A Newcomer’s Review of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles

A Long Overdue Confession

 

I have a confession to make, dear reader… one I’ve never spoken aloud in good company, and one that honestly shames me as a lifelong Final Fantasy fan. Alright, here we go… I have never really played the Final Fantasy Tactics series until now. That’s right, one of the most beloved spin-offs in the entire franchise completely passed me by for over twenty-five years. But it wasn’t for lack of trying. For someone who’s played every mainline Final Fantasy at least three times and literally has a full-sized freaking Buster Sword mounted on his wall, admitting this all to you feels downright shameful. OK… with that off my chest, let’s continue.

To give you some background, I originally fell in love with Final Fantasy shortly after the release of Final Fantasy VIII’s PC version, where I discovered the series for the first time. After that, I picked up as many games as I could whenever I had a bit of birthday or Christmas money burning a hole in my pocket. I still remember rummaging through the used bin at GameStop and finding a copy of the Greatest Hits version of Final Fantasy Tactics, wondering what the heck this entry was all about. I picked it up, popped it into my PlayStation, played for about forty-five minutes, and gave up. Not because it was bad, far from it, but because at that time my understanding of Final Fantasy meant good old fashioned stationary turn based, exploration driven adventures. Tactics, while technically turn based, lacked so many of the things that made me fall in love with the series in the first place. So I shelved it, shrugged, and said, “Well, this one isn’t for me.”

 

 

As the years went on and my taste in games evolved, I never fully got around to giving Tactics another shot, and I went about my life, confident my dirty little secret would stay hidden. But when I first heard that Final Fantasy Tactics was getting a remaster in the form of The Ivalice Chronicles, I knew it was finally time I put my shame to rest and gave the game the proper go I knew it must deserve. But before we go any further, you should know this review isn’t coming from a diehard veteran of the Tactics series. It’s from someone experiencing much of its world and story for the first time. So with that in mind, I’d like to think this review is for those of you like me, who may have skipped over Tactics in the past but still have a love for all things Final Fantasy.

 

Still with me? Okay. Let’s dive in.

 

The Wild World of Ivalice

 

I should mention that while I never played Final Fantasy Tactics thoroughly in the past, that doesn’t mean I was totally ignorant of its lore or setting. Tactics takes place in the world of Ivalice, a land rich with politics, religion, and centuries of interconnected history that weave through multiple games.

My first real introduction to Ivalice came from Final Fantasy XII on the PlayStation 2, which explores the world during its Imperial Age, an era defined by airships, magicite, and two empires locked in conflict. Final Fantasy Tactics, on the other hand, takes place hundreds of years later during Ivalice’s Medieval Age, long after the fall of the empires from Final Fantasy XII. This version of Ivalice feels older and a bit more grounded. It’s a land where nobles wage wars over thrones and the Church manipulates nations behind the scenes. Real Game of Thrones level stuff if you get my drift.

 

 

And at the center of The Ivalice Chronicles is our game’s protagonist, Ramza Beoulve, the youngest son of a noble family who gets caught between loyalty and truth. What starts as a simple story about duty soon turns into a larger fight against corruption and deceit as Ramza uncovers a conspiracy that could tear Ivalice apart.

I tell you all of this not to impress you with my massive wealth of video game history and lore, but to give you an idea of just how complicated and sometimes difficult it can be to follow the whole story. Luckily, if you simply want to experience the stand-alone Tactics story for what it is, great, you can absolutely do that with little effort. But if you’re like me and want to tumble down the rabbit hole of wikis and fandom sites, filling your head with centuries of detailed history from a fictional universe, you can totally do that too. Just keep in mind there is a lot of history, and even some alternate universes, to unpack if you so choose. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

 

A Story Worthy of the Final Fantasy Name

 

So you may be asking me, as a Final Fantasy fan, how did the story hit for you? Well, I freaking loved it. As with other entries in the Final Fantasy franchise, the story did not disappoint. What started off as a pretty down to earth story about kingdoms in conflict quickly turned into something more sinister and far more worthy of the Final Fantasy name. I somehow avoided spoilers for over twenty-five years, and I am beyond grateful for that. Somehow, I got to see the story through until the end without knowing exactly how it would unfold. All I will say is that if you are a Final Fantasy fan, this is a story you won’t want to miss.

 

Two Ways to Play in Ivalice

 

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles offers players two distinct ways to experience its story, each catering to a different type of fan. The “Ivalice Chronicles” version adds quality of life improvements and alternate story beats inspired by the PSP remaster Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions, while the Classic Version faithfully recreates the original PlayStation release. Both versions, while different, do not appear to add anything new outside of what was already released on other classic consoles, so if you are hoping for new missions or storylines, you will sadly be disappointed.

 

 

Since I’m coming into this series as a newcomer, those differences didn’t hold the same nostalgic weight for me that they might for longtime fans. Still, it’s great to see Square Enix giving players the option to experience the story in whichever form they prefer. Because I’m playing with fresh eyes, I can’t speak in depth about how the story changes compare between versions, but the folks over at Final Fantasy Union put together a fantastic video that outlines all of those details. I highly recommend checking it out if you want a deeper breakdown.

