Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles Breathes New Life Into a Dark, Brilliant Classic
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is a refreshed edition of the 1998 PlayStation strategy game. It lands on September 30 for Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X. The release mixes remaster and remake elements: upgraded visuals, full voice work, adjustable difficulty, and several quality-of-life changes while keeping the original game’s structure and systems.
Overview
Originally released in North America in 1998 for the PlayStation, Final Fantasy Tactics found a loyal audience despite being released the same year as Final Fantasy VII. This new edition is called Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles. It introduces fully voiced dialogue, enhanced graphics that stay faithful to the original pixel-art look, improved battlefield camera controls, and adjustable difficulty settings to make the game more approachable for modern players.
Story and tone
The game follows young noble Ramza Beoulve as he becomes drawn into a conflict over the Kingdom of Ivalice after the king dies. The plot includes political intrigue, betrayals, and dark themes; it is more somber and gritty than many other Final Fantasy titles. Moreover, the new edition adds a State of the Realm feature that displays a timeline of events over a map, which helps players track shifting alliances and makes the overall plot easier to follow.
Dialog is now fully voiced. However, the script still leans on formal, old-fashioned language and can feel long at times — characters use words like “fain” and “mayhap.” You can fast-forward through lines, but there is no built-in option to skip scenes completely during repeated battle attempts.
Jobs and customization
The highlight for many players is the job system. In short, the game offers around two dozen job classes that you can mix and match. Characters start as either a Squire or a Chemist, and you unlock more advanced jobs by using and ranking up earlier ones. Each job provides offensive skills, reaction abilities, and passive bonuses.
For example, the Geomancer uses terrain-based attacks, while the Arithmetician has spells that can target units based on factors like experience level or elevation. You can combine abilities: a unit might act as a leap-focused Dragoon while also casting summoning spells. No combination is explicitly forbidden, as long as job prerequisites are met.
Combat, maps and grinding
Gameplay takes place on a world map where story destinations are shown as yellow dots. Between main missions, you can take on optional random encounters to gain job experience and items. Battles are typically small and focused, often with four or five units per side on compact maps. As a result, fights are quick but tactical.
Compared with recent tactical RPGs like Fire Emblem: Engage or Three Houses, Tactics requires more deliberate grinding. You are expected to level jobs and prepare for key story battles. Fortunately, the maps let you exploit terrain: use electric spells on wet ground for extra damage, or use restorative items against undead enemies. When you face a challenge, retrying a fight or swapping jobs and abilities is usually enough to progress.
Final notes
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is positioned as the best modern way to play this classic. It modernizes camera and accessibility, while preserving the core systems that made the original influential. The game was reviewed on PlayStation 5 using a prerelease download code provided by Square Enix. If you enjoy deep character customization, tight tactical fights, and a darker Final Fantasy story, this edition gives the experience a second wind.
