Gaming Target - Game Boy: Final Fantasy Tactics Advance

Written by Chris Reiter on June 19, 2003

First Impressions: The first of what is probably to be many future moments of ridicule for Sony fans that flows a little something like this, УTee hee! Square's back with usЕneener, neener! ::sniff:: Ewwie, I just wet mah jammies!Ф

Long have console strategy titles suffered under the dominant rule of their PC counterparts. It wasn't that console developers didn't try hard enough, but the PC powerhouse was the only place you could really get a decent run for your money if you were into the strategy genre. All of that changed when Squaresoft entered the fray five years ago, releasing a mix of RPG and strategic elements into one final form of console strategic evolution: a game you might remember from the PlayStation as Final Fantasy Tactics. Now that Nintendo and Squaresoft have formed together to bring many Nintendo fans what they've so desperately wanted, and with Nintendo's latest Game Boy Advance handheld dominating the portable market, Squaresoft has decided to revitalize this memorable series this summer with the company's upcoming spiritual successor, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.

Sometimes life may seem so wasteful that you just want to jump out of your skin and roll down a dirt hill. For Marche, life is something like that. However, when he and his friends uncover a sacred tome and unlock its magical power, the Ivalice that Marche once knew transforms into a bizarre reality where he finds himself alone. From this origin of world also sprouts creatures and people of unknown abilities, parading around in armored garbs and some able to wield the elements of wizardry. Under strict governed rule, Marche finds that his habitat is now a stranger to him and he must band together with the friends he'll come across in this universe if he's to dissolve the mystery behind a set of magical stones, the key to returning home.

Final Fantasy Tactics, as you might've guessed, is a strategy game -- but a strategy game based around an isometric view on a 2D/3D grid. How Final Fantasy Tactics Advance relates to Final Fantasy Tactics exactly can be answered like this: It's a whole new ballpark. Like a sequel usually does, this new version of Tactics will alter just about everything that was in the sense once called Final Fantasy Tactics. Along with these changes will formulate a similar, yet different battle system. Unlike in the first Tactics, the plan for the new age is to return to the genre's roots and think basics. That means there'll no longer be an Active Time bar so that the player will have enough time to think before he or she acts, a more balanced hit system so defeating opponents isn't as cock-eyed, and even an option where the player can cancel their last move made will be available. In a sense, this move for the game might be a step backwards for Square's devoted strategic veterans, but for the virgin Nintendo audience the sequel is targeted for, it's looking to be a step in the right direction.

When journeying through Final Fantasy Tactics Advance's many battles, you won't be alone either. In Ivalice, there exists a counsel made up of judges who enforce prohibitions or rewards for yours or the enemy's efforts in battle, depending on whether you fight fairly or not. Break the law and pay -- but respect it, and your party will receive special items like Judge Points (earn enough and you'll be able to activate devastating summon attacks), or Law Cards (using these will rewrite the laws of battle for any foe's penalized conduct). As these unique-to-Tactics features may turn off fans of the first, there are other options you may be well familiar with that you can look forward to. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance will also come copmlete with a score of 34 job classes spread out across five different character types. Bangas, lizard-like creatures; Viera, rabbit-like creatures; N'Mou, donkey-like creatures; Moogle, dog-like creatures; and Humans, the people of this land will be those test subjects of articulation. Once characters adapt to their job positions, they'll be able to then learn new jobs outside of that -- which offers a wide array of customization possibilities for strategic mastery depending on the battle parties' performances.

Digging into a handheld platform so small, so hard to see (with the exception of the Game Boy Advance SP now out in the market) -- it's a wonder developers are able to bring to life a flock of games so well drawn out in their visual efficiency onto the Game Boy Advance system. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance is going to be one of those releases of the "better than the rest" crowds, as Square is pulling out the big guns for this up and coming sequel. Different tactical areas will feature different textural effects to show off the full power of this 32-bit baby. Amongst the host of characteristic ilk, you'll be able to witness animations adhering to those particular types and a selective amount of awe-inspiring spell effects for what could very well be one of the best looking Game Boy Advance releases of the year.