It’s been a long road for me as an RPG lover who didn’t enjoy tactics-style games. I’ve tried many games in the genre, and nothing clicked. I even remember playing the original Final Fantasy Tactics and putting it down shortly after.
Despite my initial dislike, I’ve been chasing the genre ever since because, much like J.Cole, in my heart, I know I should love it, but I just couldn’t get into it. Well, maybe it’s the fact that I’m now older and wiser, but Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles finally did it for me.
A WELCOME SET OF UPDATES
Saying “Quality of life” feels like an understatement when you’re talking about the changes made in The Ivalice Chronicles. While you can still play the OG version if you’re feeling nostalgic, the enhanced version is absolutely the way to play for people new to the series and experienced players.
The battle timeline is a huge addition to the game and aids a great deal in planning out moves and attacks. Couple that with a fast-forward function, and strategizing becomes much more intuitive and easier to tackle.
When playing these games in the past, I often felt disengaged from the gameplay. But not here. Even when battles got to be their most dire in Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, I felt like there was a way out. I just had to figure it out, and when I did, it felt great.
The on-screen information also does a much better job of making what’s going on in each turn much clearer. That’s thanks to an updated action prediction screen. Autosave mid-battles is also a very welcome touch. All in all, the changes made to the game make for a much more engaging experience.
FINAL FANTASY TACTICS MIGHT JUST BE MY FAVORITE STORY IN THE SERIES
I have severely cheated myself out of an elite story in the Final Fantasy series, and I am so ashamed of myself. I’ve always heard how good the story was from people who loved the original game, and I understand it now.
If you’re like me and will be going on this full journey for the first time, I won’t say a word. Let your attachments and emotions run in full. This is a story that would bang only in text like the original, but being fully voice-acted, I’m truly excited to see the reactions of people who know what’s happening.
The voice acting in the game is great and (almost) every line of dialogue hits. There were some changes made from the original version to this one to make some of it flow better with the voiceover work, and they’ve nailed it.
THIS WAS A LONG TIME COMING
I’ve enjoyed every single second I’ve spent with Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles. The improvements and modernizations made to the game have helped me understand how I need to play games like this to get full enjoyment out of them. My biggest mistake was separating them from “standard” turn-based RPGs, not realizing that I could play them just like that, with the added bonus of being able to move my characters and create my own luck, so to speak.
Once I understood that, it was off to the races. This is how a remake should be done. It’s not just about satisfying the grizzled vets and giving them a newer version of a game they loved. It’s also about bringing new players in and fools like me who didn’t understand what made the game so great in the first place.
I don’t know which tactics RPG I’ll play next, but it is funny that the remake of a game that got so many people into it is the one that made me fall in love with it in 2025. Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is a must-play and one of my favorite games this year.
Verdict: Best In Its Class
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles releases on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC on September 30th, 2025. A code was provided by the publisher for the sake of review. Reviewed on Nintendo Switch 2.
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