final fantasy tactics

Combining thematic elements of the Final Fantasy series with a game engine and battle system unlike anything previously seen in the franchise, Final Fantasy Tactics is Square's answer to Quest's successful Ogre Battle / Tactics Ogre series, with which it shares a number of key conceptual and stylistic elements. This is due, in part, to the presence of former Quest staff members in its development crew, including director Yasumi Matsuno, character designer Akihiko Yoshida, art director Hiroshi Minagawa and composer Hitoshi Sakimoto, all of whom had left Quest to work with Square. In stark contrast to other 32-bit era Final Fantasy titles, Final Fantasy Tactics uses a 3D, isometric, rotatable playing field, with bitmap sprite characters.

A spinoff was created in 2003, called Final Fantasy Tactics Advance for the Game Boy Advance. It takes place in a different world than Final Fantasy Tactics, but bears the same name, Ivalice.

Gameplay

Gameplay in Final Fantasy Tactics differs from standard Final Fantasy fare in several key areas, the most important of which is the battling system. Instead of a generic battle screen, with the player's characters on one side, and the enemies on the other, encounters take place on three-dimensional, isometric fields. On the battlefield, characters move about in a grid-like pattern, the amount of which is determined by the character's statistics and job class. Battle is turn-based, with a unit's turn coming up when its CT (Charge Time) reaches 100. Charge time is increased once every Clock Tick (a measure of time in battles) by an amount equal to the unit's speed statistic. When CT reaches 100 or greater, the unit takes its turn. During battle, whenever a unit performs an action successfully, it gains both EXP (Experience Points) and JP (Job Points).

The battles themselves also require a greater use of strategic planning in order to emerge victorious. Rushing headlong into combat may quickly result in defeat. Many different factors can determine the outcome of the battle. Certain magical attacks cause area of effect damage. Many of the more powerful magical attacks require several turns of charging, and compensation must be made, lest the enemies move out of the path of fire. Certain attacks, such as archer attacks, become much more effective on higher terrain. Move a unit too far into the field alone and enemies may try to surround it. Thankfully, the Hit Points of enemy units are visible to the player (except in the case of certain bosses), allowing the player to know exactly how much damage they still have to inflict on a particular unit.

Another difference is the manner in which random battles are encountered. As in other Final Fantasy games, random battles occur on the world map. However, in Final Fantasy Tactics, random battles only occur in pre-set locations, marked in green on the world map. Passing over one of these spots may result in a random encounter. Random enemies level up with the player characters (as in Final Fantasy VIII) while enemies in storyline battles are on a set level of experience. Although leveling characters up may initially give the player an advantage in these required battles, weapons and armor sufficient enough to harm or protect against some enemies in random enounters can be lacking as they only become available as the story progresses.

Movement on the worldmap is limited to a number of predefined paths connecting the towns and battle points. The towns cannot be entered or explored, but when over a town, a menu can be opened with the options "Bar", for taking sidequest job offers, "Shop" for buying supplies, and "Soldier Office" for recruiting new troops. Later in the game, some towns contain "Fur Shops" for obtaining items by way of poaching monsters. The player has very little control outside of battle sequences, and this lack of freedom often discourages players new to the tactical-RPG genre.

Job classes

Much of the popularity of the game stemmed from its usage of most of the original character classes seen in earlier Final Fantasy games, including Summoners, Wizards (Black Mages), Priests (White Mages), Monks, Lancers (Dragoons), and Thieves. Proper usage of the Job Class system is essential to victory.

In the beginning, every new recruit starts out as either a Squire or a Chemist, the base classes for warrior and caster jobs, respectively. In battle, JP (Job Points) are rewarded for every successful action, such as attacking or casting a spell. JP are also used to "buy" new abilities within each job class. Accumulating enough JP, furthermore, results in a job level up, and new jobs are unlocked by attaining a certain level in the current job class (for instance, to become a Priest or Wizard, the unit must first attain Job Level 2 as a Chemist), which also allows the character to gain more JP in that class in battles. Once all of the abilities of a job class have been learned, the class is said to be "Mastered", and a gold star appears by its listing.

A soldier in a specific Job must always use its innate skill (Priests must always have "White Magic," Knights must always use "Battle Skill") but a second job-skill slot and several other ability slots (Reaction, Support, and Movement) can be filled with any skill the particular soldier has learned. There are many combinations and possibilities in character customization. There are a total of twenty basic job classes that can be accessed by normal characters in Final Fantasy Tactics, which are listed below:

