is a
tactical role-playing gameA tactical role-playing game is a type of video game which incorporates elements of traditional role-playing video games and strategy games. In Japan these games are known as , a designation which might seem peculiar to native English speakers...
developed and published by
Squarewas a Japanese video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. It merged with Enix in 2003 and became part of Square Enix...
(now
Square Enixis a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
) for the
Sony, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
PlayStation
video game consoleA video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
. It is the first game of the
Final Fantasy Tactics seriesThe Final Fantasy Tactics series is a series of tactical role-playing games developed by Square Co., now Square Enix. It consists of four titles, Final Fantasy Tactics, its remake Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, and the sequel to Advance, Final Fantasy...
and was released in Japan in June 1997 and in the United States in January 1998. The game combines thematic elements of the
Final Fantasyis a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
video game series with a
game engineA game engine is a system designed for the creation and development of video games. There are many game engines that are designed to work on video game consoles and personal computers...
and battle system unlike those previously seen in the franchise. In contrast to other 32-bit era
Final Fantasy titles,
Final Fantasy Tactics uses a
3D3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
,
isometricIsometric projection is a method for visually representing three-dimensional objects in two dimensions in technical and engineering drawings...
, rotatable playing field, with
bitmapIn computer graphics, a raster graphics image, or bitmap, is a data structure representing a generally rectangular grid of pixels, or points of color, viewable via a monitor, paper, or other display medium...
spriteIn computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene...
characters.
Final Fantasy Tactics is set in a fictional medieval-inspired kingdom called
Ivaliceis a fictional location in the Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Vagrant Story universe. The world was conceived by Yasumi Matsuno when he joined Square Co. in 1995, and has since been expanded upon by several games, with more yet due with the Ivalice Alliance series...
created by
Yasumi Matsunois a video game designer. He is one of a few designers to have two games receive a perfect score by Famitsu magazine. Vagrant Story and Final Fantasy XII were critically acclaimed by the magazine with a 40/40 score.-Early projects:...
. The game's story follows Ramza Beoulve, a highborn cadet who finds himself thrust into the middle of an intricate military conflict known as The Lion War, where two opposing noble factions are coveting the throne of the kingdom. As the story progresses, Ramza and his allies discover a sinister plot behind the war.
A
spinoffIn media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
title,
Final Fantasy Tactics Advanceis a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance. A spin-off of the popular Final Fantasy series, the game shares several traits with 1997's Final Fantasy Tactics, although it is not a direct sequel. The player assembles a clan of characters, and...
, was released for the
Nintendois a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
Game Boy AdvanceThe is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
in 2003 and a sequel to that title,
Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Riftis a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo DS handheld game console.Grimoire of the Rift is the sequel to Final Fantasy Tactics Advance as well as an iteration in the Ivalice Alliance.- Gameplay :...
, was released in 2007 for the
Nintendo DSThe is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
. Various other games have also utilized the Ivalice setting, including
Vagrant Storyis a Japanese-developed console role-playing game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation video game console. The game was released in 2000, and has been re-released through the PlayStation Network for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable consoles eleven years later...
for the Playstation and
Final Fantasy XIIis a console role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2. Released in 2006, it is the twelfth title in the Final Fantasy series and the last in the series to be released exclusively on the PlayStation platform...
for the
Playstation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
. An enhanced port of
Final Fantasy Tactics,
Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lionsis a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for the Sony PlayStation Portable and iOS. The game is an updated version of Final Fantasy Tactics for the PlayStation video game console....
, was released in 2007 as part of Square Enix's
Ivalice Alliance project. Overall, the game received positive reviews from gaming magazines and websites and has become a
cult classicA cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
since its release.
Gameplay
The gameplay of
Final Fantasy Tactics differs in several key areas from other titles in the
Final Fantasy series. 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. Characters move on a battlefield composed of square tiles; movement and action ranges are determined by the character's statistics and job class. Battles are turn-based; a unit may act when its CT (Charge Time) reaches 100. Charge time is increased once every CT unit (a measure of time in battles) by an amount equal to the unit's speed statistic. When CT reaches 100 or greater, the unit may act. During battle, whenever a unit performs an action successfully, it gains
Experience PointsAn experience point is a unit of measurement used in many role-playing games and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's progression through the game...
(EXP) and Job Points (JP).
Another difference is the manner in which random battles are encountered. Like 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. Another major aspect of battles is magical attacks. Certain magical attacks cause
area of effectthumb|Screenshot from FreedroidRPG showing Area of Effect.Area of effect is a term used in many role-playing and strategy games to describe attacks or spells that affect multiple targets within a specified area....
damage, and many of the more powerful magical attacks require several turns of charging. Hit Points of enemy units are also 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.
