Final Fantasy Tactics
Final Fantasy Tactics is a video game that consists of 7 releases
Final Fantasy Tactics is an isometric turn-based strategy game with RPG elements set in the world of Ivalice. It follows the plight of Ramza Beoulve on his quest to obtain the 12 Zodiac Brave stones and stop the corrupt Church of Glabados from unleashing an ancient evil.
Overview
Final Fantasy Tactics is a strategy role-playing game that was released by Square Enix (formerly Squaresoft) for the Playstation in January of 1998. While the game is part of the Final Fantasy franchise, its gameplay pays more homage to the tactical RPG Tactics Ogre than any of its brethren. However, the game retains a number of Final Fantasy related features such as chocobos, magic and the Job system, incorporating these into the turn-based strategy premise. The game was re-released with an enhanced feature set for the PlayStation Portable in 2007 under the title Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions.Gameplay
Final Fantasy Tactics' gameplay revolves primarily around the strength of its battle system. Most of the time in game is spent fighting either scripted story-driven battles or random encounters. The rest is devoted to character development, negotiating the world map and following the game's labyrinthine plot.Battles
Final Fantasy Tactics' battle system takes the familiar traits of the core series' battle mechanics and mixes them with a traditional turn-based-strategy style of gameplay. Battles are fought in 3D isometric environments, with both the player's troupe of soldiers and the band of enemies represented by 2D sprites commonly referred to as "units".World Map
Between battles, like most Final Fantasy games, Final Fantasy Tactics provides the player with a world map to traverse. FF Tactics' 2D world map functions more as a menu, as the player does not have active control over the on-screen character. Instead, the character can be moved to any available location on the world map using an icon. There are two primary types of location on FF Tactics' world map, the first of which is towns. When the player visits a town, he or she has the option to:- Visit the local Tavern, catch up on recent Gossip and possibly undertake an Errand.
- Stop at the Outfitter to buy and sell weapons, armor and other items.
- Pass by the Warriors' Guild to recruit new soldiers.
- Exclusive to certain locations, visit the Poachers' Den to buy poached items at reduced prices.
Job System
Like most Final Fantasy games, there is a unique system in place that garners how your magic, abilites, and stats work. The basis of combat revolves around the Job System, a class-based concept that has you changing jobs, and using said actions of that class on the battlefield, which will yield you Job Points (JP). As you gain JP you will level up your specific class of character, as well as gain the right to unlock new abilities, by expending these points. Familiar character classes from past Final Fantasy games appear in this game as jobs, including Wizards, Priests, Theives, Lancers, and Summoners. Most new characters start out as either a Squire or a Chemist, and work their way up the proverbial ladder, to unlock new Jobs -- and likewise -- new bone-crushing skills.Jobs
- Squire
- Chemist
- Knight
- Archer
- Priest
- Wizard
- Monk
- Thief
- Geomancer
- Time Mage
- Lancer
- Oracle
- Dancer
- Mediator
- Summoner
- Bard
- Ninja
- Samurai
- Calculator
- Mime
Unique Character Jobs
- Squire (Ramza, Delita, Argus)
- Dark Knight (Gafgarion)
- Holy Knight (Delita, Agrias)
- Engineer (Mustadio)
- Holy Swordsman (Orlandu)
- Heaven Knight (Rafa)
- Hell Knight (Malak)
- Temple Knight (Beowulf)
- Divine Knight (Meliadoul)
- Soldier (Cloud)
- Dragoner (Reis)
Zodiac System
Unique to Final Fantasy Tactics is its implementation of Zodiac signs as a gameplay mechanic. Every character in the game has a Zodiac sign attributed to them, and this affects their ability to interact with other units on the battlefield. A character's Zodiac sign is often critical in determining the amount of damage an attack will cause, the likelihood of success of certain abilities (such as Steal or Time Magicks), and their susceptibility to attacks from other units. Taking Zodiac signs into account is often a crucial aspect of battle in Final Fantasy Tactics, to ensure that maximum damage is dealt to a threat without endangering any weak units unnecessarily.Story
The game is a refreshing break from other RPG's of this era, as the storyline takes a fairly mature turn, although the original version of the game was said to be fairly confusing due to translation issues. Final Fantasy Tactics takes place in the fictional kingdom of Ivalice, which is no stranger to war. The game follows Ramza Beoulve, a young man that is part of a royal bloodline. He shortly finds himself stuck in a family feud after his father's death, and the throne of the kingdom is at stake.At the center of this plot is not only Ramza, but his childhood friend Delita Hyral. While Ramza was born illegitimately, he was brought up by his noble father. In contrast, Delita and his sister Teta were both lowborn. Despite their differences, Ramza and Delita view each other as equals and remain close due to their outlook on friendship. Things become more complicated, however, as Delita is cast out by the Beoulves, and in response takes his own path, which seperates the two friends.
