Square Enix has released new footage of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles' gameplay, including a closer look at how the strategy RPG's immersive job system will be crucial to victory. Assuming it stays true to the original, improperly built units in Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles will make battles a nightmare for players, so the return of the job system will be a big boon.
Arriving nearly three full decades after the original game was released on the first PlayStation console, the remastered version of 1997's Final Fantasy Tactics was officially announced on June 4 during the PlayStation State of Play showcase. Reviving the classic strategic gameplay of the original with touched-up visuals, the game will launch on September 30, for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, and PC via Steam.
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles Suddenly Has a Huge Asterisk Attached
The long-awaited return of FF Tactics comes with one caveat, raising questions about preservation, memory, and what gets left behind.
Final Fantasy Tactics Remake Shows Off Its Features
Those who have played the original game or the enhanced War of the Lions version released for the PlayStation Portable in 2007 will find that the new gameplay footage looks faithful to past games, as players command their small unit of soldiers around grid-based environments, combining their individual skills to set up tactical advantages over enemy squads. For instance, in one clip, Final Fantasy Tactics' protagonist Ramza uses a non-damaging skill to push an enemy off the roof of a building, setting up another character armed with a bow for an easy kill from above.
The newly released footage also briefly touches on the job system in Final Fantasy Tactics. As players level up their characters across previously unlocked jobs, they'll gain access to new ones, granting units access to specific types of equipment and potentially powerful skills that, if used correctly, can tilt the scales of battle in their favor. That system is returning to the remastered version, as the new trailer shows one character spending job points to change jobs from Mystic to Time Mage and unleashing a powerful Meteor spell on enemies.
While The Ivalice Chronicles will provide new players with an easy way to access one of the most respected Final Fantasy spin-off games in the history of the franchise, there should also be plenty of things to enjoy for fans returning to the game. Game director Kazutoyo Maehiro confirmed in a July interview on the PlayStation Blog that the Final Fantasy Tactics remaster will include more dialogue than the original, especially among special characters when they're sent off to battle. The script has also received some alterations to accommodate the additional voice acting that The Ivalice Chronicles will bring.
- Released
- September 30, 2025
- ESRB
- Teen / Fantasy Violence, Blood, Mild Suggestive Themes, Mild Language, Drug Reference
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Publisher(s)
- Square Enix
- Franchise
- Final Fantasy
- Number of Players
- Single-player
- PC Release Date
- September 30, 2025
- Genre(s)
- Tactical, RPG, Strategy
