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Final Fantasy Tactics

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Final Fantasy Tactics
North American boxart
Japanese boxart
Developer(s)Squaresoft
Publisher(s)Squaresoft (Japan)
SCEA (North America)
Designer(s)Hiroyuki Itō
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
June 20, 1997 (Japan)
January 28, 1998 (North America)
Genre(s)Tactical role-playing game
Mode(s)Single player

Final Fantasy Tactics (often abbreviated as FFT) is a tactical role-playing video game developed by Squaresoft for the Sony PlayStation. It was distributed in Japan by Square, and in North America by Sony Computer Entertainment America. It was not released in Europe.

Combining thematic elements of the Final Fantasy series with a game engine and battle system unlike anything previously seen in the franchise, Final Fantasy Tactics is Square's answer to Quest's successful Ogre Battle / Tactics Ogre series, with which it shares a number of key conceptual and stylistic elements. This is due, in part, to the presence of former Quest staff members in its development crew, including director Yasumi Matsuno, character designer Akihiko Yoshida, art director Hiroshi Minagawa and composer Hitoshi Sakimoto, all of whom had left Quest to work with Square. In stark contrast to other 32-bit era Final Fantasy titles, Final Fantasy Tactics uses a 3D, isometric, rotatable playing field, with bitmap sprite characters.

A spinoff was created in 2003, called Final Fantasy Tactics Advance for the Game Boy Advance. It takes place in the same world Ivalice but has no other direct connection other than its strategic element.

Gameplay

Gameplay in Final Fantasy Tactics differs from standard Final Fantasy fare in several key areas, the most important of which is the battling system. 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. On the battlefield, characters move about in a grid-like pattern, the size of which is determined by the character's statistics and job class. Battle is turn-based, with a unit's turn coming up when its CT (Charge Time) reaches 100. Charge time is increased once every Clock Tick (a measure of time in battles) by an amount equal to the unit's speed statistic. When CT reaches 100 or greater, the unit takes its turn. During battle, whenever a unit performs an action successfully, it gains both EXP (Experience Points) and JP (Job Points).

An example of the isometric battlefields found in the game.

The battles themselves also require a greater use of strategic planning in order to emerge victorious. Rushing headlong into combat may quickly result in defeat. Many different factors can determine the outcome of the battle. Certain magical attacks cause area of effect damage. Many of the more powerful magical attacks require several turns of charging, and compensation must be made, lest the enemies move out of the path of fire. Certain attacks, such as archer attacks, become much more effective on higher terrain. Move a unit too far into the field alone and enemies may try to surround it. Thankfully, the Hit Points of enemy units are 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.

Another difference is the manner in which random battles are encountered. As in 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. Random enemies level up with the player characters (as in Final Fantasy VIII) while enemies in storyline battles are on a set level of experience. Although leveling characters up may initially give the player an advantage in these required battles, weapons and armor sufficient enough to harm or protect against some enemies in random enounters can be lacking as they only become available as the story progresses.

Movement on the worldmap is limited to a number of predefined paths connecting the towns and battle points. The towns cannot be entered or explored, but when over a town, a menu can be opened with the options "Bar", for taking sidequest job offers, "Shop" for buying supplies, and "Soldier Office" for recruiting new troops. Later in the game, some towns contain "Fur Shops" for obtaining items by way of poaching monsters. The player has very little control outside of battle sequences, and this lack of freedom often discourages players new to the tactical-RPG genre.

Job classes

Much of the popularity of the game stemmed from its usage 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. Proper usage of the Job Class system is essential to victory.

In the beginning, every new recruit starts out as either a Squire or a Chemist, the base classes for warrior and caster jobs, respectively. In battle, JP (Job Points) are rewarded for every successful action, such as attacking or casting a spell. JP are also used to "buy" new abilities within each job class. Accumulating enough JP, furthermore, results in a job level up, and 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). Once all of the abilities of a job class have been learned, the class is said to be "Mastered", and a gold star appears by its listing.

A soldier in a specific Job must always use its innate skill (Priests must always have "White Magic," Knights must always use "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. There are many combinations and possibilities in character customization. There are a total of twenty basic job classes that can be accessed by normal characters in Final Fantasy Tactics, which are listed below:

