Final Fantasy Tactics Creator On Why the Game Feels So Relevant Nearly Three Decades Later

Nearly two decades ago, Final Fantasy Tactics pushed the franchise in a bold new direction, a dramatic politically-charged strategic RPG. To this day, Tactics remains one of the most beloved entries in the hallowed franchise, and it’s a testament to the strength of the story and writing that many people still talk about it as one of the most thematically ambitious games ever made.

Its themes of inequality and social structure had a shockingly timely message in 1997 — but that’s a message that feels more important in modern day.

“At the time, between the 1980s to early 1990s, stories in games were mostly about ‘good versus evil’, where heroes defeat demon lords who threatened world peace. Since I was a student, I’ve always loved historical plays and tragedies, such as those written by Shakespeare,” Final Fantasy Tactics creator and scenario writer Yasumi Matsuno tells Inverse, “It was during that time that I felt that these techniques commonly employed in movies and novels could be brought into games, and I was convinced that this was a chance to expand the possibilities of storytelling in games.”

Despite its legacy, Final Fantasy Tactics has languished in obscurity for years, with no way to play the game outside of an original PS1 copy or one of the PSP remake, War of the Lions. With The Ivalice Chronicles, Tactics is finally coming back — giving an entirely new generation the chance to experience one of the most influential RPGs ever made.

Inverse had the chance to talk to Matsuno and director Kazutoyo Maehiro, learning about the game’s lasting legacy, narrative themes, and a potential future for the beloved spinoff.

Note: This interview contains spoilers for Final Fantasy Tactics.

I wanted to ask about the script changes for the Enhanced version of the game. How do these differ from War of the Lions, and why did you decide to make them? Is content added for War of the Lions, like Balthier and Luso, still in the game?

Maehiro: First, regarding the script for the Enhanced version, there are multiple additions to convey the characters’ emotions, in the conversations during the event scenes and during exchanges made during combat. This was done to clarify sections that were difficult to grasp or left open to interpretation in the original game. With the additional dialogue written by Yasumi Matsuno (Original Script, Scenario Writer and Editor), and the new full voice acting, each line now conveys the characters’ emotions and feelings directly to the player.

This title now features voice acting. If we simply added voice acting without adjusting the dialogue, it would have sounded unnatural. Given this, by adjusting the audio to reflect “dialogue that will be heard”, the characters’ lines flow naturally as a conversation, greatly enhancing the immersion.

On the other hand, the Classic version is based off the localization from The War of the Lions, features “dialogue to read” as the original game, so people may find new discoveries by comparing the two.

As for the The War of the Lions elements, both the Classic version — faithful to the original game — and the Enhanced version will not include characters or jobs added in The War of the Lions.

Revisiting the project 28 years later prompted us to reflect on what we, as the original creators, could do now. We ultimately concluded that the best approach was to faithfully revive the original gameplay experience in its best possible form.

Over the years, there’s been a lot of talk about Tactics’ story, and its themes on oppression and social inequality. How do you feel about the game’s story, looking back on it now? Why do you think this is an important story for audiences to experience again, at this moment in time?

Matsuno: At the time, between the 1980s to early 1990s, stories in games were mostly about “good versus evil”, where heroes defeat demon lords who threatened world peace. Since I was a student, I’ve always loved historical plays and tragedies, such as those written by Shakespeare. It was during that time that I felt that these techniques commonly employed in movies and novels could be brought into games, and I was convinced that this was a chance to expand the possibilities of storytelling in games.

With games like Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen and Tactics Ogre, I attempted to add my own spin to games that I felt had restrictive narrative styles by bringing in political drama and tragedies. However, I felt that this approach alone was insufficient to change [influence] the style of all games. It was at this point that I was given the opportunity to borrow the strength of the Final Fantasy name.

The story told in Final Fantasy Tactics is simple. Ivalice, based in the Middle Ages, is a world where basic human rights do not exist. The protagonist Ramza was born as a member of the elite class during such a harsh time. Through battle, he begins to question the social system and breaks free from the “conventional wisdom” and “conservative values,” and eventually attains “freedom.”

What is “true freedom”? What is “freedom” that is not bound by the state, conservative values, or values that align with the status quo?

