Editing Tactical role-playing game (section)

===8-bit origins in Japan (1982–1990)===
[[File:Fire Emblem-like mockup.png|thumb|Tactical role-playing games often involve moving troops turn by turn across a map to defeat foes or capture territory, as depicted similarly in this illustration.]]

One of the earliest [[History of Eastern role-playing video games|Japanese RPGs]], [[Koei]]'s ''The Dragon and Princess'', was released on [[NEC]]'s [[PC-8000 Series|PC-8001]] [[home computer]] platform in 1982.<ref name="oh_fm7">{{cite web|title=ランダム・アクセス・メモ|url=http://www.retropc.net/fm-7/random_access_memo/04.html|work=[[:jp:Oh!FM|Oh! FM-7]]|access-date=19 September 2011|page=4|date=4 August 2001|archive-date=22 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322151107/http://www.retropc.net/fm-7/random_access_memo/04.html|url-status=dead}} ([https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=ja&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.retropc.net%2Ffm-7%2Frandom_access_memo%2F04.html&act=url Translation])</ref> This game can also be considered a precursor to the tactical RPG genre. It used a combat system where, following a [[random encounter]], the game transitioned to a separate, graphical, overhead battle screen, and [[Turn-based tactics|tactical turn-based]] combat ensued. That same year, ''Tunnels of Doom'' used a similar combat system,<ref name="armarc-tunnels"/> as did ''Ultima III: Exodus'' released in 1983.<ref name=dragon-princess>{{cite web|url=http://blog.hardcoregaming101.net/2013/04/dark-age-of-jrpgs-dragon-princess-1982.html|title=Dark Age of JRPGs (1): The Dragon & Princess (1982)|website=blog.hardcoregaming101.net|access-date=16 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url =http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/FelipePepe/20161010/282896/19821987__The_Birth_of_Japanese_RPGs_retold_in_15_Games.php | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20161013142318/http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/FelipePepe/20161010/282896/19821987__The_Birth_of_Japanese_RPGs_retold_in_15_Games.php | url-status =dead | archive-date =October 13, 2016 | title =1982-1987 - The Birth of Japanese RPGs, re-told in 15 Games | last =Pepe | first =Felipe | date =2016-10-10 | website =Gamasutra | publisher =UBM Techweb | access-date =2016-11-26 | quote = Dragon and Princess / ドラゴンアンドプリンセス is often pointed as the first RPG made in Japan, and it's particularly interesting for being a party-based game with top-down tactical turn-based combat (before ''Ultima III'' popularized such combat system), but at its core it's a text-adventure game ...}}</ref>

During the [[History of video game consoles (third generation)|8-bit]] era, ''Bokosuka Wars'', a computer game developed by Koji Sumii for the [[Sharp X1]] in 1983<ref>[http://www.gamespot.com/x1/strategy/bokosukawars/index.html Bokosuka Wars], GameSpot</ref> and ported to the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] (NES) by [[ASCII (company)|ASCII]] in 1985, was responsible for laying the foundations for the tactical RPG genre, or "simulation RPG" genre as it is known in Japan, with its blend of role-playing and [[strategy game]] elements. The game revolves around a king who must recruit soldiers and lead his army against overwhelming enemy forces, while each unit gains experience and [[levels up]] along the way.<ref name=Nintendo-Bokosuka>{{cite web|url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/vc/vc_bw/index.html|title=VC ボコスカウォーズ|website=www.nintendo.co.jp|access-date=16 August 2018}}</ref> It is also considered to be an early prototype [[real-time strategy]] game.<ref name=1UP-Druaga>{{cite web |url=http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=1&cId=3135870|title=The Quest of Ki |archive-url=https://archive.today/20050119105913/http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=1&cId=3135870 |archive-date=2005-01-19 |url-status=dead |work=[[1UP.com|1UP]] |access-date=16 August 2018}}</ref>

