It is a thing to rejoice! Square Enix have finally come back to the company that made them---Nintendo! This new title on the Gameboy Advance boasts to have many of the features that the original title had, plus a few others that have been added in to make it more of a magical gaming experience. Going back to the Final Fantasy roots, it has many of the races and style that were in many of their earlier games. The entire company are known for this massive gaming franchise and FFTA is no exception to the rule.
So then “Kupo” where do we begin? The original Final Fantasy Tactics was released in 1997 on the Sony Playstation and was quite a different turn in style compared to the many other titles that had been released under the Final Fantasy name. No longer were there turn-based, linear battles like there used to be, with the time counter running down until you could attack your opponent with a sword or magic. The amount of players available during a fight had also increased, not to mention the amount you could actually have in your party. Many of the people did notice all of these changes and some disliked them compared to the constant line of gaming that they were used to but others embraced the new idea. The long and involved story was there and coupled with this more exciting and logical way of battling, it proved to be a good change from the usual line of suit that many, if not all, of the RPG games had taken on.
FFTA uses this as a foundation to build this its own features on. Although the game is not in any way a sequel to the first title and it is not a remake of it either, it is still classed under the same name and genre of the battling RPG. The gathering of fighters from around the world that you can accept or turn away, fighting on 3D landscapes and progressing your way through the story is all there still but there are a few more changes and tweaks that have been made to create the title in its own right.
Now the game is very much like the other titles that have been coming out on the Gameboy Advance such as Onimusha Tactics and Tactics Ogre. It has become a popular style of game to be released within the portable gaming market and it is by far the best title out of them.
It all takes place within the world of Ivalice. Marche, the hero of the story and the new kid in town, befriends two other children at his school when they are all being picked on and down trodden by the other classmates. Glad to have found some other kids his age to spend time with, Marche invites them round to his house one evening so they can all sit together and read the book that the young boy Mute is going to buy. When he arrives they read the book and see the many wonders contained within and later that night, their entire world is transformed. Now trapped within this magical world, Marche tries to fight his way back home with the help of his clan.
The story of FFTA is not as complex or involved as the one of the original, it has been toned down and a lot more fighting has been added in so that it is understandable and suitable for all ages. However, the story that accompanies the game is still of the same Final Fantasy calibre that is present within the other titles. From point to point there will be scenes to sit and watch, read the text and take note of what is going on around you in the plot but most of the game will be pushed along by the countless battles that you can engage in against other clans, to complete missions or against strong and menacing bosses. None of the scenes can be skipped and for the RPG fanatics it will be of more joy to them compared to others who will want to get on with the game itself. There are the occasional plot twists that stops you for a moment to think and hang your mouth open in a state of amazement and generally the story is a creative tale.
The gameplay is very much like the original in a battle like sense. From the members of your clan you can choose who will take part in certain battles and how many, depending on the limit, that can go out against the enemies that await you. The designs of the battlefields are done brilliantly, with the isometric view that gives it a real 3D edge and open view of the whole area. They are all colourful and wonderfully designed from forests to mountains, towns to bubbling volcanoes. From there you wait until it is your turn to move certain characters of your clan and then choose the option to perform an attack, use magic or use their own personal technique that can be acquired from the use of different weapons. It takes a lot of thought and strategy as the title of the game suggests and you have to use all of your wit and skill to win the battle. The AI of your enemies is very good with this game and sometimes they can catch you off guard when you are not paying much attention or make a mistake. Because of these changes in the battle, it means that the turn of movement and action are based on the statistics of every individual character but unlike the other Final Fantasy titles, each of their moves are performed there and then. In ways this can become a lot of trouble for you if your clan is not up to scratch and you have to wait after every turn before you can get a touch on the enemy. It also means that magic users within the game have more of a chance for survival and can continually cast powerful attacks for as long as their MP holds out.
All of the characters themselves are of a very wide variety; each character has the ability to change to different classes or ‘jobs’ as they are known in other Final Fantasy games. Each of the races have a choice between three to five different types of class and the best part of it is, is that any of the abilities they acquired whilst in the position of something else, they can still keep it. There are endless possibilities to the customisation you can make to your clan members in terms of class and abilities but also with the great amount of weapons, armour and accessories that can be equipped to them to enhance their performance. This is one of the key elements that makes FFTA an addictive RPG and can keep people hooked on it and talking about it for as long as they are playing it. In a sense, unless you rush to the end of the game itself, the hours of game play are endless with the many ways you can change your clan and build them up to be specialised in either fighting, sorcery, long range or even a mixture of all three and more.
The downside to it is that it can become a rather slow and painful process to mould your men, and women, into the perfect clan that will be able to defeat anything that is thrown at them. This is because of the process used to acquire abilities by the use of AP points. How it works, is by equipping a certain weapon to one of your clan members, during a battle when they fight and defeat enemies, the AP points are added to the bar and once it is full then the character gains that ability to use forever, even if the weapon is then removed. A lot of the abilities can require a lot of AP, around 200 or 300 sometimes, and you get about 30 or 40 AP after every battle. Even though this is a tedious task if you wish your characters to have the ability immediately, you can buy items very easily. Visiting anyone of the shops within the towns, that you can unlock, you can buy from an array of weapons, helmets, armour, shields, accessories and items. This is a quick fix way of kitting up your clan and if you merely want to play the game then it is a very good way to go at it.
