final fantasy tactics review
Test: Final Fantasy TacticsAppearing in the early 90s with titles as emblematic as Fire Emblem, Langrisser or Shining Force, the genre of tactical-RPG quickly gained popularity with a Japanese and American audience already fond of traditional role-playing games. In addition to the big names just mentioned, a series has made its mark in a particularly remarkable way: Ogre Battle, created by Yasumi Matsuno on behalf of the company Quest. The first installment to appear on Super Nintendo in 1993, The March of the Black Queen surprises the gaming community with its richness and originality. Two years later, Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together arrives on the same medium, which again wins all the votes with the help of an increasingly adult and singular character. It is precisely on the model of the latter that Matsuno and his team, poached by Square following the success of their past productions, envisage an episode of Final Fantasy entirely turned towards T-RPG. This is the genesis of Final Fantasy Tactics.
While the Final Fantasy VII cataclysm had not finished shaking the conscience and shaping its own cult, it took a hell of a dose of audacity to dare to leave in its wake a title of a genre significantly different, more posed and reflexive. A title based on a narration with pronounced sobriety, in flagrant contradiction with the grandiose adventures of Cloud and his companions. Hironobu Sakaguchi, dad of Final Fantasy, however chooses to trust Matsuno and his colleagues and, in fact, Final Fantasy Tactics shares much more in common with the creator's previous games (notably Tactics Ogre) than with any episode of the great saga of Squaresoft published so far. If the game shines on almost all levels, there is one area where it particularly excels: storytelling. So let's start by introducing the background, which turns out to be much darker than Akihiko Yoshida's excellent character design might suggest at first glance. Ivalice, land of power and conflict, struggling to recover from a war of fifty long years having shaken its political and economic foundations, while social misery grows at the same time as the fear of a future which is not announced not much brighter. The struggle for power opposes two eminent military leaders and revolves around a heiress to the throne implicated despite herself in a situation that exceeds her. This is how a new conflict begins, much more hidden and insidious than the open war which has barely ended, that between the Black Lions and their White counterparts.
Like Final Fantasy XII, whose intrigue takes place in the same universe (but at a different time), the story is told through the documented chronicle of a modern historian who strives to shed light on the past events. The player thus takes in hand the destiny of Ramza Beoulve (forgotten from the story whose actions seem however to have changed the course) and sees him at first evolving alongside his childhood friend Delita. Disgusted by the pettiness of the dominant nobility, overwhelmed by an event that causes the death of a person dear to him, the latter comes to separate from our hero in order to carry out at all costs his own ideal of justice. From then on, it is a dark and complex web that will develop progressively throughout the four chapters of the game, involving dozens of characters and whose overall reflection relates to themes as varied as natural law, privileges class or the social function of religion (a subject that Final Fantasy X will approach even more frankly, by the way). It must be seen that FFT is not intended to be consensual or stupidly agreed, on the contrary, it takes a malicious pleasure to disorient the player by means of a mature and anti-Manichean scenario which will leave him no other choice than to involve at the same time as the protagonists he leads. Without however leaving him any option as to the bias of the latter, since the story remains linear and entirely determined, the game offers a medieval fresco whose depth and dramatic intensity are not without evoking some of the greatest Shakespearean tragedies.
About this reference to the huge English playwright, it should be noted that it really takes on its full meaning, not in this original version adapted for the first time for its American release in 1997, but through the PSP version published ten years ago. late which admirably rehabilitates the original text. Wonderfully well written, in the sustained and old-fashioned language which should be that of the game according to its context, this last adaptation obviously outperforms the previous one which had been coarse and approximate to the point of considerably simplifying the very meaning of the dialogues . A height in view of the invaluable narrative wealth that the game contains. Also, if we had to address a single reproach for the title of Matsuno with regard to the scenario, we would certainly point the finger at the second part of the adventure. Indeed, while the issues are initially strictly social or political, magic and fantasy appearing only in small subtle touches, the plot tends to gradually abandon this "realistic" posture to reach many paths more traditional Japanese RPG - with the ultimate stake in the inevitable rescue of the world. However, it should be noted that the whole never falls into ease or the grotesque and easily manages to fascinate from start to finish. For those who would be surprised to count no less than three paragraphs devoted to the history and the universe of the game, let us add that, without going into the details of the course, it seemed necessary to show how these elements are among the most remarkable of the work in question and quite simply constitute one of the two major poles.
