Final Fantasy Tactics launched when I was learning to walk. By the time I had a console controller in my hands, I was otherwise occupied with Crash Bandicoot, Ape Escape, MediEvil, and Spyro the Dragon. I never quite got back to Final Fantasy Tactics, but after years of whispers about its cult status, I’m entirely glad it’s back in the form of Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles, a remaster that enhances the game, without changing its splendour.
A mistake that modern remasters can make is assuming that style and design intention isn’t a significant part of a game. There are attempts to round out jagged corners, render the world in a new 3D art style, or otherwise re-imagine the game in a way that makes it friction-free. The Ivalice Chronicles shies away from this approach, instead presenting the original Final Fantasy Tactics relatively as-is, with only minor visual tweaks to upscale the game for modern audiences and expand original stages.
There is two modes here – an enhanced mode, which offers modern upgrades, as well as an original mode that allows players to experience the PlayStation One version, as originally presented. In a recent preview, I was able to get hands-on with enhanced mode, to see exactly how the game has changed since its inception.
The Ivalice Chronicles still looks and feels like a PlayStation One game, even in enhanced mode, and it’s all the better for it. As you play through battles, you’ll note lush details in this remaster. The game’s world is textured like paper, to give the impression of an ancient storybook. Battles take place in tiny dioramas, where you must manoeuvre the camera left and right to actually see your little warriors. And in each character model, you can see a lovely mesh of pixels, each one lovingly placed.
The Ivalice Chronicles is not particularly beautiful, in the traditional sense. Its characters models are stubby and lack the intricate detail you might find in a modern game. Stage ground is uneven and polygonal. Character portraits are somewhat unfocussed. But in these details, the game captures the nostalgia and style of the original adventure.
There are tweaks to some battle systems, the addition of full voice acting, and some story and dialogue changes (per Square Enix), but the game remains beholden to its predecessor, with a reverence for the past. To change it any more significantly than is presented here would be to betray the original vision.
Why Final Fantasy Tactics is more relevant than ever
As recently noted by developer Yasumi Matsuno, Final Fantasy Tactics has returned now, of all times, because its message and themes remain relevant – and so, it’s important to present the game as close to its original release.
‘Nearly 30 years ago, the collapse of Japan’s bubble economy engulfed the nation’s financial institutions in mountains of bad debt, triggering a wave of corporate bankruptcies, a sudden and extreme rise in unemployment rates, and stagnation of Japanese society as a whole,’ Matsuno said. ‘It was an era when many were robbed of hope, when dreams were measured by their price tag.’
‘Against this historical backdrop, I crafted a story. It was the story of Ramza, a young man who fought tirelessly against the entrenched social class system. It was the story of Delita, who sought to take advantage of the confusion and despair to advance his own social position. It was a story of a peculiar destiny, in which friendship and betrayal intertwine.’
‘And now, in 2025 – a time when inequality and division are still deeply rooted in our society – I offer this story once again. The will to resist is in your hands.’
While Final Fantasy Tactics presents its tale of resistance in the form of fantasy, its themes resonate across the eras. In The Ivalice Chronicles, that longevity is made clear in how ageless the game appears, even with its style and gameplay largely preserved in original fashion.
This is a game with a clear message, and a strong core loop – in turn-based battles, you’ll advance the tale of Ramza and his companions, and see them fighting a war for the freedom and future of their world.
Across a preview session, in just a taste of the game’s turn-based battles, its overarching brilliance was clearly on show. As Matsuno says, Final Fantasy Tactics offers a new story of hope and resistance through trying times, with minor tweaks elevating the tale, and making it perceivably more approachable for modern audiences. Even in these tweaks, its original identity is maintained, for a remaster that feels understanding of the original game’s legacy, and its continued importance.
Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles is set to launch on 30 September 2025.
