Final Fantasy Tactics The Ivalice Chronicles Review, Gameplay Impressions and Videos

Final Fantasy Tactics The Ivalice Chronicles from developer Square Enix brings a classic to modern times. 

A remaster of the tactical RPG classic from 1997, Ivalice Chronicles offers updates to not only things like graphics, but notables such as story elements and gameplay additions. 

The Tactics subset of games from the Final Fantasy series quickly set the tone for all tactical strategy games from that point. One glance at this effort shows not only the love and care poured into this, but the major points of influence that have withstood the test of time. 

As always with a remaster and/or remake, how this effort balances the spirit of the original with smooth modernizations will ultimately decide its fate. 

Graphics and Gameplay

Visually, Ivalice Chronicles might polarize a little. 

Make no mistake, the game looks good for what it is, with colors that pop and that tried-and-true vast variety of locations where battles unfold. It's a heartfelt, immersive world with an old-school-feeling soundtrack and overall sound design. 

But this effort doesn't modernize the graphics with top-of-the-line horsepower, but rather accentuates the original style. It seems to upscale the original, but also removes some of the classical-feeling pixelation in the process. 

The new art style won't be for everyone, as there's admittedly a special place in the hearts of many old-school gamers for the pixel-art look of the original. Players can choose to simply play the classic version here, but it does seem to remove the other upgrades alongside the visuals. 

Either way, the varied dioramas where battles unfold remain poppy and expressive. It helps that there is full voice acting in English or Japanese this time out, too. 

Largely unchanged (which is a good thing) is the turn-based combat that helped this series stand out so much in the first place. Players go into battles across varied locations with some verticality alongside a few party members and must carefully diagnose and solve what essentially amounts to a fun hybrid between a puzzle and the standard Final Fantasy experience. 

Some careful consideration for the terrain and how an area-of-effect spell might hit friendlies and enemies alike (careful not to heal enemies, folks) plays a role in most battles. Tack on standard RPGisms like job systems, character roles, elemental jazz and more and it all comes together well, even in modern times. Did anyone mention recruiting and permadeath?

In the name of modernization, several stellar additions make the cut in this remaster, including: overhead tactical view of the battlefield, autosaves mid-battle, a fast forward feature and even confirming unit turn orders. 

Long ago (sorry, 90s kids), the AI in the original was impressively savvy, if not difficult. That remains the case here, to the point even series veterans who fast forward through enemy turns might find themselves mid-beatdown before they realize it's happening. 

Tack on an Improved UI, too, and at least on the gameplay front, Ivalice Chronicles nails the necessary balance between upgrades and retaining the core gameplay in a super successful manner. 

Story and More

It's nearly 2026, so a Final Fantasy-styled story with kingdoms and political conflicts won't exactly blow away modern audiences. 

That's not to say the tale Ivalice Chronicles weaves is bad, of course. It was captivating at the time, and these days, the narrative serves as a great backdrop for some amazing gameplay and, arguably, just as important, memorable characters. 

One of the joys of Final Fantasy Tactics and similar games (or even 4X efforts like XCOM) is how no two players necessarily experience the same thing with the characters. Forming bonds with and risking permanently losing characters players have invested major time in, rather than just having them faint, is a huge deal. 

Beyond the main story, players can send characters off on auto tasks. It's a nice way to level up characters off-screen while focusing attention elsewhere. 

That, like almost everything else, plays into the character progression that has defined these games for decades. 

The Job system, at its most basic, lets players assign roles to characters, which then permits the use of specific skills and the like for that class. Unlike similar games, it's not tied to equipment/gear, which is a nice twist. It's much, much more complicated than this quick summary, but almost every action in the game rewards the Job Points needed to keep progressing, and there are fun little quirks like earning more for each party member using the same Job. 

An equipment system plays a role, too, and is where players get a chunk of sheer stats. There's a lot of min-maxing at play, provided one wants to dive into it. For players who don't want to dive as deep on buildcrafting, the game includes an "optimal gear" button that will do exactly what it sounds like. 

Simply offering three different difficulty settings is another nice modernization for the classic, too. It runs well and, beyond other nice options at the hands of players, the original game is included in the package. 

Conclusion

As a remake, The Ivalice Chronicles might feel a little barebones to some players. But there's something to be said for having a smooth, legal port with fantastic modernizations handcrafted by the original team, not outsourced and made soulless by the reproduction. 

Some of the choices, especially visually, won't make everyone happy. But the surrounding experience, including the expansive depth to combat and surrounding RPG systems, remains as compelling as ever, especially when each battle carries the weight of so much risk. 

Ivalice Chronicles is still very much the classic longtime fans know and love. It's the perfect example of how a "classic" earns that description in the first place and the perfect jumping-on point for newcomers.