Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles Review

I’m personally very excited to be doing this review. Final Fantasy Tactics is, without question, one of my all-time favorite games. I’ve poured countless hours into many playthroughs over the years. I still remember being ten years old, sitting there racking my brain over how in the world I was supposed to beat Wiegraf in that infamous one-on-one fight with only Ramza — only to realize I didn’t have another save slot. Officially SOL.

Seems like a rough memory, but honestly, it’s still a memory. Spoiler alert: I love this game. Everything about it. The in-depth job system, the endless possibilities of teams and builds, the grind to shape your units, the intricate story of love, betrayal, and class conflict in a kingdom ripped apart by civil war — Final Fantasy Tactics is the unsung hero of Square’s golden era. I’m still surprised by how many people haven’t played this essential classic. To me, no other strategy RPG has captured what Tactics achieved. The original is worth playing even today, but with this new remaster, the big question is: does it finally give this gem the justice it deserves?

Gameplay

At its core, Final Fantasy Tactics is turn-based, unit-based combat played on a grid. Your units act depending on their stats and classes, and battles play out like a deadly chess match where positioning and preparation matter as much as raw strength.

The game offers a wide variety of jobs: physical attackers and defenders like the Knight, magic users like the Black Mage, summoners wielding classic Final Fantasy summons, and hybrid classes such as Monks and Thieves. It’s the job system that makes Tactics truly shine. Your character’s stats and primary skill set are tied to their current job, but the brilliance comes from the freedom to mix and match secondary skills, reaction abilities, passives, and movement skills from other jobs you’ve mastered. This freedom leads to some absolutely insane, game-breaking builds — if you’re willing to put in the grind to unlock them.

For example: Black Magic won’t do much for a Knight with no MP and a low magic stat, but giving that same Knight access to the Item command provides survivability, while movement buffs from the Thief class help compensate for the Knight’s slow speed. These little combinations open up endless experimentation, and once you understand the system, building a powerhouse team becomes addictive.

That said, it does come at a cost. The grind for Job Points (JP) and Experience Points (XP) can be intense, and the game doesn’t hold your hand. If you don’t understand the job system or know how to maximize your units, the early and mid-game fights can be downright brutal. The original was notorious for its difficulty spikes, and while those soften once stronger classes and special characters join, the balance has always felt uneven. If you’re new to strategy RPGs, Tactics can absolutely punish you. But for veterans or JRPG fans who love a grind, this is part of the magic.

On the flip side, there’s a common RPG pitfall here: reward vs. challenge. If you truly understand the system and unlock the “busted” builds, the toughest battles quickly turn into a cakewalk. Your unstoppable team of death machines will decimate everything in their path, robbing the game of challenge. Many fans (myself included) still enjoy that sense of power, but it’s fair to say the difficulty curve can collapse once you master the mechanics.

Story & Themes

To me, this is one of Square’s best-written stories, and honestly one of the most underrated in the genre. It’s intricate, layered, and surprisingly mature — without veering into the convoluted nonsense Square has been guilty of at times. There’s no memory loss, no dream dimensions, no time travel paradoxes, no melodramatic “edgelord” brooding. Instead, it’s a grounded medieval fantasy tale filled with political intrigue, betrayal, corruption, and war. Think Game of Thrones in video game form.

The story is framed as a historical investigation. A forgotten historian uncovers the truth behind the War of the Lions, where two factions battle for control of Ivalice’s throne. History records Delita — Ramza’s childhood friend — as the hero who brought peace, but the truth reveals another story: Ramza, the noble you control, quietly sacrificed everything to preserve honor and justice, even as history erased his name.

What begins as a young nobleman trying to live up to his family’s reputation slowly unravels into a sweeping narrative of conspiracies, corrupt institutions, class struggles, and the true cost of honor. The sheer number of characters and factions could’ve been a mess, but it’s executed with precision, especially considering this was a PS1-era release.

As a kid, I didn’t fully grasp it. As an adult, though, I see how masterful it is. The themes of class conflict, lies of the powerful, and the forgotten sacrifices of ordinary people resonate even more now — especially as a working-class millennial. It’s a story that has even inspired me to bring similar themes into my own D&D campaigns. Younger gamers may not appreciate its slower pace, but make no mistake: this is one of Square’s cleanest, most impactful narratives, and it stands the test of time better than many modern entries.

