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Tactics Ogre: Reborn Shows Gameplay Adjustments, Classes, Characters

by Alex Fuller · October 5, 2022

Square Enix released new details and screenshots for Tactics Ogre: Reborn, its upcoming remaster of tactical RPG Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together. The new update covers some of the changes included in the remaster, with plenty of other images showing many of the game’s classes and recruitable characters.

The Let Us Cling Together PlayStation Portable release featured requirements for characters to use equipment or consumable items, such as level restrictions or specialty skills. In Tactics Ogre: Reborn, these requirements have been removed, though there will still be class restrictions, such as knights not being able to equip bows, etc. Each unit will have seven slots available for weapons and armour, plus four slots available for consumable items, and four slots for magic.

Reborn will also replace the class-based level system with a unit-based system. As individual units gain levels, they can acquire special skills helping to differentiate each class. On top of the previous slots, each unit can equip four skills, with the game including new and retuned skills. One example is the Pincer Attack skill, which lets an ally standing on the other side of an enemy do an additional attack. The game will also feature adjustments to special finishing moves, as well as ninjutsu and war dancing skills. Previously requiring players to gain Technical Points as well as having certain reagents, these now work with regular Magic Points.

Another addition is Charms. These are new items that let players have greater control over their units’ development. Charms can be obtained from combat with effects including raising a unit’s level, granting a set amount of experience points, permanently increasing an attribute, or changing a unit’s element. The game will also give players some more options when setting up for a battle. One is the Scout command, which lets players see the terrain and enemy units, letting them better plan their party’s loadout. Another is the ability to save up to five battle parties, letting players quickly choose a preferred set of units for the situation.

Reborn will feature further updates to combat. During battle, cards can appear on the battlefield. These buff cards provide the unit that collects them bonuses lasting for the rest of the battle. A unit can have up to four buff cards active at once, with similar cards able to stack their effects. There are adjustments to enemy AI, which will now take into account both terrain and player unit movement, as well as to the AI on the player side, with players able to let units be controlled by the computer under four tactical options. Meanwhile, new bonus objectives will give players additional tasks, such as “win with a knight in the party”, and grant additional rewards if completed.

Some final changes include the removal of random battles on the world map, which have been replaced by training battles at specific locations. These are designed to let players level up their units easier, and units cannot die during these battles. There is also a new party level cap, designed to prevent players brute-forcing their way through the game and helping to avoid difficulty jumps. This cap gradually increases as players advance through the story, generally being slightly higher than the level of expected enemy units. Shops have also undergone UI improvements, while the crafting success rate is now 100%.

To go along with the new gameplay details, Square Enix released images showing the following classes: Warrior, Archer, Wizard, Cleric, Rune Fencer / Valkyrie, Knight, Berserker, Terror Knight, and Ninja / Kunoichi. It also released images introducing the characters Lanselot Hamilton, Warren Omon, Canopus Wolph, Mirdyn Walhorn, Gildas W. Byrne, Iuria Wolph, Deneb Rove, Lanselot Tartaros, Balxephon V. Rahms, Volaq Windsalf, Martym Noumous, Barbas Dahd Geuse, Oz Moh Glacius, Ozma Moh Glacius, and Andoras Gaffryn. Quick introductions to the individual classes and characters can be found on a new blog post.

Tactics Ogre: Reborn is based on the PlayStation Portable remake of the original Super Famicom title. The Reborn version of the game features high-definition graphics, fully voiced cutscenes in English and Japanese, and a full orchestral re-recording of the game’s soundtrack. Tactics Ogre: Reborn is planned to release worldwide for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch on November 11, 2022.