Tactical combat is not easily expressed. But when done
so with vigor and vigilance – and darn good controls – it can lead the way for
an astounding strategy/RPG. In early 1998, shortly after Final Fantasy VII had
begun to create the RPG movement in America, Square released a game that
captivated the hearts of thousands: Final Fantasy Tactics. Its cutthroat
gameplay was the focal point of the project but was only a part of what made the
game a classic.

Nine
years later FFT is being rebuilt and reborn for a handheld that’s more powerful
than the console the game was originally played on. Titled Final Fantasy
Tactics: The War of the Lions, the game is a sharp and sophisticated, medieval
strategy/RPG with hardcore battles that can make grown gamers weep. FFT’s story,
told in between the turn-based skirmishes, is a dark and rigorous tale with some
of the best dialogue seen in a video game –nine years ago and still today. The
translation has been updated and is without any significant flaws.  

 

Strategy/RPG fans who missed the game before are in for a real surprise when the
game hits stores in October. The rest of you, however, already know why the
journey is worth taking a second time.

A Work of Art

Separately, Square and Enix were fierce competitors in the area of graphical
development, especially the movie sequences that drive their games’ stories.
Together they’ve produced equally breathtaking work. The War of the Lions’
gameplay visuals are not anything out of the ordinary. The game looks fantastic
and runs pretty smoothly but is not lightyears ahead of the PSone original.

However, when the story isn’t being told through text-based sequences, the game
comes to life with several new animated movies. These movies were likely created
using modern technology but have the look of a hand-made painting with several
dimensions. It’s a two-dimensional, semi-3D effect that has to be seen to be
believed. The designs and fluidity of each scenario and the detail overwhelming
each frame is on par with every other great achievement met by the studio.
English voice-overs have been applied to these sequences, further advancing the
game to today’s level of storytelling.

 

A Strategy to Die For

Final
Fantasy Tactics comes to the PSP with the same tough-as-nails gameplay found in
the PSone edition. The game was praised for using a job class system, allowing
players to customize – and individualize – their parties with jobs like Knight,
Chemist, Archer, and Black Mage. Bearing the Final Fantasy name helped it become
the first strategy/RPG to ship more than one million copies in North America.

But
once inside players discovered a game that wasn’t merely taking advantage of a
big franchise. In fact, the game defied many of the franchise’s known traits.
For starters, party members gain EXP only by participating in a battle. They
will not level up simply by being in your party. As the war rages on and the
levels get tougher, this creates a divide between your powerful warriors and the
weaklings who can’t keep up.

Items
cannot be used freely at any time or by any party member. Only Chemists have
that luxury. That too is another differentiating feature, and really, one that
can’t be found in many other strategy/RPGs.

These
additional challenges could have been a major turn-off. But in the tradition of
other unconventional Square games, FFT is an addictive package. It isn’t solely
loved for its story, its music, or its gameplay. The characters are great, but
they aren’t the sole reason either. It’s everything about the game that makes it
hard to put down.

Load
times are super-quick compared to last year’s crop of handheld RPGs but might
seem a little slow when compared with PS2 games. But you won’t wait too long to
get to the action. 

 

A Musical Masterpiece

This
might be the one time external speakers are a requirement for PSP. Once you’ve
loaded FFT and have heard the magnificent music – which is just as spellbinding
as ever (and potentially the best score to come from a strategy/RPG) – you won’t
want to listen through the system’s built-in sound holes. Headphones aren’t
enough either.

The
music is a slight update to the original game and was composed by Hitoshi
Sakimoto and Masaharu Iwata, whose work was recently heard in Odin Sphere, the
astonishing non-RPG. Both worked on Final Fantasy XII, the first major FF
release with connections to the world of Ivalice, as well as GrimGrimoire, an
amazing RTS developed exclusively for PS2.

Wake Me Up When
September Ends

Final
Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions ships on October 9. Given that you have an
entire month before that day arrives, die-hard FFT fans might want to grab a
pillow and nap until then. Because once the day comes, sleep will be the last
thing on your mind.