This review is for someone who is unsure if the game is worth the price tag, someone who has perhaps tried a few Fire Emblems or loved Final Fantasy Tactics/A2, someone who has played some more recent tactics games like Fire Emblem: Three Houses and who wants to give a beefy old school SRPG title a fair shake.

I was intimidated by this game going in, partly because of the art style comments from other reviews. I enjoy pixel graphics but in the past I didn't exactly enjoy all the SRPG's I've played and many of them had pixel graphics. I also couldn't get into Octopath Traveller and this game looked similar in style to that. I was also nervous because I knew it was a remake of an OG tactics game that basically defined the genre and is known for being difficult. As I had no nostalgia for the original I was concerned I wouldn't enjoy the game to the fullest. I'd also only dabbled in the SRPG/tactics type games before, and of those Fire Emblem Three Houses was the only one I played through to the end and even then never on chaos mode, and NEVER with permadeath turned on.
Suffice it to say though, at over 360 hours into Tactics Ogre Reborn, my worries have largely proven to be unwarranted.

First of all the art in this game is certainly not for everyone, however I find it to be beautifully done. The high-res portraits of the units are done in a subdued watercolour style typical of a Square Enix title and fit the characters well. As for difficulty, I've lost just 1 unit to permadeath (I replaced her with a dragon so it all worked out!) and while the enemies can be relentless, the game is just hard enough to make winning battles supremely rewarding without feeling unfair. That being said, I have restarted several battles due to lost units I wasn't willing to give up, I use the Chariot Tarot/Move Rewind feature often and I have also used the impressive AI to beat a few fights. The AI is there to be used and if you're smart you will learn quickly how best to utilise it to your advantage. I won't lie, there's a STEEP learning curve in TOR, but if you have played a few tactics games before and are willing to give this one about 10 or so hours to familiarise yourself you'll soon be commanding your troops with the best of them. (Try watching a few beginner tips videos as well that will help big time) The game really opens up tactics wise once you unlock 12 unit battles. 1 word for the game after that point: Addictive. I have spent hours pouring over my units, tweaking them, training their stats up, the works, and I've enjoyed every bit of it.

One complaint I see about this title from others, which admittedly also had me on the fence about buying a 60+ dollar game, is the level cap on your units. This on the surface makes it appear as though you cannot grind your way through harder battles (This was a tactic I used in FE:3H to cheese my way through some sections). This cap did frustrate me--at first. Shortly into the second chapter of the game however it became apparent that unit level in TOR is definitely not the only deciding factor in winning a battle and if you really want that tactical edge, rest assured, you CAN still grind and raise your characters skill/spell/abilities/finishers after they hit the level cap. Skills etc are still bound by the unit level cap, but take alot longer to raise than level alone does. The exp you earn after your party is capped gets converted into exp charms which you can then use on new units you either recruit or buy from the shop to raise them quickly to whatever level your party is at, however their true potential still needs to be unlocked with some grinding to get their skill levels maxed out as well.
(I recommend AI grinding your team at Port Asyton, a 12 unit training battle, so long as you have a Beast Tamer in your party for the extra exp boost)

This is a very subversive way to grind, and one which doesn't reward you as often as level grinding would, but it DOES pay off! In my opinion it makes the game more fun and rewarding and presents a different levelling challenge than is typical in modern SPRGs. As an aside, I have ADHD and whenever my unit levels up a skill and it makes that little "ding!" sound I get a major hit of happy brain chemicals :) This method of grinding is a way of "cheesing" those harder battles and it can be done to great success. This ostensibly makes the level cap moot.

The second complaint I often see is of the skill cards that randomly pop up on the battlefield as fights progress. These I find add an interesting level of complexity to the game and having your units pick up a much needed buff here and there can really turn the tide of battle in your favour. There is also the element of needing to pick up cards just so that the enemies won't get to them first which adds yet another level of strategy surrounding the cards. At first I wanted to turn them off, however as this is not an option I bit the bullet and just learned to use them. (The AI knows to use the cards and uses them quite well I might add so if you aren't sure which units need which cards watch your units fight in AI mode to see which cards they pick up)

Onto other areas of the game, the sound effects are punchy and satisfying and the spell/ability effect animations are not too long, certainly not long enough to be annoying as in some other games in the genre. The music is what you'd expect from a title like this, and fits well. It can be turned off if you like to watch youtube while you grind like I do. While the character voices are excellent at conveying the tone and emotional beats of the plot, the story does feel a bit confusing at times, with motivations for the characters being a bit muddled unless you are prepared to read a great deal of information from the Warren Report, (an in game guide/info center/progress tracker) and are willing to do so regularly. I personally check in with the report every now and then to unlock any bonus maps that crop up in there, and I've read a few character bios, but the vast majority of them I just click through and don't pay much attention to.

Finally I want to talk about things I dislike about the game or wish there was at least an option to toggle on and off. The first item on the list is turning off the spell cards. I know this sounds like a contradiction to what I said about enjoying the cards above, however being able to eliminate the cards early on while still learning the game would at the very least prevent the enemies from becoming overpowered as you fumble about the battle field trying to make sense of it all. The next item up would be a way to better differentiate sprites as enemy races/unit types use the same sprites as the units on your own team (barring unique characters) and while toggling the HP bars on over everyone is a grand idea which you should do anyway, it does clutter up the visual field when fighting and when things get smaller on the steam deck that can cause major frustration when trying to select units in battle. The camera controls help with this as you can shift the viewing angle a bit, but I digress. My last gripe is a simple one: Turn off friendly fire. I hate friendly fire in any game that has it. It's just a pet peeve of mine and I know it adds immersion to games, though frankly I don't care about that. It's annoying and I should be able to turn it off.

