This series may not get as much love as it does in the West due to Final Fantasy seemingly eating its lunch. In many ways, Tactics Ogre: Reborn, or Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together, which was the original name, was the predecessor to Final Fantasy Tactics. The first edition was released on the Super Nintendo in 1995, which was two years before Final Fantasy Tactics launched in Japan on PS1.
While the Ogre Battle series began under the umbrella of Quest, it was soon absorbed into what is now known as Square Enix. Yasumi Matsuno directed both Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together and Final Fantasy Tactics, giving them an even stronger link. This latest release under the revamped name of Tactics Ogre: Reborn fixed a lot of issues but there is still more work that could be done.
8 Add A Pixel Mode
This game is not the worst-looking remaster Square Enix has ever put out. Some of their mobile ports of classics, like Final Fantasy 6, got a lot of flack for the graphics. Tactics Ogre: Reborn has close to that game’s visual aesthetics with everything being smoothed over as if it were done by robots.
Some of the best remasters out there include filters to go back and forth between the new and old versions. Players can switch between the graphics in the first Halo, for example, so a feature like that would be great in Tactics Ogre: Reborn.
7 Add Difficulties
Even though this game is older and dates back to the SNES era, it should adhere to modern standards. For example, the game could use difficulty options to give the casual crowd more options. This game is not the hardest strategy RPG around, but there are gameplay mechanics that do hold it back. The grind is real in this RPG, and since maps can take up to an hour, it can be a time-sink.
Giving casual players an easier setting, or some assist options, would reduce the need to power level as much.
6 Unlock The Level Cap
Another reason why this game can be harder is that there is a level cap. So, even if players are struggling and wish to grind to reach higher levels, they will eventually plateau. This level cap does not act like one in an MMO, though.
In most MMOs, the level cap is set from the beginning, and once players reach it, that’s it. The level cap in Tactics Ogre: Reborn increases by small amounts, like three or five levels, as the story progresses. If there needs to be a level cap, Square Enix should unlock the max level from the start.
5 Earn Items During Training
One of the nice things about this remaster over its successor, Final Fantasy Tactics, is that it does away with random battles. If players wish to replay a stage, they can click on a training option on most icons on the world map. This is how players can grind for levels like in most RPGs, but there is a slight annoyance.
Experience can be earned, but players will not get rewarded with money or items. An update could allow players to earn both money and items on training levels, or it would be okay if at least one of those rewards was included.
4 Remove The Watermarks
The modern consoles are great for players that wish to capture their journey in screenshot form. It’s helpful in many ways besides obtaining memories, like a way to take notes for strategy purposes. While it’s easy enough to take screenshots on the Switch edition of this game, for example, there is a downside. Every screenshot will have a watermark on it with Square Enix’s trademark.
This is odd, considering other recent RPGs from the company, like Triangle Strategy and The DioField Chronicle, do not have watermarks. The stamps in Tactics Ogre: Reborn should be eliminated in a patch, then.
3 Increase Speed More
It’s great when new RPGs include fast-forward buttons to speed through battles. Bravely Default 2 might be an RPG with one of Square Enix’s best fast-forward features. While Tactics Ogre: Reborn has a fast-forward button as well, there is only one setting.
It’s a helpful tool to get through these giant maps as quickly as possible. However, it would be nice if there were more speed boost options available in this game to rival its counterparts.
2 Better Quick Saves
There are good and bad things about the saves in this game. On the one hand, there is no limitation to the amount of manual saves players can have on the world map. Since there is a sort of time travel mechanic in Tactics Ogre: Reborn to relive certain branching paths, it’s great to be able to keep multiple records of the journey.
Unfortunately, players can’t manually save during missions. They can quit, which can create a temporary save, but a manual save instead would be ideal.
1 Optimize Equipment
It’s wild that an RPG like this game can release without an optimization button for equipment. Since Tactics Ogre: Reborn has a class-based system similar to other strategy RPGs, players will need to equip different gear on a regular basis. Not including an optimization button to streamline this switching process then is unfathomable. Of all the complaints on the list, this seems the most doable for a patch. It’s just one of those features in RPGs that is convenient to have for those that hate spending time in menus.
Tactics Ogre: Reborn was released on November 11, 2022, and is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.