Despite not being a mainline game, Final Fantasy Tactics is still considered one of the best entries in the Square Enix franchise, and for good reason. The tactical role-playing game originally released on the first PlayStation back in 1997 features one of the best takes of the series’ Job system, providing an unprecedented amount of character customization options, excellent gameplay, and an involving story that could rival some novels in terms of character cast and complexity. As such, a return of the game on modern platforms was long overdue, but if Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles was only made possible by the long wait, then it will have been very well worth it, as the remaster is set to become the best way to experience Ramza Beoulve’s story, even without the additional content introduced in the War of the Lions release.

During Gamescom last month, I had the chance to try out the game for around one hour before its release later this September, and as soon as the classic intro played, I was instantly overwhelmed by nostalgia and thrown back in 1998 when I first experienced the game for the first time. This time around, however, the intro features full voice acting that is perfectly suited to the remaster’s script, which is based on the new translation by Alexander O. Smith featured in the War of the Lions PSP release and the mobile port. Having the choice between experiencing the game in either Classic or Enhanced Mode, I picked the latter to experience the remaster’s many improvements, which include improved visuals, a new interface, and a generally modernized experience. Starting from the very beginning of the game with the battle at Orbonne Monastery, the remaster instantly showed why it is set to become the definitive edition of the game, as the new interface is both great looking and quite functional, and the speed-up options make battle pace snappier. Voice acting for all characters is also on point, and adds a touch of personality even for generic units, who grunt when they attack and shout out incantation when a special skill is unleashed or a spell is about to be cast. Being one of the easiest battles in the game, it was difficult to notice any major balance change over the original, so everything essentially felt like an improved version of the original. The new script obviously took away one of Delita’s most iconic lines (Blame yourself or God), but it flows a lot better and only enhances the medieval flair of Ivalice.

Before the end of my allotted time with Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles, I also had the chance to play through one of the most iconic battles in the game, the one at Zeirchele Falls during early Chapter 2. Playing at normal difficult to experience as much as possible of the game in the short time I was given, the battle was just as easy as the one at Orbonne Monastery, although that was to be expected, as I have played through the original more than a dozen times throughout the years, and I remember the placement of enemies in pretty much every major story battle. Picking the best unit for this battle, such as an Archer and a Time Mage, I took down every enemy with ease while keeping princess Ovelia safe, again being unable to evaluate any major balance change, but at least noticing how JP rewards are in line with the original when a unit equips the JP Up skill from the Squire job, a rather welcome change that will make it less time consuming to put together the best units and open up a skill slot for more useful skills. Voice acting was, once again, completely on point with some excellent performances, which made me more excited than ever to experience some of the adventure’s most intense segments like never before.

With the original being one of my favorite games of all time, I was already pretty excited when Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles was announced earlier this year. After experiencing the remaster, however, my excitement has shot through the roof, and I cannot wait to play the game and experience for myself more of the changes included in it that are sure to make it the ultimate way to experience Ramza Beolve’s journey amidst the chaos of the War of the Lions, even without the additional content available in the PSP and mobile versions of the game. Thankfully, the wait is going to be very short, as the game launches on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch in a few weeks, on September 30.