For the character classes to be unlocked, your characters need to have mastered a certain amount of abilities before they are allowed to do so. This is usually three or four, sometimes as low as two in the case of the moogles. It is the element of the game that you will find yourself spending more time on than the actual fighting and story itself. Once your character is changed to another class, then all of the items equipped to them are removed. This can become very annoying and frustrating, as you then need to go back to the shops and keep repeating the process of buying equipment over and over again. In the original tactics, you could buy new abilities for your clan members with job points that you would acquire after every battle and mission---it is a much simpler way of doing things. However, the excitement of a newly designed weapon and ability that it might contain, adds to the splendorous and amazing factor of this handheld game.
Another good point of the clan members is that there are a wide variety of races to choose from and then even from them, they have a good selection of classes. Within the game there are humans, bangaa (who are more or less lizard men), nu mou (who look like the moomins), viera (a deer like people) and the all time favourite moogles that have been in every Final Fantasy game so far. They are all designed very well and even when you change their classes, it is a very good variety between them all, allowing you in a sense, to customize the looks and appearances of your clan. Because of its childlike and ‘anime’ style of design, the characters do not suggest any gender. The viera are the only race that is always female but the rest, especially the humans, you cannot tell the difference. All in all it adds to the whole fun and main aim of the game, which is to give you hours and hours of game play and keep you wrapped up and involved in your very own clan.
All of the originality of Final Fantasy does not stop there. Another new addition is the laws and judges. These armoured, chocobo riding people reside over the battles that take place within the world of Ivalice, apart from one area where rules are not present. These laws are set down to stop or praise certain options within the battle and those who do not play by them will be fined with a yellow card or sent to prison with a red one if they continue to be rebellious. It will often catch you out if you do not pay attention and have a look at the current laws before you start a battle and your punishment can depend on how severe your action is. When a law is broken, the judge will blow his whistle, march over to you and give you either a yellow or red card. It looks as though you are hit in the gut when it is put against you. If the red card is given, this is the most serious offence and the character is instantly removed from the battlefield and placed in jail until you go and bail him out for a price. At first, when you begin the game, these laws can become very annoying and as the game progresses then the amount of laws increase but sooner or later it is your turn to fight back. At some stage in the game you are given the ability to use special magic cards that can change and bend the rules the way you want them to, adding to the strategy of the battles and how you play. This is a great way to broaden your mind with how you play and if you have chosen a party and many of the rules stop you from using a lot of their abilities, it improves your thinking greatly, making you use moves that you have not even touched before and allowing you to discover great new ways to win the battle.
Throughout the game, you actually build the map of Ivalice. After an area is completed, either by clearing it of enemies and accomplishing all of the missions, you are allowed to place a location symbol onto one of the spots that are dotted about the map. Once again this makes every time you play the game a different one in a slight way, changing the map around every time. It does not stop there either, by placing the locations in certain places and orders, they will shake and you will be told that ‘treasure’ has been found in that area, allowing you to go to the location and collect the goody that awaits you! It is a small thing but together with the rest of the exciting additions to the game, it gives more excitement and your mind starts going off on tangents of what item it could be and which clan member you are going to give it to. Although many of the missions are battle based and are required to clear the location areas, there are also ‘dispatch’ missions. These single member missions take one of your characters away for a short period to either sort out a problem or merely help someone who is in need of assistance. A lot of people might choose to leave them be, as they are not important to the progression of the game and its story but it builds up the strength of your clan abilities and also your character comes back with a handful of money and goodies. The ‘dispatch’ missions are a good way to increase the skill of your clan and gain money to buy things that will customize them further.
The game also has a link up multiplayer option where you can battle it out against your mates to see who is the champion of the game and has the best clan among you. Not only that but you can also obtain unique items that you cannot gain from the main game itself and even swap clan members amongst one another to change and build up your team. It is not a very advanced system, as these are the only basic things that you can do but it does add a nice touch and socialising aspect to the game.
Like every other Final Fantasy title, there is a score of battle music, heart touching themes and general tunes as you travel about the world, look through shops or sit around in the pub. There are 42 tracks altogether and even though this is a fair amount, it soon becomes tedious to listen to when you are slugging through the many battles of the game and you wish that you could play it with the sound effects only. The theme is very orchestral but not as theatrical as some of the other Final Fantasy games. Although FFTA holds a good story line to it, it is very half hearted and child like and the music goes along with this very well with battle marches and victory fanfares.
One of the more amusing audio features of the game is to hear each of the enemies’ last breaths as they die and collapse to the floor. The moogles in particular give a high-pitched squeal as the last bit of energy is battered out of their fluffy bodies. From clashing swords to bursts of powerful magic, all of the sound effects in the game are very realistic sounding and make the battles very enjoyable to listen to as you pummel your enemies to death.
There is no speech in the game either and all you get is the portrait of the character and a box of text appear next to them.
No game is perfect but FFTA comes very close to it. It is created in a style that should have been embraced by the RPG world and used more often. Turning away from the tradition Japanese style of RPG gaming, it brings a breath of fresh air with it, with its addictive game play to improve and customise your clan and the many paths you can take to reach the end and complete the lose story that holds it all together. On the Game Boy Advance there are many developers that have begun to realise that this is a great and addictive way of portable gaming. Every moment of the day that you can catch, you will be playing it and paying attention to everyone of your clan members until you have the ultimate team.
Tobias Rowe
