This isometric, turn-based RPG depicts the medieval kingdom of Ivalice as it grapples with political unrest. The king is dead, his heir is too young to rule, and the two potential regent candidates make moves in secret to sabotage one another as they vie for the throne. The plot follows two knights caught in the midst of this turmoil, which sets the young men on radically different paths. So, you assemble your party of five heroes and march into battle.
(Credit: Square Enix/PCMag)
The Ivalice Chronicles remains true to the original release by providing more than 20 job classes for your units. Many are based on classic Final Fantasy classes, such as Black Mage, Knight, and Monk. Terrain and weather mechanics make these roles much more interesting than in the mainline series, as elevation significantly impacts what you can target. For example, a melee unit is ineffective against enemies above or below it. Archers receive a tremendous range boost at higher elevations, so you’ll want them perched as high as possible on the map. Combined, these many systems make top-notch tactical gameplay.
Two versions of the game are available to play: Classic and Enhanced. Classic is a faithful port based on the original PlayStation release, while Enhanced has animated character portraits, more intuitive controls, and voice acting. Notably, the user interface features a cleaner and more legible menu system compared with the game’s previous releases.
The Enhanced version’s localization has also been updated for this remaster. The development team consulted with the original director and writer, Yasumi Matsuno, to ensure that the adaptation remained as faithful to the original script as possible. The Classic version, on the other hand, uses the PSP’s The War of the Lions’ script. This means that dialogue in both versions uses Early Modern English (in other words, Shakespearean English). I quite enjoyed the new Enhanced script, which strikes a good balance between the simpler PS1 text and the complex PSP text.
Some die-hard fans may prefer the simpler PlayStation localization, but the development team ditched it due to its numerous errors and inaccuracies. During my interview with director Kazutoyo Maehiro, he explained that he is open to the idea of providing the PlayStation script as a possible patch, but only if these inaccuracies are addressed.
(Credit: Square Enix/PCMag)
Many other features from The War of the Lions are not included in this remaster. So, you won’t find Balthier and Luso, guest characters who hail from Final Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift, respectively. The Dark Knight and Onion Knight classes are absent, as are the two multiplayer modes: Rendezvous (co-operative missions) and Melee (competitive battles). I appreciate that the team behind The Ivalice Chronicles focused on remastering the original title, but the absence of these additions is still disappointing.
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