When Final Fantasy VII was released all the way back in 1997 on Sony’s beloved original PlayStation console, it didn’t just spark a conflagration of interest for the JRPG genre at large; it also somewhat unintentionally cannibalised a chunk of interest for another Final Fantasy game, which was released in the same year – Final Fantasy Tactics. Some twenty-eight years later, Final Fantasy Tactics is poised to return on contemporary gaming hardware as Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles. This release not only brings a godfather of the tactical RPG genre to modern audiences, but does so alongside a raft of deftly considered improvements and audio-visual overhauls too. Here is how Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is set to elevate the 1997 original to a new level.
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles delivers the best of both worlds, preserving the visual charm of the 1997 classic while infusing it with fresh detail. Central to this is its ‘enhanced’ mode, which strikes a balance between faithfulness and evolution. Characters retain their iconic sprite-based look, now rendered with sharper fidelity, while the isometric 3D environments receive a dramatic upgrade. The result is a striking blend where nostalgic and modern visual styles complement each other, creating an experience that feels both familiar and refreshingly new.
In addition to the improved character model and environment visuals, developer Square-Enix has also spent time updating the UI for the current generation of gamers. This means that the capabilities of modern platforms allow for improved readability in the myriad of menus that permeate The Ivalice Chronicles, while additional tooltips, a reworked tactical view and a new combat timeline all serve as meaningful presentation updates to this 1997 genre classic.
Speaking of the word ‘classic’, should none of these enhancements happen to align with your particular tastes, you can simply elect to use the original visual presentation instead, thanks to a handy in-game toggle which lets you do just that. Brilliantly, this toggle only affects the visuals, so retro gaming lovers can have their figurative cake and eat it as all of the new quality of life settings, translation and voice acting performances will be active regardless of the visual preset that is chosen.
Though the soundtrack and sound effects remain largely unchanged from the 1997 game, both the translation and the new voice acting track serve as substantial improvements over the original. Starting with the voice acting side of things, this represents an entirely new – and arguably overdue – feature that The Ivalice Chronicles brings to the game.
Bringing together a notable voice acting cast of folks such as Joe Pitts, Gregg Lowe and Final Fantasy XVI standout Ben Starr, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles finally brings a dramatic voice (pun intended) to its deep and sophisticated storylines. Better still, rather than just superimposing these performances on top of the existing script, The Ivalice Chronicles adds additional dialogue during battles and extra incidental conversations between characters. As a result, there is considerably more weight to the characters and their motivations.
Perhaps a more significant change for long-term fans of Final Fantasy Tactics is the newly reworked script and translation. Pointedly, the new translation that The Ivalice Chronicles uses is different from both the original 1997 release and the much more stylised script which accompanied the later ‘War of the Lions’ PSP remake. Aiming to be much clearer and easily understood than the script seen in either of those two prior entries, the translation script used in The Ivalice Chronicles instead favours a more natural and mature flow in line with the voice talent that has been recruited for this release, resulting in a much more serious and dramatic tone.
Much like the visual side of things, devoted fans can opt out of The Ivalice Chronicles ‘enhanced’ mode and instead use the ‘classic’ script translation should they so choose. However, somewhat oddly, rather than leveraging the original script seen in the 1997 PlayStation One release, the English version of The Ivalice Chronicles instead uses the translation script seen in 2007’s Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions, as this was deemed to be a much closer interpretation of the story than the original release.
Ensuring that The Ivalice Chronicles is nothing less than the definitive version of Final Fantasy Tactics means that developer Square-Enix also had to go deep under the hood and fashion a great number of quality-of-life improvements. Right off the bat, one of the most significant of these improvements is the ability to fast-forward battles. This means you no longer have to painfully wait for battles to lumber toward their conclusion, as now you can just fast forward your way through in a fraction of the time – huzzah!
Another significant feature of The Ivalice Chronicles is the idea of multiple difficulty settings. With easy, normal and hard difficulty levels now present, The Ivalice Chronicles is certainly no longer quite the off-putting prospect for genre newcomers that the original game was back in 1997, which, y’know, is a rather good thing indeed.
Though there are many more quality of life improvements present than I have room to necessarily scribble about here, one final key improvement that The Ivalice Chronicles implements is the new in-game encyclopaedia and compendium reference libraries. For a world as thoroughly steeped in politics, complex relationships and history as Final Fantasy Tactics, being able to have all of that material properly curated in one place where you can read through and digest it at your leisure is a godsend. Thankfully, that’s precisely what The Ivalice Chronicles has done. Elsewhere, a new story compendium feature does a grand job of keeping players oriented regarding the story at large, comprehensively filling you in on the various characters, their motivations and the events which surround them. Delightful.
In the end, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles feels less like a simple remaster and more like a definitive reimagining of a genre-defining classic. By pairing visual and narrative authenticity with modern refinements, Square-Enix has managed to respect the legacy of the 1997 original while making it more accessible and engaging for today’s players. Whether you’re a veteran strategist eager to revisit Ivalice or a newcomer curious about one of the most influential tactical RPGs ever made, The Ivalice Chronicles ensures that Final Fantasy Tactics finally gets the recognition and audience it has always deserved.
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