• Squire: Basic job for all warrior units (with the exception of the characters that posses a special class). Uses "Basic Skill." Ramza has a special version of this job class which gives him additional Basic Skill actions to choose from (as well notably better stats and the ability to equip certain items other squires cannot), as does Delita until he undergoes a class change later.
• Knight: Fine warriors, bold and brave, with etiquette. Uses "Battle Skill," which allows the destruction of an opponent's weapons, armor, and stats.
• Archer: The Archer uses bows and crossbows and attacks from a distance. "Charge" allows strengthened attacks by charging up over time.
  Final Fantasy Tactics offers a wide selection of Job Classes. This particular character is currently a Wizard.
• Monk: Monks are warriors who train their bodies in the ways of martial arts. Their battle ability "Punch Art" has numerous different effects, such as striking from a distance or even reviving knocked out allies.
• Thief: Rogues who can steal anything from anyone -- Gil, items, even experience points. Use "Steal" command.
• Geomancer: Warrior who uses a different "Elemental" spell depending on what type of ground s/he is standing on.
• Lancer: Warrior "Jumps" high and attacks enemies despite heavy arms and weapons. An expert with spears. The real drawback is that when choosing to Jump over an opponent, you can't access the number of turns it will take, and they might be able to move out of the way; a major advantage though, is that while jumping, the character is inmune to attacks and spells.
• Samurai: Foreign warrior who strengthens their soul by improving swordsmanship. Uses "Draw Out" skill to gain different effects from katanas in stock, which may break them. Also has the ability to hold a single weapon with two hands increasing its power greatly.
• Ninja: Combatant who hides as a means of battle. Can "Throw" weapons at distant enemies (which results in the loss of the weapon) and hold weapons in both hands.
• Dancer: Warrior who dances in battle in charming costumes. Her "Dance" abilities affect all enemies. Only female units may become dancers.
• Chemist: Basic job for all caster units. The Chemist prescribes items to restore HP and treat abnormal status. The only unit who can administer items at a distance from target. Uses "Item" command.
• Priest: The Priest controls holy magic by borrowing the power of the soul. Often uses recuperative and support magic, i.e. "White Magic."
• Wizard: The Wizard controls the elements which make up this world. Uses offensive magic, i.e. "Black Magic."
• Oracle: The Oracle has control over elements of life itself, through the manipulation of Yin and Yang, and is dominantly responsible for status-changing spells (Poison, Blind, etc.). This class is loosely based on the Onmyōji. Uses "Yin Yang Magic."
• Time Mage: The Time Mage controls time and space, adding such status changes as Haste, Slow or Stop. This sorcerer toys with the laws of the universe with "Time Magic."
• Mediator: Warrior who fights battles by talking to the enemy. Uses clever "Talk Skill", affecting their stats and even enabling them to change sides.
• Summoner: Warrior who can call illusionary monsters, spirits of the highest rank, to deal massive damage to enemy units or restore health to friendlies. Uses "Summon Magic," a special contract with the spirits.
• Bard: Warrior who uses his voice as a weapon. Can "Sing" songs that protect allies. Only male units may become bards.
• Calculator: Scholarly warrior who creates phenomena through math. Uses "Math Skill" to target all units with known spells who meet his or her conditions with no casting time. Can be extremely powerful if the right Math Skills are utilized.
• Mime: Warrior who can "Mimic" others. When an ally takes action, he or she mimics it completely.

Certain unique characters have equally unique job classes which replace the "Squire" option. They range from Ramza's revised Squire class, which adds a few abilities, the ability to equip knight swords and armor, and exchanges the Job Ability, Basic Skill for Guts, to Beowulf's basic job class, the "Temple Knight," which uses a sword combined with Oracle effects and no charge time to cripple the enemy; and Orlandu's basic job class, "Holy Swordsman," which is arguably so overpowered that most players feel the game loses all challenge once that particular character becomes available for use.

On the other end of the spectrum, Rafa, the "Heaven Knight" and her brother Malak, the "Hell Knight" job classes are often considered difficult and less enjoyable to play. This, mainly due to the random way the Untruth & Truth skills for these classes work: once a target is selected, a random number of magic strikes (between one and six) deal damage to random squares (within a 5-square, (horizontal & vertical,) X-shaped target zone). Though the probability that these strikes will hit the desired target can be increased if surrounding objects & elevation limit the valid target zone to fewer squares, a lot of work is needed to optimize the utility of these classes.

Plot and setting

Setting

The story is based on the fictitious land of Ivalice, which has also been used in its spinoff, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance as well as in Final Fantasy XII. It is possible that the story happens in an earlier time period. The story is told by a narrator, who says that the story takes place after the fifty year war, during its aftermath.

Plot

The plot revolves around the Lion War, a war of succession modelled after the Fifty Years War. The war erupts when King Omdoria of Ivalice dies without leaving a clear heir to the throne. In the ensuing power vacuum, two powerful nobles, Prince Larg, the brother of the widowed Queen Ruvelia, and Prince Goltana, the late king's cousin, put forward rival candidates. When Goltana coronates the king's adopted daughter, Ovelia, Larg declares war on behalf of his candidate, Orinas, the king's infant son. Although political alliances were difficult to place in this violent period, it seems that Larg had the support of the knights and supporters of the royal family, whereas Goltana had the support of the senate and other nobles.