  • Squire: Basic job for all warrior units. Uses "Basic Skill." Ramza has a special version of this job class which gives him additional Basic Skill actions to choose from, as does Delita until he undergoes a class change later.
  • Knight: Fine warriors, bold and brave, with etiquette. Uses "Battle Skill," which allows the destruction of an opponent's weapons, armor, and stats.
  • Archer: The Archer uses bows and crossbows and attacks from a distance. "Charge" allows strengthened attacks by charging up over time.
    Final Fantasy Tactics offers a wide selection of Job Classes.
  • Monk: Monks are warriors who train their bodies in the ways of martial arts. Their battle ability "Punch Art" has numerous different effects, such as striking from a distance or even reviving knocked out allies.
  • Thief: Warriors who can steal anything from anyone -- Gil, items, even experience points. Use "Steal" command.
  • Geomancer: Warrior who uses a different "Elemental" spell depending on what type of ground s/he is standing on.
  • Lancer: Warrior "Jumps" high and attacks enemies despite heavy arms and weapons. An expert with spears.
  • Samurai: Foreign warrior who strengthens their soul by improving swordsmanship. Uses "Draw Out" skill to gain different effects from katanas in stock.
  • Ninja: Combatant who hides as a means of battle. Can "Throw" weapons at distant enemies and hold weapons in both hands.
  • Dancer: Warrior who dances in battle in charming costumes. Her "Dance" abilities affect all enemies. Only female units may become dancers.
  • Chemist: Basic job for all caster units. The Chemist perscribes items to restore HP and treat abnormal status. Only unit who can administer items at a distance from target. Uses "Item" command.
  • Priest: The Priest controls holy magic by borrowing the power of the soul. Often uses recuperative and support magic, i.e. "White Magic."
  • Wizard: The Wizard controls the elements which make up this world. Uses offensive magic, i.e. "Black Magic."
  • Oracle: The Oracle has control over elements of life itself, through the manipulation of Yin and Yang, and is dominantly responsible for status-changing spells (Poison, Blind, etc.). This class is loosely based on the Onmyouji. Uses "Yin Yang Magic."
  • Time Mage: The Time Mage controls time and space, adding such status changes as Haste, Slow or Stop. This sorcerer toys with the laws of the universe with "Time Magic."
  • Mediator: Warrior who fights battles by talking to the enemy. Uses clever "Talk Skill."
  • Summoner: Warrior who can call illusionary monsters, spirits of the highest rank, to deal massive damage to enemy units or restore health to friendlies. Uses "Summon Magic," a special contract with the spirits.
  • Bard: Warrior who uses his voice as a weapon. Can "Sing" songs that protect allies. Only male units may become bards.
  • Calculator: Scholarly warrior who creates phenomenon through math. Uses "Math Skill" to target all units with known spells who meet his or her conditions with no casting time. Can be extremely powerful if the right Math Skills are utilized.
  • Mime: Warrior who can "Mimic" others. When an ally takes action, he or she mimics it completely.

Certain unique characters have equally unique job classes which replace the "Squire" option. They range from Ramza's revised Squire class, which simply adds a few abilities and the ability to equip knight swords and armor, and changes the name of Job Ability, Basic Skill to Guts; to Beowulf, the "Temple Knight," which uses a sword combined with Oracle effects and no charge time to cripple the enemy; to Orlandu, "Holy Swordsman," a class so overpowered that most players feel the game loses all challenge once that particular character becomes available for use. On the other end of the spectrum, Rafa, the "Heaven Knight" and Malak, the "Hell Knight" jobs are often considered to be totally unplayable and rarely see use. This is mainly due to the fact that their skills, even though they hit multiple times, are only useful against groups of enemies as the struck panel is totally random; however, like with almost any other job in the game, they can be highly useful if used right.

Story

Template:Spoilers The plot revolves around the Lion War, a war of succession modelled after the War of the Roses. The war erupts when King Omdoria of Ivalice dies without leaving a clear heir to the throne. In the ensuing power vacuum, two powerful nobles, Prince Larg, the brother of the widowed queen Ruvelia, and Prince Goltana, the late king's cousin, put forward rival candidates. When Goltana coronates the king's adopted daughter, Ovelia, Larg declares war on behalf of his candidate, Orinas, the king's infant son. Although political alliances were difficult to place in this violent period, it seems that Larg had the support of the knights and supporters of the royal family, whereas Goltana had the support of the senate and other nobles.

Against this backdrop, the game relates the personal story of Ramza Beoulve, the youngest son of an aristocratic nobleman and war hero, and his best friend Delita Hyral, who was taken in at a very young age by Ramza's family. Ramza and Delita are caught in the turmoil of the Lion War, and Ramza must choose between his conscience and his duty, while Delita must come to grips with his family's lack of nobility, despite his upbringing by the Beoulves.

The plot thickens when it is later revealed that someone created and is manipulating the Lion War for their own benefit, both aided by and to gain more of the Zodiac Stones, 12 ancient stones of awesome power.

Much of the plot attempts to pose and answer the question: "What is the proper reaction to manipulation and abuse of power?" Each character answers this question in a different way, but the ones who most clearly stand out as part of the answer to that question are Ramza, Delita, Algus, Wiegraf, and Gafgarion. All these characters struggle with the realization that they are being used by those in power, and their reactions serve as different viewpoints for the player to consider (though ultimately, the player is guided toward siding with Ramza).

