FFTA: Best Game Message Ever

[Madonna]

Marche effing rules.

Tactics Advance is my second favorite Final Fantasy game ever (the original Tactics being the first), and the biggest reason for that is how Marche deals with being in the fantastic world of Ivalice. He has it tough in the beginning, but he quickly falls in with Montblanc's new clan, raises his newly-adopted clan to prominence, and finds out his friends too are doing well. And what does he do? He tries to tear it all down. Like a certain literary character in a certain piece of literature by a certain author, Marche knows he is in a world that is too good to be true. Hell, it probably is true. Even as good as it is to him, Marche knows there is another world out there, the real world, and allowing himself and his friends to stay in Ivalice is damaging and unhealthy. Why face a cruel and unfair world if you can run away to a better one? I think it really sends a strong message to players that there is a real world and that any and all of us need to be sure not to miss it.

What is your take on Final Fantasy Tactics Advance's story and thoughts after beating the game?

[krissy]

that's very reminiscent of the MGS series' attempts at breaking the 4th wall
i never finished ffta actually, but that is a good comic hahaha.

the narnia kids actually got stuck in the books fairly often, didn't they? and then got pulled out without agreeing to it. no one wants to leave their fantasy world.

it is actually a pretty apt message; sometimes i still feel stuck in ff7 at least in my thoughts.

[Jiro]

I've seen a lot of arguments, including one that paints Marche as a genocidal maniac. Frankly, I don't see why they needed to leave. Mewt definitely needed some psychiatric help, but all in all everybody seemed to be doing alright for themselves.

[ReloadPsi]

Ohhh right... I thought the message was "baiting and switching those poor European sods who maybe lived somewhere that they couldn't find anyone nearby to mod their PSones to play the original FFT is A-OK" but I guess I didn't play the game far enough to find that out.

Begging your pardon. I was very bitter when one of my friends suddenly told me that FF Tactics Advance was out so I played it expecting that Lion War business that I only got to play for something like five excruciatingly teasing minutes for the reasons stated above. I might replay this someday if there are cheat codes to stop the judges saying things like "NO MAGIX!" when fighting Flans or "NO WEAPONS LOL" when fighting enemies that cast Reflect a lot or "NO DAMAGING MONSTERS" when I haven't learned a Death spell or a Harsh Language ability yet.

[Mercen-X]

That concept almost reminds me of a story about fourteen constellations united under two opposing representative "deities" of the four winds in a certain manga wherein two girls from one world are trapped in another world and one is trying to get back... but loves and bitter rivalry hinder progress toward that goal.

[Roogle]

It certainly was an interesting story concept. I only wish that the game took itself more seriously to deal with issues like that rather than chalk it up to lightheartedness and the childish presentation of the game. It had the makings for a very dark story if it wasn't about children!

[Iceglow]

I might replay this someday if there are cheat codes to stop the judges saying things like "NO MAGIX!" when fighting Flans or "NO WEAPONS LOL" when fighting enemies that cast Reflect a lot or "NO DAMAGING MONSTERS" when I haven't learned a Death spell or a Harsh Language ability yet.

In FFTA there's a simple way to avoid that, the law is set by the date. Therefore you just have to time your movements around the board to avoid unfavourable laws for each battle. Failing that about half way through the game the character Ezel Barbier pops up and with his introduction the Law Card system comes in to play. Law cards abolish laws or introduce new laws to the battle. Therefore you can introduce laws which favour your team or remove laws from play.

In FFTA2 the missions are in a sense that much harder because the laws for each mission are set based on the mission and not on the date/day. Therefore in FFTA2 there is no escaping the fact that some missions will require you to either handicap yourself massively when doing them or break the law. Of course FFTA2 doesn't punish you as harshly for breaking the law as FFTA does the loss of your bonus ability, revival options and law bonus items for one single infringement on the laws regardless of how it was triggered is of course nothing compared to the fact that you get a yellow card and red card removes your person from battle to prison where you can bail them out immediately for use in the next battle.

If you can't tell, I'm being relatively sarcastic. Laws in FFTA2 are sadistic at times.

