Why Final Fantasy Tactics is the best game you never played
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 2 окт 2024
- In this Final Fantasy Tactics Review episode we're diving back into the heyday of 1997-98 when Squaresoft were riding high off the back of Final Fantasy VII, and developing a number of unique entries that both continued and departed from their celebrated JRPG genre.
Become a patron alongside these fine individuals by checking the link below:
M!
Eastern Fox
Leo L
Durian A'l
James T
You can become a Patron here:
/ gamediscourses
or show your support with a coffee:
ko-fi.com/game...
---------------------------
The appropriately titled Final Fantasy Tactics is a chess-style tactical TRPG that has a story leaning heavily into politics, social class, and Medieval style Shakespearean tragedy focused on the strained friendships of Ramza Beoulve and Delita Heiral, who exist across the class divide.
With the War of the Lions almost certainly inspired by England's famous Wars of the Roses, this Final Fantasy Tactics retrospective considers the gameplay, story and setting; and how these features combine to create one of Square's most successfully ambitious titles of the latter 1990s.
Final Fantasy media shown is © Square Enix
Here we'll focus on
The Final Fantasy Tactics Story
War of the Lions and the need for a Final Fantasy Tactics Remake
the Delita Heiral story
Ramza and Delita as friends and anti-heroes
The Ramza beoulve story
War of the Roses and English history as influences
Thank you for supporting Alleyway Jack
#gamediscourses #finalfantasy #finalfantasytactics
Thanks for watching If you enjoyed the episode please consider subscribing to support the channel. If you'd like to support the channel further you can do so here:
- Patreon: www.patreon.com/gamediscourses
- Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/gamediscourses
Alternate title: "Why Final Fantasy Tactics is the best game you've played several times over"
Imo, its the only FF with true replayability
@@jasonwilson4283 I'd say FF5 is there too, since it refined the mix-and-match job system that FFT goes on to use a 3rd time.
I never replayed this one. ogre battle was definitely replayed though
@@garrettstickel1189 I played Tactics Ogre for the first time when it got the 2010 remaster on Steam. Wished I played it sooner.
Replayed in each remake. PSP one I even deleveld-releveled characters to min-max for some of the multiplayer missions. When ninja speed agrias with a max HP pool came out with x2 knight swords, my friend: 'that's a beast.... I didn't do anything'
Final Fantasy Tactics Has My Favorite Story In The Entire Final Fantasy Series.
It's in my Top 3 for story for sure 🙏
@@AlleywayJack which game’s stories do you prefer?
You might like FFXII then. It's set in the same world (Ivalice). Story is pretty compelling as well.
Love FF... But Tactics Is my favorite
@@beanlegume9965 I rate most of them highly, but have particular regard for the Ivalice games, FF8, and FF10
I'VE PLAYED TACTICS; WHO SAYS I HAVEN'T!?
Excited for future episodes on this game
You can really tell that the story was written by a politics major.
How was Igros?
"...And why you need to play tactics ogre next".
This is the comment.
I did it the other way around lol
Not only have I played it, I took the time to get every hidden character and got 100% of the treasure hunter items in Midlight's Deep and the hidden summon from Midlight's Deep's boss on the PSP version. Such a good game.
I did this on PSX my 2nd playthrough, when the internet was fresh and yahoo was the king of search engines.
@@jonnyjazzz Midlight's Deep is PSP exclusive (I stand corrected) It's 10 (iirc) pitch black levels and to get the Treasure Hunter items you have to land on predetermined spots on each map that would normally be traps and you have a chance to get a common or rare item. Enemies can also spring these traps making the items impossible to get. It took hundreds of resets to get the stars to align to beat enemies to EVERY treasure AND get every rare item with no +movement abilities. It's easily the most time and RNG intensive video game achievement I've ever managed in my 41 years.
@@dirtyfrench2926 Oh. Which is end-game area where it's optional and you find exclusive items on the floor with move-find? That's what I recall.
@@dirtyfrench2926 Ah I looked it up. It's called Deep Dungeon. That's what I thought you were talking about.
@@dirtyfrench2926 Ok last reply to you. I looked into this further. Midnight's Deep on the PSP is just Deep Dungeon renamed. It uses the same 10 level layout. Could be small differences to items found, etc, but I didn't want to waste any more time on this. Now you are educated.
