Final Fantasy has been one of gaming’s most iconic franchises over the past almost 40 years now. In 1997, the series exploded to mainstream status with the release of Final Fantasy VII. However, there was another entry in the series released that year in Japan, and came to the West the following year, with Final Fantasy Tactics. While not being a mainline entry in the series nor being a traditional RPG like the other games in the series, it still became one of the most renowned and beloved Final Fantasy games. Now, 27 years the game returns with a remaster known as Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles, and, as someone who had never played the original outside of downloading the PSP version before my Vita memory card corrupted, I finally got to see what people have been hyping up over the past nearly three decades.

Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles brings the original PlayStation game forward in a way that most remasters don’t do. Instead of giving fans just a remaster of the game, Square Enix also includes the classic version of the game as well in one package. When you start the game, you are able to choose which version of the game you want to play. The remaster has voice acting, facial animations in the character portraits, updated graphics, and a bit of streamlining for the gameplay. Whereas the classic version retains what the game was in the late 1990s, but includes the updated translation from the 2006 PSP version of the game. Thus, both new and long time fans of game will be able to play it how they wish. The only downside is there is no way to jump between the two versions with one save file, so you have to start from the beginning whenever you decide to switch between the two.

The story of Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles draws you in almost immediately. I had heard the basic premise of the game over the years neing about the aftermath of the king’s death leading to two factions warring it out to see who will rule next with you playing the hero that eventually ends the war. Little did I know the game opens as a look back at the story through the eyes of history. It caught me off guard and as you learn more it feels like you are playing through a piece of forgotten or locked away history from what the current world of Ivalice knows. Watching the evolution and interactions of Ramza and Delita over the course of the game makes you really question the morality of the world and what should those with power do to improve it. The story is full of political intrigue that kept me wanting to keep going to see what would happen next and even reminded me of Final Fantasy XVI with how it tackles world politics.

Then, you have the gameplay of Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles.  The game is a tactical RPG, so fights and random encounters take place on little maps where you place party members down and have a movement grid where characters can move across the terrain. The maps also include different elevations, so you must be aware of where you and the enemy are when engaging. While most of the time you will be placing your party all together, there are a multitude of times that your party will be split across the battlefield and you must strategize and decide what units fit well together. The remaster has also streamlined the battles as you can now fast forward and can open an aerial view of the battlefield at any time.

Where the gameplay really shines is the in depth job system for party members. You can recruit numerous amounts of party members throughout your adventure through Ivalice (even Chocobos can become party members), and each character has a starting job from Squire to Knight to Mage among others. These jobs can be changed at any time (outside of mid battle) to the litany of other jobs available in the game once a character has unlocked them. As you level up a job, you gain Job  Points and can unlock new abilities as well as new jobs for that character. Thus, you find yourself switching jobs constantly to unlock more jobs and build your party how you want to and what fits your playstyle best. I found myself going deep down the job system rabbit hole that I would be building my character one way, then unlock a new job for another character and start building that characters towards that same job. You are also able to mix and match abilities from different jobs on whatever your current job is. So you can have a knight that has Cure from a White Mage after you switch between. Then, you can save up to three “loadouts” which will save an equipment and ability set up that you like most.

Overall, Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles is a fantastic return of a classic from a beloved series. The fact that you can play the remastered version plus the original in one package is perfect for both new players to jump into and old players to play the game they loved all those years ago. With a story that keeps you intrigued the entire time with its twists and turns and an intricate job system that lets you take on the tactical gameplay how you wish, you can see why the game reached the status it did, and Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles now brings the game to modern platforms for all to experience.

Score: 9 out of 10

Reviewed on PlayStation 5