Final Fantasy Tactics Advance

"A (Mostly) Plagiarized Story, and Shoddy Gameplay = Tactics Advance"

To say that I loved Final Fantasy Tactics would be an understatement. I have put over 300 hours into playing the original FFT, and it was because of FFT that I fell in love with the Tactical RPG. I kept hoping that they would release a version of this game for a hand-held system, and kept dreaming that I would be as awe inspiring as FFT. So when Final Fantasy Tactics Advance was announced I pre-ordered it, and read everything that I could get my hands on about this title. I anxiously awaited the release day, as a child sits up and waits for Santa Clause. Imagine my disappointment when I opened the box and promptly discovered that this game was simply Final Fantasy's take on “The Neverending Story,”—it was the bastard step-child of one of the greatest games ever made.

Gameplay 4/10

FFTA's tactical system has not changed much since the original FFT. You still have the basic grid movement system, which provides a lot of strategy in how you play the game. If you attack an enemy from the side or behind you do additional damage to the enemy. Pretty standard stuff for the tactical RPG, so why the 4 you may be asking? Well FFTA implemented a new “law” system. At first it sounded cool, something to add additional strategy to the game, and make a more complex gaming experience. Basically what this system does is make certain actions ‘illegal,' and like life if (when) you break these laws you get punished. This punishment can range from not being able to equip a certain item, to being thrown in jail. This doesn't sound THAT bad right?

Wrong. At first it's only one randomly assigned law. But as the game progresses there starts to be more, and more laws that accrue before you battle. I still remember one battle where I was forbidden to use both offensive spells, and my normal attack. Let me tell you how fun it was to beat that one. One simple flick of the power button, and a quick load, and I was back in business. Ultimately the law system detracts so much from the gameplay that it renders this game a purely tedious task to play.

One of the only fun features of this game is the map system. Like Squaresoft did when the made the Legend of Mana, you are able to place game locations on the world map. If placed in specific place special items can be unlocked. It is a neat system, which does add some creativity back into an otherwise lackluster game, but it does not help the overall poor quality the gaming experience. The full motion video introduction really is too long, too dull, and too inconsequential for this game. It drags on, and on, and on. 30 minutes later the game begins. Whoever decided that full motion video enhanced the quality of gaming when applied in large doses was completely wrong. Especially on the GBA. The graphics can't hold your attention long enough, and the story for this game is awful. So when these elements combined into a long FMV sequence the resulting video become disastrously dull. Square Enix would gain a lot by looking back upon their classic SNES titles like Chrono Trigger, and Secret of Mana where the FMV sequences were short, pointed, and usually as a reward for doing something extraordinary. Back then the games were driven by a plot that made the action seem necessary, not action for action's sake.

Story 4/10

I can still remember watching “The Neverending Story” as a child. I would sit with delight at the exploits of Bastian and Atreyu throughout Fantasia. It was one of the quintessential children's films from the 80's, and will go down in history as one of the greatest children's films ever. So when FFTA ripped of the story I was more than a little put out. I remember saying (out loud) “No *&^%ing way!” They have co-opted , hijacked, molested, and abused one of my beloved childhood memories, and that is unforgivable. I mean the least that could have done was rename the game as “The Neverending Story: Tactics Advance.” I would have just settled for Falkor as a playable character—I mean who doesn't want a giant, flying dog cursing around their battlefield?

Of course there'll be a great job system right? Well that's sort of true. FFTA provides a new racial system which does add/force the player to develop a more racially divers squad. But it seems more like Square Enix is trying to teach us how to live in a utopian society, not create a well designed game. This did not add anything to the game. At all. The only thing it served to do is remove the calculator class from FFT, and add a loving tribute to a globalized world. I'm all for having political correctness in a game, I just wish that it had been done right, not some half-assed system that simply panders to a nice sentiment. Look at the opening FMV. There's a kid in a wheel chair, several bullies, a couple of white kids, a couple of racially diverse kids, and an equal blend of boys and girls. To quote the movie Shrek “Dulock is a perfect place,” but this just adds a sense of triteness to an already trivial story.

