Final Fantasy Tactics Advance - Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance is a tactical RPG game that was released by Square in 2003 on the Gameboy Advance. The game, though not a sequel, Advance shares a lot of things in common with Final Fantasy Tactics, a game that was released in 1997 on the PlayStation 1. The game later inspired a sequel called Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift. The game has since been re-released on the Nintendo Wii U Virtual Console in 2016. The game enjoyed positive reception in the gaming community and is held in high regard for its great music, engaging gameplay, beautiful graphics, and captivating storyline.
Plot
The game’s story focuses on the lives of four children; Marche, Mewt, Ritz, and Doned that all live in a small town named St. Ivalice. After discovering an ancient magical book, the world is changed into a different realm that shares the name of their town and is simply called "Ivalice”. The story then focuses on the adventures of Marche as he attempts to return to the world back to normal while facing opposition from those around him. The party is ultimately pitted against the game’s main antagonist, Queen Remedi, the ruler of Ivalice who constantly thwarts Marche Radiuju’s attempts to turn Ivalice back into St. Ivalice.
Characters
- Marche Radiuju - The hero and main protagonist of the story. After St. Ivalice is turned into Ivalice, he attempts to find a way to change the world back to its original state. He has yellow hair and wears a blue shirt along with brown shorts, complete with several belts and pouches.
- Ritz Malheur - Marche and Mewt’s extroverted companion. She had to dye her white hair pink while in the real world. She is the only human who obtains the powers of the Viera race.
- Montblanc - A young Moogle that comes to Marche’s aid after their world was transformed.
- Shara - A Viera and part of Ritz’s clan. Like most Viera, has many rabbit-like features, but also has white hair.
- Babus Swain - Prince Mewt’s servant and caretaker. He is a member of the Nu Mou race.
- Ezel Berbier - Inventor of the Antilaw cards. He is a unique troublemaker and self-proclaimed genius.
- Cid Randell - Mewt’s father. While he may be a drunkard in reality, in Ivalice, he is a Judgemaster, one of the highest figures of authority in Ivalice.
Gameplay
The player takes on the role of Marche, who joins a clan and must manage its members as they take part in missions to gain experience, rise in status, and unlock new content. The missions range from simple fetch quests to complex battles that can result in freeing areas from another clan’s control. Either way, all missions are offered in pubs and distributed on the world map. A fee must be paid to begin a mission and the missions are often responsible for advancing the main story, receiving items, and gaining experience points. Some missions require previous missions to have been completed as a prerequisite in order to begin, while others require a specific item, skill, or job class.
Tactics Advance introduces five playable races: Humans, Moogles, the strong reptilian Bangaa, the quick and agile Viera, and the magically proficient Nu Mou. Certain jobs are only available to certain races.
The game utilizes a job system, something that should be familiar to veterans of the Final Fantasy series. Each job has its own specialties, weaknesses, associated abilities, and strengths. Some of the jobs in Tactics Advance include dragoon, white mage, ninja, defender, thief, and soldier.
The player controls a small clan as they traverse across a grid-like landscape. Turn-based battles take place as characters move around on a 3D isometric map. Battles take place in a menu system where the player can choose between “Move”, “Action”, “Wait”, and “Status” immediately, without the need of the combat bar to charge. When battles are won, players earn Ability Points, which allow them to master abilities and use them regardless of equipped items or their currently selected job. The game uses a mechanic called the “Law System”. In this system, certain laws must be followed and are enforced by Judges, invincible arbiters present during combat that issue penalties and punishments for breaking certain rules of combat. Eventually, Law and Antilaw Cards are unlocked, which can be used to change the laws in effect during battle. In certain parts of the world, there are no laws that apply during combat.
Development
Rumors about the game surfaced after Square announced its partnership with Nintendo. Tactics Advance was later confirmed by lead producer Yasumi Matsuno. Hitoshi Sakimoto and others composed the score while the role of the main director of the game was given to Yuichi Murasawa. Work for the game began in 2002 with a team from Quest Corporation. Though its gameplay system is similar to Final Fantasy Tactics, Tactics Advance introduces several changes, like a customizable map.