Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles First Impressions
Final Fantasy Tactics, originally on the PlayStation 1, is back and on the Nintendo Switch 2. This time it comes with two versions: the original, classic game and The Ivalice Chronicles. We received a review code from Square Enix and have been checking out a new version of the game. How is it so far?
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is now available on Nintendo Switch 2. I’ve been checking out the new version thanks to Square Enix and have my first thoughts on it. I have played Final Fantasy Tactics before on the PlayStation 1 and PSP. I consider the game a classic strategy rpg. So when The Ivalice Chronicles was announced, I was really excited. The new upgrades for the game sounded amazing. And so far, this new version does not disappoint!
The first thing that’s noticeable about Final Fantasy Tactics The Ivalice Chronicles are the graphics. This is the best that this game has ever looked. The new upgraded character sprites are fantastic. So are the backgrounds, the menus, basically everything. There’s even a brand new cutscene at the start of the game that is absolutely beautiful. The second noticeable thing is the voice acting.
For the most part, the voice acting in The Ivalice Chronicles is really good. There are times, such as when a spell is being casted, that I thought a voice could’ve sounded a bit more excited, but overall, I think the cast is doing a great job so far. I’m especially a fan of the voice actors of Agrias, Ovelia, and Mustadio. The music and sound effects are really great here too.
The game’s user interface for battles has been upgraded too. The new pre-battle placement being directly on the field of battle is awesome. I love that. The menus are a bit different but still very easy to navigate. I also love the menus out of battle. Changing jobs is much easier in this version, along with equipping items and abilities. The menus are much improved. And also if you weren’t a fan of random battles in the original game, you are going to be very happy with Ivalice Chronicles.
In this version of Ivalice Chronicles, when you run into a random battle, you can choose to fight or flee every time! So you can choose if you want to level up your group or just move on. Just remember though: you will have to fight some of those battles. Leveling up is still important in this game. Though, when you start you can choose how hard you want the game to be. A difficulty option is new and another welcome change.
There are a lot of changes in this version of Final Fantasy Tactics but at its core, the story and gameplay is a lot like it was on the PS1 and PSP. The improvements, so far, has made me very happy. I did briefly go and check out the original version and it still looked good, though if you’ve never played the game before, you’ll definitely want to play the new one first.
If you’ve played the game before, you’ll feel right at home. If you’ve never played the game before, this is the perfect version for you. I feel jealous of all you playing this for the first time. You’re in for a treat!
Stay tuned for my review of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles on Nintendo Switch. The game is available now.
This article was written by Daniel Fugate for GamesReviews.com. A copy of the game was provided by the publisher.
Article By Daniel Fugate
