Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is reviving a fan-favorite with modern features and subtle narrative tweaks, including one key change that may reshape how players connect with its characters. The addition of new mid-battle dialogue for previously silent units like Agrias, Mustadio, and Cid is already a welcome improvement. It’s not just window dressing; it helps these characters feel more like real people again, not just units on a grid.
Yet for all the ways it helps deepen the tactical RPG’s world, the change to Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles also exposes the limitations of a remaster. For a title that’s often cited as one of the genre’s most narratively ambitious, the additions only scratch the surface of what could have been explored in a full remake.
Final Fantasy Tactics Remaster Coming With 2 Versions
Square Enix confirms a Final Fantasy Tactics remaster is coming soon, with two distinct versions available as a part of the same game.
Final Fantasy Tactics Adds Long-Awaited Character Dialogue
According to game director Kazutoyo Maehiro, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles will feature expanded in-battle dialogue for key characters, something longtime fans have requested for years. Characters like Agrias and Cid now speak more frequently depending on the battle’s context, giving them a greater sense of presence and emotional weight beyond their introduction scenes.
In the original Final Fantasy Tactics, many characters joined the party and were rarely heard from again, even during major plot moments. This led to a feeling that some of the game’s most familiar allies were underutilized, at least from a narrative standpoint.
Some parts of the Final Fantasy Tactics script have been rewritten to better support voice acting, which may give returning players a fresh take on scenes they once knew by heart.
This dialogue boost aligns with a broader trend in RPG remasters: restoring the human element that older tech sometimes obscured. It may not seem like much, but hearing Agrias shout a line in response to an ally’s fall or Final Fantasy franchise staple Cid muttering something in a high-stakes fight helps reframe the entire experience.
The Final Fantasy Tactics Remaster Still Stops Short of a True Remake
While the added voice lines and new script polish are appreciated, they underscore what’s still missing. The Ivalice Chronicles is not a full remake, and it doesn't add substantial new content like side stories, postgame arcs, or extended character quests. That’s the part that stings.
Expanding Agrias’ role in Final Fantasy Tactics battles is meaningful, but there’s no new mission to explore her backstory. Mustadio may talk more, but the game stops short of revisiting his relationship with his father or deepening his arc beyond his introduction. The improvements enhance what’s already there, but they don’t fill in the gaps that fans have speculated about for years.
It raises the question: if this much care went into a remaster, what could a full remake achieve? A deeper dive into Ramza’s companions, original content fleshing out minor factions, or even playable flashbacks could transform Final Fantasy Tactics into something that feels not just preserved, but reimagined.
Game preservation is becoming a central conversation in the industry, and The Ivalice Chronicles could serve as a model, if Square Enix chooses to go further in the future.
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles Could Lead to a Sequel
This updated edition may do more than just revisit the past, it could serve as a testing ground for the franchise’s future. The increased emphasis on character dialogue and minor script changes suggests that Square Enix is paying attention to how storytelling and personality shape tactical games. If Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles performs well, it could lay the groundwork for a new title or a more ambitious follow-up.
A true sequel could build on these small steps by giving players greater influence over relationships, diverging story paths, or deeper unit interactions between battles. It could also explore underused parts of the Ivalice setting, like the aftermath of the War of the Lions or the legacy of Delita’s rule.
Even if no sequel arrives soon, this remaster gently nudges Final Fantasy Tactics closer to modern narrative design. Dialogue that evolves with the battle, characters who speak to each other based on their relationships, and a script that reflects voice acting needs are all features that wouldn’t feel out of place in a brand-new RPG today.
- 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
