A new take on the strategy epic – Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles

Rainer Etzweiler

25.9.2025

Translation: Megan Cornish

After years out of the game, Final Fantasy Tactics is returning to modern platforms. The legendary tactical RPG proves that complex stories and challenging gameplay are timeless. I’m taking a look at why the game’s still one of the best of its kind in 2025 – and where there’s still room for improvement.

It’s a bit of a crazy story. In 1998, Square Enix (still Squaresoft back then) conjured up one of the best strategy games of all time, and what did they do with it? Bring out just three instalments in almost 30 years. Three! Even Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles – the neglected stepchild of the RPG studio – has more spin-offs.

The original PlayStation version attracted such a loyal fan base that there are still discussions going on in connected forums about which of the eight dozen characters is a tragic hero and who’s a master manipulator.

At least the remaster of the best spin-off in the series has breathed new life into Final Fantasy Tactics and shows the game has lost none of its fascination almost 30 years later.

Class struggle with Chocobos

The story reads like a medieval manifesto on social injustice: nobles exploit the population while plotting intrigues in their castles. The church preaches humility while summoning demonic forces in the background. And in the middle of it all, there’s a bunch of mercenaries who’d abandon their principles for a sack of money and probably even slaughter baby seals if the price was right.

The components may be familiar, but Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles consistently avoids the usual JRPG clichés.

Protagonist Ramza Beoulve comes from high nobility and switches sides with the oppressed when he realises he’s merely a pawn in a complex struggle for power and domination. Meanwhile, his opponent and former best friend, Delita, manipulates all parties in the conflict, leaving his motivations unclear for a long time.

When I first played Final Fantasy Tactics, most of the plot threads passed me by. Today, though, I recognise the many parallels to the present day. You don’t have to be a brick-throwing Marxist to be disappointed at the realisation that society in 2025’s grappling with the same challenges.

If you occasionally think of CEOs competing in space races while their employees have to pee in bottles or politicians who don’t care about human suffering while you’re playing, you’re not far wrong.

Tactics for tinkerers

Final Fantasy Tactics: Ivalice Chronicles is a classic tactical RPG. Battles take place in various large levels, where you place your characters on a square grid in turns. Archers and mages attack from afar, while knights and samurai fight on the front lines – if you’ve played Fire Emblem or X-Com at any point in the last few years, you’ll know how it works.

The crux of the game is the job system. With 20 basic classes plus various special ones, the system offers a virtually endless number of combinations, allowing you to tailor your party to your exact needs.

Each character develops by collecting job points in different classes. The skills they learn can be combined across classes. Want a ninja chemist? Sure, why not? A healing samurai? No problem. A shuriken-throwing accountant? No, really, that’s an option too.

The possibilities are so varied that you can easily spend ten hours trying to get the perfect build.

No mercy

Ivalice is a tough place. It doesn’t take many battles to work out that grinding’s non-negotiable here. The story missions quickly escalate in difficulty and – even after 20 hours – random encounters can become a deadly trap. I’m a tactical RPG veteran, but I still had to reload regularly after I manoeuvred myself into impossible situations or killed an important character.

By the way, characters stay dead if you don’t manage to revive them within three rounds. There’s no rewind function like in Fire Emblem. This intensity’s intentional and part of the game’s DNA. Every battle requires tactical thinking. It’s chess with swords and magic, and every mistake is punished. Easy mode isn’t chickening out here – it’s the recommended setting if you’re unfamiliar with the genre.

It’s also worth noting that the gameplay is virtually untouched in the remaster. This shows how timelessly good it is, although Square Enix apparently thought that 27-year-old design decisions were still the best.

Definitely not definitive

The remaster has some welcome new features. I particularly liked the Chronicles feature – a kind of built-in wiki that explains characters, locations and events.

Visually, the original has only been subtly reworked. The graphics have been carefully polished and retain the charming diorama look of the original. Small sprite figures move across lovingly crafted battlefields that look like something out of a pop-up picture book. Still, I don’t quite understand the decision to forego HD 2D technology à la Octopath Traveler. It would’ve suited the game perfectly.

The decision to omit content from the 2007 PSP version’s even more puzzling. The additional cutscenes, the new jobs – it’s all missing. Instead, we get a hybrid version that’s neither the complete PSP version nor a consistent reinterpretation.

The new voice acting’s also a double-edged sword. In The Ivalice Chronicles, all characters are voiced for the first time. This adds depth to the whole game, but it’s a shame the main character, Ramza, sounds like his voice has just broken.

Some technical limitations are also frustrating: the camera can only be adjusted in 90-degree increments, level architecture constantly obscures the action, and the HUD settings have to be reset after fights.

Ultimately, they’re minor details, but they’re annoying. Especially since Square Enix has constantly been claiming that The Ivalice Chronicles will be the definitive version of the game.

A missed opportunity

That probably sounds more negative than it’s meant to be. I had a lot of fun returning to Ivalice, from challenging battles to micromanaging the job system, cameos of two popular characters from Final Fantasy VII (Tip: use a guide for Chapter 4 if you don’t want to miss them. The side quest for this is really obscure) and much more.

So, I find it a shame that Square Enix didn’t go the proverbial extra mile to really get the most out of the game.

Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch and Switch 2. I tested the PS5 version provided to me by Square Enix.

In a nutshell

Between triumph and compromise

Even in 2025, Final Fantasy Tactics is a monument to game design and storytelling. The morally ambivalent story of class struggle and religious fanaticism has lost none of its relevance. The job system boasts a depth that modern games rarely achieve, and the tactical combat is both challenging and rewarding.

The remaster does a lot right: the Chronicles feature helps you navigate the complex plot, and the modernised controls improve the flow of the game. And yet, there’s still a bitter aftertaste. This could’ve been the definitive edition – with HD 2D graphics, all the content from the various versions and a reworked camera. Instead, it’s a good – but not great – remake.

I still heartily recommend the game. Final Fantasy Tactics is too important, too unique and too brilliant to be ignored. It’s one of the few games that takes its players seriously, doesn’t shy away from complexity and tells stories that’ll continue to inspire thought for years to come.

Pro

• Endlessly motivating battles
• Complex job system
• Complex story with believable characters
• Harmonious soundtrack
• A lot of scope
• Original version included

Contra

• Missing content
• Mixed voice output
• Less-than-ideal camera angle

Video games

CHF67.90

Square Enix Final Fantasy Tactics The Ivalice Chronicles

PS5

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Rainer Etzweiler

Freelance Editor

rainer@rockstar.ch

In the early 90s, my older brother gave me his NES with The Legend of Zelda on it. It was the start of an obsession that continues to this day.

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