Final Fantasy Tactics Advance

"A light-hearted story where a deep one isn't needed."

Most people going out to buy Final Fantasy Tactics Advance have probably spent countless hours with the original Final Fantasy Tactics for Playstation, and they probably loved it. If this is you... stop. This game is in no way related to Final Fantasy Tactics except for that it has a similar name. The gameplay is similar, but also very changed.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance is more of a children's game it would seem. The graphics are more "cute" and the storyline is a lot more basic, with the sad or dramatic events are things such as being bullied by classmates. If you're a die-hard fan of the original, deep, mature story of Final Fantasy Tactics, you might be quite disappointed in Tactics Advance.

Without being compared to other games, Tactics Advance is really not that bad of a game. While it is nowhere near living up to the original Tactics, on its own it proves to be a fun game that can keep you busy if you give it the chance.

So, let's take it apart.

Gameplay

The battle system is a typical grid/tactical RPG setup, where you take turns moving your characters depending on the speed and making attacks that have defined ranges. There are a few more strange things added to this game that Tactics fans might be annoyed with, too. The absence of the Zodiac system and things is disappointing, but it also doesn't play a role in the story.

The job system has been complicated a bit by added races. There are now five different races, each with its own style, jobs, and abilities. There are humans, who are well-rounded, the hard-hitting fighters Nu Mou (which look like some kind of lizard dogs), the fast and agile Viera (bunny girls), the magically powerful but physically weak Nu Mou (some kind of elephant thing), and the pathetically wimpy Moogle (a now-bunny-looking thing). Each race has their own set of jobs specific to that race only. Instead of buying new units at the barracks or something, randomly a unit will offer to join your clan at the end of a battle.

The game focuses heavily on "clans," which are groups of units much like yours. There are "clan wars," which basically means an excuse for random battles. Though a few clans have a small part in the story of a sidequest or two, clans don't do much but challenge you to a random battle if you bump into them.

To learn a new ability, you must equip a weapon that teaches that ability to that character (very similar to Final Fantasy IX's system of ability learning). I loved doing this in Final Fantasy IX, but there are some flaws with using it for this type of game. You change jobs, so when you have changed to a new job, you have to start over at the weakest weapons and armor to make sure you learn the new abilities.

The game map is set out with little dots that you travel across like in Tactics, but now instead of staying dots, you place locations on top of them as you discover them. This is actually very interesting, as setting certain locations in certain orders could win you a Treasure Hunt, in which you could go pick up hidden items from your new locations.

The battles are set out in Missions. You go to the pub to ask the bartender if there are any new missions (clans also hang out in pubs). You pay to take the mission, and upon completing it, you get money and prizes. Sounds simple? Well, the entire game is nothing but missions, which can get annoying in the beginning. If a mission is labeled with "no cancellations," that means the story will progress when you take it.

Missions range in price according to difficulty. There are also "dispatch missions," in which you let one of your clan units leave for a while, and when you've met the requirements (wait so many days/move so many spaces, battle a certain number of battles, defeat a certain number of enemies) they will come back. Depending on how fit that unit was for the job, you will either pass or fail the mission. The normal missions are just battles that you must go to (sometimes it is not disclosed exactly what location the battle is taking place in, and you'll have to guess by clues given). Sometimes missions have a time requirement, so you have to get to them quickly (but usually it doesn't take that long to get to it.)

The actual difficulty of this game is not as easy as people claim. A skilled RPG fan who have played games with class systems like this before will have no problem at all. You should be able to play through without much trouble. But for a casual RPG player or someone who's just not that good at them, the game provides a decent challenge. The enemies are always weak, and bosses don't do much, but the challenge lies in how you'll decide to raise your units.

Story

A lot of people hate Final Fantasy Tactics Advance for its horrid storyline. Honestly, I can't agree that it's that horrible, but I can't say that it's that great, either. When Marshe and his friends read a strange book at his house, he finds himself in a strange world in the middle of the night. Strangely, this world looks and feels exactly like his favorite computer game: Final Fantasy (yeah...)

The story follows not only Marshe, but his friends: Mewt, the passive kid bullied every day at school, embarrassed of his father; Ritz, the crabby girl who is also teased at school every day; and Doned, Marshe's little brother who is very sickly and needs a wheelchair.

While none of the characters provide much depth, they do develop over the course of the game. Marshe is intent on finding his friends and finding a way home. Not all of them have that same intention. The places you find each friend are also very intriguing, and it's fun to watch the story of each develop. Though none of them are deep or serious stories at all. The ending was well done, and open enough for you to still wonder what happens after it.

The storyline may not be as deep or serious as other Final Fantasy games, but it isn't bad. For a lighthearted story in a lighthearted world, it executes very well. Plus, the game is a handheld, not a console game that you're going to be sitting down to get into. It's something to carry around with you and play through. And for this, the "shallow" story is perfect.

Graphics & Sound

FFTA has pretty good graphics for the GBA. The animations and things are all smooth, with the exception of summons, which look a little strange (though they're a little better than FFT's cutouts that floated around.) The monsters are cute, and everything is very detailed. The graphics are a definite plus for this game, even if they do have a cute or childish feel to them. The bright colors and smooth figures fit the game's not-the-most-serious storyline well, and they show vividly and clearly on the GBA. You can also alter the graphics mode depending on your preference (which also is helpful depending on whether you're playing on your GBA, GBA SP, or your GCN's GameBoy Player).

The sound is where this game really shines. The soundtrack to the game is amazing, and some of the music is worth taking some time out to listen to. If you liked FFT's music, you'll like this. The music is cheerier and livelier, but it's still the same good music. I liked it enough to fin<d the soundtrack! The sound effects are also nice, if simple, and the screams made at death are a little better than the ones from Tactics. I really shouldn't compare the games as they are so different, but it's a way to understand what I'm talking about.

Replay

The replay value of FFTA is amazing. If you like the game and get to the ending, you'll be glad to know that you can continue playing. With 300 missions and tons of items and abilities to find and unlock, you'll spend countless hours playing. Even the main game took be almost sixty hours to complete (I like to take my time and do as much as I can before I finally decide to beat it). If you do decide to play into all 300 missions, be prepared to go into the 90+ hour mark, and be prepared for some cool surprises as you get farther into the game. Not only can you continue completing missions after you've finished the game, but you get to dig even deeper into the story and develop the characters a bit more. FFTA is one of the most replayable games I know. It can keep you busy forever; however, once you've completed all 300 missions and gotten all the items and abilities that you wanted, you probably won't have a reason to continue. But when does an RPG leave you unsatisfied by giving you 100 hours of fun?

Overall

Overall, I think Final Fantasy Tactics Advance was a good game. It of course wasn't the best game I have played, but it kept me well entertained and hooked for a long time. I was attached to the cute characters, and their small amount of development without getting to serious or deep (it is a handheld, after all) was very fun for something that I played before classes or while I was getting ready to sleep. It was actually fun enough that I set aside time in each day to lay in my bed and play hours of FFTA... though a lot of games do this to me.

If you like this type of battle system, this is a fun game. If you're looking for a really deep storyline, you might not be as satisfied with FFTA. As with just about any game, I think you should pick it up and give it a chance. If you don't like it, sell it or give it to a friend. It's not a waste of money to try something new, even if you don't like it.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 05/23/05