It’s hard to believe it’s been almost three decades since Final Fantasy Tactics first hit the scene, but 2025 is finally bringing the strategy RPG classic back with The Ivalice Chronicles. To celebrate, we sat down with director Kazutoyo Maehiro to talk about what it’s like returning to his very first project, the pressure of living up to such a legendary game, and how the team managed to modernize Tactics without losing what made it special. From memories of working under Yasumi Matsuno to the themes that still feel relevant today, Maehiro had plenty to share about this long-awaited revival.
MonsterVine: What’s the feeling like revisiting a title you worked on decades ago, and are there any particular memories from the development of the original game that stand out to you?
Kazutoyo Maehiro: When we started development on the original game, I was just joining the games industry. I was a brand-new face working on it. Final Fantasy Tactics was essentially my debut project, and now, 28 years later, I’m the director on The Ivalice Chronicles.
Right now, I feel a bit of pressure. I don’t want to lose to my old self from 28 years ago, and if this project didn’t do well, I wouldn’t want to disappoint any of the original staff either. So, yes—some pressure.
That said, the development of The Ivalice Chronicles brought together a really great team, and I think we’ve created something we can be proud of. I feel relieved at this point.
As for memories from the original, since I was new, I didn’t know much about how things worked on a large-scale project. A strong memory for me was just trying to get my footing in the industry. I had the support of Yasumi Matsuno, the director of the original Final Fantasy Tactics, and working hard under his guidance to help create the game he envisioned is something I’ll never forget.
MonsterVine: A few months ago, Matsuno spoke about how unfortunate it is that one of the original game’s central themes—class inequality and division—remains relevant today. What do you hope to impart on new players as they experience this game?
Maehiro: As Matsuno-san has said, when you compare society from 28 years ago to now, there hasn’t been a significant shift. Honestly, that’s a sad realization.
In Final Fantasy Tactics, you have the large political conflicts between nations, but at its heart, it’s also about the personal struggles of characters like Ramza and Delita. Beyond them, you also have characters like Alma and Ovelia, who face challenges in part because of their roles as women within the setting. There’s Argath, who struggles with the divide between commoners and nobles.
Each character faces different trials, and I think players will find someone they can resonate with. It’s not just about the politics—it’s about the character dramas and the paths they take, and I hope players connect with those.
MonsterVine: Since you worked on the original Tactics, what has been inspiring to see as the strategy RPG genre has evolved since then?
Maehiro: The strategy RPG genre existed before Final Fantasy Tactics, but when Tactics released, it really exploded and brought many new people to the genre.
Since then, a lot of strategy RPGs have released, and what’s interesting is how they play off each other. New titles take good elements from previous games, and the genre evolves through that process.
I can’t say there was one specific title that inspired me, but many influenced us. We play many games in the genre, take note of what works, and adapt where we can.
I’m very happy that Final Fantasy Tactics has come full circle, re-released in this way, and reintroduced to the current generation.
MonsterVine: Looking back on The Ivalice Chronicles, what would you say is one of your proudest moments in bringing it to modern platforms?
Maehiro: The original game still feels incredibly complete, even if you play it today—the story and game design were very polished. But over the years, while many new platforms released, Final Fantasy Tactics wasn’t brought back in a meaningful way.
So, a proud moment for me is finally being able to give people—especially those who’ve only heard of the game—the chance to play it now.
MonsterVine: When updating the game, how did you balance modernizing it with preserving its original feel?
Maehiro: One of our main goals with The Ivalice Chronicles was to take the original experience and bring it to players in 2025.
That said, a lot from the 1997 release doesn’t feel as intuitive now. So, we updated things like controls for modern consoles and refreshed the UI. But in terms of game design, we didn’t want to make major changes.
Adding full voiceovers was one big step—we wanted to bring more immersion into the story. Ultimately, we want this release to be approachable so more players can enjoy the strategy RPG genre.
MonsterVine: At the core of the story is the personal conflict between Ramza and Delita, all set against political turmoil. How do you preserve that balance of intimate character drama within the larger narrative?
Maehiro: Speaking generally from a developer’s perspective, even in real life, countries move and act, but so much of that boils down to individuals’ decisions. I think the same applies to the story—it’s the personal actions of characters that shape the larger conflicts.
Matsuno-san’s writing was brilliant in this regard. He managed to weave the personal struggles of characters into the broader political and social structures of Ivalice, all while incorporating the Final Fantasy elements like crystals and monsters. It’s a testament to how well he integrated everything.
MonsterVine: Do you have any final words for players who may be new to Final Fantasy Tactics or even the series as a whole?
Maehiro: For The Ivalice Chronicles, we used the original game as the foundation because we wanted to bring that great story and gameplay to new players. That was one of our biggest goals.
We’ve made sure that no matter which platform you play on, the experience is consistent. We worked hard to tune the game so players everywhere could enjoy it equally.
Even though decades have passed, I believe new players will feel the same emotions and reactions as those who played the original. I hope everyone gives The Ivalice Chronicles a try—and thank you very much.
