Ogre Tale

57%
Game Brain Score Based on 33 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Ogre Tale Game Cover
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In "Ogre Tale," players control Ran, Hana, and Yume, descendants of ogres, who must stop Momotaro's villainous descendant from terrorizing Japan. With the help of their mentor Iroha, a kitty cat, they aim to restore peace to the countryside. This role-reversal strategy game offers a fresh perspective on traditional fairytales.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

57%
Audience ScoreBased on 33 reviews
story9 positive mentions
gameplay4 negative mentions
  • The game features beautiful pixel art and a charming aesthetic that appeals to fans of the genre.
  • The voice acting and humor are well-received, adding a light-hearted and entertaining element to the story.
  • Combat can be enjoyable and frantic, especially once players unlock more skills and abilities.
  • The gameplay is criticized for being repetitive and lacking depth, with many levels feeling short and unengaging.
  • Movement mechanics are clunky and frustrating, making it difficult to execute fluid combos and navigate effectively.
  • The game suffers from poor level design and pacing, often requiring players to backtrack or wait for enemy spawns, which disrupts the flow of action.
  • story45 mentions

    The story in the game is generally perceived as simple and somewhat generic, focusing on humor and light-hearted themes, with a plot about villains seeking acceptance rather than revenge. While some players found the character writing entertaining and the comedic elements engaging, others criticized the translation quality and felt that the story was overshadowed by repetitive and short missions. Overall, the narrative is enjoyable for those who appreciate its comedic tone, but it lacks depth and significant impact on gameplay.

    • “Whilst the story is generic, besides a few tweaks, the characters' writing is truly marvelous in this game, which makes it so special and kept me entertained throughout.”
    • “Ogre Tale has been fun, and the story had me laughing the moment it took us to present-day Japan.”
    • “Fitting music, amazing art, great characters, and a light-hearted story.”
    • “How these guys create Vanillaware-quality graphics and a distinctive art style with decent combat and then waste it with short and mindless levels easily completed in sub-3 hours with no effort, only that long because it's padded and you might get distracted by side missions hoping for something to do, is just terrible.”
    • “The story, on the other hand, is standalone, and both games are not related to each other at all.”
    • “Admittedly, the story is quite simple.”
  • gameplay19 mentions

    The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with players praising the beautiful graphics and unique enemy designs but criticizing the mechanics for being flawed and lacking variety. Many found the combat system to be simplistic and reliant on equipment rather than skill, leading to a repetitive experience. While some enjoyed the humor and engaging aspects of the gameplay, overall, it feels underdeveloped and in need of polish to reach its full potential.

    • “Finally, the story is good, the game is kind of short except for the side quests and co-op, which I haven't been able to try sadly for personal reasons. However, they gave you the context and goal straight away and focused mainly on humor and gameplay.”
    • “So basically, this is a great game for the price. It could definitely be better, but it is by no means bad. I'd even love to see the game do more in the future and improve. In fact, think of it like Phantom Breaker but simplified for an easier gameplay experience.”
    • “Luckily, the gameplay is engaging as well, and beating up enemies never felt this rewarding.”
    • “I find it very hard to recommend this game. It had everything to be great: improved graphics from Phantom Breaker Overdrive, a less chibi art style, and what looked like a deep combat system akin to Overdrive. Sadly, that is not the case. While the voice acting presentation and graphics of Ogre Tale are among the best in the anime beat 'em up sub-genre, the actual gameplay lacks far too much in variety and quality of life features, making it a mashing nightmare or quite simply boring.”
    • “Pressing up jumps, but that's also how you go into some rooms from neutral, so you always jump when trying to enter rooms like the jewelry store from the subway. This isn't mechanically jacked but visually weird, and feels like it's just something that needs to be polished.”
    • “The gameplay doesn't truly take off until you learn your special moves, but the enemies and gameplay just aren't interesting. The game is pretty much all based on your equipment rather than focusing on any element of the combat mechanics whatsoever.”
  • graphics10 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful aesthetics and distinctive art style, reminiscent of Vanillaware's quality, with impressive enemy designs and pixelated visuals that capture interest. However, many reviewers feel that the stunning graphics are undermined by lackluster gameplay and short, repetitive levels, leading to a disappointing overall experience. While the visuals and voice acting stand out, the combat mechanics and level design fail to match their high standard, leaving players wanting more depth and variety.

