By Ryan O’Callaghan

I have been a longtime Final Fantasy fan. I got my feet wet with Final Fantasy VII, and fell in love with the franchise through Final Fantasy IX. My love for the franchise hit its apex with Final Fantasy X, as I have a huge soft spot for standard turn-based battles. As I grew to love more and more of Final Fantasy, it was (and continues to be) the games’ deep narrative that grips me most.

With the release of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, fans are treated to an enhanced version that holds true to the original 1997 game. But it amplifies that release with modern additions to the graphics and gameplay. Perhaps it’s greatest evolution is the skilled voice acting implemented into the narrative.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles follows Ramza Beoulve, a young noble and squire in the Kingdom of Ivalice. Though a noble by blood, Ramza forges a friendship with Delita, a commoner and knight in training. As the commoners begin to stand up to the nobles of Ivalice, Ramza struggles to follow his duties at House Beoulve when witnessing the strife of the common people.

The game progresses over a simple map, moving Ramza from location to location. During this time, random encounters can occur. As you visit cities, you can interact at the tavern to buy and sell equipment to enhance your character builds or purchase healing items. You can also recruit new members to your party, who you can train and assign job classes. As different story points appear on the map, cutscenes move the story along, with dialog built into the key battles as well.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles features a job system. Characters (dependent on their job) have a variety of attacks and abilities available to them. You can level up characters and individual jobs. Depending on the level within these job classes, characters can learn new moves and acquire access to host new jobs like time mage, thief, monk, and more.

As a novice of Tactical RPGs, FFT has been a true struggle. Though the battle system is your standard turn based (no time crunch), the complexity of the battle area turns it into a mix of chess and Final Fantasy. Each turn allows for movement and attack/ability. Each attack/ability has limitations to distance. So placing your character in the right spot is key, both offensively and defensively. Standard sword attacks require your character to be directly next to the enemy, while archers and mages can (or are required to) attack from a distance. It’s essential to know how your team fairs in a variety of situations. The structure of the battle arena is engaging, but it does at times feel poorly constructed. In one particular battle, you are surrounded by buildings blocking the view of attackers. You can re-angle during your turn, but not during enemy attacks. Without knowing where an incoming attack is occurring, it becomes impossible to choose the correct next step.

Simply put, it’s not easy. One misstep early could spell defeat. And to make matters worse, if a party member falls in battle, they can be gone for good if too much time passes. In an early fight, I lost my beloved Black Mage “Belmont” and instantly restarted the game. In a major battle at the end of Chapter 1, it took me nearly 20 attempts to time and place everything just right.

I respect the nuance, but this also adds to the frustration. This frustration, though at times consuming, lingered throughout my day, leaving me wondering how to perform better. Should I train my squire as an archer to gain an advantage of distance, or should I train my black mage as a summoner to increase magical damage?

It’s clear to see why the original game garnered such respect from fans. The story of Ivalice feels epic. Ramza’s internal struggle between honor to his noble family and to his friends makes him one to remember. Though challenging at times, each victory feels earned, making the player feel as though they too have stepped onto the battlefield. The level of upgrades make Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles feel fresh while holding onto the key components that made the original a classic.

The more I played, the more I saw the game as a series of puzzles, difficult, but not impossible. Even as I stand at my desk now, there is an itch in the back of my brain thinking about the next battle to come.

Ryan O’Callaghan is the Circle’s Executive Director.

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