Tactics Ogre Reborn Review
When I first booted up Tactics Ogre Reborn all that came to my mind is my first time trying Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together on PSPÂ in 2011, back then I was enchanted by the game’s presentation and how it evoked the right feelings directly from the start with all these flying cards telling me to choose who I am as a person. Then, it struck me with the name of the first chapter, ‘There is Blood on my Hands. How long till it Lies on my Heart?’ Upon reading that, I knew the level of artistic narrative laid before me would be a literary marvel that I would enjoy from beginning to end.
And I was not mistaken. This game fulfilled every hope I had for it and fearlessly claimed its place among the top 5 games I have ever played. I cherished it for years, actively urging people to experience it. However, its confinement to a handheld device like the PSP unfortunately restricted access to it more and more over time.
In its previous version, This game fulfilled every hope I had for it and fearlessly claimed its place among the top 5 games I have ever played
But today, all of that has changed with Square Enix releasing Tactics Ogre Reborn, a remake of the remake. Now available on all modern devices, it offers enhancements suitable for the new generations of gaming. So, let’s explore what visiting this gem of a game is like.
An Old School Tactics Game:
Tactics Ogre, like most tactics games, is designed to be level-based. It follows a battle-by-battle structure intertwined with story sections that lead you to the next battle. Modern tactics games have introduced new elements such as community and social management, kingdom and empire building, with leading titles like Fire Emblem and XCOM. However, considering Tactics Ogre’s original release in 1995 on the Super Famicom, these ‘extra content’ aspects in the game might seem lacking. One might assume that this could hinder the gaming experience, but this assumption could be misleading.
The game truly shines in its narrative. Brilliantly written, it keeps you captivated in its complex war-driven and political storyline. This isn’t just because it’s well-crafted; it provides genuine choices system that alter the entire course of history you’re about to immerse yourself in.
Delightfully Shakespearean:
Tactics Ogre is written by the brilliant Yasumi Matsuno, the director and writer known for superstar games like Final Fantasy Tactics, Vagrant Story, and Final Fantasy XII. It tells the story of Denam, a knight seeking vengeance for his father’s death in a world embroiled in wars. Soon, he is confronted with decisions where he must make dire choices that could alter the world’s history.
What will impress you and grab your attention in the very first moment of the game is the exceptional quality of the dialogue between the characters. The dialogue follows a Shakespearean style of writing, emitting quality and artistic flair. I often find myself wanting to take screenshots of how beautifully some lines are written, a characteristic for which Matsuno is known.
The dialogue follows a Shakespearean style of writing, emitting quality and artistic flair.
The narrative presents a complex history involving different kingdoms and ethnic groups battling for supremacy over the land. It boasts a vast cast of characters from various races involved in the conflict. However, players may find themselves lost in identifying characters, especially as the writing style resembles a piece of art rather than conversational dialogue. Fortunately, the game provides an early introduction to the Warren Report, an in-game encyclopedia offering all necessary information about the characters, their relationships to the story, and current affairs. A simple visit to this section in the game is sufficient to keep players abreast of the ongoing events.
The Timeline is Yours:
The most intriguing aspect of the narrative is how your choices truly matter. There are different paths, each offering unique narratives and characters. Tactics Ogre stands out as a game where your choices carry weight. Not only that, they are presented in ways that make you think thoroughly before making a decision, as they are morally driven. In all my playthroughs of Tactics Ogre, I often found myself refusing to choose things that contradicted my principles. However, this naturally leads to different endings, and one would be curious to explore what each route has to offer.
Tactics Ogre stands out as a game where your choices carry weight. Not only that, they are presented in ways that make you think thoroughly before making a decision, as they are morally driven.
This is where the Wheel of Fortune comes in handy in Tactics Ogre. It is a feature allowing you to revisit a specific point in the story, enabling you to explore other routes without having to replay the entire game.
Not An Easy Feat:
Battles in Tactics Ogre Reborn feature classic turn-based tactics gameplay. The battlefield comprises a squared map, and your units move in a square-by-square manner, depending on your characters’ class. There are 18 classes available for your characters to choose from, along with 6 demihuman races and 18 types of monsters that can aid you in battle. The game offers a wide array of magic, spells, and a substantial arsenal of weapons for your characters to utilize. However, two distinct features have been added to alter gameplay this time around: Buff Cards and the Level Cap.
The changes in the battle system made the game unwelcoming for newcomers and unnecessarily harder.
Buff Cards, discovered at specific squares during battles, enhance the units that obtain them in various ways, like increasing attack power or critical likelihood. Up to four buff cards can be active simultaneously, and those with similar effects stack their effectiveness. The Level Cap, as the name suggests, signifies the maximum level your character can reach at certain points in the story.
While Buff Cards can aid in shifting the tides of battle in your favor, they may not significantly alleviate the difficulty of Tactics Ogre battles. In previous versions of the game, when encountering a challenging battle, a few random battles in the overworld could help overcome such obstacles. However, in this version, a level cap impedes progress at certain stages, limiting your ability to advance. Although this might encourage the utilization of items to move forward, especially toward the final battles, it can result in repeated challenges with little improvement. This aspect of the game staggered the experience and might frustrate some players.
That being said, the battle system still offers diverse mechanics and classes that keep the battles interesting. There are magical elements, and the AI is notably advanced. You can strategize your battles based on the turns visibly shown on the screen. Characters possess proficiency in certain elements, making certain enemy units weaker or stronger against them. Moreover, if you make a dire mistake, you can still use the Wheel of Fortune to turn back time to a point where you can alter the course of the battle in your favor.
Overall, the changes in the gameplay have added a lot of quality-of-life improvements to make things easier. However, they’ve also introduced some unpleasant restrictions, making it inferior to the previous version rather than superior.
Time Stopping Music:
Besides its brilliant dialogue, Tactics Ogre Reborn introduces two new additions that emphasize that brilliance: the music and voice acting.
The godly-made tunes of Tactics Ogre will send shivers down your spine from the moment they grace your ears, accompanied by a matching diamond-ranked voice acting.
Tactics Ogre features diamond-ranked voice acting that matches the brilliance of the writing. The entire cast did an amazing job preserving the essence of the Shakespearean writing style through artistic voice acting, adding a welcomed layer to the dialogue. Additionally, the game boasts one of the best soundtracks in the genre. Not only is the music of exceptional quality on its own, but it has also been upgraded to an orchestral level. These godly-made tunes will send shivers down your spine from the moment they grace your ears. Both the orchestral music and voice acting contribute significantly to enhancing the enjoyment of the game compared to its previous versions.
Overall, Tactics Ogre Reborn presents a mix of pleasant and unpleasant changes. It remains an amazing game that I encourage everyone to try at least once for its unique dialogue and the outcomes of its choices. However, this time around, the game seems less welcoming to newcomers, which might discourage people from completing it when they encounter the first hurdle. While the game excels in delivering its artistic elements, it introduces gameplay changes that might not be necessary or well-executed in that regard.
- Shakespearean-like dialogue that is magically written and will enchant you throughout the entire journey.
- Gameplay that presents you with dire choices that will test the existence of your moral compass.
- Superb musical scores that will compel you to set the controller aside and enjoy the moment.
- Diamond-ranked voice acting that added a new layer to an already brilliant writing.
- Level caps can hinder your enjoyment of progression and make the game unnecessarily harder.
- Buff cards, although useful, are not enough to balance the difficulty of some battles.
- Side-quests are easy to miss, and although there are features to help redo them, they are available only after you finish the game.
