Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles Review – A Modern Remake of a Timeless Classic

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is Square Enix’s attempt to bring one of the most revered tactical RPGs of the late 1990s into the modern era. Originally debuting on PlayStation in 1997, the game carved a legacy defined by its intricate job system, morally complex story, and a level of political intrigue that was rare among role-playing games of its time. The latest version arrives with both reverence for the original and a willingness to make meaningful adjustments, ensuring it is accessible to a modern audience while retaining the qualities that made it a classic.

Ronny Barrier’s review on IGN serves as the foundation for this analysis, highlighting how The Ivalice Chronicles builds on the original’s framework. According to Barrier, this remake strips away the creakiness of the 1990s release while enhancing presentation, usability, and overall quality of life, making it the most compelling way to revisit or discover Final Fantasy Tactics today.

From the opening moments, The Ivalice Chronicles sets its tone by reintroducing players to Ramza Beoulve, a figure fated to be remembered as a criminal while his comrades are celebrated. The framing device of a historian recounting these events adds a mythic quality, pulling the player into a narrative that begins as a story of noble houses and war, only to spiral into conspiracies, supernatural threats, and betrayals. The tale is one of power, corruption, and consequence, and the new translation helps ground these themes far more clearly than the stilted localization of the 1997 release.

Combat remains the backbone of the experience. Each battle unfolds on isometric maps where positioning, terrain, and turn order are critical. The Ivalice Chronicles emphasizes the power of individual units, with its job system offering enormous flexibility. There are 20 jobs to explore, from the expected Knight and Black Mage to unconventional roles like Geomancer and Arithmetician. The latter alone epitomizes the system’s depth, allowing instant-cast spells across the battlefield by leveraging mathematical conditions such as level multiples. It is a system prone to imbalance, but it also rewards creative experimentation.

Barrier notes that progression feels especially rewarding here. Unlike RPGs that pace advancement around finishing battles, Final Fantasy Tactics awards progress with every action. Healing an ally, casting a spell, or even buffing a character nudges them closer to a new skill or class. This approach keeps the grind satisfying, as players can opt to master jobs in a single battle or spread progression across multiple encounters. The remake enhances this with modern UI improvements, making it easier to track progress and set goals.

Difficulty has always been a talking point for the original. The Ivalice Chronicles introduces three selectable difficulty modes, giving veterans and newcomers more control over their experience. Later battles, notorious for their complexity and balance swings, remain intense but are now framed by additional tools that encourage tactical experimentation. Optional content, such as Midlight’s Deep—a multi-level dungeon set in darkness with hidden exits—retains its reputation as punishing content for dedicated players.

Several key issues with the original have been addressed. Localization, one of the most criticized aspects of the PlayStation release, has been vastly improved. The once-stiff dialogue is replaced with prose that reflects the gravity of the narrative. The clunky UI has been retooled for modern screens, offering quick access to essential information like job progression, turn order, and life bars. Convenience features such as retrying battles, resetting moves, fast-forwarding, and toggling random encounters contribute to making the game smoother without altering its essence.

Visual presentation strikes a balance between nostalgia and modernization. The new art style maintains the isometric, toy-soldier aesthetic of the original while adding higher resolution textures and tilt-shift effects. While some purists may yearn for a full HD-2D reimagining in the style of Octopath Traveler, the remake’s canvas-like quality grows more appealing with playtime. Importantly, the original PlayStation version is also included, though swapping requires loading a separate game without save file transfer.

One of the most notable additions is full voice acting. Cutscenes, battle cries, and even death wails are now voiced, adding emotional resonance absent in earlier versions. Nobles speak with formality, peasants with rough dialects, and characters like Rapha benefit from performances that flesh out their personalities. This extends to dynamic conversations triggered by specific party compositions, though not all are equally engaging.

The remake also introduces the “State of the Realm,” a timeline and encyclopedia system that functions similarly to Final Fantasy XVI’s Active Time Lore. This feature organizes the game’s complex web of factions, betrayals, and shifting allegiances into an accessible format, reducing the need to rely on external guides. Combined with streamlined tutorials and quest markers for intricate late-game side quests, these changes make the story’s depth easier to appreciate.

Not every addition is universally successful. The omission of extra content from the PSP’s War of the Lions release, such as new characters and multiplayer, leaves this version shy of being definitive. While some players may miss these elements, Barrier suggests the streamlined approach avoids unnecessary clutter. Likewise, balance issues in the late game persist, especially around the volatility of advanced classes and overpowered characters. These elements remain true to the original’s DNA, for better or worse.

Quality-of-life changes extend beyond battle mechanics. Players can now access job guides, ability summaries, and skill recommendations directly from the interface. The redrawn world map allows players to choose when to engage in encounters, shifting the pace of exploration. Together, these features reduce friction and highlight the design strengths that have kept Final Fantasy Tactics relevant for decades.

Despite some limitations, The Ivalice Chronicles represents a thoughtful and faithful remake. It respects the legacy of Final Fantasy Tactics while making it approachable for new generations. For veterans, it preserves the political intrigue and rich job system that made the original unforgettable. For newcomers, it provides the tools and presentation needed to engage with one of the most celebrated tactical RPGs ever released.

As Barrier concludes, “The next time I come back to replay my all-time favorite video game, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is the version I’ll be reaching for.” That sentiment underscores the achievement of this remake. It may not include everything from every prior version, but by cutting away excess and emphasizing clarity, The Ivalice Chronicles manages to both preserve and elevate a classic.

Check FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles on Steam.

At its core, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles succeeds by remembering why the original mattered. It is a game of political intrigue, moral ambiguity, and tactical mastery, now wrapped in a package that feels relevant without losing authenticity. Square Enix has delivered a remake that validates the legacy of the original and provides a platform for future generations to experience its depth.