RETURN TO IVALICE

FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - THE IVALICE CHRONICLES is a tactical treat

- Kerry Brunskill

Somebody pinch me. They've done it. They’ve actually done it: not only can I finally play Final Fantasy Tactics on my PC, but this timeless classic has been done justice. It’s not some old game hastily shoved in an emulation wrapper and sent out to die. It’s not some brand-new thing so polished and changed it feels ashamed of its heritage, either. It’s simply everything I had hoped for.

I dived into the classic mode first, keen to see how the decades-old strategy game I first fell in love with on a PlayStation had been recreated for modern hardware. Here polygonal edges are rough and raw, the pixels in every sprite are so large I can count them, and the pre-rendered movies are old enough to buy their own drinks. It’s unvarnished in a respectful way, as if it were an ancient relic to be handled with care.

Satisfied there was a nigh-perfect recreation of Tactics to retreat to whenever I needed a dose of old, I then ploughed ahead with the completely separate remaster - and ended up even happier.

MADE IN HEAVEN

I know ‘timeless classic’ is an overused phrase, but I think it’s the only one that accurately describes this game. It’s a thrilling political and personal drama where every revelation quickly leads to another heartbreaking tragedy. It’s a fantastic twist on Final Fantasy's traditional job system, encouraging me to handcraft a small team of battleready specialists.

These halves come together beautifully, every fight part of a story, every story leading to a fight. It's no wonder so many indie PC RPGs still try to recapture the feel of everything from its tactical skirmishes to its gorgeous art.