 

Sights and Sounds

 

As a huge fan of the 16-bit era, I felt right at home with the visual style of The Ivalice Chronicles. The visuals, while upgraded to HD, stay true to the look and feel of the PlayStation classic, complete with sprite-based character models and a rotating 3D battlefield. This isn’t a dramatic overhaul like Square Enix’s modern HD-2D remakes, but rather an enhancement of the PlayStation original. The result looks fantastic on my 4K screen while still maintaining that original look from an era in gaming long past.

 

 

On the other hand, the music doesn’t appear to be touched at all. In previous re-releases of Final Fantasy titles, we typically see options for enhanced orchestral soundtrack versions alongside the original music. For whatever reason, they decided to leave this one as is, with no added songs or enhancements of any kind. Again, this is my first time playing through Tactics, so the omission didn’t hurt my enjoyment in any way, but I would imagine some longtime fans would have loved a fully re-recorded orchestral option as well, especially at the fifty dollar price point.

While there may be no new or updated music, the biggest new addition by far is the voice acting. For the first time in series history, every line of dialogue is voiced by a talented group of mostly British voice actors. While I didn’t spend a huge amount of time with the PS1 original, the addition of voice acting really did immediately enhance the experience for me.

 

Learning the Tactics in Tactics

 

Now to move on to the elephant in the room, the part of Final Fantasy Tactics that made me give up on it twenty-five years ago: the gameplay. At its core, Final Fantasy Tactics is a turn based strategy RPG built around planning, positioning, and party development. But instead of the traditional turn based style you would find in games like Final Fantasy VII, Tactics drops you onto a grid where every unit moves, attacks, and casts spells based on their stats, class, and position. It feels almost like a game of chess, where each move could decide if your party lives or dies. Sometimes you just want to go in for an all out assault by moving your character right in front of the enemy, but if you are not lucky, this may open the door to powerful counterattacks or even death. A well rounded team is absolutely crucial to survival, so make sure to add a diverse mix of mages, archers, and knights if you want to stand a chance.

 

 

I personally learned this lesson the hard way. Instead of investing in long range magic users and archers, I went all in with good old fashioned hack and slashers. While this got me through some of the early game, I quickly realized that brute force would not get me very far. That is when it clicked for me. I was playing The Ivalice Chronicles the same way I played the PlayStation original all those years ago: impatiently. Once I allowed myself to rethink what Tactics really was, a game of chess with a great story, I started to truly appreciate it for what it is.

 

Building Your Dream Team

 

As you venture further into the main story of Final Fantasy Tactics, you will quickly become familiar with the game’s party and job system. In total, you can have up to sixteen party members at your disposal, each customizable with different jobs, skills, and even Zodiac Signs, which according to longtime fans, subtly influence certain damage formulas in battle, though I personally never noticed much difference myself.

The heart of this customization lies in the job system. Every character starts off with a basic job when you recruit them, but that role can be changed, leveled, and refined throughout the game. Even better, you can assign a secondary skill set learned from another job, allowing you to create hybrid characters that blend the best of multiple jobs.

 

 

Each job comes with its own set of abilities, equipment options, and stat growth patterns, and unlocking new jobs depends on the levels you have gained in previous ones. For example, leveling up as a Squire and Chemist might open new paths such as Knight or Wizard. The more you experiment, the more the system rewards creativity, whether you are turning a Monk into a teleporting powerhouse or a Knight who moonlights as a White Mage.

I will admit, I did not experiment nearly as much as the true Tactics veterans out there, but the builds I did create were incredibly satisfying to use. There is something pretty rewarding about watching your carefully built team tear through enemies, especially once you start realizing just how many wild combinations the game allows. From what I’ve seen online, people can make some pretty wild character builds that can pretty much nuke enemies on command.

 

A Long Overdue Redemption

 

Decades after its original release, I can finally say I’ve bested Final Fantasy Tactics. And what’s this? After the credits roll, I’m diving right back in? Yup, it’s true, the game hooked me. The Ivalice Chronicles is a well-rounded tactical RPG with a fantastic story that absolutely earns its place among the Final Fantasy greats.

Newcomers to the series should come in with an open mind and understand that this Final Fantasy doesn’t play like the ones you might be used to. Give it some time, adjust your expectations a bit, and you’ll likely find yourself just as absorbed in Tactics as I was. And for those of you, like me, who are eagerly awaiting the release of Final Fantasy VII Remake on the Switch 2 early next year, you might even recognize a few familiar voices and faces along the way.

That said, veterans and super fans of the franchise may walk away wishing for just a little more, as there are no new story additions or updates to the game’s soundtrack. But for newcomers like me, this experience felt fantastic as is. I finally understand why Final Fantasy Tactics is held in such high regard, and honestly, I’m just glad I finally took the journey.

 

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