Gripes aside this is still a fantastic game well worth the price tag, though it is not going to be for everyone. It is a slow burner in every sense of the phrase. If you are not willing to put in some serious time with this game early on you are going to rage quit after only a few hours I can almost guarantee it. But put in the time, learn, READ, and the game will reward you with tough-but-fair fights that are oh so enjoyable to smash through with your team of stalwart units.

9/10

TL:DR
Just use pincer.

I'll start this review off by saying this game is Stardew Valley (The OG GOAT), mixed with Ittle Dew, Littlewood and Moonlighter. If you loved all those games you will adore this one. I'll also say this game is chill and fun and as satisfying as a slot machine hitting the jackpot for seretonins and dopamine. So much so that this is one of a rare handful of games I don't turn the music off, not even 3/4 through the game. It's that good. If you're ADHD/autism like me and always have something on in the background when you game to help you focus, like youtube or spotify, you'll know that is very high praise. I'm scatterbrained and ADHD AF and have trouble focusing on everything, even with meds. So, all that out of the way, you know when a game and you just...vibe? Like a game you fw hardcore fr bestie? Cozy as ♥♥♥♥ and comforting to hop in and play? A game that gives you zero stress and yet still has massive stakes that feel super rewarding to chip away at? For me that's this game. There's dopamine around every corner, in every nook and cranny of this charming ass game and it caters to my specific cocktail of neurospiciness like a kind friend or a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ lover. Every feature I could want, it has. Every utility, every QOL thing I want in a game like this is there, right were I need it to be, when I need it, every time.
This game is your comfiest pair of old shoes. This game is wearing a pair of yoga pants resting on the couch after Christmas dinner. It's zoning out at the beach enjoying the sound of the waves and movements of the water. The rain lulls you along late at night as you toil contentedly, burning the midnight oil as you strive to complete tasks and hack away at your list of delightful little gathering chores. They don't even feel like chores, it feels like... being a squirrel, hoarding up nuts and fruits for winter and then that squirrel donates the contents of his hoard piece-meal, to help fund the rebuilding of various community centres.
You can take care of your little villages (and they do become so very yours in the nicest most satisfying ways). It feels so indescribably rewarding to find the hidden little bursts of serotonins hiding in plain sight (I'm a bit of a dunce sometimes and sometimes don't see/ forget a shop keeper exists for a while, its an ADHD/object-permanence deficiency brain thing) like when I realize "omg `O-O' there's been a shop there this whole ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ time and OH HELLO I can UPGRADE THAT TOOL? WAIT, WHAT!?" that happens just often enough, doling the sweet sweet brain chemicals out in generous packages wrapped in cuteness. The doctor is in and has just what your brain needs to feel goooood.

Juuust when the game starts to feel grindy (and that isn't often), like, when I start to crave more progression rewards, the game seems to just...know that I need it and "Voila!" there it is. And the cycle continues. I hate using the word addicting but my god is the loop sweet in this game. The game is giving to an endless degree. The music lulls you along as you do your chores. The characters are adorable and say just enough to get what I need to know across and that's it. Perfect. The sound effects are pingy, beep boopy and all over very thuddy and tactile and rewarding and...appropriate? The combat is smooth as silk. You glide effortlessly through battles that feel complicated enough to be challenging but not too hard and the animations ooze charm. You pirouette through the combat and dungeon diving portions of the game feel so rewarding, challenging and satisfying no matter how many times you delve into the depths. And wanna talk satisfying, snappy combat? Just WAIT until you unlock the sickle. Never before in a game have I wielded so fine a piece of artisan-crafted agricultural badassery. The entire game oozes satisfaction and bursts with charm.

If all that weren't enough to sell you on how perfect this game is, it also has a feature I found amazing and innovative! When I found it I was like "omg this is very different and rewarding in a weird way (That being the inventory upgrade system. You only get a set number of bag slots to start and each slot can carry one item. You can have as many stacks of sandstone in your bag that you want, for example, so long as the stack only goes to 1 that is unless you upgrade your bag so that each slot lets you carry 2 items, then 3 and so on. It feels really neat to me for some reason. (That might be the zaza or the autism talking) If you are on the fence about this game, don't be. JUST BUY IT. Do it right now! Seriously. If you love what I call "town rescue games" like this, where you collect resources, do tasks, fish, listen to the music and just vibe all while getting the satisfying, rewarding, brain chemicals that come from helping cute af chibi fruit and animal homies get back home safe/ fix their house/ live in a nicer town/ increase their levels of local tourism/ just live a better life in general? A simple game where you get to enjoy a fine variety of magical drops of the finest aged Dew--only little drops, you're tiny after all-- enjoyed from an array of handcrafted, upgradeable, jars, jugs and vials? Then this is the game for you. Look no further. Welcome to your new life in the Garden, Guardian, your new job at the dopamine mine awaits. Here's your hardhat and pickaxe, now get to work having so much damn fun.

PS.: C O L L E C T A L L T H E B O O K S A N D C U T E A C C E S S O R I E S

<(UwU);>