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Tactics Ogre: Reborn (Switch) Review

by Jordan Rudek - December 9, 2022, 7:13 pm EST
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Does this Super Famicom and PSP rework rise like the proverbial Phoenix?

Tactics Ogre: Reborn is one of a multitude of RPGs from Square Enix to round out the year. The large developer is no stranger to remakes and remasters, and their effort in re-releasing the 2010 PSP version of Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together is an enjoyable one, for the most part. The awkward progression halting, over-long final chapters, and inscrutable mechanics make for an experience that's challenging in more than a few ways. Do its bright spots shine enough to outweigh the shortcomings?

From the outset, the story of Tactics Ogre: Reborn seems to take place in the middle of a longer saga, which gives the beginning a bit of a shaky start. As protagonist Denem, you see yourself embroiled in a civil war as a member of the smallest of three factions, the Walister. Across its four chapters, Reborn takes you through dozens of battles, all sorts of political scheming, and pivotal moments in the war for Valeria, the game's setting. Throughout, it can be tricky to keep up with all of the names, for factions, families, places, and people, but those with a penchant for deeper, intricate narratives will have an opportunity to become engrossed with this one.

From the overworld map, you move from location to location to initiate battles and watch cutscenes. In certain places, you'll have access to a shop where you can buy, sell, and craft equipment, items, and spells. What makes the shop frustrating is that it requires a bit of navigating to figure out which pieces fit on which job classes, and whether one weapon is stronger or even capable of being upgraded. The UI just isn't as friendly as it could be. When you're not shopping, you'll be moving to map locations marked in red for a story event or side quest, and some areas even lead to multi-part battles that require you prepare well before entering.

Before venturing into Reborn's turn-based tactical combat, I want to touch on the sublime musical score, which had been re-recorded with a live orchestra. In short, it's incredible, and contributed mightily to the gravitas of the game. So too does the excellent voice work, which helps to make each character stand out. In a title with so many different faces, the voice acting really makes it easier to identify with the crucial individuals in the story.

At the heart of Tactics Ogre: Reborn is its familiar but intricate combat system, which originated back on the Super Famicom, and predated classic PSOne game Final Fantasy Tactics by a couple of years. Characters take turns moving, attacking, casting spells, and using items, with the goal usually to defeat a specific named enemy. In certain fights, you're required to eliminate every single foe, and some of these can be quite lengthy, especially later in the game. There's a single speed up option that helps to move things along, but it would have been nice to see a few more speeds to choose from. That said, the abundance of combat in the game, sometimes at the cost of longer story beats, may work in the game's favor given how darn compelling it is.

Taking knights, wizards, clerics, and archers into battle only scratches the surface of what's possible. Recruiting special characters, unlocking hidden job classes, and discovering powerful weapons are all in service of experiencing every nook and cranny that Tactics Ogre has to offer. Completing the game unlocks the World Tarot, which allows you to return to any past event on the large, branching timeline you create as you play the game. It's an incredible feature for completionists and those who want to see how specific choices altered their course. Even during combat itself, you can activate the Chariot Tarot to rewind back to a particular turn and play it out different from there. These features almost make it easy to ignore the lack of difficulty options and awkward progression. Almost.

At all times you are at the mercy of the Union Level, which is the maximum level that your party members can reach at a given point in the story. What this means is that you might need to be incredibly diligent about upgrading your equipment and arsenal at the shop, and the more time you spend there, the less time you're investing in the more interesting parts of the game. There's essentially no grinding in Tactics Ogre, except for when you're looking for specific crafting materials, items, or money. In many of the battles you engage in, the enemies will be at or just above your Union Level, and winning these only to see thousands of experience points just thrown away seems a cruel system. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 allowing you to bank and spend XP whenever you choose is a much more elegant and player-friendly system. Some of the final bosses are as many as five levels above your maximum, making for some grueling end-game fights.

What really impressed me during my time with Tactics Ogre: Reborn was the enemy AI and in particular the AI settings that can be applied to your own party. In general, the computer-controlled allies and adversaries make smart decisions and adapt to what's in front of them. Nowhere was this more evident than when I used the Chariot Tarot to rewind time and watch my opponents take completely different actions based on even a single new move of mine.

While my final impression of Tactics Ogre: Reborn is a positive one, I'm also left wanting in some noticeable ways. The final three to five hours of the game are nothing but a slog, and the greatest culprit is a four-part dungeon that comes in the heels of one that can include as many as 10 combat encounters; all of this without a chance to shop, too. I certainly understand the purpose of the Union Level, but it's an inelegant solution to a problem that other RPGs have themselves faced. Still, the aesthetics remain true to the original versions of the game, and the audio experience is simply marvelous. It's built much more for veterans of the genre and players with patience and persistence, but Tactics Ogre, in the right hands, can absolutely soar.

Summary

Pros
  • Attractive visuals and sublime music
  • Combat is fun and challenging
  • Incredible AI, both for enemies and your own characters
Cons
  • Awkward progression mechanics and gating
  • Story drags in the latter half

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Game Profile

Genre RPG / Strategy
Developer Quest
Players1

Worldwide Releases

na: Tactics Ogre: Reborn
Release Nov 11, 2022
PublisherSquare Enix
RatingTeen
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