Players had been eagerly anticipating any news of a possibleFinal Fantasy Tacticsremake or remaster long before the existence of such a project was hinted at as part of the infamous Nvidia leak. But the leak ended up bearing fruit once again, withFinal Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chroniclesset to arrive this September for all major platforms, marking the first timeFinal Fantasy Tacticshas been available on a current-gen console in nearly 20 years. And while it’s great to see Square Enix preserve one of its more beloved PS1 classics in this way, looking atThe Ivalice Chronicles' contents also makes it feel like a bit of a missed opportunity.
FollowingThe Ivalice Chronicles' reveal at the June 2025 Sony State of Play showcase, keen-eyed fans immediately began comparing the screenshots from the trailer to the 2008War of the Lionsrelease ofFinal Fantasy Tactics. What they found was evidence that this new remaster was faithful to the PS1 original at the cost of the new content added to the game’s 2007 PSP release, which Square Enix later confirmed by announcing that none of the new characters orjobs exclusive toWar of the Lionswould be included.The Ivalice Chroniclesmight be a faithful remaster of one of Square Enix’s best games playable on modern hardware, but not necessarily a “definitive” version.
The Ivalice Chronicles' Additions to Final Fantasy Tactics Feel Somewhat Incomplete
To be fair, the changes that Square Enix is making toFinal Fantasy TacticsviaThe Ivalice Chroniclesaren’t inconsequential. Far from it, in fact. In addition to the slight visual uplift that retains the original’s iconic visual style,The Ivalice Chroniclesfeatures a newrevised script(overseen by creator Yasumi Matsuno, no less) and some quality-of-life additions that streamline aspects of character progression and job growth. Taken as a whole, these changes are welcome adjustments to a game that many would consider a peak PS1-era title, but they act as if other versions ofFinal Fantasy Tacticsdon’t already exist.
WhenFinal Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions was released in 2007, it was freeingFinal Fantasy Tacticsfrom a decade of console exclusivity and celebrating Square Enix’s history in the intervening years. It featured new jobs and playable cameo characters from otherFinal Fantasytitles, new cutscenes, and multiplayer functionality. Learning that none of these additions would be present inThe Ivalice Chroniclesfeels like a bit of a missed step, even if its faithfulness to the original release is a commendable effort toward game preservation.
The Ivalice Chronicles' Missing Content Could Be a Silver Lining for Final Fantasy Tactics' Future
On the other hand,The Ivalice Chronicles' opting out of includingWar of the Lions' additional content could lend credence to rumors suggesting that Square Enix has plans for theFinal Fantasy Tacticsfranchisebeyond just a remaster. Recent comments fromFinal Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chroniclesdirector Kazutoyo Maehiro seem to point to the possibility that the game’s remaster is the first step in Square Enix gauging player interest in the franchise before rolling out other projects. If this is the case, it would make sense for the studio not to lay all of its cards on the table at once withThe Ivalice Chronicles.
It could very well be thatThe Ivalice Chronicles' faithfulness to theoriginalFinal Fantasy Tacticsis a deliberate move on Square Enix’s part to offer fans a preserved experience mirroring the PS1 version, while saving additional content for either a potential sequel or DLC content drops at a future date. It’s a safe bet that most fans would agree that moreFinal Fantasy Tacticsis never a bad thing, but whether that future comes to pass remains to be seen. For the time being, it would have been nice to haveThe Ivalice Chroniclesoffer a greater incentive to players who never stopped playingFinal Fantasy Tacticsin the almost 30 years since its release.
