Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles

Game Summary

Objective Description:

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is a remake of the 1997 PSX game 'Final Fantasy Tactics'. It is a tactical RPG similar to games in the Fire Emblem series. It features an overworld map with different nodes representing cities or places where events in the story happen. Most nodes include at least an initial battle on a map which is tiled (often 15x15 or so in size).

The tiled maps feature terrain types which impact movment and some abilities. Battles start by setting an initial formation of 5 or so units depending on the battle and you will fight between 3 and 8 or so enemy units. Similar to the turn based rpgs in the franchise, battle proceeds with each unit having the option to move on the map and to take an action. Once the objective of the battle is met (defeat all enemies, defeat a specific enemy, save a character, get to a tile, etc), the battle ends and occasional story sequences follow.

The towns/castles/cities on the map offer shops, a 'tavern' for mini side quests, a poaching den, and a spot to recruit new units. The game unfolds across 4 chapters starting from a local set of events for the protaganist in their home kingdom and eventually spanning across multiple kingdoms and intrigues involving assassinations, political intrigue, church plots, betrayal of friends and more.

In addition to the story, the game is also driven by a diverse job system for the characters. There are about 20 jobs which offer substantively different skillsets and attributes to drive interesting tactics and a wide range of approaches to the game.

The remake adds some tweaks to abilities and JP but in very minor and targeted ways, they also provide a much updated translation and voice acting for the characters. The graphics are polished while remaining very true to the original and they add a 'state of the realm' and way to track the very many terms/concepts/people throughout the game. They also add a nice in-battle 'fast forward' mechanism and some nicer UI elements for managing everything.

If the new stuff isn't your jam, they maintained a 'classic mode' which is just like the original.

Subjective Description:

General Thoughts

I personally love this game and think this remake is the best version of it to be playing. They brought a classic back in a super respectful way with tasteful enhancements and nice polish. I wish they had, in the 'enhanced' version maybe added a few post-game sidequests orsomething since they were already working with the game content but what was done was more than enough for me to rank it very highly!

Story

When I first played this as a kid, the story captivated me - unlike most of the other FF games, this one felt more grounded in medieval european power struggles with the addition of some supernatural elements. Most other entries in the FF series have multiverse/bizarro-time-magic/unfathomably powerful antagonists, etc. This one felt more grounded, even the characters you become by the end of the game don't feel like they have the world-changing power that you might in FFIX or FFVI; powers are localized, the villians are bad but not destory the world bad, etc. It all is done in a way which allows you to really focus on the story and try to understand the machinations of the different factions.

The remake offers a translation which fixes MANY issues from the original PSX release and, imo, does it super well. They also introduced voice actors which I thought were good, even though I generally prefer reading unless there are cut scenes. The voice acting didn't feel like it slowed the game down much and all seemed to be recorded well.

Gameplay

I was a little worried this wouldn't hold up but I think it does! They also didn't brutalize the differences. Some classes kinda suck, some are OP, but they all have unique skills. I think they are all viable in different combinations and offer a wide range of fun ways to play the game (Want to try to convert them all to fight for you? rob them blind? turn them into toads? nuke them with power?)

The battle pacing felt really nice with the fast-forward button. I just wish they let you have it running continuously except for dialogue bits, my right bumper is definitely a bit worn from using it haha. But it it's a good addition overall and makes some of the more tedious battles or grinding feel better.

The biggest qualm I have is that magic consistently felt a bit underpowered. I would even be okay with shorter range and greater damage but I just didn't use magic all that much except for healing or trolling with the arithmetician.

They give you 3 difficulty options. There were a few fights on tactician (the hardest) which were genuinely hard but for the most part I wish that hard mode was a bit harder.

Lastly,

Final Thoughts

If you liked the original, try this one.

If you haven't played but like FF games, game of thrones-esque stories, fun turn based strategy battles, or just enjoy classic games. I really can't recommend this one enough.

The last thing I'll say is I played this in a lot of short chunks over a few weeks. Given the nature of the battle system and how the game works; this game is phenomenal to do in short sessions instead of longer sessions.