I only heard of Tactics by reputation, but the way you outlined the narrative and its parallels with British history was incredibly fascinating! Definitely a great analysis. :3
Glad you enjoyed it :) I do recommend giving it a go one day. Hopefully a remaster and/or further ports will come down the line so its more widely available.
@@AlleywayJack I played the slowdown patch version of FFT:WotL on PPSSPP. I turned resolution upscaling on x5, messed with some postprocessing options, and basically remastered the game. I was blown away with how HD it looked.
I remember the first time I played this game I was on the second fight as Ramza in the past days. I ended up using the rush/dash command on a person on the roof and knocked them off for extra damage, and THAT was the moment I fell in love. I’ve tried to do that again on that same battle but never been able to do it again (on that battle specifically)
I wish Matsuno would cook again
I wish he would make a new game
@@cidfacetious3722 We'll never see how the Ogre series start or end :/
We'll never get the FFT Delita campaign :(
I remember getting FFT shortly after FFVII, only 11 years old and unfamiliar with the concept of spinoff titles. I was very drawn into the game, and felt immense guilt when I saved after losing Mustadio in battle not realizing it was permanent. I love it though.
Funny enough though I kept wondering several hours into the game "When can I freely walk about these towns and areas?" because I enjoy being able to talk to NPCs, but I eventually accepted it for what it was.
BTW, Reis is underrated.
I also first played it at a similar time and age. Initially I didn't fully appreciate/understand the gameplay because I also expected something like FF7, but the story always grabbed me and it became one of my favourites in the series.
Beowulf is one of my favorite characters from that quest line and I use him a lot when I've benched Cid.
7 for my very first FF and Tactics not long after 😹 Took forever to beat it finally. I did enjoy how the random battles scale with your level in WotL. Still remember the original though. I can't tell you how many times I had to replace the disc 😹
I absolutely loved this story. Experiencing it as a teen, and then over again as an adult was incredible.
At first, i just went along not analyzing any of the story.
Then my eyes were opened to the various plots, and i was upset that i didn't just join with weigraf from the beginning.
FFT is the quintessential tactics game its gameplay and system have been imitated but never reproduced, simply there’s never been a tactics game made after that’s even come close to replicating how well the system works. Also it’s debatably the best story out of all the final fantasy games and eclipses most other rpgs as well. Obviously I’m a bit bias but if you can give me a tactics game that better than this I’d love to hear it and before anyone says “fire emblem” no fire emblem can’t hold a candle to FFT
What about tactics ogre? Not arguing but I've never played either and am thinking of picking that up first, I also heard that we're getting a fft remake but not fully sure
You discuss this game very eloquently. You use of the word “analog” is very articulate.
My esteem for this game has only gone up with time. Every element has aged so well.
Looking forward to hearing more of your thoughts on this gem!
I grew up on FFT it was my favorite game. I smashed it hard. It was so flexible what could be done with your characters and had so much replay value. My friends and i always wanted ehrgeiz which never saw US release.
Also loved the legend of mana which was made to be replayed.
Also had secret of evermore on SNES.
I've got that FFXII Zodiac Age picture framed on my wall 3:35
I still have the og strategy guide for it.
Joke's on you, played it back when it was new, and many times through the yeats
Respect 🙏
My favorite game of all time. Think my dream game would be something like FTT's tight presentation and story, but much harder to break and game with grinding or certain classes. Not seen anything that's quite there though.
A LOT of people have played this by now.
Followup... Do you think the remake is coming out for FFT? if so, will it have a more FF7 Remake note to it or will it be more of a FFT WotL feel?
I need to be able to play this on current Gen console I miss this game so much
Gameplay lacks a lot of QoL features, even in the PSP port.
I'm doing a live stream playthrough of this now!
Played it , loved it.
BUT:
TACTICS Ogre is better in pretty much every facet.
Story is pretty even,
Gampelay -slight edge to Tactics Ogre
Replayability - Tactics ogre absolutely crushes FFT
You’re out of your mind on the replayability
The class combinations in FFT are far superior
@@starlyghtdrifter66 how many endings and narrative changes happen based on your choices in FFT?
@@dassadec story isn't the only reason to replay a game.
I mean, I played both the PS1 and PSP versions...