The second facet of FFT obviously resides in its combat and evolution system. This Tactics episode shines with a Jobs system inherited from FFIII and FFV, but also from T-RPGs from the Quest era, and simply turns out to be one of the most advanced and exciting there is. Concretely, the game has four distinct and successive phases: preparation, fights, movement on the map and passing through the city. The richness of the system is easily measured by the considerable time spent in the various menus and submenus to equip, organize and improve its group of characters - which can moreover have up to 16 members. Each of them is assigned a particular job, knowing that there are obviously a multitude, from the Squire to the Samurai, including the Dark Magus and the Summoner. Unlocking new trades will require increasing the level of those we already have, which is done regardless of experience level. Each job contains a certain number of specific skills of different natures (combat techniques, response, support and movement) which must be learned by spending Job Points before being activated manually in the menu provided for this purpose. The number of available locations is limited to one per type of skill. The advantage of said learning, in addition to being able to immediately use the skill in question, is above all to acquire it definitively, without taking account of class changes. The player will therefore have to choose between specialization and versatility for each of his fighters so as to be able to handle any situation.
With regard to the actual battles, the first step is to select the units that will take part, generally five in number, as well as their starting location in relation to each other. FFT has a relatively classic turn-based combat system but devoid of action point: the invariable rule is that each unit can, in a single turn, act then move only once (not necessarily in this order ). The frequency of action depends on the speed characteristic of the unit in question, and the player can access the list of upcoming rounds at any time. As in any self-respecting tactical game, the terrain constitutes an essential datum that will have to be analyzed carefully in order to identify roughness, heights and other natural obstacles. Likewise, the presence of aquatic huts, the variable depth of which can be disabling, is a parameter to be taken absolutely into account when developing your strategy, as is - it is obvious - the position and specialty of opposing units. Unlike Fire Emblem where seeing one of his fighters die means losing him definitively, the player has a three-round suspension in FFT in order to revive the victim in one way or another (object , magic ...) before it disappears forever. And it is fortunate because the challenge is clearly up to the task and death is constantly on the lookout. Long and exciting, the fights suffer in truth only from one weakness, unfortunately recurrent and rather boring since it concerns the placement of the camera. The latter's point of view is indeed very often obstructed by this or that element of the decor (building, earth mound ...), and even if the possibility of modifying the perspective according to four angles and raising it slightly attenuates largely this constraint, it is far from dissolving it completely. For the love of the game, however, we got used to it pretty quickly.
Each victory brings us back to the map of Ivalice from where we can access the next destination (combat zones, cities and other places) or go back, for example to cause some random encounters. You should know that the route on the map is automatically drawn and most often unique, which means that the player will a priori have no real leeway as to the procedure to follow. Far from escaping this limitation, cities radicalize it even more since they only offer to visit, and statically (via menus), only a certain number of specific places. The tavern, first of all, keeps you informed of the latest gossip circulating across the province. The stall is the unmissable meeting place for compulsive buyers where they will find in abundance weapons, armor and other objects, in other words the necessities of any budding traveler. In this regard, the allocation of pieces of equipment is carried out in a conventional manner and allows in particular to influence the offensive power, the amount of HP and the dodge value of his characters, knowing that the number and nature of the items that each of them can wear depends on the job currently selected. Finally, it is on the side of the warriors guild that we will have to go and see in order to recruit - for a fee - new warriors who will come to consolidate your little troop. This should not happen too often, however, given the quantity of narrative-important or secondary protagonists that will be offered to you during your adventure. In truth, managing your team becomes problematic as it grows; it will then be a matter of making choices in order to favor a limited number of units on pain of seeing the level of the entire group stagnate.
