This game is the gold standard for the strategy RPG genre. It's the best in its class, still yet to be topped, and an absolute must play for anyone who enjoys RPGs or strategy games. To this day, I haven't played an SRPG I've enjoyed more than this one. This game makes it into my Top 5 Greatest Games of All Time list.
This game has it all - challenging, strategic gameplay, multiple different job classes and party customization, in-depth battle mechanics, diverse battle grids/areas, etc.
For a first time SRPG player back in the 90's, this game routinely kicked my ass throughout... but in a good way. :) It pushed me to try different tactics, party layouts, and just learn the game in-and-out about how it works. This game is dense in its gameplay, and it will take you a while to learn all of its intricacies. It also taught me a valuable lesson of keeping multiple saves, so you don't find yourself in an unwinnable situation (staring at you Wiegraf...).
I remember being haunted by Dorter Trade City, Golgorand Execution Site, Lionel Castle, the Wiegraf 1v1 and the 2nd part of that battle as a kid. There were other challenging battles as well, but these ones stay burned in my memory. The feeling of joy I felt when finally conquering them was euphoric. Don't be scared off by the challenge, however. If you learn the game properly, you can get through it. As an adult now, and understanding the game much more than I did as a child, I find myself dabbling in some modded versions that increase the game's difficulty even further.
The game is just fun - and I think a lot of that has to do with its job system and the quick nature of its battles. Each battle is usually comprised of 4-5 units on your team vs the 4-6 enemy units (there are instances where this changes though).
For players that want to break FF Tactics, it gives you plenty of options there too. Experimentation with the character classes is great, and I won't spoil some of the more OP job mixtures.
So that's enough about gameplay - next up I'd like to focus a little time on the game's story and music.
I'd consider FF Tactics to have the most mature storyline of any FF game to date. It essentially was Game of Thrones before GoT made it big (I know, the first book was released less than a year before the game, but you get my point). The game's tone, heavily political backdrop, and story with major themes in class warfare & religious dogma, create this very well constructed and believable world of Ivalice. And for those that dig under the surface, you can read up on the history of this world in the game to get an even greater appreciation for the game's setting and writing.
And its music fits this world and its tone perfectly. From its sweeping epic battle songs, to more somber character pieces, this game has it all. Some of my favorites would have to include: Trisection, Antipyretic, Delita's Theme, Battle on the Bridge, and Attack Team.
Also, I think the game's sound effects are a highly underappreciated part of the game, but everything just fits well: in my mind I can hear the character's death screams, weapon attacks, spell sounds, cursor noise, etc.
All in all, this game is a masterpiece. I still hold out hope for a true sequel to the series 20+ years after release...hell, I'll even take a War of the Lions remastered version on all platforms at this point. Just give me some SRPG goodness within the world of Ivalice, Square-Enix!!!
This game has it all - challenging, strategic gameplay, multiple different job classes and party customization, in-depth battle mechanics, diverse battle grids/areas, etc.
For a first time SRPG player back in the 90's, this game routinely kicked my ass throughout... but in a good way. :) It pushed me to try different tactics, party layouts, and just learn the game in-and-out about how it works. This game is dense in its gameplay, and it will take you a while to learn all of its intricacies. It also taught me a valuable lesson of keeping multiple saves, so you don't find yourself in an unwinnable situation (staring at you Wiegraf...).
I remember being haunted by Dorter Trade City, Golgorand Execution Site, Lionel Castle, the Wiegraf 1v1 and the 2nd part of that battle as a kid. There were other challenging battles as well, but these ones stay burned in my memory. The feeling of joy I felt when finally conquering them was euphoric. Don't be scared off by the challenge, however. If you learn the game properly, you can get through it. As an adult now, and understanding the game much more than I did as a child, I find myself dabbling in some modded versions that increase the game's difficulty even further.
The game is just fun - and I think a lot of that has to do with its job system and the quick nature of its battles. Each battle is usually comprised of 4-5 units on your team vs the 4-6 enemy units (there are instances where this changes though).
For players that want to break FF Tactics, it gives you plenty of options there too. Experimentation with the character classes is great, and I won't spoil some of the more OP job mixtures.
So that's enough about gameplay - next up I'd like to focus a little time on the game's story and music.
I'd consider FF Tactics to have the most mature storyline of any FF game to date. It essentially was Game of Thrones before GoT made it big (I know, the first book was released less than a year before the game, but you get my point). The game's tone, heavily political backdrop, and story with major themes in class warfare & religious dogma, create this very well constructed and believable world of Ivalice. And for those that dig under the surface, you can read up on the history of this world in the game to get an even greater appreciation for the game's setting and writing.
And its music fits this world and its tone perfectly. From its sweeping epic battle songs, to more somber character pieces, this game has it all. Some of my favorites would have to include: Trisection, Antipyretic, Delita's Theme, Battle on the Bridge, and Attack Team.
Also, I think the game's sound effects are a highly underappreciated part of the game, but everything just fits well: in my mind I can hear the character's death screams, weapon attacks, spell sounds, cursor noise, etc.
All in all, this game is a masterpiece. I still hold out hope for a true sequel to the series 20+ years after release...hell, I'll even take a War of the Lions remastered version on all platforms at this point. Just give me some SRPG goodness within the world of Ivalice, Square-Enix!!!
HazeRedux
1 year ago