Tactics Ogre: Reborn Review (PS5)

It’s hard to talk about Tactics Ogre: Reborn without mentioning Final Fantasy Tactics, but the same can be said about the latter. Both games share many gameplay mechanics and have been known for establishing an entire genre. Not to mention that both have been developed by Yasumi Matsuno, one of the most prolific Japanese game designers.

Tactics Ogre: Reborn is the traditional definition of an isometric strategy tactics game with heavy RPG elements. This is a remake of a 2011 PSP game called Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together, which was in itself a remake of the 1995 Super Nintendo title with the same name.

The latest foray into the world of Tactics Ogre is also the more advanced and feature rich, so for the ultimate gameplay experience, I highly recommend getting this one on instead of either of the two much older games.

Set in the fictional Kingdom of Valeria, Tactics Ogre: Reborn follows Denam Pavel, his sister Catiua, and their childhood friend Vyce, as they navigate the complexities of a civil war between three factions: Bakram, Galgastani, and Walister. As part of the least powerful faction, they often have to employ diplomacy instead of brute force to achieve their goals.

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Although Tactics Ogre: Reborn is mostly about traditional grid-mapped turn-based battles and where you’ll be spending most of your time, there’s a pretty rich and surprisingly deep story behind all the intricate mechanics of the combat system.

There are enough twists and turns in the game to make George R.R. Martin jealous, not to mention that there are multiple endings that you can experience without having to start all over again. That’s because of a new feature introduced in the remake that allows you to go back to branching paths in the story and make different choices.

The feature called Chariot Tarot is introduced early in the game, but you can only use it in battles to go back to a certain point instead of just starting over the battle. Once the story starts letting you make choices that have consequences not just when it comes to story, but also your army.

Tactics Ogre: Reborn mostly relies on a system of classes that allows you to build a versatile army that can handle any enemy in almost any scenario. Obviously, each of these classes has its own strengths and weaknesses, as well as a main role on the battlefield. Throughout the campaign, you get so-called classmarks that will allow you to switch a unit’s class to whatever you like.

Unfortunately, the game doesn’t do a good job of explaining which units are more suitable for certain classes. Stats are the main indicator that a unit’s vocation is to be a knight, warrior, archer or mage, but typically, characters that join your army as part of the story come with the best possible class. That’s not to say that you can’t change their class to suit your needs.

As I previously said, you’ll be spending most of the time in grid-mapped fights and the enemy will always have the superior numbers. On top of that, 99% of the time the enemy will also have the higher ground, which will make the already difficult fights even more difficult. If there’s one thing that I learned playing Tactics Ogre: Reborn is that ignoring even the smallest tips during tutorial can prove fatal.

Tactics Ogre: Reborn doesn’t shine when it comes to AI. The units will simply spread their attacks evenly among your units instead of going for one particular weak/powerful character, but that’s probably the only thing that goes to your advantage.

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Just like the original and the previous remake, Tactics Ogre: Reborn remains a tough game, so the faster you get familiar with its hidden algorithms (stats, weapons, skills), the more successful you’ll be in your campaign. The fact that the units that are downed in a battle are lost forever if they are not revived after three turns raises the stakes even higher.

More often than not, I found that it’s better to go for the main objective rather than trying to eliminate all enemies from the map. That typically means that you have to kill one or more units. This particular remake also adds secondary objectives that reward experience. They’re not that hard to achieve, but they don’t reward too much experience either.

One other important thing that the remake introduces is a level cap for all units. You can’t go beyond a certain level until you progress the story. Overall, I think it’s a good decision that almost completely removes the need for grind. Still, I strongly suggest running some of the training missions in the game to gain a bit more experience in-between missions. If not for that, at least to test some of the skills you acquire and how certain classes perform on the battlefield.

In fact, with the complete removal of “random encounters,” training missions are the only way to gain experience outside of story missions.

Visually, Tactics Ogre: Reborn kept its charm in a slightly more polished graphics form. However, if simply can’t stand pixel art, you’ll most likely have a hard time enjoying Tactics Ogre: Reborn’s style. Those who played the original will notice that the fonts have been updated and the art has a smoother look overall.

Outside of the intricate combat systems, the game really shines when it comes to soundtrack and voice acting. Most of the text in the game is voiced, which further adds to the immersion, alongside a very catchy soundtrack.

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The Good

The Bad

Conclusion