Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles Review - A Triumphant Return

Skip To...

In the whole Final Fantasy pantheon, there is one game that always stuck with me, regardless of how many new boys with big swords came swinging and how many times we beat Gilgamesh. I’m talking about Final Fantasy Tactics. Admittedly, it was also one of the Final Fantasy games I never finished, as I no longer had a place to play it, and the mobile version didn’t appeal to me. But now, decades later, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles has allowed me to bring closure to Ramza’s journey, and it isn’t only an excellent modernization of a timeless classic, but also the revival of one of the best Final Fantasy games.

War Never Changes

Many might already be familiar with the intricate, mind-blowing, heart-wrenching, and jaw-dropping narrative of Final Fantasy Tactics. And if I’m gushing too soon about it, it’s because to this day, it is still the best Final Fantasy story out there. Sorry, Cloud, you’re an excellent protagonist, but that Costa del Sol segment is an anime beach episode that we don’t need except for the eye candy, and I’m talking about Barret. But I digress.

In all seriousness, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles features the legendary story of war, betrayal, and political intrigue that we all came to love. It doesn’t have the War of the Lions additions, and I’ll go over that later, but it still has the original plot, which, at least for me, is superb in every way you can imagine.

I won’t spoil the story, as many might finally be jumping in to wrap this game, or some might be experiencing it for the first time, so I’ll go over the broader picture. You take the role of Ramza, a young noble flung into the maws of war. It starts as your usual military campaign where a couple of young fighters try to make a name for themselves, but it quickly becomes the most intricate drama full of plot twists, backstabbing, and shocking revelations, that usually take too long to show up in a mainline Final Fantasy games, which is why I believe Tactics is a cut above the rest in terms of narrative and character development.

One thing that elevates the story even more is that it is now fully voiced, at least in the Enhanced version, which is the only one I played and will be my go-to version from now on. Whether you play it in Japanese or English, both languages are terrific and provide different levels of emotion and immersion. Typically, I go for the Japanese dub in every game that has it, but the English voice acting is top-notch and shines not only in its story moments but also outside of them, such as when you get rid of a unit or hear some extra dialogue during combat.

Overall, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is a faithful return to the iconic political drama that many of us grew up with, albeit with numerous improvements that enhance an already excellent narrative. However, if you’re new, don’t expect just politics and shadowy deals. Final Fantasy Tactics is still, as the name implies, a proper Final Fantasy game, with the magical and supernatural elements we love that are woven perfectly into this plot in ways that no other entry in the series has done.

Deep Strategic Combat

It is rare to find a game where both its narrative and gameplay shine, but Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is one of the few out there that marries all of its systems perfectly.

If the name didn’t give it away, this is a tactical RPG. The combat is turn-based, and you’ll control your small army in grid-based maps with height and environmental elements. It all goes much deeper than that, of course, and I’ll do my best to explain it, especially to the newcomers out there.

In every fight, you’ll deploy any of your units, which belong to many of the iconic jobs we’ve seen in the Final Fantasy series. The objectives will usually vary depending on the stage, with some asking you to rout the enemy, while others need you to defend a character or kill just one enemy.

Every character has two actions, with one being movement and the next one the actual action they want to perform, such as attacking, throwing an item, or casting a spell. Enemies have the same capabilities, thus making you look for ways to counter every foe on a stage and make it out victorious. What makes combat so enjoyable is its unpredictability. Most stages have different elevations, and you might find yourself fighting a group of Archers that can snipe you from afar or even some Chocobos ready to peck you until you die.

The story battles are among the most enjoyable, however, as they provide some of the most unique mechanics and objectives, and provide you with the biggest challenges. One thing I’m glad that finally got fixed is the balance issues from the game’s late chapters, as well as the sudden difficulty spike. The game’s balanced mode was perfect now, and even pushed me to try a few battles in the hardest mode.

Yet, my absolute favorite feature of Tactics is its job system. Each unit starts as a Squire or Chemist, but can then become a Knight, Monk, White Mage, Time Mage, etc. The job system of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is the best in the series, and I’d put it even above the one in Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age.

To unlock new jobs, you need to use your characters and have them perform actions while on the field. Doing so will give you character experience, job experience, and job points. Job experience is what will unlock new jobs for your character. For instance, if you want to become a Thief, you need to level up Archer to level 3 first. If you want to be a White Mage, you need a Chemist at level 2. The requirements get more intricate as you open up more jobs, but it makes the process of unlocking that rare job sweeter.

Job points, on the other hand, allow you to buy abilities for a specific job, which you can then use in another one. Let’s say you have a Knight but want to use White Magicks. You need to play as a White Mage first, level it up, and spend White Mage job points to unlock said Magicks. Then, you can swap to Knight and use White Mage abilities on it. These apply to all jobs, by the way, allowing you to make all sorts of combinations and some unstoppable builds. Many might miss the iconic job wheel from the original game, but I prefer the new UI, as it makes choosing jobs much easier.

One thing that I will say about the gameplay loop is that it is still grindy, but in one of the most enjoyable ways. There are a few titles out there that make me go, “Yes! Time to grind.” The last one that did it was, to no one’s surprise, Tactics Ogre: Reborn because I refused to put it down until I completed Palace of the Dead. The same happens in Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles. You’ll always come to a point where you need to step back from the campaign and build your units in the most creative and powerful ways—a Knight with Summoner’s magic or an Archer with Firaga. Yet, the grinding is never tedious, as the road to creating the perfect unit is so addictive and extremely rewarding once you manage to do it.

A Realm Reborn

Since Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is a remake, many might be wondering, “What’s it adding?” The answer is a lot of things that make a classic feel just as modern as any other tactical RPG out there, and even more than that.

First, the visuals. While it doesn’t have the pore-inspecting visuals of Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, The Ivalice Chronicles respects that old-school feel with its small sprites, gorgeous character portraits, and low-poly 3D world. If you still prefer the original look, you can also play that version, as it is also included in this remake, but you’d be missing out on a lot of improvements.

Speaking of improvements, the UI is terrific and makes every bit of information feel less overwhelming. Even navigating some of the tightest maps or battling through areas packed with enemies is a breeze due to the ease of controlling every unit and seeing their positions on the map. Additionally, the difficulty modes make this experience more approachable. While playing on the easiest mode is understandable, I recommend playing on the middle one, as it offers the best combat experience.

My only complaint, and one I still think missed the mark greatly, is the lack of War of the Lions content. I understand they wanted to capture the feeling of the first game, and that is perfectly fine, but War of the Lions was terrific and added a lot of content that made a flawless game become a masterpiece. I would’ve loved to see some Dark Knights in my army, but the truth is that I quickly forgot about it, as even without that content, The Ivalice Chronicles is still fully enjoyable.

An Ivalician Rhapsody

After so many years without a proper way to play this title, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles has finally put the cult classic back on the map and in the best possible way. Its improvements make this the best version to experience this Ivalician war tale and dive deep into one of the series’ most intricate and addictive job systems. Even without the War of the Lions content, this remake is, hands down, an excellent tactical RPG.

Ultimately, if you never played Final Fantasy Tactics, this is the ultimate way to experience it. New players will have a blast going through one of the most memorable Final Fantasy games, and veterans will waste no time returning to a land that, while familiar, still has many changes to make your campaign through Ivalice feel fresh.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles (PS5 Reviewed)

9.5 Superb!

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is the ultimate way to experience the cult classic. While it lacks the War of the Lions content, it remains an excellent tactical RPG and one of the best Final Fantasy games ever made.