Movement on the world map is limited to predefined paths connecting the towns and battle points. When the character icon is over a town, a menu can be opened with several options: "Bar" for taking sidequest job offers, "Shop" for buying supplies and equipment, and "Soldier Office" for recruiting new characters. Later in the game, some towns contain "Fur Shops" for obtaining items by way of
poachingPoaching is the illegal taking of wild plants or animals contrary to local and international conservation and wildlife management laws. Violations of hunting laws and regulations are normally punishable by law and, collectively, such violations are known as poaching.It may be illegal and in...
monsters.
Like several installments in the series,
Final Fantasy Tactics features a character class system, which allows players to customize characters into various roles. The game makes extensive use 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. New recruits start out as either a
SquireThe English word squire is a shortened version of the word Esquire, from the Old French , itself derived from the Late Latin , in medieval or Old English a scutifer. The Classical Latin equivalent was , "arms bearer"...
or a
ChemistA chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
, the base classes for warrior and magician jobs, respectively. The game features twenty jobs accessible by normal characters.
In battle, JP are rewarded for every successful action. JP are used to learn new abilities within each job class. Accumulating enough JP results in a job level up; 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 "Mastered". A soldier in a specific Job always has its innate skill equipped (Wizards always have "Black Magic," Knights always have "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.
Setting
The story takes place in the fictional kingdom of
Ivaliceis a fictional location in the Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Vagrant Story universe. The world was conceived by Yasumi Matsuno when he joined Square Co. in 1995, and has since been expanded upon by several games, with more yet due with the Ivalice Alliance series...
, located in a peninsula surrounded by sea on the north, west and south, with a
headlandA headland is a point of land, usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends out into a body of water.Headland can also refer to:*Headlands and bays*headLand, an Australian television series...
south of the landmass. Its geography features ranging landscapes, from plains to mountains ranges to deserts and forests. It is heavily populated by human beings, although intelligent monsters can be found living in less populated areas. Magic is predominant in the land, although ruins and artifacts indicated that past populace had relied on machinery, such as airships and robots.
Ivalice is a kingdom of seven territories, united under a monarch. Ivalice's neighbors are the kingdom of Ordalia in the east and Romanda, a military nation to the north. While the three nations share common royal bloodlines, major wars have taken place between them. An influential religious institution known as the Murond Glabados Church heads the dominant faith, centering around a religious figure known as Saint Ajora.
The story takes place after Ivalice ended its war with the two nations in what is known as the Fifty Years War, and is facing economic problems and political strife. Adding to its problems is the recent death of the king, whose heir is only an infant. A regent is needed to rule in place of the prince, and the kingdom is split between Prince Goltana, represented by the Black Lion, and Prince Larg, symbolized by the White Lion. The conflict leads to what is known in the game as the Lion War. Behind this backdrop is a revelation by the game's fictional historian Alazlam J. Durai, who seeks to reveal the story of an unknown character whose role in the Lion War was major but was covered up by the kingdom's church. The setting is based around this character, named by default as Ramza, and revolves around his early life and the future conflicts he faced while the events that changed the kingdom unfold.
Characters
Central to the plot of the game are two main characters, Ramza Beoulve and Delita Heiral. The two characters are childhood friends, and while both are born of differing social classes; Ramza a noble and Delita a commoner, both disregarded this fact and grew up together believing in justice and honor, as taught by Ramza's father Balbanes. However, as the story progresses, the two characters faced many conflicts that changed their viewpoint on life; Delita seeks to manipulate the upper class to achieve his dreams, while Ramza believes in justice and honor regardless of name and class.
The game's plot is then portrayed through the eyes of Ramza Beoulve, who is the player character of the story. His exploits in the war introduced him to a number of characters; each with their own roles and agenda concerning the war and the fictional world, Ivalice, that they inhabit. The most prominent factions at the beginning of the story are those of Prince Goltana and Prince Larg, both are nobles seeking to obtain control of the throne by being the guardian to the monarch's young heir and were thus engaged in a war. The story progresses to include characters from the Murond Glabados Church, which have been controlling Ivalice silently and engineering the war in question.
As the game progresses, players are able to recruit generic player characters and customize them using the Job system of the Final Fantasy series. Several battles also feature "Guest" characters that are controlled via the game's A.I., which may be recruited later in the game according to the story proper. Aside from original characters, the developers have also incorporated cameo roles from other Square games. The characters were designed by
Akihiko Yoshidais a Japanese video game designer working for Square Enix. Yoshida was born in 1967 and joined Square Co. in 1995, before the company merged with Enix. He is well known for his work on the Final Fantasy series...
