Final Fantasy Tactics Advance was the first Square title to be released for a Nintendo console for almost a decade; since Final Fantasy VI back in 1994. A spiritual sequel to the highly rated Final Fantasy Tactics game, FFTA returns to the world of Ivalice and in terms of gameplay shares many traits with its tactical predecessor. Important to note, however, is that it is certainly not a direct sequel.
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Graphics As you would expect from a Game Boy Advance game, the graphics don't set the world alight. However the use of a three-dimensional isometric grid system used for the battles work rather nicely and while some would not consider them to be terribly impressive, they more than get the job done. There is nice use of colour and Square haven't hesitated from utilising a full palette of colours to make a visually interesting game. The design of the battle environments in particular is worth noting. Despite the limitations of the handheld system, they are relatively impressive and help to construct one of the more vibrant and visually engaging worlds of the Final Fantasy series. Although, naturally, two forest-centric areas will have plenty in common, many of the environments have distinctly unique appearances to them. Another plus in my view is the designs of the job classes themselves. As seen in Final Fantasy V, it's perfectly possible to have a design set for a job class and be able to mould it around a certain character so that all Black Mages don't look the same, for instance. Although there is no difference between two human Black Mages, there are rather obvious differences between a Nu Mou Black Mage and a Human one. All in all, little to complain about really. |
8/10 |
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Story One of the traits I most associate with Final Fantasy games is their clear emphasis on the plot of a game. I would hesitate to say that any game in the series had a distinctly clear-cut and minimalist storyline. I would also be hesitant to say that despite being a handheld game, the storyline has suffered by not being a home console entry in the series. If I were to place FFTA alongside the main series of games, I'd probably say it's one of the weaker (if not the weakest) storyline. However that would be unfair given the differences not only in gameplay but in aims of FFTA. The storyline isn't revolutionary but it doesn't have to be. It's enjoyable enough and has plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing. FFTA is a departure from the main series and this must be kept in mind while playing it. For the type of game that it is, it's good enough, but hardly Tolkein. |
7/10 |
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Music As would be expected from a handheld console the music quality isn't great and I have to admit that I'm not a huge fan of the soundtrack. I think it does its job but for the majority of the soundtrack it isn't anything spectacular. Perhaps I'm being slightly unfair to the game but compared to some other games, even handheld ones such as the Fire Emblem games, it's not a terribly great. If that hasn't put you off it entirely, then I'm glad because there [i]are[/i] some gems in there. Some of the battle themes, for instance [i]The Road We Both Aim For[/i] and some of the character themes such as [i]Mewt[/i]. On the whole I wouldn't say that Hitoshi Sakimoto and Nobuo Uematsu did a bad job, but I think the game lacks any pieces that really stand out like pieces from other games (e.g. [i]Battle on the Big Bridge[/i] from FFV) do. |
6.5/10 |
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Gameplay The review so far probably doesn't sell FFTA as being anything terribly exciting so far, but that's because I've yet to cover the game's greatest strength; it's gameplay. The game is addictive. I constantly found myself mentally thinking that I'd level up just one more skill and stop playing, only to find out that I'd had those thoughts an hour ago. The class system that made FFV to be so memorable is expanded upon and utilised here. With five different races to choose from each with unique jobs specifically for that race (e.g. only Vieras can be Summoners) along with some crossovers (Humans, No Mous and Moogles can all be Black Mages), there's a lot of room for strategy. The classes have an effect upon how strong a character is statistic-wise, what equipment they can use, their movement, and their skills among other things. With such a wide variety of things being centred around a class there's plenty of class combinations to try out and put together in your clan. And then we actually get to the battles themselves which are, in my mind, much more fun than your bog-standard FF battles. The fact you can move around, attack from a distance and plan your strategy based on the placement of enemies among other things really gives you the opportunity to stop the game getting repetitive and laborious like some of the random battles do in the main series. It retains the turn-based system from the main series though, which I always thought requires you to plan your moves carefully. The addition of 'Laws' which prohibit certain moves adds an extra dimension to battle by preventing you from using Holy Magic or Knives whilst rewarding certain other moves adds to the strategic element. Disobey the laws and you'll be penalised by not receiving a gil reward or losing a piece of equipment. If two laws or a particularly strong law are broken in battle, you risk being ejected from the battle field and placed in prison, where you must remain until someone pays your bail or your sentence is up. Following the laws and using "Recommended" moves gains you Judge Points which can be used to perform combo attacks or use extremely powerful moves when you have ten to a certain character's name. These additions to the battle system force you to think about your moves and not simply go with your strongest attacks all the time. Never fear though, because Anti-Law cards can help you nullify (or even create) laws provided you have the right cards. The battle system, in my view, is one of the games main strengths and what really makes this game worth playing. |
9/10 |
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Overall The thing you really need to keep in mind with FFTA is that it is a handheld game and if you're able to appreciate that when you play the game then you're bound to enjoy it. Some people would say that FFTA doesn't get the plaudits it deserves and I'd agree with that. The music and storyline aren't fantastic, but as a turn-based strategy game it's exceptionally fun. The story is good enough for what it is. It's an unpretentious good and honest turn-based RPG game with some extra strategic elements for fun. It's well worth a play even if to see what the game's all about. |
7.5/10 |
-Heath
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