Against this backdrop, the game relates the personal story of Ramza Beoulve, the youngest son of an aristocratic nobleman and war hero, and his best friend Delita Hyral, who was taken in at a very young age by Ramza's family. Ramza and Delita are caught in the turmoil of the Lion War, and Ramza must choose between his conscience and his duty, while Delita grapples with the issue of achieving and maintaining autonomy despite his lower class status. The plot thickens when it is later revealed that some party conspired to start the Lion War and was manipulating it to their benefit. The Zodiac Stones, twelve mysterious & ancient stones, were related to this conspiracy.

Characters

Main article: List of Final Fantasy Tactics characters

Development

The Final Fantasy Tactics game that was released was actually the second project to bear the name. In 1995, Square began work on a game for the Super Famicom under the working title Final Fantasy Tactics. However, as the project took shape it was decided that it didn't include enough elements from the Final Fantasy series to merit the name. It was retitled Bahamut Lagoon and released in Japan in February 1996.

The U.S. release of Final Fantasy Tactics was fraught with several indications of a rushed import job. The translation is rough and nearly unintelligible in some places, rendering an already intricately plotted storyline even more cryptic. Names of characters and locations are often spelled more than one way ("Omdolia" vs. "Omdoria", "Murond" vs. "Mulondo," "Luveria" vs. "Ruvelia"). Several historical and mythological references are reduced to gibberish by translators: for instance, the Norse World Tree, Yggdrasil, makes an appearance as Yugodorasil; the word "breath" is consistently rendered as "bracelet" in attack names; and the idealistic yet deluded antihero Wiegraf is actually named for Wiglaf, a character in Beowulf, to name a few. Even the main character's Last Name, "Beoulve", could also suggest a mistranslation of the name Beowulf (as "Beoulve" and "Beowulf" would have identical spellings in phonetical Japanese, though because there is a character who actually bears the name Beowulf, it was probably intentional).

Before it was re-released under Sony's "Greatest Hits" label in 2001, it was highly sought after and went for prices exceeding $100 on eBay and elsewhere ^{citation needed]}. At the time of its reissue, it was the only game to be re-released under that label without meeting Sony's guidelines of breaking sales of 200,000 copies. The official strategy guide is also highly sought after and commonly listed online at relatively high prices.

The game also includes references to several specific characters, places, and situations from earlier games in the Final Fantasy series -- Final Fantasy VII's Cloud Strife is a playable character (Aeris Gainsborough also has a cameo), and through the "Proposition" system in bars scattered around the world map, treasures and lost areas such as "Matoya Cave" (a reference to the first Final Fantasy) and various colors of materia can be found. To keep with tradition, Olan's adoptive father, Cidolfas Orlandu, is nicknamed "T.G. Cid" (the T.G. stands for "Thunder God", but oddly it's never said together with "Cid" in the English version's in-game text), and there are chocobos present in the game as well. Additionally, although most missions feature Ramza and his allies facing human opponents, most of the monsters appear in one Final Fantasy game or another, although the Lucavi are entirely new.

Several of the random human characters encountered are named for the testers, American Square Soft, Inc. employees, and people that they were fans of, such as They Might Be Giants co-founder John Flansburgh, American cyclist Andrew Hampsten, and Spanish cyclist Miguel Indurain who are referenced in-game by their last names.

Final Fantasy XII is also set in a world called Ivalice. However, it appears to be the Ivalice of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance as the two moogles Montblanc and Nono make appearances as a clan leader and an airship mechanic respectively. No characters from Final Fantasy Tactics are present, however certain story elements are.

Legacy

In 2003, Square (now Square Enix) released Final Fantasy Tactics Advance for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance. The game setting and engine are similar to the ones of its predecessor, but the characters and plot are notably different; the cast of characters is considerably smaller, and the plot is considerably simpler, earning praise from some who saw the original Final Fantasy Tactics' plot as too complicated, but causing disappointment with those who enjoyed the complex political nature of the original. Additionally, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance has a shorter main campaign, but more side missions, and a secret campaign at the end of the game.

Critical Reception

Final Fantasy Tactics recieved positive reviews upon release, and critical opinion of the game has only grown over time. However, one major flaw did stand out, that being the shoddy localization of the game which was rife with mistranslations that could ruin an otherwise excellent story. Some critics also took issue with the games overly complex plot. However, most of these issues were eventually seen as just quirks of the game as time has progressed and the game itself has aged rather gracefully. GameSpot has named FFT as one of its Greatest Games of All Time - the first Final Fantasy game to make it to the list.

References

• Kenji, vism, and Joshua Slone. "Game Credits for Final Fantasy Tactics." MobyGames. Accessed on 3 January 2005.
• GameSpot: The Greatest Games of All Time: Final Fantasy Tactics

External links

• Official site
• Final Fantasy Tactics at GameFAQs
• Final Fantasy Wiki category list for Final Fantasy Tactics