Final Fantasy Tactics still holds up, but is it worth the price of entry with so many options available already? Let’s dig into Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles.
Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles
Developer: Square Enix
Price: $50
Platform: PS4, PS5 (reviewed), Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC
MonsterVine was provided with a PlayStation 5 code for review
I have a very vivid memory of waking up early on a Saturday morning and deciding I wasn’t going to leave my room until I beat my rented copy of Final Fantasy Tactics. I didn’t beat it that weekend, but I developed a weird desire to have an entire roster of ladies and fellas that knew everything there is to know. Playing Final Fantasy Tactics reminded me so much of Esper grinding in Final Fantasy VI; I was hooked.
For a lot of people, myself included, having the game as a playable option on the platform of your choice is an important reason to buy a game. There are a lot of variables that go into why you’d want to purchase a specific version of a game. Final Fantasy Tactics alone has the original on the PlayStation, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance on the Game Boy Advance, Final Fantasy Tactics A2 for the Nintendo DS, and Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions for the Sony PlayStation Portable. We’re not lacking in options to play these games.
Perhaps more concerning is that The War of the Lions is a direct update to the original Final Fantasy Tactics, featuring numerous enhancements that players have come to love. I’m not surprised at the general hesitance surrounding this release outside of the hardcore Ivaliceians. Yasumi Matsuno, director and writer of the original Final Fantasy Tactics, announced with The Ivalice Chronicles that we’d be seeing the original Final Fantasy Tactics and very little from The War of the Lions.
It makes me wonder if the reason they wanted to focus on Final Fantasy Tactics alone is that the source code was lost many years ago. In a PlayStation blog post, The Ivalice Chronicles director Kazutoyo Maehiro commented on the source code being overwritten. At its core, The Ivalice Chronicles is a modern version of the original classic.
Who got the better deal?
Final Fantasy Tactics’ story is both timeless and a classic. Any story that examines class struggle will, sadly, remain timeless. But one thing Final Fantasy Tactics does so well is that it keeps the pieces moving on the board. Nearly every other battle, unless you’re grinding, reveals more about the world or story of Ivalice as it goes through this turmoil.
Truly, Final Fantasy Tactics’ story is an achievement for RPGs and games in general. The Ivalice Chronicles preserves the story in its entirety, with a few enhancements for the better. While looking back on cutscenes from the original or even playing the classic version of The Ivalice Chronicles, it’s pretty clear that the original story was light on words due to technical limitations.
No less a tragedy than the original game, the changes were made for the better. While art flourishes under boundaries, the enhanced script comes off as more of a clarification rather than a rewrite. Expanding on the things that are happening and giving the characters a stronger voice to work with.
Matsuno mentioned in an interview that he wanted to refocus the story on the human-to-human element of Final Fantasy Tactics. I think the result is muted enough that we don’t lose sight of the gravity of Ramza’s struggle. Surely, while the Lucavi are a huge threat, they’re not the only threat.
Enhanced what?
Initially, I was concerned with The Ivalice Chronicles. Abandoning the progress made in The War of the Lions on the PlayStation Portable in favor of maintaining the original game’s vision while adding new things to it felt at odds with itself. The story clarifications and retranslation managed to quell a lot of that concern.
In fact, with the exception of a lot of extra content, The Ivalice Chronicles and The War of the Lions bear a striking resemblance. Both brought widescreen to Final Fantasy Tactics; both are fully voiced, and even the Calculator has been renamed in the enhanced version to the Arithmetician.
During my time with the game, Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles introduces some novel ideas regarding quality of life and understanding its own mechanics. For example, Final Fantasy Tactics has five auto-save slots that’ll trigger during battles. Not being able to save mid-battle has cost me some long battles due to someone dying. It’s nice to go back a few turns and change that outcome.
However, some of the changes are downright baffling. Maehiro had this to say about remastering the soundtrack:
“The reason is, as I mentioned earlier, music is what players remember the most. I’m also a gamer, so I sometimes play old games, and if I change the music when I play, it becomes different at that moment. So, in order to recreate the atmosphere of the time of release as the “definitive version.”
Yeah, that’s true, Maehiro, that’s why a lot of games include the option to switch between the original and enhanced soundtracks. All things considered, an enhanced soundtrack or orchestral soundtrack would have been an incredible addition.
Likewise, if you’ve ever played the original game, Final Fantasy Tactics is kind of slow. So they added a speed-up option, but it’s not a toggle. So while you’re controlling the game, you’ll most likely be holding down R1/RB as well.
Bizarre choices aside, most of the changes are actually good. Traveling around the map is easier as you can just skip optional fights. When the player walks over a battle node and an optional battle pops up, you’re given the option to fight or flee. Moreover, once in a battle, you can now pause during an enemy turn, allowing access to the menu, which also gives you the option to return to the world map with almost no consequence.
The extra characters that you’re able to recruit through side stories happen much earlier in Chapter 4, and errands/rumors that involve side characters have blue waypoints added to the map, which I’m not thrilled with, but it’s better than completely missing something. There’s also an option to quick-release creatures and eggs, which is a godsend. That 50-unit cap on your army fills up fast with creatures.
Unfortunately, the JP scroll bug is no longer functional. We can slot that in the Rest in Peace column for things I miss from the original that don’t really affect the overall game.
So, It’s Good?
Yeah, kinda. Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles is a peculiar title, thanks to missed opportunities and some unusual changes. However, there’s no doubt that this is the definitive way to play Final Fantasy Tactics on a modern console. The cut scenes from The War of the Lions are in the game but aren’t unlocked until after, and are relegated to the chronicles menu.
The sound novels are mainly just text with a few images in the background. Mesa’ Musings reminded me of Radical Dreamers from Chrono Cross. A decent text adventure with some interesting images and cool world-building. All of the sound novels contribute to understanding Ivalice in some way, but will matter little to the average Final Fantasy Tactics enjoyer.
I love Final Fantasy Tactics and I’m very glad The Ivalice Chronicles exists. With the additions, story clarification, and quality-of-life features, you’re in for a treat. However, at this price point, it almost doesn’t matter that the original source code is lost; it’s a little expensive for a nearly 30-year-old game without an enhanced soundtrack and lacking extras that exist in the wild on a different version of the game.
The Final Word
I think anyone with a passing interest in RPGs or tactical gameplay should play Final Fantasy Tactics at some point in their lives. The Ivalice Chronicles remains a strong addition to the Tactics lineup, despite a few missteps and strange development choices.
MonsterVine Rating: 4 out of 5 – Good
