Tactics Ogre: Reborn is a remake of the PSP game, Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together, which in itself is a remake of an even older game. Yes, this series is that popular in the JRPG world. And part of that fame comes from the fact that in Tactics Ogre, player choices directly shape the story. The main character Denam leads a cohort of freedom fighters who have to shift allegiances and change their goals to try and get liberation. This presents Denam with some key decisions, and these decisions lead to multiple routes.
Tactics Ogre: Reborn has three main routes to take; Law, Chaos and Neutral. Each route follows a completely different story set in completely different circumstances. Each route has different characters you can recruit and explores different themes regarding war, conflict and suffering. Moreover, every route has its own unique set of interactions and map chronology. So, now its time to take a deeper look at all three routes.
3 Neutral Route
The neutral route is available after initially going for the chaotic route in chapter 1. At the end of chapter 2, during the climactic duel with Denam’s biggest rival, Knight Leonar shows up with news of the Bakram invasion. Rhime had fallen, and he offered Denam a chance to join force. Agreeing with Leonar’s proposition here takes you back with the Wallister Alliance and the Duke and continues the neutral route.
This route has several route specific characters as well, including the terror knight Dievold and his companion Oelias. Along with this the player has access to all the characters recruited in Chapter 2 of the chaos route as well as the semi-unique Krysaro trio; Chamos, Tamuz and Phaesta. The neutral route also sees Cerya joining who’s considered one of the better units in the entire game.
So, while the neutral route has a host of new characters, what makes it lacking is that it's story and dialogue don’t hold up as well as the other two routes. While Reborn’s new voice acting definitely enriches the experience altogether. The writing and Denam’s characterization lacks some depth and just seems a lot less emotional, moreover, some of the characters are unique in name only. The neutral route does, however, feature some satisfyingly cruel scenes including a certain interaction between Vyce and the Duke.
2 Chaos Route
This is considered the more morally good and black and white route. After rejecting Leonar’s ultimatum at the end of Chapter 1, Denam and his company are hunted as rogue murderers and vilified everywhere they go. This makes the story’s stakes feel much more tense and gives the game a 'survive or perish' sort of feel. The Chaos route includes a ton of exciting characters, including all four of the sisters and the Knight Folcurt. The chaos route also features Vyce as a true maniacal villain, and watching him face his own demons and get more crazed in every dialogue scene is truly a delight.
The Chaos route has Denam as a true hero with no faults in his moral armor, this does, however, make the game’s message regarding the horrors of war a little less nuanced. The chaos route’s story is well polished and It's what is recommended for newer players to follow as well, particularly considering the abundance of new units the player recruits early in Chapter 2.
1 Law Route
This route is Tactics Ogre at its best. This was how the game was initially designed to be played. The story gets dark and Denam becomes a more questionable and morally grey character, with Vyce acting as his stalwart foil. The game gets much darker here and features some unsavory moments as well. Denam is shown to be fallible, and most importantly human. He is constantly critiqued and berated and his means to an end attitude is a welcome shift and draws some parallels to Delita from Final Fantasy Tactics.
The story and dialogue are at its best here and the game is arguably more challenging too. There’s only one recruitable character in Chapter 12. But later chapters feature some of the most unique characters in the game including Ravness, Jeunan and even a Dark Knight Commander. Denam’s dynamic with both Vyce, and his sister Catiua are in full swing here and the horrors of his decision serve as a constant reminder. Having a hero so flawed is quite rare in JRPGS, and it is most definitely a welcome decision.
Tactics Ogre: Reborn was released on November 11, 2022, and is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.