Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions

Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions, a remake of the original Final Fantasy Tactics for the Sony Playstation, is a tactical RPG that follows the story of Ramza, a cadet at a time of political unrest. With the current king of Tactics’ world Ivalice recently deceased, two knightly orders struggle against each other for control of the land.

The story then becomes much darker and more mature than other Final Fantasy titles and was the creation of celebrated director Yasumi Matsuno. Fortunately, the language problems from the original Playstation game have been rectified for the PSP. The effect is an incredibly diverse but well spoken cast of characters that will engage the player throughout the epic plot.

Graphically, Final Fantasy Tactics impresses on the PSP, even if the 2D sprites don’t stun like other title’s 3D characters. Having said that – the models look as sharp and detailed as the game needs them to be and each one is given such character that the player will become emotionally attached to even the most obscure soldier for hire. Final Fantasy Tactics depicts the phrase “Elegance in Simplicity” and shows you don’t need top graphics for a top game, although the cell-shaded and fully voiced cut-scenes for the PSP version are very well executed. The one graphical concern is the occasional touch of slowdown which occurs in battle as the game loads special effects and the like; but this is a minor issue.

So what of the gameplay? The majority of Tactics takes place on the battlefield, with players moving from one locale to another using the World Map. On this map players can edit their party, save, view tutorials and visit services of the city they are currently in. The level of party customization is huge, with the player being able to recruit up to 24 soldiers at any one time including beasts which can be used in battle. Each human character is assigned to a “job” with its own unique abilities and with over 20 jobs in total there really is something for everyone. Along with the jobs themselves abilities can be purchased using “job points” earned in battle, which allows a character to use selected abilities from other.

As for the battlefield itself, the player has to choose a selection of team members to put into battle who will then fight on a grid based field alongside AI controlled “guests” and enemies. Combat is in turns based on the characters speed, utilizing the abilities of the different jobs, and even taking into consideration the terrain is vital for success. The battles are unforgiving and the tough difficulty curve forces you to learn quickly – but the consistent challenge accounts for a more rewarding experience when you finally emerge victorious. The main gameplay problem is the camera, which can be moved to see the action from four different angles, but movement isn’t free enough to guarantee a clear view of the entire battlefield, and sometimes the player is forced to guess where his character is moving.

The music is pleasant if forgettable and the sound effects are crisp and appropriate with spot on voice acting for the cut-scenes. Again the camera is a problem in this area as it makes an irritating grinding sound upon movement but this sound can be turned off.
Overall, a couple of minor problems do little to taint this game, and the immersive story, strong tactical gameplay and lovable characters make this one of the premier handheld experiences ever made. Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions is reason enough to buy a PSP – but there is no reason good enough not to play it.

Overall Rating: 10/10