Final Fantasy Tactics Advance Review
The original Final Fantasy Tactics is still my favorite game every made. As such, any sequel, direct or just using the same system, has quite a bit of work to do in order to impress me. For myself, the original Tactics defined both strategy gaming and tactical RPGs, and has been the measuring stick that I place a lot of games within the respective genres of RPG and strategy against. Not too many can really measure up, in my opinion; hence my generally low-sounding opinions on a lot of games.
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, however, does live up to the measure. After 30 hours of play, I find Tactics Advance to be as fun and engaging as the original Tactics was. Despite marked differences between the products, I found the end value of the two to be quite comparable, and the mark of quality that existed on FFT still bears with FFTA.
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, despite the name, is something more of an alternation rather than an advancement. It takes the original Tactic's tried and true system and changes it in a variety of ways to fit a very different story and kind of game. The core mechanics of the game are largely unaltered, thought a considerable number of the finer details have been changed around. In Tactics Advance, armor no longer adds to hit point totals, but rather reflects the amount damage is reduced by. Abilities and jobs no longer progress along their own systems, but have instead been wrapped into weapons and armor. As such, equipment takes on a much higher importance than it did in the original Tactics. In addition, level progression is a bit faster in Tactics Advance, so your forces won't seem eternally stuck at level eight. These changes do not add or detract from the gameplay experience, but in the end they are what allow the game to stand on the same level playing field as the original Tactics and not be considered the same play experience. A few features from the original Tactics are missing in the new version, however, and I sorely miss a couple of them. One is the green indicator showing where a spell or special ability lands. Though I already know by heart how the spells work, I found its absence disquieting, and I'm sure non-veterans would find it frustrating. Another missing feature is the ability to rotate the battlefield to gain a different angle. This didn't hurt my strategems much either, but I was pushing the shoulder buttons uselessly multiple times.
Tactics Advance focuses on a far different plot archetype than its predecessor did. At the start of the game, you are introduced to the major characters, and the tactical battle system, via a snowball fight. This is, by far, one of the cleverest tutorial introductions I've ever seen in a game, and it coincedentally feels much less forced than most games' tutorials. The children, after their snowball fight, all end up at the main character's house, where they begin poring over a magical book. The book, coincedentally, turns their town of St. Ivalice into a fantasy world of the same name. Such a setting provides a much more light-hearted mood than the original Tactics's story of betrayal and war. Tactics Advance as a whole is a much more upbeat game than its predecessor, and seems geared to a different audience than original Tactics. I suppose one might say it seems as though the game was aimed at kids, though I cannot say that put me off at all. Overall the story lacked the complexity and detail of the original Tactics, but was better translated and much less depressing. Though I felt far less mentally stimulated, it was an enjoyable story, and supported the game well throughout.
Asthetically, Tactics Advance is better looking and sounding than its predecessor. The 2D graphics are cleaner and crisper this time around, and also have more fine details. I haven't had a chance to put the game into a gameboy player and compare yet, but I'd say Tactics Advance looks just plain better than original Tactics did. On the grander scale of 2D game art, Tactics Advance looks good without being amazing. It's nothing compared to Legend of Mana or Suikoden II, but it looks good anyhow. Listening to the music of the GBA, however, is a noticeable step down from the sweeping battle music of the original Tactics. One of the aspects of original Tactics that drew me into the game was how good the music was. Good compositions in a fairly good imitation of a real orchestra helped set the scene and emulate the mood. Tactics Advance doesn't fair so well. The compositions are fairly catchy, and much more upbeat than the original's, but the sound quality the GBA had me turning the volume off and just putting on some MP3's in the background. I usually picked some orchestrations of original Tactics for my listening pleasure. I suppose that's more of a gripe at the GBA, but it was one of the few things that detracted from my first run through Tactics Advance.
I've played through Tactics Advance once so far, and I am
intending to play through the game again with a more thorough eye. I skipped a
number of sub-missions, and I have undoubtedly missed out on a ton of easter
eggs and such. If I were to try and compare Tactics Advance with its father
game, I would be inclined to say that the original Final Fantasy Tactics is a
better game; the fact that I can't say so definitively, however, is a clear
indication as to how good a game Tactics Advance is. The game is fun, and worth
far more than the $25 I payed for it, so anyone with a GBA or a gameboy player,
and any taste for turn-based strategy, should definitely pick the game up.
Final numbers:
Replayability - 8/10
Gameplay - 10/10
Characters and Story - 9/10
Graphics - 8/10
Sound and Music - 7/10
Overall score - 9/10