Setting
The story takes place in the fictional kingdom of Ivalice, located in a peninsula surrounded by sea on the north, west and south, with a headland south of the landmass. Its geography features ranging landscapes, from plains to mountains ranges to deserts and forests. Ivalice is heavily populated by human beings; though, intelligent monsters are sporadically spread throughout. Even though magic is predominant in the land, ruins and artifacts indicate that past populaces 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 Hyral. The two characters were childhood friends even though both were born of differing social classes. (Ramza as a noble / Delita as a commoner) Both disregarded this fact and grew up together believing in justice and honor as taught by Ramza's father Balbanes. As the story progressed, the two characters faced many conflicts that changed their viewpoints on life. Delita sought to manipulate the upper class to achieve his dreams; while, Ramza believed in justice and honor regardless of name and class.
The game's plot is portrayed through the eyes of Ramza Beoulve(main player character). His exploits in the war introduced him to a number of characters with their own roles and agenda concerning the war and the fictional world Ivalice. The most prominent factions at the beginning of the story are those of Prince Goltana and Prince Larg. Both are nobles that sought 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.
Players are able to recruit generic player characters from towns and customize them using the job system of the Final Fantasy series. Several battles feature friendly A.I. controlled special "Guest" characters which may be recruited depending on the progression of the story. The special characters normally have a unique class initially assigned, but they can still can be customized into the generic classes. Aside from main playable characters, the developers have also incorporated cameo roles from other Squaresoft games. The characters were designed by Akihiko Yoshida, who was also in charge of the illustration and character designs of games such as Tactics Ogre, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, Final Fantasy XII, and Vagrant Story.Soundtrack
Disc 1
01. Brand Logo, Title Back 1:09
02. Backborn Story 1:34
03. P.R. Movie 0:47
04. Unit Introductions 3:50
05. Player Creation 1:45
06. Prologue Movie 2:52
07. Chapel 1:00
08. Enemy Attack 0:59
09. Trisection 2:37
10. Cadets 1:57
11. Attack Team 0:48
12. Unavoidable Battle 1:45
13. Mission Complete 0:24
14. Hero's Theme 1:12
15. A Chapel 2:33
16. Meeting with Algus 2:03
17. World Map 0:53
18. Shop 0:52
19. Soldier Office 1:03
20. Pelt, Bone, and Meat Trader 0:56
21. Formation Screen 0:57
22. Brave Story 1:18
23. Pub 1:01
24. Data Screen 0:57
25. Desert Land 2:51
26. Alma's Theme 1:12
27. Suspicious Atmosphere 1:53
28. Decisive Battle 2:22
29. Cry of Pain 0:55
30. Remnants 3:05
31. Anxiety before the Battle 2:02
32. Tension 1 2:41
33. Game Over 0:21
34. Tutorial 2:10
35. Random Waltz 1:52
36. Ovelia's Theme 2:41
37. Apoplexy 4:10
38. Zalbag, the Holy Knight 2:03
39. Run Past Through the Plain 1:58
40. Strategy 2:42
41. Delita's Theme 1:42
42. Back Fire 3:01
Disc 2
01. Memories 1:45
02. Dycedarg's Theme 1:27
03. Antipyretic 3:40
04. Saint Ajora's Theme 2:51
05. Bloody Excrement 2:46
06. And I Ran Away 0:28
07. Espionage 2:25
08. Advent 3:20
09. Ovelia's Anxiety 3:41
10. Under the Stars 3:14
11. Battle on the Bridge 3:30
12. The Cardinal's Anger 2:41
13. In Pursuit 2:33
14. Shock, Despair 2:19
15. Saint Ajora's Theme Deluxe 1:10
16. Cry of Pain 2:40
17. Requiem 3:13
18. Terror 1 2:08
19. The Pervert 3:53
20. Antidote 3:09
21. Thunder God Cid's Theme 1:52
22. Treasure 2:47
23. Night Attack 2:49
24. Terror 2 2:02
25. Ultema, the Nice Body 2:17
26. Ultema, the Perfect Body 3:26
27. Final Battle Fanfare 0:17
28. Epilogue Movie 1:36
29. Staff Credits 5:38
Reception
IGN 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". Gamespot has named Final Fantasy Tactics as one of its Greatest Games of All Time—the first Final Fantasy game to be so honored. However, its legacy remains fairly obscure compared to Final Fantasy VII, 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 Famitsu during March 2006, 19th in a 2005 list by GameFAQs users, 45th in Game Informer's list, 43rd in Electronic Gaming Monthly's, and 38th in IGN's.
The War of the Lions
In 2007, a port of Final Fantasy Tactics was released for Sony's PlayStation Portable system. The port, entitled Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions, includes a number of version-specific features added during the porting process. These include:- A completely new translation featuring several discontinued English words, intended to add to the game's Medieval feel.
- New cinematic cut-scenes, complete with voice acting.
- New cameo characters including Final Fantasy XII's Balthier and Luso from Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift.
- New side quests, including a dungeon known as Midlight's Deep.
- Two additional jobs; Dark Knight and Onion Knight.
- Added multiplayer components, allowing players to team up in new "Rendezvous" co-op missions or take on each other in "Melee" mode.
- Many JP costs of skills were tweaked - making them more expensive to unlock
- 16:9 Display
| Game Name | Final Fantasy Tactics |
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| Original US Release |
Jan. 28, 1998
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| Original US Release |
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| Aliases | FFT |
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