Presentation (Graphics, Performance, Music)

The original Final Fantasy Tactics was impressive for its time, and I’d argue it still holds up stylistically today. That classic Square mix of pixel art and anime-style cutscenes had a charm all its own. The remaster builds on that foundation, cleaning things up beautifully without losing the soul of the original.

It’s not pushing photorealistic graphics, but the smoother edges, brighter colors, and polished presentation make it feel right at home on modern platforms. Honestly, it feels tailor-made for handhelds like the Switch or Steam Deck. I also appreciate that Square leaned into nostalgia for marketing — using Yoshida’s classic 90s artwork instead of replacing it. It still has that rough, hand-drawn edge, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Performance-wise, it’s rock-solid — no frame drops or stutters, which plagued the PSP’s War of the Lions release. Spelling and grammar errors from the PS1 version have been cleaned up, making for a smoother, more immersive experience.

As for audio, most of the classic sound effects remain. The sound design is still excellent: the satisfying crunch of a sword strike, the whoosh of a Fire spell, and the classic charm of its original soundtrack all remain intact. It might sound weird to new players, but for veterans like me, they’re pure nostalgia. The sound of Stasis Sword still lingers in my head the same way Mario’s coin “ding” does.

The soundtrack, too, remains an absolute banger. For a late-90s PS1 title, the orchestral-style score is phenomenal. From the tolling bells in the first Wiegraf fight to the tense melodies underscoring political betrayals, the music nails the mood every time. It might not have the universal recognition of Final Fantasy’s battle themes like “Fight On” or “Let the Battles Begin,” but it’s just as memorable in its own right.

Remaster Changes

This is where the remaster really shines. The UI has been overhauled into something sleek, modern, and accessible. A turn-order tracker now shows who’s acting next, which adds new layers of strategy. The job system has been streamlined with a brand-new job tree, making it much easier to understand how to unlock classes. Gone are the days of ten-year-old me staring at Dragoon and Ninja icons in confusion, wondering what arcane sequence of requirements I was missing.

Damage and hit predictions are now displayed more clearly and reliably, which makes strategizing far less guesswork and more about skill.

The remaster also introduces three difficulty modes: Casual, Standard, and Tactician. Casual lowers the barrier of entry for newcomers, Standard offers a balanced experience, and Tactician ups the ante with smarter AI and tougher fights. It’s a welcome addition for veterans like me who already conquered the original’s punishing battles but want to push themselves further.

Perhaps the best addition is the choice between Classic mode and Enhanced mode. Classic mode is the original release with a resolution upgrade and War of the Lions’ more medieval translation, while Enhanced mode includes all the quality-of-life updates and modern touches. It’s the best of both worlds — you can relive the original experience or enjoy a polished version that fixes long-standing issues.

Voice Acting

Eh… it’s jarring. I’m not a fan. Take this with a grain of salt though, because I’m the guy who prefers good old-fashioned reading for my retro games. That’s how I remember them, and obviously whatever I “hear” in my head rarely matches what ends up coming out of a VA’s mouth.

That said, I really think the voice acting could’ve been better — especially in today’s world, where video game performances are on par with major film and TV roles. You don’t cast a year-one acting student as Captain America — you get Chris Evans. The same standard should apply here.

The delivery feels too quiet, too restrained. Characters who are supposed to sound desperate or furious come across oddly calm, almost disinterested. The VAs just don’t hit the emotional highs you’d expect, and as a result, many scenes lose impact.

Part of this may come down to the age of the game itself. Final Fantasy Tactics wasn’t designed to be fully voice-acted. It’s tough to translate strong performances onto pixel sprites that can’t emote. I’m not even a fan of the little lip-flap animations added in — it’s distracting when a supposedly emotional scene is paired with a barely-moving stock portrait. It just doesn’t mesh.

The voices also don’t stand out. They sound generic, more like filler NPCs than leads in an epic, political war drama. I get it — it’s a huge undertaking to match the kind of powerhouse performances we saw recently in something like Baldur’s Gate 3, but here the voices feel flat, lifeless, and ultimately forgettable.

