RPGamer 2022 Awards – Best Re-Release

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Best Re-Release 2022

First Place

Tactics Ogre: Reborn

Second Place

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim

Third Place

Persona 5 Royal

For a game that originally released in 1995, it fees like Tactics Ogre: Reborn has finally earned the attention it deserved. With Reborn, Square Enix has made Tactics Ogre the most accessible it’s ever been. The Ogre Battle sequel is filled with political intrigue, a large cast of characters, and tons of tactical skirmishes that will keep players entertained for hours. Reborn takes all the good ideas from the previous remakes and predecessors while adding top-notch voice acting to create a superb gaming experience.

One of the best aspects of Reborn are its multiple paths, which change the story and add tons of replayability. One fascinating character that changes drastically depending on the route taken is Vyce, who can go from psycho killer to staunch disciple of righteousness. The World System opens up after completing the game once and allows players to jump into older sections of the game to replay or alter their previous choices. It may be the grandfather of modern strategy RPGs, but with its new paint job and other fine-tuned updates, Tactics Ogre: Reborn stands the test of time as the best re-release of the year.

 

 

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim was one of the biggest surprises back in 2020, captivating many players with its sci-fi story and originality. The RPG was well-received by critics, yet it still deserved to have a larger audience. With Vanillaware’s port of the game to Switch in 2022, more RPGamers are now able to enjoy its mix of genres. The game blends lively tactical combat with a visual novel, while also including small doses of light puzzle-solving. This hybrid is not only original but was developed with finesse. The story is spectacularly told, as is the depth with which topics are addressed. Music, voice acting, and visuals are also excellent. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim lands triumphantly on a new platform and earns the title of one of the best re-releases of the year.

Perhaps fittingly, it took a full five years for Persona 5 to come to other platforms. Patient PC, Switch, and Xbox players were finally rewarded with the expanded Persona 5 Royal version, which ran flawlessly on all of those systems. A former game of the year award winner here at RPGamer, the game features all the snazzy graphics, excellent push-turn battle system, and social mechanics that has made the Persona series so popular the past couple of decades. With a run time of approximately 100 hours, having this title on the additional platforms is a boon to those that have passed the game by for years, or fans wanting to experience the adventure again.

 

by Ryan Radcliff, Luis Mauricio, and Matt Masem