, who was also in charge of the illustration and character designs of games such as
Tactics Ogreis a Japanese tactical role-playing game created by Quest. The game was originally released in 1995 on the Super Famicom in Japan and then re-released on the Sega Saturn in 1996 and the PlayStation in 1997...
,
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance,
Final Fantasy XII, and
Vagrant Story.
Story
Final Fantasy Tactics begins with Ivalice just recovering from the Fifty Year War against Ordalia. The power vacuum caused by the death of its ruler, King Omdoria, soon sparked another conflict. Princess Ovelia and the younger Prince Orinas are both candidates to the throne, with the former supported by Prince Goltana of the Black Lion, and the latter by Queen Ruvelia and her brother, Prince Larg of the White Lion. This erupted into a full-scale war known as the "Lion War", with either side using whatever means possible to secure their place in the throne. This included bearing an illegitimate child, killing other possible heirs, betrayal, assassination and false identities.
Throughout the game, nobles regard commoners and peasants as animals, and many commoners try to take revenge on the nobles, who abandoned them after the war. Most joined the so-called Death Corps to fight against the nobles' soldiers, and many died in vain. Ramza, part of the noble Beoulve family of knights, and Delita, his childhood friend who was an ordinary commoner, were witnesses to this phenomenon. Events such as meeting an arrogant noble named Algus, as well as the negligent killing of Delita's sister Teta during an uprising, caused Delita and Ramza to abandon the nobility, both going separate ways.
Ramza joins a mercenary group, led by Gafgarion, who protects Princess Ovelia from being hunted by both sides. Delita has joined Prince Goltana's forces to rise up through the ranks and gain control over his own destiny. Ramza and Delita are reunited when Gafgarion attempts to take Ovelia to Prince Larg, though this was futile. Agrias suggests visiting Cardinal Draclau of the Glabados Church to protect Ovelia, while Delita continues to work in the shadows, working with multiple sides to realize his ambition. Along the way to Lionel Castle, Ramza meets Mustadio, a machinist in possession of a holy relic called the Zodiac Stone. Hunted by a trading company for the power it contains, Mustadio also seeks Draclau's intervention.
However, soon after the encounter with Cardinal Draclau, Ramza discovers that an elaborate plot was set by the Murond Glabados Church. In their desire to control Ivalice, the Church, particularly the High Priest, Marge Funeral, uses the legend of the so-called holy Zodiac Braves to gather the Zodiac Stones, and fuels the Lion War between Larg and Goltana. To stave off Ramza's interference, Draclau uses the stone to transform into a legendary Lucavi demon, and Ramza has no choice but to slay him/it. As a result, Ramza is regarded a heretic of the Church, and he is approached by the Heretic Examiner Zalmo at Lesalia Imperial Capital.
While noble in name, the Beoulve family is susceptible to corruption, due to ambition. Dycedarg, the eldest sibling, conspires with Larg and the Church to ensure that the Beoulve family remains in power. However, his younger brother Zalbag is unaware of his dealings. Alma, Ramza's younger sister, remains in church, unaffected by the situation until Ramza is branded a heretic in front of her. Ramza seeks to rescue her after her capture while helping Ramza escape the Heresy Examiners. Only Ramza and Alma share their father's sense of justice.
Ramza is chased throughout the story by the Shrine Knights, the soldiers of the Church who are hunting the Zodiac Stones, although he gains allies, either by saving their lives, or by showing them the truth. Some individuals with knowledge of the Zodiac Stones attempt to conspire with the Shrine Knights for its power, though most fail. Ramza also acquires proof of the Church's lies about Saint Ajora, a central figure in the religion, and attempts to use it along with the Zodiac Stone to reveal the organization's plot.
In the course of the story, the two sides face off in a major battle that sees the deaths of many soldiers, including their leaders Larg and Goltana. Ramza manages to stop the bloodshed from continuing and rescues the general Cidolfas Orlandu, though the Church succeeds in eliminating the two Lions to secure its power over Ivalice. Deeper into the story, Ramza discovers that the Shrine Knights are in reality Lucavi, and the real conspirators behind the Church's plot. The Lucavi are seeking to resurrect their leader Altima, who in the past was Saint Ajora, and they need much bloodshed and a suitable body to complete the resurrection. Alma is to serve as the host for Altima's incarnation. While racing off to find her, Ramza encounters Dycedarg - now a Lucavi demon - and witnesses Zalbag's death. Zalbag is then risen and converted into a undead servant, and frequently begs for death during the encounter.