I never cared about the characters in this game. There was little, to no character development, and the customization of the characters was limited too severely by the racial system. I never really felt like any of the characters were my own creations. They all felt like cute-cookie cutter creatures who wandered around on the screen for no obvious reason. If I had to imagine what God must feel like looking down on humanity, this game would be it. No one really has any purpose in their lives, and neither do the characters in FFTA. So in that sense this game helps us to tap into some deeper reality, but I suspect this existential truth was purely coincidental.

Graphics 8/10

The graphics are well done. The sprites used look great, and the backgrounds are very well designed. The battlefields, while sparse, do provide a crisp feel, with a sharp contrast between lines. I am a fan of the minimalistic approach to the level design the Square Enix embraced. The levels contain enough extraneous terrain, and buildings to keep the levels fresh, while not cluttering up the levels with excessive, and useless crap. These are not the best graphics seen on the GBA, but they look good, and help to add to the overall experience. This may be the only outstanding part of this game, and, sadly, it is far too little to help this game's flaws.

Replay 1/10

I wanted this game to be good. I wanted nothing more than to sit down with my GBA and sink 100 hours into this game. I wanted to get dumped by my girlfriend because I was engrossed in a spectacular game, and would forget to go out. I wanted this game to succeed. Perhaps I set up expectations that this game developer was incapable of delivering on. I think that this game just failed because Square Enix has lost its creative vision, favoring experimental ideas. It is good to keep pushing the envelope, but it is also important that a development team tests its games with a knowledgeable community. So much of this game could have been fixed with some very simple game tweaks, but, sadly Square Enix just isn't Squaresoft, and FFTA has become, as said earlier, the bastard-stepchild of FFT. The 50 hours that it took me to beat this game, are 50 hours of my life that would have been better spent hitting myself with a hammer, or watching Ally McBeal; it is all time that I will never get back again, and I blame Square Enix for that failure.

Ultimately the story gets in the way of the gameplay, and the gameplay gets in the way of the story. It is a vicious circle, which collapsed in upon the weight of the expectations for this title. Perhaps that is what triggers such abject rage in my soul over this game, perhaps this game is just bad. I am not sure. Despite the welcome existential reflections I cannot bring myself to violate the game slot of my new Classic NES GBA SP with this game. I will leave my violated cobalt SP with the memory of being violated by this atrocity. Suffice it to say, I have no intentions of playing this game ever again.

Overall 4/10

In case my opinion of this game has not come through in any portions of the above review let me state one more time that I feel that this game is an utter waste of everything that is good within a game. The thousands of copies of this game ought to be rounded up and burred alongside the millions of copies of ET which are burred somewhere in an obscure portion of the Arizona desert. I understand that may people did like this game, but I simply ask this question: How? In the end, this game is another failed development attempt from the Square Enix conglomerate. Square Enix needs to step up to the plate and join the development community with something truly cutting edge. They did great work with Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy X-2 and XI, but they have failed in nearly every other attempt that the have made. Perhaps it would behoove them to sit back and reminisce on what made their games for the SNES and PSone great. Stop trying to trade graphics for gameplay, and stop trying to provide full motion video in place of a good story-driven game.

This game is proof of Square Enix's decline in both quality, and creativity. Maybe one day Square Enix with climb back to the top, but if they continue in their ways, game developers like Nippon Ichi, and Atlus will force them out of the gaming market forever. And if they continue in the direction that they've been heading, they deserve it. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance all but stole its story, introduced horrendous new gameplay elements, and destroyed one of the most beloved titles in gaming. Everyone responsible for this project should feel an immense amount of shame for their rolls in this debacle, I personally would like an apology from Square Enix. Sadly, this will never happen. I am afraid that nothing can really resurrect the decaying hulk that is Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 06/15/04