Another notable early example of the genre was [[Kure Software Koubou]]'s 1988 [[NEC PC-8801|PC-8801]] strategy RPG, ''[[Kure Software Koubou#Silver Ghost|Silver Ghost]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kure.sakura.ne.jp/8_works/game/2_sg.html|title=シルバーゴースト|language=ja|website=www.kure.sakura.ne.jp|access-date=16 August 2018}}</ref> which was cited by [[Camelot Software Planning]]'s Hiroyuki Takahashi as inspiration for the ''[[Shining (series)|Shining]]'' series of tactical RPGs. According to Takahashi, ''Silver Ghost'' was a simulation action type of game where the players had to direct, oversee and command multiple characters.<ref name=GamesTM>[http://www.gamestm.co.uk/retro/behind-the-scenes-shining-force/ Behind The Scenes – Shining Force], ''[[GamesTM]]''</ref> Unlike later tactical RPGs, however, ''Silver Ghost'' was not [[turn-based]], but instead used real-time strategy and [[action role-playing game]] elements. It also featured a [[point-and-click]] interface, to control the characters using a cursor.<ref>{{cite web|author=Kurt Kalata|date=February 4, 2010|title=So What the Heck is Silver Ghost|publisher=Hardcore Gaming 101|url=http://blog.hardcoregaming101.net/2010/02/so-what-heck-is-silver-ghost.html|access-date=2011-04-02}}</ref> A similar game released by Kure Software Koubo that same year was ''First Queen'', a unique hybrid between a real-time strategy, action RPG, and strategy RPG. Like an RPG, the player can explore the world, purchase items, and level up, and like a [[strategy video game]], it focuses on recruiting soldiers and fighting against large armies rather than small parties. The game's "Gochyakyara" ("Multiple Characters") system let the player control one character at a time while the others are controlled by computer [[Artificial intelligence|AI]] that follow the leader, and where battles are large-scale with characters sometimes filling an entire screen.<ref>{{MobyGames|id=/first-queen|name=First Queen}}</ref><ref name="kuresoft">{{cite web|title=Official Site|publisher=Kure Software Koubou|url=http://www.kuresoft.net|access-date=2011-05-19}} ([https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://www.kuresoft.net Translation])</ref> ''[[Master of Monsters (video game)|Master of Monsters]]'', developed by SystemSoft and released in 1989 for the [[MSX2]], added fantasy characters and magic attacks to the gameplay of the wartime combat ''[[Daisenryaku]]'' series, which had instead opted for tanks, planes, and other vehicles of real-world modern combat. ''Master of Monsters'' also added experience bars for the character units, a concept which would be adapted and popularized by later console-based series like ''[[Fire Emblem]]''. Unlike many other early titles in the genre, ''Master of Monsters'' made its way to the west via a port to the [[Sega Genesis]] in 1991, albeit only in North America.

However, the genre did not become prolific until [[Nintendo]] published the game that set the template for [[tactical wargame]] RPGs, ''[[Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi]]''. Developed by [[Intelligent Systems]] and released exclusively in Japan for the Nintendo [[Famicom]] in 1990, ''[[Fire Emblem]]'' would become an archetype for the whole genre, establishing gameplay elements that are still used in tactical RPGs today, though many of these elements were influenced by earlier RPGs and [[strategy game]]s. Combining the basic concepts from games like ''[[Dragon Quest]]'' and simple [[turn-based strategy]] elements that the development team gained experience with in their 1988 release ''[[Famicom Wars]]'', Intelligent Systems created a hit, which spawned many sequels and imitators. It introduced unique features such as how the characters were not interchangeable pawns but each of them were unique, in terms of both class and stats, and how a character who runs out of [[hit point]]s would usually remain dead forever. The latter mechanic was used to introduce a [[Nonlinear gameplay|non-linear]] storyline to the genre, where different [[multiple endings]] are possible depending on which characters are alive or dead,<ref name=Fire-Emblem/> a concept still used in recent games such as ''[[Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor]]'',<ref name=Devil-Survivor/> and ''[[Imageepoch|Final Promise Story]]''.<ref name=Escapist-Imageepoch/> It was not until the release of ''[[Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade]]'' for the [[Game Boy Advance]], many years later, that the series was introduced to Western gamers, who until then were more familiar with localized precursors like ''[[Nobunaga's Ambition]]'', as well as later tactical RPGs partially influenced by ''Fire Emblem'', including the ''Shining'' and ''Ogre'' series and ''Final Fantasy Tactics'', and [[Nippon Ichi]] games like ''[[Disgaea]]''.<ref name=Fire-Emblem>[https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/game-design-essentials-20-rpgs Game Design Essentials: Fire Emblem], Gamasutra</ref>