Overview
Tactics Ogre: Reborn is a tactical-RPG developed and published by Square Enix, released in 2022. It's the remaster of Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together, the 2010 PSP version, itself a remake of the game released in 1995 on the Super Famicom. It bears the mark of Yasumi Matsuno, who also made Final Fantasy Tactics and Vagrant Story. It's a tactical-RPG of rare density: turn-based battles on maps with elevation, a large army to manage, and many classes.
Story and world
The story takes place on the Valerian archipelago, torn apart by a civil war between several peoples. You follow Denam Pavel, a young Walister who takes up arms with his sister Catiua and his friend Vyce. The plot is political and adult, full of betrayals, alliances and moral choices. Above all, it has branches that genuinely change the campaign: some decisions made at key moments alter the rest of the story, the characters you meet and the ones who join your army.
Gameplay
Battles are played on grid maps where positioning, height and team composition matter enormously. The remaster brings a complete rebalancing, in particular per-unit levelling: where the PSP version levelled up classes, each character now has their own level. Bonus cards also appear on the field during battles and give temporary advantages to the unit that picks them up. The whole thing remains demanding.
Graphics and music
The remaster adds voice acting to the dialogue, and Hitoshi Sakimoto's soundtrack was re-recorded with live instruments.
Verdict
Tactics Ogre: Reborn is demanding, but it's one of the high points of the genre, with an adult political plot and branches that genuinely change the campaign.