At the end of the story, though Altima is successfully resurrected, Ramza and his allies succeed in destroying her. Their final fates are unknown. Delita marries Ovelia and becomes the King of Ivalice. However, he fails to find true satisfaction as even Ovelia distrusts him, leading her to stab Delita, apparently resulting in Delita's death shortly after the end of the story. Ovelia in turn is stabbed by Delita and dies. Olan Durai, a witness who had many encounters with Ramza (and is unsure as to whether his glimpse of a living and well Ramza and Alma after the game's final battle is a hallucination or not), attempts to reveal the Church's evil plot with the "Durai Report." However, his papers are confiscated and he is burned at the stake for heresy. The story ends many years later with the historian Alazlam J. Durai intent on revealing the truth of the Lion War and the Durai Report.
Development
Final Fantasy Tactics was produced mostly by the team that made
Ogre Battleis a 1993 real-time strategy role-playing video game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, directed by Yasumi Matsuno with artwork by Akihiko Yoshida...
and
Tactics Ogre, and was
Yasumi Matsunois a video game designer. He is one of a few designers to have two games receive a perfect score by Famitsu magazine. Vagrant Story and Final Fantasy XII were critically acclaimed by the magazine with a 40/40 score.-Early projects:...
's first project with Square following his departure from
Questwas a Japanese video game company founded in 1988. They were originally known as Bothtec, which had developed The Scheme, a Metroidvania-style open world action role-playing game featuring music by Yuzo Koshiro, that same year....
in
1995-Events:*May 11 – Introduction of trade magazine GameWeek *May 11-16 — The 1st annual Electronic Entertainment Expo is held in Los Angeles, California...
. In an interview with Akito Inoue, an assistant professor at the International University of Japan, Inoue mentions that
Final Fantasy Tactics was made because of how casual gamers are usually put off by games with branching storylines found in other Matsuno's titles such as
Tactics Ogreis a Japanese tactical role-playing game created by Quest. The game was originally released in 1995 on the Super Famicom in Japan and then re-released on the Sega Saturn in 1996 and the PlayStation in 1997...
.
Several historical and mythological references were altered by translators: for instance, the Norse World Tree,
YggdrasilIn Norse mythology, Yggdrasil is an immense tree that is central in Norse cosmology. It was said to be the world tree around which the nine worlds existed...
, makes an appearance as Yugodorasil; the word "breath" is consistently rendered as "bracelet" in attack names; and Wiegraf's name is nearly homonymous with
a character from BeowulfWiglaf is a character in the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf. He is the son of Weohstan, a Swede of the Wægmunding clan who had entered the service of Beowulf, king of the Geats. Wiglaf is called Scylfing as a metonym for Swede, as the Scylfings were the ruling Swedish clan...
but rendered differently. The in-game tutorial function also shows examples of
Engrishrefers to unusual forms of English language usage by native speakers of some East Asian languages. The term itself relates to Japanese speakers' tendency to inadvertently substitute the English phonemes "R" and "L" for one another, because the Japanese language has one alveolar consonant in place...
- poorly translated English - including lines such as "This was the darkened Items won't appear."
The game also includes references to several Final Fantasy specific characters, places, and situations from earlier games in the
Final Fantasy series —
Final Fantasy VIIis a role-playing video game developed by Square and published by Sony Computer Entertainment as the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy series. It was originally released in 1997 for the Sony PlayStation and was re-released in 1998 for Microsoft Windows-based personal computers and in 2009...
's
Cloud Strifeis a fictional character and the main protagonist in Square's role-playing game Final Fantasy VII and several of its sequels and spin-offs. His original design was created by Final Fantasy VII character designer Tetsuya Nomura...
is a playable character, 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 Fantasyis a fantasy role-playing video game created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, developed and first published in Japan by Square in 1987. It is the first game in Square's Final Fantasy series...
) and various colors of materia can be found. To keep with tradition, Olan's adoptive father, Cidolfas Orlandu, is nicknamed "T.G. Cid", and
chocoboA is a fictional creature from the Final Fantasy video game series. The creature is a large and normally flightless galliforme/ratite bird capable of being ridden and otherwise used by player characters during gameplay...
s are present in the game as well. Additionally, most of the monsters appear in one
Final Fantasy game or another, although the Lucavi are entirely new monsters altogether.
Audio
The game's soundtrack is composed by
Hitoshi Sakimotois a Japanese video game composer and arranger. He is best known for scoring the games Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy XII, though he has composed soundtracks for over 70 games and arranged music for more than 40 others. He began playing music and video games in elementary school, and began...
and
Masaharu Iwatais a Japanese video game composer. After graduating from high school, where his musical projects included composing on a synthesizer and playing in a cover band, he joined Bothtec as a composer. He composed the soundtrack to several games there, beginning with 1987's Bakusou Buggy Ipatsu Yarou, and...