Additionally, another much more pervasive theme is the nature of truth, and how it can be distorted by the will of those who have the ability to do so. In fact, the entire series of events is a retelling of things that had occurred many years earlier, through a text called "The Durai Report". The player is told at the outset that the report is what actually occurred, different from the accepted story.

The theme is pushed home by paralleling Christianity and the historic Catholic Church, wherein the Church (based around a historical figure named "St. Ajora", the "Child of God" and savior of humanity) attempts to take advantage of external conflicts to expand their power and uses the threat of the inquisition to keep opponents in check. As the plot progresses, it is uncovered that the Church adopted old legends and beliefs which predated and adapted them into its religious traditions (the "Zodiac Brave" stories), distorting them in the process in a style that parallels the expansion of Christianity throughout pagan Europe. At the same time, individuals are forced to deal with the discovery of a book called the "Germonik Scriptures", a meticulously kept logbook by one of St. Ajora's disciples ("Germonik", paralleling Judas) which showed nothing supernatural in the life of St. Ajora. Members of the church struggle to come to terms with and conceal the fact that their savior may not have been divine.

Characters

Main article: List of Final Fantasy Tactics characters

Other information

The game also includes references to several specific characters, places, and situations from earlier games in the Final Fantasy series -- Final Fantasy VII's Cloud Strife is a playable character (Aeris Gainsborough also has a cameo), 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 Fantasy) and various colors of materia can be found. To keep with tradition, Olan's adoptive father, Cidolfas Orlandu, is nicknamed "T.G. Cid" (the T.G. stands for "Thunder God", but oddly it's never said together with "Cid" in the English version's in-game text), and there are chocobos present in the game as well. Additionally, although most missions feature Ramza and his allies facing human opponents, most of the monsters appear in one Final Fantasy game or another, although the Lucavi are entirely new.

The U.S. release of the game was fraught with several indications of a rushed import job. The translation is rough and nearly unintelligible in some places, rendering an already intricately plotted storyline even more cryptic. Names of characters and locations are often spelled more than one way ("Omdolia" vs. "Omdoria", "Murond" vs. "Mulondo," "Luveria" vs. "Ruvelia"). Several historical and mythological references are reduced to gibberish by translators: for instance, the Norse World Tree, Yggdrasil, makes an appearance as Yugodorasil; the word "breath" is consistently rendered as "bracelet" in attack names; and the idealistic yet deluded antihero Wiegraf is actually named for Wiglaf, a character in Beowulf, to name a few. Even the main character's Last Name, "Beoulve", could also suggest a mistranslation of the name Beowulf (as "Beoulve" and "Beowulf" would have identical spellings in phonetical Japanese, though because there is a character who actually bears the name Beowulf, it was probably intentional).

Some people who have hacked the game via use of a Game Shark or Codebreaker have discovered some odd things. These things include adding Olan into the party yet he doesn't cause the agme to glitch like when one normally hack a unit in, reading enemy-only Job Descriptions, and uncovering odd abilities some enemies have. Most notably, the Lucavi enemies have had abilities that have animations, don't cause the game to glitch yet never actually use on default A.I.

Several of the random human characters encountered are named for the testers, American Square Soft, Inc. employees, and people that they were fans of, such as They Might Be Giants co-founder John Flansburgh, American cyclist Andrew Hampsten, and Spanish cyclist Miguel Indurain who are referenced in-game by their last names.

Before it was re-released under Sony's "Greatest Hits" label in 2001, it was highly sought after and went for prices exceeding $100 on eBay and elsewhere. At the time of its reissue, it was the only game to be re-released under that label without meeting Sony's guidelines of breaking sales of 200,000 copies. The official strategy guide is also highly sought after and commonly listed online at relatively high prices.

In 2003, Square (now Square Enix) released Final Fantasy Tactics Advance for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance. 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, earning praise from some who saw the original Final Fantasy Tactics' plot as too complicated, but causing disappointment with those who enjoyed the complex political nature of the original. Additionally, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance has a shorter main campaign, but more side missions, and a secret campaign at the end of the game.

Final Fantasy XII is also set in the world of Final Fantasy Tactics - Ivalice. No Final Fantasy Tactics characters make an appearance in that game, but several of the world's elements are based off of its sequel, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.

The Final Fantasy Tactics game that was released was actually the second project to bear the name. In 1995, Square began work on a game for the Super Famicom under the working title Final Fantasy Tactics. However, as the project took shape it was decided that it didn't include enough elements from the Final Fantasy series to merit the name. The game was retitled Bahamut Lagoon and released in Japan in February 1996.

References

Wikiquote has quotations related to Final Fantasy Tactics.
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