Final Fantasy Tactics is the FF game I have to tell every FF fan to play, because inevitably, they have not played it lmao.
Yessss I just did another playthrough on iOS. So good
It looks good, but I’ve tried to get into it and just can’t. I find the tactical battle style to be atrociously boring, and since that’s the bulk of what you do in the game, it just isn’t for me. But I didn’t comment just to trash your beloved media, friends. I came to say thank you to the uploader for this video, because you have given me further understanding and context for why people love it, while showcasing beautiful scenes from the game for all our enjoyment. So thank you.
You bring an interesting point:
I remember getting this game way back when & thought it was amazing.
Introduced it to a friend &
he immediately wrote it off as boring.
It was funny;
he would play FF7 & 10 to completion.
What I realize now is that FFTactics is immensely tied to its menus.
The numbered titles would do this too, but Tactics would require you to write a dissertation before having fun with its mechanics.
Pick character, move him, select ability, attack from the sides or back to maximize your success rate, etc, etc.
It’s a lot to ask for someone playing a game for “fun”.
But, if you got it, there’s so much to like.
Great story, great music, near infinite possibilities to build your team to your liking.
@@genericsavings I appreciate your civility! You don’t see that much in the comments section of YT, especially those involving gamers. You comment in the same way I do: you lay out your points persuasively (but without confrontation), with hopes for starting a meaningful, fruitful conversation. It’s endearing to see there are other thoughtful gamers out there.
Will I play tactics because of your argument? Maybe, maybe not. For sure you’ve got me considering it more than ever before 😁
@@mickwritesmauiyou’re welcome.
😊
While I strongly urge you to play it,
I understand why it’s a hard sell.
Speaking for myself; I work for a living & have responsibilities.
There was a gaming YTer that brought up this exact point.
You work & have kids; you have to “work” for your entertainment?
Easy to do when you don’t have bills or a mortgage. ;)
Great game. Second only to Tactics Ogre
man if Square would let some of their older titles onto PC I would be so happy. I ended up emulating FFT: WotL recently because I gave up hope on Square
hole up whipper snapper. I played and beat this game 14 times throughout my life.
It was my favorite game of all time for a long time. One of only a handful of games I have 100+ hours playing. Vandal Hearts also had me hooked at the time.
Now Vandal Hearts is an underrated masterpiece. The one thing I hate about it is that it uses the phase based combat mechanic rather than turn based. Meaning you move all your characters then they move all theirs. I hate that style.
In FFT and Tactics Ogre if I don't take an action, that character will get their next turn faster.
Yeah tactics is great. Love the game. Just about perfect if pnly the final boss leveled with the playable characters like the rest of the enemies.
Really wish more people were into it when the rerelease ear of the lions was out. Always wanted to play the co op missions they added.
Yeah ff tactics definitely had a very interesting story with so many different plans working in tandem and goals that align in one moment then switch in another
Like Fe genealogy of the holy war and asoiaf
The story kinda turns to garbage after the first 2 or 3 chapters, but the foundations are very strong. What started as a complex political drama that dealt heavily in social classes turned into a generic search for maguffins so you can kill god b/c the church is the bad guys all along. (I will admit the writing moment to moment is excellent though)
Triangle Strategy for me is an upgrade in nearly every respect (but especially in story and characters)
I understand preferring Tactics combat if you like customizing and breaking your army, but I actually like TS better there too, where every character is a different tool and you need to pick the right tools for the conditions of every battle
Having finished the video now, and I kinda stand by what I said. I haven’t played the game in quite a while (first and last time back on psp), and I’d gladly revisit it, but I do think TS surpassed it in all the ways I care about.
I don’t know if TS is quite so entrenched in real history as FFT, but it (the world, story, characters) felt more real to me when I played it, no history lesson needed.
Whereas much of the world building of Tactics (rumors about the king for example) were disregarded by my adult brain as I struggled to keep on top of a complicated plot that disappointingly boiled down to “the church is evil; collect the magic stones”.
