Tactics Ogre: Reborn is a remaster of a remake, updating 2010's fantasy tactical RPG Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together to modern consoles. This isn't just a straight port of a PSP game to modern systems, as Tactics Ogre: Reborn has been given a number of QoL improvements that make the gameplay experience a lot more enjoyable. While the similar PSP remaster Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion focuses on visual upgrades, Tactics: Ogre focuses on improving the core experience of what was already one of the best tactical RPGs of all time.
The story of Tactics Ogre: Reborn takes place in the Valerian Isles during a civil war, as the death of the King and the lack of a successor causes conflict between the three factions in the region. The protagonist of Tactics Ogre: Reborn is Denam Pavel, a Walister native from the south east of Valerian, whose village was razed by the Dark Knights Loslorien in his youth. Now a young man, Denam is joined by his sister, Catiua, and his hot-headed best friend, Vyce, as they seek to stoke the fires of rebellion and free the Walister people from oppression. A chance encounter with a group of Zenobian mercenaries gives them the numbers to free the imprisoned Duke Rowney and become the leaders of the Walister rebellion, but the cutthroat world of Valerian politics soon threatens to kick-off another civil war on the isles.
Tactics Ogre: Reborn has received several changes to its gameplay systems, as well as some QoL upgrades. By far the biggest QoL upgrade in Tactics Ogre: Reborn is a speed-up option. This is a slow-paced tactics RPG which can have over twenty characters taking their turns individually, and the option to speed everything up is an absolute godsend. The random encounters on the world map have been scrapped and players can choose to take part in non-lethal battles to gain experience points at any time by using the Train option on relevant locations on the map. A character can bring four items into battle and they will now automatically restock after a fight, assuming the player has some in their inventory, and shops will now automatically buy treasure earned in battle. The player can now also save several party compositions, allowing them to quickly select different groups for battle.
Tactics Ogre Reborn has also introduced limitations that weren't present in the other versions of the game. The player characters now level up individually, with a level cap that gradually increases over the course of a story. If the player earns overflow experience points (while leveling up new characters), then these are turned into a new kind of item called Charms, which can change stats or give free experience points in the future. Characters can now also only equip four Skills and four Spells at once, unlike the previous iteration of the game, where the player could spend ages equipping skills and wasting time in the menu. These limitations ensure that the player can't overlevel or cheese their way through fights, making for a more challenging experience overall.
On the surface, Tactics Ogre: Reborn seems like a port of Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together, but there have been a number of changes made to the aesthetics and gameplay that set it apart from the earlier version of the game. The cutscenes in the game are now fully voiced and the soundtrack has replaced by a full orchestral score. Both of these are huge additions to the game and they are a major boon to the experience, especially in a game with lots of text and lengthy battle sequences. The only major complaint with the remaster are the graphics, as the pixel art characters look fine from a distance, but when the camera zooms in, they appear smoothed out in a way that makes them look almost blurry. It doesn't take long to get used to this and Tactics Ogre: Reborn is not meant to be a visual powerhouse in the first place, so it's not a huge Gotham Knights 30fps-style problem.
Tactics Ogre: Reborn has also added some brand new elements. There are now cards that spawn on the battlefield that have different effects: blue cards provide buffs, red cards remove blue card effects, and green cards boost stats. These cards spawn a lot and the enemies can also take advantage of them, so their presence is now a factor when selecting where to move, and makes ranged attacks even more vital, so that player characters can go after cards and still act on their turn. Each mission now has bonus objectives that grant additional experience points and items, but the ones in the first chapter of the game are pretty basic, such as casting a healing spell or using a specific class on the player's team. It remains to be seen whether the later missions will have more challenging bonus objectives, but the ones early on provide some extra benefits that make leveling up new party members easier.
Tactics Ogre: Reborn is building on the foundation of one of the best tactics RPGs ever made. The visual changes are a letdown, but they're a small hiccup in what is otherwise a much improved experience. The speed-up option alone is a major addition, but the numerous changes to the battle system help shake-up the experience in a way that makes the game interesting and more challenging for returning players. The new elements and QoL improvements exist to enhance an already fantastic title, and these alterations could easily make Tactics Ogre: Reborn the definitive version of the game.
Tactics Ogre: Reborn will be released for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, and PS5 on November 11, 2022. Screen Rant was provided with a digital code for the Nintendo Switch version of the game for the purposes of this preview.