FINAL FANTASY TACTICS A2: Grimoire of the Rift – NDS – Review

When it comes to
the Final Fantasy Tactics games, the role-playing game elements and
tactical battles went hand-in-hand in a way that made Final Fantasy Tactics
and Final Fantasy Tactics Advance such a deliciously satisfying
experience. The tactical RPG series makes a return on the Nintendo DS – that is
now hardly a stranger to the fantastical worlds of the Final Fantasy
series – with Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift.

 

In Grimoire of
the Rift
, a young High school student named Luso finds himself in trouble
yet again. His grades have been slipping and his teacher thinks he should spend
his summer studying and cleaning up after the school library. Upon entering the
library, Luso encounters an old book filled with empty pages expect for a few
words that ask for the name of a champion. As Luso writes his own name on said
book, he is transported to the land of Ivalice where his life is immediately in
danger. Luckily for him, there are members of a clan that come to his aid and
ask him if he would like to join. Luso does so in hopes of finding answers to
why he is here and how to get back to his own world.

Of course, this
is far from an easy task seeing as Ivalice is filled with monsters, bandits and
other fantastical creatures Final Fantasy fans know well. It’s a world
filled with Chocobos, lovely bunny-eared women known as Viera and the cute
diminutive Moogles. Luso finds himself joining the Clan Gully led by the
powerful Cid who helps the young lad discover how he got here in the first
place. As a member of the clan, Luso makes himself useful by helping his new
friends complete missions offered up in the local pub where the group hangs out.

In the beginning
of the game, you are prompted to answer a few personality trait quests that help
flesh out your character as well as determine his strengths and weaknesses.
Don’t worry if you think you got the answers wrong because, in the end, you
won’t be stuck with a job you don’t like. The job system allows you to sample
just about all the numerous jobs the game has to offer such as Ninja, Thief or
White Mage just to name a few of the many job classes offered in the game. You
can even switch jobs during battles, which helps level out the playfield when
things look rather bleak. Knowing when to balance your party out is important so
you’ll have to know when you need a Black Mage (to pull off destructive magic
such as Lightning) as well as an Archer (for when you need to take down enemies
from afar).

 

It’s great to see
the clan system make its return from Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced so
managing your party well means juicy rewards that raises your clan’s skills.
Teamwork is definitely the key to winning battles in the game and you’ll get far
if you keep that in mind … although you don’t control Cid. Speaking of battles,
the battle system has a few tweaks and changes over Advanced but it’s
nothing considerably new. What gamers will notice the most is that battles are
way too long and this will not sit well with those who are used to a quicker
pace that other role-playing games or strategy games possess. In fact, the game
drags out a few other things and break up the pace. I almost wince every time I
have business in the shops.

The turn-based
battles take place within a gird and each member of your unit moves differently
and, obviously enough, attacks differently as well. This also being a game of
strategy, it is up to you how you set up your unit and when to use their
abilities. As you play, you’ll be unlocking not only new jobs but also a variety
of other abilities you can set your clan mates with along the way. Before a
battle begins, you will be visited by a sort of mystical knight known as the
Judge. The Judge sets up laws for each battle that you are rewarded for meeting
and punished for ignoring. For instance, the Judge might set up a condition that
requires a magic-user not unleash Lightning during battle. If you complete a
battle without using Lightning, you are rewarded with powerful items or weapons.
If you use Lightning, on the other hand, you are punished by not earning special
privileges (like increasing the damage you can dish out) or have the ability to
revive a fallen comrade.

Impressively
enough, the game isn’t limited by only a few quests but rather you can complete
somewhere in the vicinity of 300 or so quests. Yes, there are some quests that
feel similar to others (e.g. crushing bandits harassing folks trying to get to
town) but this doesn’t make them any less fun. Quests are issued in pubs by
speaking with the tavern keeper who has a list of quests posted by people in
need. One quest has you chasing out wolves from a Chocobo farm while others have
you trying to clear a path from monsters.

 

One interesting
new element to the game is the ability to put up loot you managed to recover
from a battle and put it up in the bazaar where interested parties will put up
new items instantly. This certainly beats having to keep coming back to shops to
see if their inventory has changed. There are even auctions in the game for
better items. If they don’t have what you need you can always trade with other
gamers online via the game’s Wi-Fi capabilities. Control-wise, the game feels
right at home on the DS, although I found very little use for my Stylus or the
touch screen to advance the story.

Graphically,
Final Fantasy Tactics A2
looks just as charming as the story itself with its
detailed environments and anime-styled characters. Past Final Fantasy
games on the DS impressed gamers with its gorgeous production values and flashy
visual effects and this game is no different. Even the game’s sound scores big
points with its eclectic soundtrack and detailed sound effects that make up for
the fact that all the dialogue is handled through text.

In the end,
Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
is one of those Nintendo DS
games that are so charming and so utterly engrossing that you can’t help but be
swept away by the game. The game is far from serious but its sweetness and cute
characters don’t stop it from being a compelling and fun story that makes the
game one of those impressive handheld gems you will not want to miss even if
you’re not a fan of the Final Fantasy series. Trust me, DS owners; you
will not regret spending your summer in Ivalice.


Review
Scoring Details for Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift

Gameplay: 9.0
Without really
breaking new ground in tactical gameplay, the game is still able to give you
plenty to think about during the excessively long battles. Character and job
classes offer something different on the battlefield and this is good news
seeing as there are hundreds of quests to take on aside from the main quest.

Graphics: 9.0
It’s not often
you come across impressive visuals like the ones seen in Final Fantasy
Tactics A2
. The backgrounds and characters look like FF-themed anime
and that’s not a bad thing at all. Even the visual effects are flashy and
awesome.

Sound: 9.2
Also impressive
is the game’s sound that offers a more than decent soundtrack and great sound
effects scattered throughout.

Difficulty:
Medium/Hard
The battles are
actually challenging and even more so since they seem to drag on longer than
other games in the genre. You are not only tasked with successfully winning a
match but also to adhere to the battle conditions and management of your party.

Concept: 9.0
The story’s
premise might sound unoriginal but it’s actually cute and oftentimes endearing.
There are jobs aplenty and you can change them if you want to try your hand as a
White Mage or a Thief. The loads of quests are also quite impressive so there’s
no shortage of things to do in this game. You can even trade items with a friend
online.

Multiplayer:
7.5
Sadly, the game
doesn’t allow you to quest with other gamers online but you can trade items and
weapons with others gamers looking for items you can both benefit from using.
It’s good to have but I would have loved actual multiplayer fun.

Overall: 9.0
One of the most
enjoyable and charming Final Fantasy games to come out on the Nintendo
DS; Final Fantasy Tactics A2 is one of those games that does justice to
the genre as well as the franchise. There are things that I wish the game
included as well as left out but in the end, what we have here is a deep and
rewarding game.