Latest news with #FinalFantasyTactics
The Verge
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Verge
Square Enix has put out an interview with Kazutoyo Maehiro, the director of the upcoming
Vibes based video game development. Final Fantasy Tactics remaster. The interview focused on why the beloved game is coming out now and the challenges that comes with working on one of the greatest video games of all time. One such challenge was the fact that Square Enix had lost the game's original source code. When asked how the team overcame that issue, Maehiro said it was a combination of reverse engineering and, 'there were also times where we played the original game and worked it out by feel alone.'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Final Fantasy Tactics Remaster Had To Be Brute-Forced Into Existence And Makes Some Controversial Cuts
Final Fantasy Tactics - The Ivalice Chronicles will make the PS1 classic playable on modern hardware in September for the first time since the PlayStation 3 generation over a decade ago. Why did it take so long for Square Enix to bring back the beloved strategy spin-off? It might have had something to do with missing source code. 'There were a number of major challenges, but all of them stemmed from the fact that the master data and source code from the original game no longer existed,' the remaster's director, Kazutoyo Maehiro, said in a newly published interview. The writer behind Final Fantasy XVI decided to push forward with bringing back Final Fantasy Tactics after replaying it 2018 on a livestream for the first time since it released in 1997. A lack of rigorous documentation procedures at the time made it hard, however. Back in the PS1 days, games were made quickly and once they shipped the company moved on. The Japanese version might be completely overwritten in English for the international release. As a result, the current Square Enix team had to cobble together the new enhanced The Ivalice Chronicles version through 'sheer force.' 'We analyzed a number of existing versions of the game and reconstructed the programming of the original, but there were also times where we played the original game and worked it out by feel alone,' Maehiro said. The entire process was the result of cumulative hard work—on the one hand working to implement new features, while behind the scenes our work was similar to porting an old arcade game to the NES.' The Ivalice Chronicles includes updated graphics (read: HD smoothing), voice acting, a re-edited script, and quality-of-life features like fast-forward and save anywhere. The original version of the game is also playable. But this isn't the first time Square Enix has ported Final Fantasy Tactics. The War of the Lions version was released for PlayStation Portable in 2007, alongside a Shakespeare-ified script, some additional cutscenes, new job classes, and a wireless multiplayer mode. Surprisingly, none of that new content will be in The Ivalice Chronicles. 'We did of course consider the addition of new jobs, abilities, and characters—including the jobs featured in War of the Lions,' Maehiro said. 'However, the original version of Final Fantasy Tactics is a very complete game both from a game design and story perspective. If we were to make major changes, it would only be a loss for not only fans of the original game, but also those new to the title.' The director notes that the War of the Lions port was handled by a different team than the original game, and he suggests that having gotten some of the original game's veterans back together—including original writer and director Yasumi Matsuno—the team wanted to stay as close to the original as possible. In an interview with Famitsu, there's also a mention of how poorly optimized the PSP version was, with audio bugs and frame rate crashes. While I can respect that, it also feels like a huge missed opportunity to expand on one of the best tactical RPG sandboxes in the genre. That could have meant adding new jobs for players to explore or new modes. Online multiplayer, a roguelite mode, or some other end-game content feels like an obvious addition to one of the best games ever made. Fortunately, it does sound like three new difficulty options in The Ivalice Chronicles will rebalance some of the gameplay. Once you've mastered Final Fantasy Tactics' job system, it can make even its toughest battles feel trivially easy. A new tactical mode will add a new level of challenge, while some abilities that were useless in the original, like archer charging attacks, have been fixed in the standard difficulty. Another neat addition? Players will encounter the Final Fantasy VII sidequest to recruit Cloud much earlier this time around. . For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Forbes
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles' Looks Amazing
Final Fantasy Tactics is one of the best tactical role-playing games ever made, and it is finally getting remastered. Called The Ivalice Chronicles, it will include an enhanced and classic version of the game. The enhanced iteration will include new voiced dialogue, improved user interface, graphical updates, and a new and easier 'Squire' difficulty setting. The latter is actually a sensible addition for modern players, as the original Final Fantasy Tactics was an exacting game. This should come as no surprise, as it was directed by Yasumi Matsuno, who is a somewhat curious figure in gaming. Having worked on previous tactical role-playing games such as Ogre Battle and Tactics Ogre, Final Fantasy Tactics was as meticulous in many ways. While many hadn't played these kinds of tactical role-playing games outside of Japan before, for them, Final Fantasy Tactics was something very new and different. The tactical element, with characters moved around on a virtual board, was a visual and functional departure from the classic Final Fantasy games, and imbued a new kind of strategy. For many, Final Fantasy Tactics is regarded as the definitive tactical role-playing game. Although I would beg to differ, as the Super Robot Wars games, I think, are more involved, and also predate the likes of the first Ogre Battle as well as Final Fantasy Tactics. That aside, this new remaster of Final Fantasy Tactics is most certainly welcomed. Regardless of my personal tactical role-playing game preferences, it is still an excellent game. You should also check out Tactics Ogre: Reborn if you fancy a challenge before this remaster is released. Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles will be released for the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Switch, Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S and PC on September 30. Follow me on X, Facebook and YouTube. I also manage Mecha Damashii and am currently featured in the Giant Robots exhibition currently touring Japan.
