Tactics Ogre Reborn review round-up

By Sean Lawson,

Square Enix released Tactics Ogre Reborn today and the reviews for this tactical strategy JRPG are finally rolling in. Check out if this PS4 and PS5 title is worth adding to your collection.

Tactics Ogre Reborn was released today onto PS5 and PS4 consoles and the reviews are rolling in for the latest remake from Square Enix. Tactics Ogre Reborn, the Final Fantasy Tactics, returns with new features and updated visuals — even if the art style has brought some controversy. Make sure to continue reading on if you want to find out if the Tactics Ogre Reborn trophies are worth becoming a monster for.

Tactics OgreTactics Ogre Reborn brings PS1-style strategy back in proper fashion.

GameSpot — 8/10

Heidi Kemps: Tactics Ogre's intense tactical combat, in-depth character-building, and excellent storytelling makes it a must-play for strategy-RPG fans. It's wonderful that this game is much more widely available now, and most of the updates and upgrades make the package even better. While some might balk at the $50 price tag for a remake with an iffy graphical and sound overhaul, the superb strategy gameplay and branching story paths will keep your attention for a very long time. While it might not be a perfect remake, it's a damn good one.

Twinfinite — 4/5

Keenan McCall Tactics Ogre: Reborn is exactly what fans could have wanted from a remaster. Though not all of its changes improve the experience, the majority are welcome improvements that help elevate the experience to a new level. This is a must-play for fans of the original, and easily the best possible point of entry for newcomers who want to get into the series.

PSU — 8/10

Timothy Nunes: All in all, Tactics Ogre: Reborn proves why it received its classic status: It showcases a streamlined tactics experience combined with fantastic writing and simplified mechanics. Having said that, it still shows its age in several key areas, like with overall aesthetic, level grinding, and equipment management.
Regardless, there’s something here that every player should experience, whether you like tactics games or not— and I don’t say that lightly, either. It can make a tactics non-believer question their gaming preferences.

PushSquare — 8/10

Khayl Adam: The strategy RPG genre owes a lot to the Tactics Ogre franchise, which is filled with lesser titles trying to recreate even a fraction of its winning formula. The experience that lies at the heart of Tactics Ogre: Reborn has stood the test of time admirably and, thanks to the swathe of intelligent tweaks and quality-of-life improvements introduced, will likely remain at the head of the pack for years to come.

Checkpoint Gaming — 7.5/10

Charlie Kelly: Tactics Ogre: Reborn is a very good remaster of an absolute classic. So many lines in-game are raw and palpable and feel like utter poetry, leaving me perplexed at how they could be written by another human. Re-recorded tracks add to the grim but boisterous realities of the universe’s war. Plenty of granular investment and min-maxing is on offer to create a timeless and incredibly realised tactical combat experience. However, I can’t help but sometimes want more from its vague storytelling and opportunities for more quality-of-life improvements. Concessions absolutely could’ve been made for more difficulty and saving options, doing away with the feeling of hitting roadblocks. Still, this is a genre experience that’s as true as they come. Tactics Ogre has once more cemented itself as one of the tactics giants, and a bloody momentous one at that.

Eurogamer — Eurogamer Recommended

Edwin Evans-Thirlwell: You might think I'd find this game dull, after tackling the above. In practice, I've found it to be a work of incredible richness and surprise, even discounting Reborn's many tweaks and additions: you can see hints of Disgaea's chaotic style, for instance, in the moderately crazy methods necessary to keep enemies alive so that you can recruit or tame them. The more I dig in - and there's much more to say than I have time for here - the more I understand what a long shadow Tactics Ogre has cast. Even if you don't play this version, it's a game you should definitely play.

VG247 — 5/5

Dom Peppiatt: In a world where we've seen Square Enix fall down with remasters (examples include the lacklustre Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters and the egregious Kingdom Hearts on Switch), Tactics Ogre: Reborn highlights something special – a change of the guard, so to speak, that bodes remarkably well for the rest of the publisher's classic RPG oeuvre.

Noisy Pixel — 9.5/10


SwitchUp - 93%


Mortismal Gaming - Buy

That's how the reviews for Tactics Ogre Reborn look — seems pretty positive, but is it enough to lure you into giving the game a try? Make sure if you do to snatch up the Tactic Ogre Reborn trophies and earn a shiny new platinum and then let us know in the comments down below!
Sean Lawson
Written by Sean Lawson
Sean is a Staff Writer with a focus on the geekiest Sony news. He writes stories about unobtainable PlayStation trophies, the best PS Plus games, as well as RPGs and Fighting games. He is also excited for Tekken 8, Wonder Woman, and Dead Island 2 to launch on PS5. Sean’s favourite games include Mass Effect, Tomb Raider, Tekken, and Persona.
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