If Final Fantasy Tactics does not achieve a particularly stunning technical feat, especially after the slap administered by the seventh component a few months earlier, it does however benefit from an overall design just extraordinary. An unforgettable aesthetic that we mainly owe to Hiroshi Minagawa, in charge of the artistic direction, and Akihiko Yoshida, responsible for the impressive gallery of characters. It is also impossible to ignore the exceptional soundtrack of the title, the fruit of a providential collaboration between two big names in video game music. At the end of the day, this first tactical oriented FF is simply a historic service, although it no longer has much in common with the flagship license of its publisher - beyond the name and of some superficial elements. Like what, audacity pays when it combines with talent and authenticity.
The notes
Graphics 14/20
No sparks here, just a sober and elegant visual that goes perfectly with the plot. The arenas in three dimensions, basic but decent, impeccably fulfill their office, while the sprites of the characters prove to be superb and very nicely animated. Some probably expected more from a Playstation still at the start of the cycle and full of all kinds of promises; the fact remains that, taken in such a rich and profound whole, this aspect of the game appears almost secondary. We will especially remember an artistic oozing class touch coupled with a character design like no other.
Gameplay 18/20
Impossible to find fault with the system of trades whose very essence makes it timeless. Regarding the battles, two small criticisms however: the camera, far from being optimal in the state, would have benefited from being much more manageable. On the other hand, it is somewhat regrettable to be able, and to have to abuse the system of gaining experience by using excessively items or spells of low power in order to reinforce its warriors. Finally, some may feel frustrated by the restriction imposed in terms of travel, even if it does not detract from the immeasurable richness of soft software. But whatever, the observation is self-evident and leaves no room for doubt: FFT offers intense and continuous gaming pleasure from start to finish. Point.
Lifespan 18/20
Reinforced concrete. The player will have a lot to do through the four acts that make up the title, especially as the level of difficulty is far from negligible. Then, beyond the desire to start the adventure over for the narrative part alone, a small number of secondary quests (including the one allowing to recruit a certain guest from FFVII) will be available to you at the end of the journey. And for the most persevering, know that perfectly mastering the twenty jobs available even with only one fighter is practically stakhanovism, imagine a whole team ...
Soundtrack 17/20
We must truly pay homage to the composers Hitoshi Sakimoto and Masaharu Iwata for their essential contribution to a masterful narration. The dark and heart-rending story finds a remarkable echo in the melodies with similar colors which adorn the scenes of dialog beautifully. The battles are not to be outdone, sometimes accompanied by epic and luminous flights, sometimes by distressing and dismal complaints; two feelings that are often found in one piece. Noble and subtle music that delights at all times. The only tiny flat to bring, some random combat themes tend to be heard a little too regularly.
Scenario 18/20
It would be unthinkable to ignore the scenario of FFT as it occupies a primordial place in the gaming experience. The tone used here is like the staging: serious, adult and phlegmatic. Perhaps the most remarkable being the simplicity with which this tragedy unfolds, the restraint of its approach. No sentimentality dripping, but a string of sprites at least as inhabited as those of an FFVI and a frame probably punctuated by Apollo himself, god of measure. Please note, however, that this first excursion to Ivalice can only be fully appreciated by us Westerners through a later version published on PSP, translated into the language of Shakespeare in the most beautiful way. In the absence of a French translation ...
Perched at the pinnacle of tactical-RPG since its beginnings in 1997, Final Fantasy Tactics concentrates the best of what a video game is likely to offer. Provided with a deep and mastered history, an unsinkable playful potential and an achievement with powerful charm, this exceptional title immediately enters the pantheon of the most striking works ever generated by the video game media. Such a fairly austere and demanding experience, however, requires a little bit of investment; which appears all the more delicate since all the players are not receptive to this particular genre and more or less marginal - especially in Europe - that is the tactical role-playing game. Despite some camera concerns and a total lack of exploration at the heart of the game design, fans will have found their Holy Grail here.
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