The National
05-06-2025
- Business
- The National
What's new in the Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles remaster coming to PlayStation 5?
During Wednesday's PlayStation State of Play showcase, Square Enix announced that Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, a remaster of the popular tactical role-playing game, will release on September 30 for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4. Set in the richly imagined world of Ivalice, the game follows the story of Ramza Beoulve and Delita Heiral, childhood friends caught in the political and religious strife of the War of the Lions. First released in Japan on June 20, 1997, for the Sony PlayStation, it marked Square Enix's first game in the tactical role-playing genre. Arriving in North America in January 1998, the game was both a critical and commercial success. In Japan, it sold about 1.24 million copies by the end of 1997, making it the fifth best-selling home video game in the country that year. By August 2011, global sales surpassed 2.4 million copies. Here are all the additions and changes fans can expect from the new remaster when it arrives in September. What's being added? An auto-save feature will be introduced for the first time in the game's history. This addition fixes one of the long-standing frustrations of the original, which is the risk of losing progress due to difficult battles or forgetting to save the game. The new system automatically saves progress at key moments, such as before and after missions, giving player a more forgiving and modern experience. While maintaining the challenge famous in tactical RPG games, auto-save gives players more accessibility and convenience, especially for newcomers or those revisiting Ivalice on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. Have graphics been updated? The remastered Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles will feature significant graphical enhancements that give a new look to the classic game. Character models and environments are updated with high-definition visuals, showing details and vibrant colours. Battle animations have also been refined, offering smoother and more dynamic combat sequences. Spell effects and environmental elements, such as weather phenomena, have been improved to provide a more immersive experience. The user interface has been optimised for modern platforms, ensuring easy navigation and accessibility. Will the story be the same? The remastered game will retain the popular improved translation from the 2007 War of the Lions release, which offers a refined narrative experience. This translation adopts a more formal, medieval-inspired tone, aligning with the game's setting and themes. While some fans have voiced appreciation for the elevated language, which enhances the game's atmosphere, others prefer the original's straightforward approach. The remaster allows players to choose between the enhanced version with fully voiced dialogue and updated visuals, and the classic version that preserves the original gameplay alongside the War of the Lions translation. Which consoles will it be playable on? Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is scheduled for release on September 30 and will be available on multiple platforms, including PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X/S and Windows PCs. Previous versions of the game were only playable on the original PlayStation, as well as improved ports of the game on PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita.
Mint
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Final Fantasy Tactics returns once again with remastered edition - The Ivalice Chronicles; all details here
Livemint Published 5 Jun 2025, 06:00 AM IST Mint Image It's never truly a Sony State of Play presentation without some kind of Final Fantasy news, and Square Enix was not about to disappoint today. This year, the JRPG giant revealed a new take on an iconic 1997 classic, Final Fantasy Tactics. This is a game that's no stranger to additional content, seeing not only two new games in its wake in the Final Fantasy Tactics Advance series, but countless remasters and re-releases, from the vaunted War of the Lions edition on PSP to its recreations on Android and iOS. Today, we were treated to the latest version, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, which looks to solve the eternal problem of 'which version to play?' by simply including both.