It’s also jarring to hear the original ‘90s soundtrack backing modern voices. I love the soundtrack, but the clash between retro music and contemporary VA doesn’t sit right with me. For me, Tactics is meant to be read — not heard — though I get why some players would rather listen than dig through what feels like a Tolkien novel of dialogue.

On top of that, I’m not fond of some of the new sound effects either. I loved the iconic high-pitched scream when a unit went down in the original. Now? It’s been replaced with generic grunts and cheesy lines. I can understand why Square felt they needed to justify the remaster’s price tag with updates like this, but personally, I think they fumbled. The voice acting isn’t terrible by any means — but once you’ve heard Devora Wilde break your heart as Lae’zel in BG3, your bar for video game performances gets a lot higher.

Criticisms & Weaknesses

While this remaster does a great job addressing the original’s biggest criticism — difficulty spikes and accessibility — it still suffers from one of its other long-standing issues: the grind.

This is probably the most divisive point among fans. Some of us love it — I’ll admit, I enjoy the grind, and many JRPG fans feel the same way. But I want to be honest here: a lot of players don’t. “Grindiness” as a mechanic has been steadily fading from modern games, and when I look at where I am in life now compared to when I was ten years old, I get it.

Back then, grinding for hours to unlock Samurai or Ninja felt like a badge of honor. Today? I’m a working millennial, a husband, and a cat dad to two hairless menaces who start crying for attention the second I turn on my PS5. My gaming time is precious, and I simply don’t have the hours to pour into random battles just to farm Job Points. If your life looks anything like mine, you understand — you want to make the most of your limited gaming hours, not spend them walking back and forth on the map fighting the same goblins for the hundredth time just to unlock “Auto-Potion” or the Ninja job. And if you’re chasing after Mime, Bard, or Dancer? Good luck, pal — let me know when you touch grass.

So yes, the grind is real, and if you want to survive Standard difficulty — let alone Tactician — you’re going to have to put in work. That’s part of Tactics’ DNA, and RPG fans will adjust, but newcomers should know this isn’t the most beginner-friendly game in the genre.

Beyond that, there are some divisive points in the fanbase that aren’t my personal complaints but are worth mentioning. Some fans see the decision to keep the original soundtrack as a missed opportunity. I disagree — I think the music is timeless and I’d rather Square not butcher it with unnecessary rearrangements — but I understand why people wanted an updated score.

The art style has also been a hot topic. The remaster’s updated visuals look clean and modern, but not everyone is happy. Some prefer the gritty, pixel-heavy look of the original. For long-time fans, that’s a matter of taste. For newcomers, it’s not really an issue.

Another hot topic is the exclusion of War of the Lions content. This new version doesn’t include the extra missions, cutscenes, and cameos that were added in that release. Personally, I don’t think those additions added much, and I don’t see it as a big loss. For newcomers, you really aren’t missing anything important — this new version is all you need. But among long-time fans, it’s a controversial omission.

Finally, while I praised the story earlier — and I stand by that — it isn’t for everyone. It’s dense, intricate, and occasionally dry. The archaic language can come off confusing to audiences that aren’t familiar with the style. As a Dungeon Master and medieval fantasy fan, I loved it, but I can easily see how the political depth and slower pacing might turn some players off. The new voice acting could potentially help players that prefer listening over reading, but probably not by much.

Final Verdict: 9/10

This remaster is a triumph in so many ways. The accessibility and quality-of-life issues that plagued the original have finally been addressed. The polished UI, tutorials, move resets, reworked map, and battle search options make it easier than ever to dive into the systems. The graphics are sharp, the performance flawless, and the soundtrack still an all-time great.

But the voice acting is a letdown — immersion-breaking for me personally — and the grind, while nostalgic, just doesn’t fit as easily into an adult gamer’s lifestyle. Combined with the divisive art style and lack of War of the Lions extras, I can’t quite call it perfect.

That said, this is still one of the greatest RPGs ever made, and this remaster is the definitive way to experience it. Square has given us a faithful, respectful update that makes the game more accessible without sacrificing its soul. For veterans, it’s a warm return to Ivalice. For newcomers, it’s the perfect invitation to one of gaming’s most timeless tactical experiences.

It was almost a 10…almost. But a 9 is still one of the highest compliments I can give.