Even after 30 years, is this not still one of the important things that we truly desire, which continues to motivate us?

Note: The following answer contains significant spoilers for Final Fantasy Tactics.

Delita is one of the most fascinatingly complex characters the Final Fantasy series has ever seen. Where did the idea for Delita and Ramza as foils to each other come from, rather than the traditional hero and villain roles? How do you feel about Delita’s story arc now?

Matsuno: The contrast between Ramza and Delita depicted within the story is also quite simple. While the two acknowledge one another, they do not walk the same path, and their paths ultimately diverge. Ramza loses everything but gains what he truly wants. Conversely, Delita gains everything but loses what he truly wants. Ramza attains what he views as “true freedom,” while Delita is celebrated as a hero only to lose the love of Ovelia in the process. This story was born the moment I decided to weave together a story with these two characters, each walking on a different path.

Everyone, as they walk through life, wants to become “somebody special.” Nobody wants to live an “ordinary life,” and that isn’t a bad thing. On the other hand, there are many people who have no choice but to return to an ordinary life after their dreams are shattered. Life is a series of successes and failures; does that mean those who fail cannot become happy? It's a question that everyone has thought about at least once. I, myself, have experienced setbacks numerous times and have viewed myself as a “failure.”

One day, I reached an epiphany. What I needed to do was to shift my perspective. Success does not necessarily equate to happiness. By thinking this way, I was able to redefine what “happiness” meant for me.

Ramza was able to attain “freedom” by redefining what “happiness” meant for him. Delita, on the other hand, was unable to do so, and ultimately lived a life of solitude. It’s not my intention to question whether these are good or bad — everyone's life is different, after all.

Tactics has one of the most robust job systems in the Final Fantasy series. Were there any jobs cut from the original game, and did you consider adding new jobs or changes for The Ivalice Chronicles?

Maehiro: We did, of course, consider adding new jobs, abilities, and characters, including those from The War of the Lions. However, we felt that the job system in Final Fantasy Tactics was already a highly refined system at the time of its original release and we wanted to honor the legacy of the original game. Given this, we decided to keep the jobs as they were in the original game, focusing on this refined gameplay experience. We are confident that we were able to make this version the best title to enjoy on modern consoles and hope you can experience it for yourselves as well when the game releases.

In the Classic version, the game balance also remains unchanged from the original game. Meanwhile, the Enhanced version includes difficulty settings that can be adjusted at any time, allowing players to play the game in a way that best suits them. We also made thorough refinements to abilities and adjusted even the smallest details to ensure a fresh and enjoyable experience.

The highest difficulty level will require significant dedication on the player’s part, so we encourage you to take on this challenge!

It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a Tactical game in the Final Fantasy series. How do you think The Ivalice Chronicles can appeal to newer Final Fantasy fans, and do you think Final Fantasy could return to the Tactics format again someday?

Maehiro: Fans of the original game have loved Final Fantasy Tactics for many years, but with no related title releasing for quite some time, it’s also been left inaccessible to play.

During that time, numerous Final Fantasy titles were released, so even among Final Fantasy fans, there are many who have heard of the name Final Fantasy Tactics but have never played it, or who are unaware of its existence altogether.

This title was developed specifically for new players who have never experienced the original game, and the Enhanced version in particular has improved what was great about the original even further, through revamped controls and UI, as well as added voiceovers that enhance the immersion into the story. Additionally, many new features have been added to make the game even more approachable for newer fans including: confirm unit turn order with the press of a button, scout the battlefield with a bird-eye view feature, speed up battles with a fast forward, autosave even in battle, adjust game difficulty to match your play style, and so much more.

Because of this, we believe the countless strengths of the original game—such as the robust job system offering unmatched customization and character progression, and the timeless story of epic fantasy that weave in political themes—convey a new side of Final Fantasy today, more than ever. We couldn’t be happier if this game reinvigorates that feeling within you that games are, indeed, fun to play.

Lastly, while we cannot make any promises about the future, if this title is successful, it will not only demonstrate that there’s interest from gamers, but also the viability [of tactical games] as a business. Such success will surely pave the way for the release of new tactics titles that follow The Ivalice Chronicles. We sincerely hope that this happens.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles launches on September 30 for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.