[Skyblade]

I've seen a lot of arguments, including one that paints Marche as a genocidal maniac.

Ah, nostalgia. I am still so proud of myself for that theory. It's just so awesome.

Linkies.

Frankly, I don't see why they needed to leave. Mewt definitely needed some psychiatric help, but all in all everybody seemed to be doing alright for themselves.

Because Mewt was living in a world that feeds off his psyche and fulfills his every dream, very psychologically dangerous.

[Roogle]

Did you draw the comic in the opening post, Madonna?

[Madonna]

Begging your pardon. I was very bitter when one of my friends suddenly told me that FF Tactics Advance was out so I played it expecting that Lion War business that I only got to play for something like five excruciatingly teasing minutes for the reasons stated above. I might replay this someday if there are cheat codes to stop the judges saying things like "NO MAGIX!" when fighting Flans or "NO WEAPONS LOL" when fighting enemies that cast Reflect a lot or "NO DAMAGING MONSTERS" when I haven't learned a Death spell or a Harsh Language ability yet.

I think Iceglow has touched upon your battle system issues already, and I think it can be safely said Advance was marketed as something quite different than the original Tactics. But yes, it is important to know what rules are in effect, to wander around in order to change them as needed, and adapt to the rules that you are presented with in battle. Big hint: keep a big roster of guildies; that way, you will always have someone for some situation.

It certainly was an interesting story concept. I only wish that the game took itself more seriously to deal with issues like that rather than chalk it up to lightheartedness and the childish presentation of the game. It had the makings for a very dark story if it wasn't about children!

I think the story is very dark because the story is focused on children. None of the kids in this game are given particularly good starting situations. Marche and Doned's parents are divorced, they had to move to the countryside where they know no one, and Doned's illness is only getting worse. Ritz gets picked on viciously by three boy bullies because she is a girl and has naturally white hair, the latter of which she is ashamed. Mewt's mother recently passed away, causing Mewt's dad to fall into depression and alcoholism, and he too is bullied for being different. When Marche and company end up in Ivalice, the situation is still bad; Marche is in a foreign land alone, his brother is out there somewhere in similar circumstances, Ritz is in the same boat, and Mewt is being psychologically sheltered from everything and becoming infantile from being spoiled. None of it is good. Marche has to fight for a place in Ivalice, has to traverse the world to find his brother and friends, then he learns he has to his friends to help them, and all of that gets topped off with the knowledge he has to destroy a world to get his friends back to theirs. What of the adults in the game? I do not think all the clans have children for members, so they are fighting against grown-ups who are generally hostile or up to no good, and the adults that are clearly labeled as such do try to beat up, bully, or otherwise make Marche's existence unpleasant. These are authority figures exploiting and abusing minors; Marche Radiuju has life as hard, if not harder, than Ramza Beoulve. Well, aside from wanting to bone his sister or whatever.

Did you draw the comic in the opening post, Madonna?

No. I drew two others based on it, but the original is something that has been shared online that succinctly and humorously sums up the game.

[Wolf Kanno]

I love the message of Tactics Advance and it's the story that solidifies my love of this game and my love for Matsuno as a writer and director.

Madonna: While I agree Marche faces some terrible issues in his game, I probably wouldn't place it on the same scale as Ramza who ultimately loses everything for the sake of his sense of justice and his sister, whereas Marche actually walks away with his friends and his own life better than it was before. Ramza himself is technically a child as well when he is recruited into military services and unlike Marche, Ramza didn't have Judges and magic laws protecting his life. Not to mention Marche and his friends actually enjoy the swashbuckling adventure of being in a clan brings, so I don't feel the idea of adults exploiting/bullying kids is really an issue for TA.

With that said, I really like how the story explores the idea of escapism and I feel it's just made more heartwrenching by having the cast as young kids, had Marche and crew been older teenagers, I feel the message would have been weakened, because it's far more alarming to have people who are still just starting out life in the real world, wanting to escape it in favor of a fantasy world. I feel it says a lot about the state of the real world.