Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions (PSP)

Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions
TOSE/Square-Enix

Reviewed by Lauren

Back we go to early 1998: In the wake of the massive Final Fantasy 7, another unique little Final Fantasy was released. I say "little" only because it received less hype and advertising, but FFT was truly a huge game in itself. Those who had never played something similar, such as Tactics Ogre, found themselves frustrated by and completely addicted to the strategic gameplay of the aptly-named Final Fantasy Tactics. And now, the game can be enjoyed (or yelled/cheered at) on a portable system. This PSP port did not change much in terms of graphics, music, or gameplay, but the translation received a much-needed overhaul, cutscenes were added, and new quests and play modes were introduced.

The major changes are mostly in translations. Some of them were helpful, and almost necessary. The original FFT was notorious for its poor translation, especially where it counted most - the tutorials. Everything has been clarified in this translation, and it's certainly welcome. Unfortunately, other script changes were simply unnecessary. Izlude is now Isilud, Olan is Orran, Orlandu is Orlandeau, Sweegy Woods became "Siedge Weald," and so on. Not every made-up word had to be changed into another made-up word. And although I can understand Square wanting consistency, I didn't see the need in changing abilities in War of the Lions to match those found in the FFTA games. Of course, this won't be a big problem for most players - only picky FFT veterans like myself.

Multiple cutscenes have been added throughout the storyline. They are also a welcome addition, enhancing the emotion of important plot scenes with gorgeous animation. The scenes have a soft, sketchy style unlike any I've seen before. Kudos to Square for doing something genuinely unique here. The in-game graphics remain mostly unchanged, though they did seem a bit brighter and sharper on the PSP screen.

The music of FFT also remains unchanged aside from some recycled tunes for the new cutscenes. The soundtrack is still quite catchy and appropriate to the atmosphere of the game. The sound effects are also unchanged, and unfortunately, they're starting to show their age. It's no big deal to fans of the original, but new players will probably find them a little too simple for modern gaming. The voice acting, however, is incredibly well done. There is a lot of emotion in the cutscenes, and we have the voice actors to thank for that effect. The accents were especially pleasant and appropriate to the time period.

Speaking of accents, the text of the story itself was also overhauled completely. While it's generally also appropriate to the time period and atmosphere of the game, a few lines seemed like just a little bit too much. It generally isn't enough to detract from the story scenes, though. The new dialogue also made room for some in-jokes - I was particularly amused by a "spoony bard" reference. It was almost disappointing to see that the dialogue was fixed for the job reports at taverns, as classic FFT fans will recall their amusingly bad translations. Still, as nice as nostalgia is, things like this and the tutorial simply needed to be re-translated for the sake of clarity.

The story of FFT is still an excellent one. A few other games have tried to emulate the "political backstabbing tactical RPG" idea since the original FFT's time, but none have held my interest as well as this one did. The main characters are compelling, and the many twists keep the story interesting, even for those who have seen it all before. The new translation also makes the tale seem more authentic for its time period.

One of the best parts of Tactics is that you can play it over and over again and do something completely different every time. Try two Dancers to really mess with a field of enemies. How about a Calculator/Arithmetician? Go for a Mime, or try out the new Dark Knight class. There are many job classes in FFT, and unlike in certain sequels, most are fairly unique. Two new job classes have also been added, and both are quite unique additions. But the best part is that, no matter how many times you play it through, trying these different combinations and strategies is always fun and satisfying. This is what I felt was lacking in some more recent tactical RPGs - the satisfaction of building a unique, strategic party that fits your playing style. FFT still has that in spades. It's truly a joy to build your party and reap the benefits. And you can easily spend 100 hours doing so, then exploring the extra content. This version added several new sidequests that are generally fairly rewarding and even add some decent plot while they're at it.

As I mentioned, the gameplay is very satisfying. Time and efforts match up well with their corresponding rewards. If you don't do any extra levelling, you'll get pummelled in story battles. Or if you level absurdly high like I did this time around, you'll wallop even the most notoriously evil bosses without even trying. Monsters are scaled up in difficulty depending on your level, so random battles will always keep you on your toes. The gameplay is very deep with all of the unique job classes and extra content. It's genuinely fun to come up with crafty strategies in FFT, and the satisfaction comes in seeing it all come together.

One unfortunate flaw in this port is the slowdown. Spells and abilities tend to make the animation go in slow-motion, which was not an issue in the original game. You'll probably notice it right away, then become numb to it after several hours.

Since the translation errors have been fixed, only a few complaints remain with regard to the game itself. It is still unfortunately fairly slow for a modern tactical RPG, which could be a bit of a problem for an average gamer. (Ironically, though, it's faster than FFTA2.) It's also a very menu-heavy game, which can certainly get confusing for someone who hasn't played it before, and who hasn't had the patience to go through the massive tutorial. That said, at least the tutorial makes sense this time around. Sorry, Daravon.

Another issue remains from the original - you can choose to Move and to Act in a turn, but you cannot "back up" after picking which square to move a character to. It would certainly be nice to be able to move first and then test out the range on abilities, but the old-school gameplay offers no such option. Those who are used to the original game probably won't mind unless they've been spoiled by newer tactical RPGs, but it still impacts the strategy element a bit.

It was refreshing to play this after FFTA and FFTA2, because the damage estimates and hit percentages are accurate again. Pretty much spot-on. You'll encounter the occasional one that's slightly off (usually just Rock Throw), but it's generally very reliable, and that's obviously important for a strategy-based game.

Final Fantasy Tactics is a game I will never get tired of playing. There is so much you can do with it, and it's all very entertaining. If you don't take it seriously enough, it'll certainly kick your behind, but finding a strategy to kick the behinds of those who did the same to you is where the fun of FFT lies. Despite a few dated aspects, Final Fantasy Tactics withstands the test of time as a genuinely fun, deep strategy RPG.