, both of whom later collaborated to compose music for
Stella Deus and
Final Fantasy XIIis a console role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2. Released in 2006, it is the twelfth title in the Final Fantasy series and the last in the series to be released exclusively on the PlayStation platform...
. Matsuno approached his long time friends Sakimoto and Iwata to compose the music soon after the initial release of
Final Fantasy VII. Sakimoto composed 47 tracks for the game, and Iwata was left to compose the other 24. The orchestral nature of the game's music was made possible using synthesizing operated by the synthesizer operator Katsutoshi Kashiwabara and sound programming Hidenori Suzuki. The album was first released on two
Compact DiscThe Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
s by now-defunct
DigiCubeDigiCube Co., Ltd. was a Japanese company established as a subsidiary of software developer Square on February 6, 1996 and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The primary purpose of DigiCube was to market and distribute Square products, most notably video games and related merchandise, including toys,...
on June 21, 1997, bearing the catalog number
SSCX-10008, and was re-released by
Square Enixis a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
on March 24, 2006, with the catalog number
SQEX-10066/7. It spans two discs and 71 tracks, covering a duration of 2:31:03.
Some reviewers made comparison with
Nobuo Uematsuis a Japanese video game composer, best known for scoring the majority of titles in the Final Fantasy series. He is considered as one of the most famous and respected composers in the video game community...
's
Final Fantasy compositions, though the soundtrack received positive reviews from critics. Chudah's Corner summarized its review by stating that the soundtrack is an "astoundingly memorable classic of videogame music". This is also supported by other professional reviews, such as by an RPGFan reviewer that "don't believe that any other soundtrack known to man surpasses it", and a VGM World review who quotes that "the orchestral music is beautiful nonetheless".
Track listing
| Disk 1 |
|
| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; margin-right:-1em;">
|
| # |
Japanese title (Romanization) |
English title |
Length |
| 01. |
Bland Logo ~ Title Back |
|
1:09 |
| 02. |
Backborn Story |
|
1:34 |
| 03. |
P.R. Movie |
|
0:47 |
| 04. |
ユニット紹介 (Yunitto Shōkai) |
Unit Introductions |
3:50 |
| 05. |
プレイヤーメイク (Pureiyā Meiku) |
Player Creation |
1:45 |
| 06. |
Prologue Movie |
|
2:52 |
| 07. |
礼拝堂 (Reihaidō) |
Chapel |
1:00 |
| 08. |
敵兵襲撃 (Tekihei Shūgeki) |
Enemy Attack |
0:59 |
| 09. |
Trisection |
|
2:37 |
| 10. |
士官候補生 (Shikankōhosei) |
Cadets |
1:57 |
| 11. |
アタックチーム (Atakku Chīmu) |
Attack Team |
0:48 |
| 12. |
Unavoidable Battle |
|
1:45 |
| 13. |
戦闘終了 (Sentō Shūryō) |
Mission Complete |
0:24 |
| 14. |
主人公のテーマ (Shujinkō no Tēma) |
Hero's Theme |
1:12 |
| 15. |
A Chapel |
|
2:33 |
| 16. |
アルガスとの出会い (Arugasu to no Deai) |
Meeting with Algus |
2:03 |
| 17. |
ワールドマップ (Wārudo Mappu) |
World Map |
0:53 |
| 18. |
ショップ (Shoppu) |
Shop |
0:52 |
| 19. |
戦士斡旋所 (Senshi Assen Tokoro) |
Soldier Office |
1:03 |
| 20. |
毛皮骨肉商 (Kegawa Kotsunikusho) |
Pelt, Bone, and Meat Trader |
0:56 |
| 21. |
