and had to defeat him. He accomplished his wish to see his daughter, Rauny, one last time before he died and the Empire fell.
This pitiful noble was responsible for many abominations, including the Pogrom Forest Massacre and for his services, he's being given the hand of Overlord Hikash's daughter, Rauny, who ran away when the wedding was arranged. He was killed by prince Tristan.
One of Rashidi's three apprentices, Albeleo keeps himself young thanks to reincarnation. When Saradin was unwilling to help Rashidi conquer Zenobia 25 years before Episode V, Albelo turned him into a stone statue. When the Liberation Army cured Saradin from his state, he settled the score with Albeleo. However, Albeleo's body vanished. Albelo also serves as the boss of the game's secret mission "Dragon's Haven". He was searching for dragons to add to the Zeteginian Empire's army, but was again defeated by the Liberation Army. Unbenownst to many Ogre Battlers, Albeleo also appears as a playable character in Episode VII (Tactics Ogre: Let us Cling Together), under the name "Radlum". Radlum was a character with seemingly no backstory or present story to speak of, other than the fact that he was searching for Drakonite magic at Hell Gate. In the Japanese version of the game, if Radlum dies in battle his death quote is something along the lines of "It is I Albeleo! Looks like I need to find another body again". However this is not his death quote in the US version (possibly due to poor translation by Atlus).

See also

External links

 

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