Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles
Platform: PlayStation 5
Played over: 2 months
Playstyle: Gentle / Casual / Unrushed
Mana Rating:
8/10 ~💎💎💎💎💎💎💎💎
Overall one of my favourite tactical RPGs. I did not have a chance to play the original game however this was not my first time playing a final fantasy tactics game. My first experience of this game was final fantasy tactics advance, on the gameboy advance sp. I have also played final fantasy tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift on Nintendo DS. I will be drawing some comparisons to these and what I felt these games improved on the original. However if you have a love for tactical RPGs this is one of the best games to start with.
What felt good:
The job system in this game feels rewarding and it encourages you to try out different classes and switch between them throughout different battles. In this game characters level up with experience but they also level up their job by gaining job points. These points allow players to use this on characters to learn new abilities. In the later versions of the game as mentioned above different weapons allow the character to learn the ability linked to that weapon which I found much more engaging. However this was still enjoyable to do. Being able to combine different jobs together was also a part of the game which I enjoyed. Being able to have a character who could perform black and white magic was the ultimate mage combo. Not only this but the special characters that join your party through the story and side quests were also great additions. Having specific job roles only that character has made for an even more unique playthrough. Specifically one of the franchises favourite characters joining through a side story was a nice touch.
The story was also gripping, with loads of twists along the way that keeps you wanting to play. This arguebly is one of the strongest points of any RPG. The nice touch within this remake was adding voices to the characters dialogues in the story line cut scenes and when performing certain attacks.
As a casual gamer one of the parts I enjoyed the most was having the auto battle option. This meant I could set up my team and then set the battle to play out itself. Also with the additional option to fast forward the gameplay too meant it was easy to grind levelling up your characters and learning new jobs. Now this is not always the best option as it can sometimes lead to mistakes being made however when grinding and trying to level up your characters it was a very welcomed feature.
What felt heavy:
At times having to travel back to towns to collect completed errands from the town they were accepted from felt a bit unnecessary. In later games this was changed to your dispatched party members coming back to wherever you were on the map. Initially it can also feel a bit confusing figuring out the angles of the map as you can switch these around. The other part which I did not realise initially was the you can click on the locations between the towns to trigger a battle, you do not just need to travel around and let them initiate by chance.
There are also times where I felt luck can also play a part when setting your characters to auto battle. There is also a battle which takes place on a rooftop, where the NPC you are meant to protect can get eliminated before your characters get to move. There are also some small pressures and challenges where it is possible to get stuck in a loop, which means you need to make sure you have multiple saves or make sure you level up your characters beyond the story levels. This can also involve a lot of adjusting loadouts for your characters, however at times this can be fun and challenging, others times you may find this troublesome.
The side quests(errands) were fun to pick up and send party members to, but even sending low level party members was enough to complete the errand. Being able to actually play these errands as an option (which came in final fantasy tactics advance), would have been enjoyable to do too.
Who this game is for:
If you enjoy strategy, tactical RPGs and love final fantasy games in general this one is for you. If you have played any similar games such as Tactics Ogre: Reborn, Disgea, or Triangle Strategy then I highly recommend this game. If you are looking to play your first tactical RPG then this is also one I would recommend to start with.
Who might want to skip this:
If you are into having more action and you don’t necessarily want to devise too much strategy or tactics then this game might be a bit too slow paced for you (however there is a fast forward option in battles). However a lot of the fun for this game is in building your characters up, if this feels like too much effort for you or you do not enjoy looking after a big party of characters then you may want to skip this game.
Closing Reflection:
I’m glad I spent time with this game, it was enjoyable to pick up for a bit of time here and there; perfect for a casual player with limited time. The Jobs system and story, especially, is one that keeps you intrigued and keeps the game fun for any RPG fan.