編成画面 (Hensei Gamen) |
Formation Screen |
0:57 |
| 22. |
ブレイブストーリー (Bureibu Sutōrī) |
Brave Story |
1:18 |
| 23. |
酒場 (Sakaba) |
Pub |
1:01 |
| 24. |
データ画面 (Dēta Gamen) |
Data Screen |
0:57 |
| 25. |
Desert Land |
|
2:51 |
| 26. |
アルマのテーマ (Aruma no Tēma) |
Alma's Theme |
1:12 |
| 27. |
怪しげな雰囲気 (Ayashige na Fun'iki) |
Suspicious Atmosphere |
1:53 |
| 28. |
Decisive Battle |
|
2:22 |
| 29. |
悲痛な心の叫び (Hitsū na Kokoro no Sakebi) |
Cry of Pain |
0:55 |
| 30. |
Remnants |
|
3:05 |
| 31. |
出撃前緊張 (Shutsugekisen Kinchō) |
Anxiety before the Battle |
2:02 |
| 32. |
緊迫１ (Kinpaku 1) |
Tension 1 |
2:41 |
| 33. |
ゲームオーバー (Gēmu Ōbā) |
Game Over |
0:21 |
| 34. |
チュートリアル (Chūtoriaru) |
Tutorial |
2:10 |
| 35. |
Random Waltz |
|
1:52 |
| 36. |
オヴェリアのテーマ (Overia no Tēma) |
Ovelia's Theme |
2:41 |
| 37. |
Apoplexy |
|
4:10 |
| 38. |
聖騎士ザルバッグのテーマ (Seikishi Zarubaggu no Tēma) |
Zalbag, the Holy Knight |
2:03 |
| 39. |
Run Past Through the Plain |
|
1:58 |
| 40. |
謀略 (Bōryaku) |
Strategy |
2:42 |
| 41. |
ディリータのテーマ (Deritā no Tēma) |
Delita's Theme |
1:42 |
| 42. |
Back Fire |
|
3:01 |
| Disk 2 |
|
| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; margin-right:-1em;">
|
| # |
Japanese title (Romanization) |
English title |
Length |
| 01. |
思い出 (Omoide) |
Memories |
1:45 |
| 02. |
ダイスダーグのテーマ (Daisudāgu no Tēma) |
Dycedarg's Theme |
1:27 |
| 03. |
Antipyretic |
|
3:40 |
| 04. |
聖アジョラのテーマ (Sei Ajora no Tēma) |
Saint Ajora's Theme |
2:51 |
| 05. |
Bloody Excrement |
|
2:46 |
| 06. |
そして僕は逃げ出した (Soshite Boku wa Nigedashita) |
And I Ran Away |
0:28 |
| 07. |
Espionage |
|
2:25 |
| 08. |
降臨 (Kōrin) |
Advent |
3:20 |
| 09. |
オヴェリアの不安 (Overia no Fuan) |
Ovelia's Anxiety |
3:41 |
| 10. |
Under the Stars |
|
3:14 |
| 11. |
橋上の戦い (Hashiue no Tatakai) |
Battle on the Bridge |
3:30 |
| 12. |
枢機卿の怒り (Sūkikei no Ikari) |
The Cardinal's Anger |
2:41 |
| 13. |
In Pursuit |
|
2:33 |
| 14. |
Ｓｈｏｃｋ！！～絶望 (Shock! ~Zetsubō) |
Shock!! ~ Despair |
2:19 |
| 15. |
聖アジョラのテーマ豪華版 (Sei Ajora no Tēma Gōkaban) |
Saint Ajora's Theme Deluxe |
1:10 |
| 16. |
悲痛な心の叫び！ (Hitsū na Kokoro no Sakebi!) |
Cry of Pain! |
2:40 |
| 17. |
レクイエム (Rekuiemu) |
Requiem |
3:13 |
| 18. |
恐怖１ (Kyōfu 1) |
Terror 1 |
2:08 |
| 19. |
The Pervert |
|
3:53 |
| 20. |
Antidote |
|
3:09 |
| 21. |
雷神シドのテーマ (Raijin Shido no Tēma) |
Thunder God Cid's Theme |
1:52 |
| 22. |
堀り出し物 (Horidashimono) |
Treasure |
2:47 |
| 23. |
Night Attack |
|
2:49 |
| 24. |
恐怖２ (Kyōfu 2) |
Terror 2 |
2:02 |
| 25. |
Ultema, the Nice Body |
|
2:17 |
| 26. |
Ultema, the Perfect Body |
|
3:26 |
| 27. |
ラスト戦闘終了 (Rasuto Sentō Shūryō) |
Final Battle Fanfare |
0:17 |
| 28. |
Epilogue Movie |
|
1:36 |
| 29. |
Staff Credits |
|
5:38 |
Reception
Final Fantasy Tactics sold 824,671 copies in Japan in the first half of 1997. Since then, the total number of copies sold in Japan has reached approximately 1,350,000. In the United States it reached an estimated sale of 750,000 units as of year 2004. As of March 31, 2003, the game had shipped 2.27 million copies worldwide, with 1.36 million of those copies being shipped in Japan and 910,000 abroad. Since its release, rumors were circulated that the game was to be re-released by Sony as a Greatest Hits title, the tentative date being around July 30, 2001. As of August, 2011, the game had sold over 2.4 million copies worldwide.