I’m not saying the plot is stupid or shallow (clearly from this video it isn’t), but if that’s the retention of the average player who doesn’t know everything about the war of the roses, that’s a shortcoming. Perhaps I’ll get more out of it next time I play it (hoping for a switch port this year)
Not so much. The Saint was easy to defeat. One of the few with a set level. When one of the stones resurrects that one character ramza even points out that the stones can do good but are too easily corrupted by man. That's like the solid proof at least to him that what the church is doing is just selfish manipulation. Plus the corrupted saints real power would have been people believing and not rising up. As ramza and some.buddies take the evil Saint down. Easy.
For once the theming of fighting against the systems of control the game had were seen the whole way through . they didn't really change the theme just added a fun fantasy story behind it.
Yes they wanted to use the stones to produce miracles to bolster belief. But ramza and a few mercenaries kinda dismantled the while super powered orgization from the shadows. If he didn't then it's likely the monarchy would have risen up and I could see it doing like history and having the monarchs split off to make their own. Version. Of the church that doesn't listen to that version and allowed more social freedoms.
Kinda weird to think. But ramza stopping the churches plot might have actually helped them maintain power longer oddly as they had no choice but to give up the power grab and maintain relations with the nobles.. course we don't have a sequel to find out if that is the case but given its parallels with history it would seem the likely course of things.
I only played final fantasy tactics advance and it is one of my all time favorite games.
This game was my jam in highschool
I played it back in 1997. Still one of my favorite games of all time.
A foolish miscalculation.
It looks like an old painting 🖼
I own the psp version but it’s pretty daunting and challenging. I like tactics games like fire emblem but the class system in this game makes it hard to know what you should focus on. Any tips?
Not sure if this is a good way to do things, but let your curiosity guide you. Don't worry about the "should", as there's a world of options. You start out with just a few jobs, and if you're a fan of the genre you already kind of know how they work. The skills you purchase are used with your current job, but can also be used in the secondary job skills slot, so it's all about building characters that appeal to you.
For example, the Knight has skills to break armor, shields, weapons, and helmets. If you buy those and then later on change jobs to an Archer, by using Knight skills as your secondary abilities you can break enemy gear from a distance. If you unlock the Ninja job, they attack twice per turn. So the Knight skills as a Ninja gives you twice the chance to break enemy gear.
By starting with simple jobs, you can build them to your liking, then change to something else. Don't worry about maxing out jobs - just get the skills that appeal to you. A Chemist makes a great White Mage, as you can use healing items if you run out of MP. Changing to a Monk or a Summoner after White Mage can give some good offense and provide different healing abilities as well.
As you level up a job, make sure to check the job change screen. It'll tell you what level you need to have certain jobs at to unlock new jobs.
It's just one of those games that I'd recommend playing through (at least) twice. If you go in trying to know everything so you can play a perfect game, you're going to have a bad time. If you go in with the idea that you're going to learn as you go, it's actually pretty easy to figure out the main mechanics and make a party that really works with your personal play style. Don't get bogged down in the details and just dive in!
@@SkeletroyCounterpoint. Dragoons only. Nothing but dragoons. A team full of dragoons. Rain death from above. Our spears shall blot out the sun. Dragoons = best class. 10/10
I mean if you really want to you could finish the game with just a party of Squires. I've seen it done xD
Challenging?
Literally just unlock ninja, learn their support ability, put it on a monk. You've just broken the game. Want to break it more? Now give them time magic, mana shield, and manafont. That unit will carry you until you get Cid. Cid will carry you through any story battle from then on.
First play through on this game if you new to the system. The game had a good difficulty. If you know this game well though. It becomes a little to easy. I just beat the game again and my main non special characters ran through the final two bosses like butter. My ying yang user was hitting the final boss for over 600 with just life drain. Lol. With Ramza hitting over 700 with the Excalibur. Lol. And my Lancer with hits over 400 and jumps hitting over 500. idk why the final boss was so weak.
Grinding/cheesing ability/character levels forever ruins this game
Ehh really only when you get to the final boss battle. The enemies leveling with you kept it interesting up until that battle.
@@mikepen0287 i specifically dont like how you spend 70% of the game doing suboptimal/cheesey moves to level your characters. Or using classes you dont like just to get access to the one you actually want to play.
This was a fun listen, though I can tell I'm not the target audience because all of those names you listed that you were sure 90% of gamers would know by heart I'd never heard of. In fact, I think the only game designer I know by name is Yasumi Matsuno, and Akihiko Yoshido is the only video game artist whose style I can recognize. I think, in my mind, it's always felt like it's an unofficial Ogre Battle Saga game rather than a Final Fantasy game, though it lives in both franchises seamlessly.
