Tactics Ogre: Reborn is finally here from Square Enix. The enhanced remake of one of Square Enix’s most important games is out now on PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam worldwide. I’ve been playing it for a few weeks on all platforms for review. While I was initially very impressed by it, I’m quite blown away by how good the final release is. I’ve been playing the game on both Steam Deck and my laptop. For my Tactics Ogre: Reborn PC review, I will be covering the port features, how it looks and runs on Steam Deck, and whether this is worth your time and money in the busiest game release period of the year.
Tactics Ogre: Reborn PC requirements
The Tactics Ogre: Reborn PC requirements are quite low as expected. This is an enhanced version of a game based on its PSP version after all. You will have no trouble running Tactics Ogre: Reborn well on a recent PC or laptop.
Tactics Ogre: Reborn PC minimum requirements
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 10 64-bit (21H1 and above) or 11 64-bit (21H2 and above)
- Processor: AMD A8-7600 or Intel Core i3-3210
- Memory: 8GB RAM
- Graphics: AMD Radeon R7 240X or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 730 or Intel UHD Graphics 630
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: 15GB available space
- Sound Card: DirectX 11.0 Compatible Sound Card
- Additional Notes: Supports Keyboard and gamepads
Tactics Ogre: Reborn PC recommended requirements
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 10 64-bit (21H1 and above) or 11 64-bit (21H2 and above)
- Processor: AMD A10-7870K or Intel Core™ i5-4440
- Memory: 8GB RAM
- Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 460 or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 or Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: 15GB available space
- Sound Card: DirectX 11.0 Compatible Sound Card
- Additional Notes: Supports Keyboard and gamepads
Tactics Ogre: Reborn PC graphics options
Tactics Ogre: Reborn on PC lets you adjust display mode (fullscreen, windowed, fullscreen windowed), choose the display being used, resolution (up to 4K from 800×600), and toggle v-sync. You can also adjust the gamma and contrast. There are no additional graphics options. There is no frame limiter either and the game is capped to 60fps as of this writing on PC.
One other set of options included involves the ability to disable individual sounds or music while the game window is inactive or in the background. You can also disable controller inputs when the window is inactive or leave them on. This is a nice inclusion here for those who multitask and it will help a lot given how much time people are going to spend in Tactics Ogre: Reborn over the coming months.
Tactics Ogre: Reborn PC control options – mouse, keyboard, and controllers
Tactics Ogre: Reborn has PC and controller support with full button prompt switching on the fly. I couldn’t get it to display PlayStation button prompts with Steam Input enabled so keep that in mind. Once I disabled it, my DualSense controller worked perfectly with PlayStation prompts and even adaptive triggers and haptic feedback support. One other thing to note is that while rebinding is available and appreciated, there is no rumble or options for rumble right now using an Xbox or Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. I tested it on three Xbox controllers and my Nintendo Switch Pro Controller on my laptop and Steam Deck. The PS5 and Switch versions have their own rumble or vibration settings available while the PC version has rumble settings available while using a DualSense controller. Mouse sensitivity and cursor size options are also included.
Tactics Ogre: Reborn on Steam Deck – Portable Perfection?
In my preview, I mentioned how great Tactics Ogre: Reborn felt on Steam Deck. Having spent more time with it both on the handheld itself and through HDMI on my 1440p monitor, Tactics Ogre: Reborn plays like a dream on Steam Deck. You do miss out on the HD Rumble from the Switch version though. Tactics Ogre: Reborn runs flawlessly at 60fps on Steam Deck and doesn’t consume too much power. The gamescope showed me the game consuming about 9W of power at 60fps and high brightness. It also has touch support for the mouse cursor giving you the best of both worlds with being able to use button controls or tapping to progress dialogue when you want. One other important thing to note is that Tactics Ogre: Reborn supports Steam Cloud already. You don’t need to wait weeks like I had to with The DioField Chronicle on PC. I hope a future update adds rumble support.
Tactics Ogre: Reborn PS5 vs Switch vs PC
I love it when a game I play on multiple platforms is great across the board. Having played Tactics Ogre: Reborn on Switch (docked and handheld), PC (laptop and Steam Deck), and also PS5 now, Square Enix has put a lot of care into the different versions. While there’s no fixing the visuals if you don’t like them, each platform offers something unique right now. The Switch version obviously has the advantages of being on Switch with its hybrid nature, but it also is a great version with crisp visuals and great performance alongside HD Rumble.
The PC version runs great on my laptop and also on Steam Deck with low power consumption. On PS5, Tactics Ogre: Reborn runs and looks great, but it also has support for the DualSense adaptive triggers and haptic feedback. If you don’t care about portability, the controller features make this version even better. I hope rumble is added to the PC version when using other controllers as well, but it is great to see another game have full DualSense support (wired) with adaptive triggers and haptic feedback right out of the box.
Should you play Tactics Ogre: Reborn on PC?
If you are ok with the visuals (I got used to them quickly), Tactics Ogre: Reborn is an essential if you want a polished and deep tactical RPG. The PC version runs great even on my Steam Deck allowing owners of Valve’s portable system another great way to play this tactical RPG masterpiece. My only complaint with this release has to do with how newcomers to the genre might be turned off by the lack of difficulty options as we see in other tactical RPGs. Barring that, it gets everything right and the music is sublime. While I do regret not playing more of the PSP version when I bought it, I’m glad to have finally experienced it through this new enhanced release.
Tactics Ogre: Reborn is out now worldwide on PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.