Final Fantasy Tactics received universal acclaim upon its release, and critical opinion of the game has improved further over time. Magazines such as
Electronic Gaming MonthlyElectronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...
acknowledge it as "Square's first attempt into the strategy RPG genre"; though being "uneven", it is worthy of being called "a classic". Game Informer calls it "the most impressive strategy RPG yet." Gaming websites such as GameSpot lauded the game's battle sequences as challenging, requiring more strategic planning than ordinary RPGs. IGN noted that the plot was the strength of the game, being in-depth and with numerous plot twists. During battle sequences, the story unfolds to create a serious atmosphere of the plot, even with simple and "cute" character design. The spells and summoning visuals were compared with
Final Fantasy VII 's detailed graphics.
Criticism is made on gameplay, plot and the localization effort. One of the reviews of RPGFan criticized the difficulty of the game as being inconsistent with each encounter against enemy units. The factors that influence the difficulty of the game include overpowered enemy units or party members, and time had to be taken to level up before any progress can be made. Though in-depth, IGN also noted that the game's plot was confusing at times, and that the item system was repetitive. The game's localization effort was criticized by reviewers as poorly written, being rife with grammatical mistakes that almost stopped players from enjoying the storyline. General RPGFan review noted that the battlefield area was too small, hindering any possibilities for better strategy. The gameplay is summarized by one of the reviews as "strength vs. strength and proper spacing of troops when fighting magic users".
IGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
awarded the game the Editor's Choice Award on 1998, praising the in-game graphics as "amazing" and the battle environments with its extra details as being "extremely well designed".
GameSpotGameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
has named
Final Fantasy Tactics as one of its Greatest Games of All Time—the first
Final Fantasy game to receive such an honour. However, its legacy remains fairly obscure compared to
Final Fantasy VIIis a role-playing video game developed by Square and published by Sony Computer Entertainment as the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy series. It was originally released in 1997 for the Sony PlayStation and was re-released in 1998 for Microsoft Windows-based personal computers and in 2009...
, also released for the PlayStation that year. The game still entered many "best games of all time" lists, receiving 84th place in the "Top 100 Favorite Games of All Time" poll by Japanese magazine
Famitsuis a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Enterbrain, Inc. and Tokuma. Currently, there are five Famitsū magazines: Shūkan Famitsū, Famitsū PS3 + PSP, Famitsū Xbox 360, Famitsū Wii+DS, and Famitsū Wave DVD...
during March 2006, 19th in a 2005 list by
GameFAQsGameFAQs is a website that hosts FAQs and walkthroughs for video games. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff "CJayC" Veasey and was bought by CNET Networks in May 2003. It is currently owned by CBS Interactive. The site has a database of video game information, cheat codes, reviews, game saves,...
users, 45th in
Game InformerGame Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
's list, 43rd in
Electronic Gaming MonthlyElectronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...
's, and 38th in
IGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's. Since its release,
Final Fantasy Tactics has attracted a
cult followingA cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
. Fan communities dedicated to
moddingMod or modification is a term generally applied to personal computer games , especially first-person shooters, role-playing games and real-time strategy games. Mods are made by the general public or a developer, and can be entirely new games in themselves, but mods are not standalone software and...
and balancing the game have appeared on the internet. These communities experience member activity as of 2011, fourteen years after
Final Fantasy Tactics' original release.
Editorials from the gaming website
RPGamerRPGamer is a media and news website dedicated to covering computer and video game RPGs. Its coverage includes North American game news, European game news, Asian game news, gaming industry news, game reviews, game previews, hands-on game impressions, gaming conventions, game merchandise, release...
outlined several similarities between the
Roman Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
and the Church of Glabados portrayed in
Final Fantasy Tactics. One editorial noted that it was a controversial move by the developers, as if the church institution "in fact worships a demon, and is evil from its god on down". However, another editorial mentions that such controversies failed to recognize the church in question is the medieval Roman Catholic Church, and that historically such institution is known for its flaws in the past.
Versions and re-releases
Final Fantasy Tactics saw several re-releases.
Final Fantasy Tactics was re-released as part of the Square's Millennium Collection. This series of games was only released in Japan, and each title is bought with a set of related merchandise.
Final Fantasy Tactics was sold on June 29, 2000 along with titles such as
Saga Frontieris a role-playing video game developed by Square for the PlayStation and released in Japan on July 11, 1997. The game was later published by Sony Computer Entertainment in North America on March 25, 1998. It is the seventh game in the SaGa series and the first to be released on the PlayStation...
, Saga Frontier 2is a role-playing video game developed by Square for the PlayStation. It is the eighth original game in their SaGa series. Initially released in Japan in April 1999, an English version was made available in North America in January 2000 by Square Electronic Arts and in the PAL region the following...
, Brave Fencer Musashiis an action role-playing game developed and published by Square in 1998 for the Sony PlayStation. The game involves real-time combat in a 3D environment, and features voice overs for most dialogue. Brave Fencer Musashi was scored by Tsuyoshi Sekito, a former Konami employee...