You forgot Kefka in your angelic/divine antagonists enumeration of FF characters. Listen to Dancing Mad final movement if you have any doubt. Or just look up a picture of Kefka as the final boss.
Honestly I was firmly in the camp of hating Delita w/ a passion for a long time. After all that shit we went through in the game to protect Ovelia just for him to kill her in the end pissed me off so much. After beating the original game and loving it, I wanted nothing more than a sequel to come out where I got to go beat his ass into the ground for betraying Ramza's (aka my) trust like. Unfortunately all we ever got was those GBA spinoffs and some truly bizarre (imho) re-imaginings of Ivalice in some of the other FF games. Never a true return to this world. Fortunately I recently learned that the director of the game stated that Ovelia didn't actually die in last scene and was only incapacitated and mildly injured there and that Delita felt really bad about what happened. Though that is certainly not what it looks like happens in the game, I am happy to incorporate that into my headcanon. With this revelation, I have softened a bit on his character. I still would love a true sequel, but now I just want to go knock some sense into his head instead of wanting to outright kill him.
But I did play it.
This game is ass
all i want is FFT remade in HD2D 😭 or a proper sequel
For me it's a fight between FF6 and FFT for top spot absolutely love both games. Such excellent story telling and gameplay. These 2 games are one of the very few games i can play over and over again and enjoy each play through.
My favorite TacticalRPGs : FFT, Wasteland 3, Fire Emblem 3 Houses and Disgaea 1.
I still need to play Jagged Alliance 2&3, Unicorn Overlord, and Triangle Strategy
FFT has long been one of my favorite FF games. And I also think that while the 2D sprites/3D backgrounds in games like FFT and Xenogears might have made them seem less graphically "advanced" when they released, they've actually held up far better than the games that did the opposite in that generation (upscaling mods and such aside)
This title is half right, today its one of if not my favorite game, I played it when I was super young on my dads ps1, It may have even been the first video game I ever played, I even still have the original ps1, disk, and controller I played it on nearly 14 years ago.
I have a disc with a weird problem that I assume is due to a barely detectable scratch. It is playable but all of the CGI cutscenes glitch out and wait their full runtime before the game resumes. I saw them on my first playthrough but so much time later I'm struggling to even remember what happened. It is a one of a kind and brilliant game though. I probably sunk nearly 1000 hours into it in high school.
Funny how you make a link between the name Beoulve and the hero Beowulf, and not talking about the FFT characters Beowulf and his fiancée Reis (the "dragon" you were looking for ;) )
Who never played it. I bought the original the day it came out. Tacticd ogre was so amazing i knee FFT was going to be just as good. You can keep all the other ff games except 6 but tactics will always be the best FF game
This game got a sequel, tactics advance, my first tactical game, then SMT devil Survivor came along a few years later and cemented me and TRPGS
Yup, no one ever played FFT. Probably because it's a pretty obscure franchise from a small indie dev that few people know of ;)
What a cute title, especially considering the version you went with for your thumbnail.
Basically I’m old, still play this on a ps1 every now and then, and I feel a need to say this on every fft video that pops up to me.
Great video.
imo you focused too much on the political story that’s really just a vehicle for the god killing part. This game has more in common with fear and hunger or Elden ring than game of thrones.
I remember the first time I played this game I was on the second fight as Ramza in the past days. I ended up using the rush/dash command on a person on the roof and knocked them off for extra damage, and THAT was the moment I fell in love. I’ve tried to do that again on that same battle but never been able to do it again (on that battle specifically)
It's a great game, I played it, and beat it on Ps1, plus I have it on Psp.
Tactics has the most real and spiritual stories ever. In the game and also the ones who made it. It was a God sent.
Never played? Bro I died in FFT war of the lions on my PSP more times than there are people that exist on this planet.
probably the most well known srpg of all time, but "never played". ok.
If you told me Tactics was the best FF game in the series I wouldn't stop you.
The PSP got the best version of this game and Tactics Ogre. We didn't know how good we had it.