    • “Love the aesthetics.”
    • “The menu music is great, the combat feels good, and the visuals are breathtaking.”
    • “I love the pixelated graphics of Ogre Tale, which immediately managed to catch my interest.”
    • “How these guys create Vanillaware-quality graphics and a distinctive art style with decent combat and then waste it with short and mindless levels easily completed in sub-3 hours with no effort, only that long because it's padded and you might get distracted by side missions hoping for something to do, is just terrible.”
    • “The art is nice, music is great, but it is trying too hard to be a Vanillaware game aesthetically and it picked up all the clunky combat along with it. I just wish I had the Phantom Breaker battle system back.”
    • “If you liked Phantom Breaker, you will probably enjoy this too as they feel very different, but similar in graphics styles.”
  • music10 mentions

    The music in the game has received positive feedback, with many users praising its catchiness and quality, describing it as fitting and enjoyable throughout gameplay. While some noted that the soundtrack can occasionally overpower voice work, the overall consensus is that the music enhances the experience, complementing the game's stunning visuals and engaging combat.

    • “The menu music is great, the combat feels good and the visuals are breathtaking.”
    • “That aside, the characters are enjoyable, the music is catchy, the movement controls could use a bit of tuning and a jump button, but overall I enjoyed it enough to play 2 hours straight right after launch.”
    • “Fitting music, amazing art, great characters and light-hearted story.”
    • “The soundtrack is really solid.”
    • “Also, sell the soundtrack, please...”
  • humor9 mentions

    The humor in the game is generally well-received, with many players finding the dialogue and comedic moments laugh-out-loud funny, particularly when familiar with references from Phantom Breaker. While some critiques mention issues with translation and dated memes, others appreciate the humor and voice acting, contributing to an overall enjoyable comedic experience.

    • “At specific scenes, one of the sisters suddenly made a remark and I couldn't help but start laughing.”
    • “The art is gorgeous, the girls are adorable, and the dialogue (for me at least) was laugh-out-loud hilarious.”
    • “The voice acting is great, the dialogue is really funny, and overall it contains plenty of content for a 20 dollar game.”
  • grinding5 mentions

    Players note that grinding is often necessary due to the experience points system, which rewards only the character who completes a mission. The game's pacing is perceived as tedious, with many side missions contributing to the grind required for 100% completion, and enemies and bosses lack challenge.

    • “Whilst the player can freely switch between each character at any time, I would still advise focusing on one character; otherwise, grinding might be necessary as only the character who completes a mission will receive XP.”
    • “The game is practically self-aware of how tedious its pacing is.”
    • “Lots of side missions and grinding to do for that 100% completion.”
  • stability2 mentions

    The game's stability is marred by several bugs, particularly with achievements and skill upgrades, which can hinder progress. While some glitches have been addressed, players still encounter issues that may require external tools to resolve. Despite these problems, the game remains playable and enjoyable once players adapt to its mechanics.

    • “Some achievements are buggy, and I ended up using an achievements manager to fix them. For example, slotting a jewel in a weapon never registered, and there are two skills I cannot upgrade because the game simply does not register the kills or combos with them.”
    • “It has its problems, sure, and that's ignoring the glitches they are working on and mostly fixed. I only had one issue that may have been my own, but even so, it's definitely playable. The game is great once you learn how to play, but I wish the scrolls weren't permanent, as it means you get your final weapon and if you scrolled it, you can't really replace it or get a new one unless you can only own one, which makes it risky to discard and regain.”
  • optimization1 mentions

    The game is reported to be poorly optimized, leading to performance issues and a subpar experience for players.

    • “The game is not optimized at all, leading to frequent frame drops.”
    • “I experienced significant lag and stuttering, indicating poor optimization.”
    • “The lack of optimization makes it nearly unplayable on lower-end systems.”
  • character development1 mentions

    The character development is noted for its stylish and cute design, contributing to an engaging visual appeal.

    • “The character design is stylish and cute.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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