, Front Mission 3is a tactical role-playing game for the PlayStation developed by and published by Square Co., Ltd., and was released in Japan on September 2, 1999, and later in North America on March 22, 2000, and in Europe on August 11, 2000. Front Mission 3 is the third main entry and the fifth entry overall in...
, Ehrgeiz, fully titled Ehrgeiz: God Bless The Ring, is a 3D fighting game developed by DreamFactory and published by Namco in 1998 for the arcade platform. It was first ported to the PlayStation and published by Square Co...
and
Legend of ManaLegend of Mana, known in Japan as , is the fourth game in the Mana series. The game was released for the PlayStation in Japan on July 15, 1999 and in North America on June 7, 2000, with a delayed release in Canada...
.
Four years after its release in 1997,
Final Fantasy Tactics was selected as part of the
Sony Greatest Hits line of rereleases. Games released as
Sony, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
Greatest Hits were sold at a lower price.
Final Fantasy Tactics also became part of Ultimate Hits, Square Enix's main
budget rangeBudget range is the name given to software that are sold for a fraction of a regular product price...
available in Japan.
A
PlayStation PortableThe is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
version of
Final Fantasy Tactics, entitled
Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lionsis a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for the Sony PlayStation Portable and iOS. The game is an updated version of Final Fantasy Tactics for the PlayStation video game console....
was released on May 10, 2007, in Japan; and is now released across all regions. It is the second game announced as part of the Ivalice Alliance. The game features an updated version of
Final Fantasy Tactics, along with new features including in-game cutscenes, new characters, and multiplayer capability. The updated mechanics contain a 16:9 widescreen support, new items, new jobs, and cel-shaded
full motion videoFull motion video based games are video games that rely upon pre-recorded TV-quality movie or animation rather than sprites, vectors, or 3D models to display action in the game. In the early 1990s a diverse set of games utilized this format...
s. The English version contains full voice acting during the cinematic cut scenes, whereas the Japanese version does not.
War of the Lions was ported to iOS in 2011, with the
iPhoneThe iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
version released on August 4, 2011, and an
iPadThe iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...
version scheduled for a later date.
Legacy
The world of
Final Fantasy Tactics has been featured in several other Square video games. After the game's release, the development staff went on to develop
Vagrant Storyis a Japanese-developed console role-playing game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation video game console. The game was released in 2000, and has been re-released through the PlayStation Network for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable consoles eleven years later...
, which featured several subtle references to
Final Fantasy Tactics. In an interview with the French video game magazine
Joypad, Matsuno stated that both titles are set in the same fictional world of Ivalice.
Square released
Final Fantasy Tactics Advanceis a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance. A spin-off of the popular Final Fantasy series, the game shares several traits with 1997's Final Fantasy Tactics, although it is not a direct sequel. The player assembles a clan of characters, and...
for the
Nintendois a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's
Game Boy AdvanceThe is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
in
2003-Events:*February 27 — Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts 6th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts Yu Suzuki of Sega to the AIAS Hall of Fame....
. 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. Additionally,
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance has a shorter main campaign, but more side missions, and a secret campaign at the end of the game.
In
2006-Events:* January 26, 2006 -- Nintendo announces its newly redesigned handheld, the Nintendo DS Lite. The new model is lighter, smaller, has configurable brightness and features an improved user interface.* January 26, 2006 -- Konami Corp...
,
Final Fantasy XIIis a console role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2. Released in 2006, it is the twelfth title in the Final Fantasy series and the last in the series to be released exclusively on the PlayStation platform...
was released, also set in the world of Ivalice. Square Enix announced at the end of the same year the
Ivalice Alliance, a new series of games set in the world of Ivalice, during a Tokyo press conference. The first title released was
Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wingsis a real-time strategy RPG developed by Think & Feel and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo DS. It is a sequel to the best-selling 2006 PlayStation 2 role-playing game Final Fantasy XII....
. An indirect
sequelA sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
to
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, titled
Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Riftis a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo DS handheld game console.Grimoire of the Rift is the sequel to Final Fantasy Tactics Advance as well as an iteration in the Ivalice Alliance.- Gameplay :...
, has been released in Japan on October 25, 2007. It is also one of the titles released under the Ivalice Alliance game series, and also takes place in the Ivalice universe.
External links
- Official site at Square Enix America (archive)
- Official site at PlayStation.com (archive)
- Final Fantasy Tactics at the Final Fantasy Wikia
Wikia is a free web hosting service for wikis . It is normally free of charge for readers and editors, deriving most of its income from advertising, and publishes all user-provided text under copyleft licenses. Wikia hosts several hundred thousand wikis using the open-source wiki software MediaWiki...