Final Fantasy Tactics Advance

"A fun and charming game filled with plenty of customisation"

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance sees Square's return to the Nintendo consoles since the SNES days. FFT, which incorporated the popular job system from FFV mixed with a gripping tale of political and religious corruption left many fans crying out for a sequel. Now after 5 years since the release of FFT on the Playstation, Square releases another Tactics game. It's not a sequel to the original nor is it released on either Sony Playstation machines as some might have expected, but FFTA should serve to fulfill the appetites of those craving for another Strategy RPG with the Final Fantasy name tagged on it. As the original FFT was never released in Europe, this is an all-new experience for the non-importers out there and their impressions will not be hampered by any expectations set by FFT in contrast to those that have played the PSX game.

BASIC STORYLINE

The basic storyline begins in the schoolyard in the town of Ivalice. Marche is the new kid in town and befriends Mewt (who is being bullied) and a young lass called Ritz. Soon, after buying and flipping through a mysterious new book with his new friends, Marche finds himself transported into a magical world. He knows no one and needs to find a way out... It is easy to be cynical of a storyline that sounds like it came out of a fairy tale and seems ''uncool'' in contrast to more gritty storylines but FFTA is very much a gameplay-orientated game rather than story-orientated like the new-generation Final Fantasy games (that is not to say that there is anything wrong with story-orientated RPGs at all.)

GAMEPLAY - And here's some information on what the gameplay consists of and my thoughts on each aspect...

(Missions and the Abilty system)

Ah, the pub is just the place to embark on your journey! This is where you take on the various missions scattered throughout Ivalice and they range from direct battle missions to dispatch missions (where you select a party member to leave your party temporarily to accomplish a mission on their own... sadly not without your direct participation). It's not simply a case of choosing a mission and do it straightaway as a lot of them requires you to have certain items that may be won from other battles or requires a certain job class in order to participate. This is the way the entire game plays out and it may get a tad repetitive... particularly as the dispatch missions are quite uninvolving on your part.

In order to learn the new and varied abilities in FFTA, you must equip equipment with the innate abilities in question and mastering them by earning the required number of AP means that you can use the skill without having to equip that weapon/armour/accessory ever again. This is the exact system used in Final Fantasy IX so anyone who has played that game will immediately feel at home with the system used in this game. For the FF veteran, this means one less thing to worry about when learning about the game. I personally loved the system used in FFIX so it's no surprise that I enjoy seeing it used again with this game.

(Races)

FFTA features 5 different races for you to play around with - Humans, Nu Mou, Viera, Moogle and Bangaa. Each have their own specialities and also jobs unique to their own - Nu Mous leans more towards magic type jobs whilst Bangaas make more efficient fighting units for example. There are plenty of traditional jobs to choose from including the dragoons and summoners as well as plenty of new and wonderful jobs such as jugglers and gadgeteers. Loads of choices and its up to you to decide what you do with your clan. Do you want to create a mixture of physical and magical units? Do you want to create a clan full of magicians? Or even only physical units? You can because it is entirely up to you to decide what to do which is one of the attractive aspects of SRPGs such as Tactics Ogre.

(Laws)

One new feature in this game is the Law System. In the world of Ivalice, judges set rules that prohibits the use of certain actions in battles. For example, with the ''Color Magic'' ban in place, anyone caught using black/white/red/blue magic will be penalised depending on the severity of the action. A character who kills someone with thunder for example will be given a red card, sentenced to prison and penalised. The wonderful thing about the law system is that it makes you think and makes you cautious as to what you do. It means there are no lazy battles where you just want to rush at the enemy just like that and bash their brains in. A nice new addition indeed!

You can also link-up with your friends to trade units/items and even participate in team battles. Unfortunately, you cannot fight and compete AGAINST your mates and kick their sorry behinds which is a bummer. Single player gamers wouldn't be too concern about this factor.

MUSIC

A nice varied soundtrack accompanies FFTA. The party menu track is incredibly addictive and since there are a variety of different battle music throughout the game, it is unlikely that you get the feeling of excessive repetition. The sound effects are neat too in particular, the death crieds of fallen units. The evil cackling of the Grim Reaper when you summon a death-related spell is especially spine-chilling... in a good way of course!

GRAPHICS

Sharp and clear and easy on the eye. FFTA allows you to alter the display somewhat depending on whether you're playing on the original GBA, the GBA:SP or on the Gamecube using the GB Player. That's certainly something for everyone.

LENGTH/REPLAY VALUE

With 300 missions in total, it'll take the perfectionist a very long time to go through them all. In reality, you don't need to complete so much in order to complete the game and see the ending but why rush, huh? Let's just say that it's a damn short game for those wanting to see the ending as quickly as possible and it's a damn long game for those willing to explore the full extent of the game. There are more possibilities for those who have beaten the game as you will find out for yourself. For me, I spent close to 65 hours to finish 295 of the 300 missions but this varies for everyone depending on how fast/slow you decide to approach the game and how many random battles you choose to do.

OVERALL

FFTA is an excellent little title that stands out on its own away its predecessor. This is not a sequel to FFT so bear that in mind if you're looking for some familiar faces or an epic tale of woe and distress because they're not there. Yes, the gameplay is simplified in comparison (no gender choices, no brave/faith factors...etc) but the new features add new strategic elements to the GBA version meaning that whilst it incorporate familiar features, its a different game overall to its PSX cousin. The best thing about the game as with any SRPG is the customisation element. Being able to be in full control of your party's development is an incredibly satisfying experience! Essentially, despite the initial learning curve for anyone inexperienced at this kind of thing and the lack of a tutorial, this game serves as an good introduction to anyone new to the genre and this will be a welcome addition to any European gamer's collection as we have had very very few Strategy role playing games released over here.

PRO's

- Job system and customisation is a whole load of fun. Gamers who like freedom and control over their characters will find FFTA a joy to play. Brand new classes to play around with including gunners, jugglers and gladiator as well as classic non-FFT Final Fantasy classes making a debut such as the blue mage.
- Law system adds strategy and caution into the mix.
- Loads of missions available. A long game for anyone wanting to experience the full game.

CONS

- Stupid AI in places (example: Enemy fires an arrow at unit with Block Arrow ability equipped when other targets without the ability are nearby anyway)
- The repetitive nature of the dispatch missions may put some people off. You don't actually get to experience the story behind these dispatches which is quite unfortunate as some of the stories sounds interesting in their own right.
- No tutorial to aid the beginners to the SRPG genre.
- Cannot fight against friends in link-up mode.

PRO/CON depending on player's personal point of view

- Any SRPG veterans wishing to find a challenge will be disappointed. However, newbies to the genre will welcome the easy pace of the game. It never gets overbearingly difficult and unlike one certain situation in FFT, there are no places where you can get severely stuck with an underdeveloped party and no chance to do random battles. Anyone looking for a fun little/big game to play regardless of its difficulty would likely enjoy FFTA.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/10/03