If only for the super tiny text it's hard to appreciate it (coming from someone who wears glasses that is)
Me watching this despite having FFT in my top 10 favorite games ever:
I feel so attacked, i played this when it came out , such a great spin-off , along with Vagrant Story.
Squaresoft were one of the best companies in the 90s, with all their RPG hits
Hit after hit, year after year. 90s Square was something else.
I own and played the original game even got the official and unofficial strategy guides
"Never played?" They're hardly obsure, and have loads of fans to this day.
I want to try it but I'm just not into tactical RPG. There's only one I played to the end.
There was this one battle I couldn't beat for hours. Then the next day I was like fk it. Lets give it a go. The battle with the hydras the behemoth and that magic gun user with the big gap in the middle of the field. And then Cid hit dude with a critical strike and one shot him first round. And I laughed so fking hard.
You had Cid and a story quest gave you difficulties?
Berzerk plays a large role in the inspiration of Tactics. Deleita is Griffith
i loved fftactics more after playing ffxii.
Which final fantasy tactics though? There’s several of them
Bagpipes themselves are of Celtic origin, not british. Btw
Best game you never played? This is clearly a zoomer speaking
If you want to see more on this game check out my series! I’m playing through it right now
“Why Final Fantasy is the Best Game You’ve played at least 50 times”
Just wanted to chime in that it's even better with mods. Play it Vanilla and then try a mod or 2 out!
White Rose and Red Rose…Yu-Gi-Oh! Dualist of the Roses anyone?
When it comes to story this is the best Final Fantasy IMO. Can’t wait for the remake 😮.
I agree, hands down best story for me
@@AlleywayJack I really enjoyed the Saint Ajora “Jesus” and Germonic “Judas” thing. I can tell the writer has really studied the Nag Hamadi Scriptures and the war of the roses using them as inspiration for the game.
Shut up, I played it so many times. :D
No youre wrong, FFT is the best game i've ever played
its a great game. great music sound track my favorite game over all.
I played it after nine when I was a kid I remember being hard for me as a child
The only character in this game you can truly hate is algus I think it’s kind of brilliant that the story tells you about someone who isn’t given any credit for their actions and are in fact vilified even though without them the world would be a very different place. It makes you think of all the unknown soldiers actions that have shaped our world that we’ll never know. History is written by the victors yes but history is written in a way that doesn’t mention those who had more of an effect on it than we’ll ever know because it doesn’t benefit those in power. How. Many unsung hero’s are there that we may never know about?
Tbh Dycedarg’s pretty hateable as well, as is Rafa’s stepdad ( I cannot remember his name)
@@RaineyDaysStudio he wasn't Rafa's stepdad, he was their foster father (though really he was their kidnapper and her r@pist).
He went to their village to get their special abilities and when he was refused he razed their village to the ground and pretended to show up just in time to save them.
@@Tengokuchi Aye that's the one, but tbf he was Rafa's daddy regardless (ugly joke I know)
Any SRPG fan has played FFT, lol
FFT is the Best game I played through completely three times.
I want you to know I disliked the video because the video title displays a trend that needs to stop.
STOP ASSUMING WHAT YOUR VIEWER HAS AND HASN'T PLAYED/SEEN/DONE/ETC!!!!
On one hand I agree with you and I hate this type of titling because it's obviously provocative and not a genuine assumption I hold.. But on the other hand this is an episode I originally put on the channel 5 years ago as 'ff tactics retrospective', I've simply reuploaded it with better audio and a controversial title, and it's had double the engagement in 2 months that the original has had in 5 years... so that's youtube for you.
@@AlleywayJack Fair, I guess. At least you agree with me.
But I have played it. Many times.
This is the only game ive played for the last thirty years
this is a fantastic analisis, of a fantastic game. great job.
Brilliant line when you said that Ramza and Delita share an ambivalent space. While neither one of them are low born, they aren’t exactly part of the upper caste either.
Wat? Delita IS low born and Ramza is one of the noble houses. Ramza's nobility is one of the main sources of conflict in the first chapter and Delita's low born status is literally his motivation for everything he does.
I think you need to play this game through again and actually read the dialogue.
I would play it if they weren't stuck in ancient (handheld) consoles. Should release in PC.
Agree, would love to see it on Steam
i have played it to completion several times already
ooooooh I’ve played it…..so many times….
I love Fft, it's one of my favorites.