Although many consumers may not realize it,
the existence of Final Fantasy Tactics on
the App Store brings a whole host of interesting
and complex questions related mostly to what
we as gamers expect of our time with iOS devices.
Premium AAA titles aren't in a huge supply,
partially due to the market still finding
its feet with regards to what does and doesn't
work and how much to charge (or how to split
up the charges), so when a game like Tactics
is released it grabs everyone's attention
as it provides a good indicator of how a high-priced,
high-content game performs on a platform that
encourages casual playing.
Thirteen years ago, Final Fantasy Tactics
was the first in a host of games yet to come
as it explored an otherwise niche corner of
the RPG world, the tactical RPG. Set within
the politically charged world of Ivalice,
players follow the story of Ramza as he uncovers
a sinister plot taking place behind the scenes
of a conflict over who the new regent of the
kingdom should be (the so-called 'War of the
Lions' to be precise). Instead of the usual
simplistic JRPG approach of smashing swords/rods/whatever
else you're holding against the face of an
enemy, players must fight within a 3D battlefield
where positioning is as important as your
'level' and 'equipment' or skills.
Strategy is as important as the tactics you
use and players will need to spend a lot of
time grinding out experience to spend on unlockable
'jobs' to define and round out the skills
of the characters in your party. Having a
robust team will make later encounters much
easier, though without the aid of a guide
you can expect a lot of time to be spent failing
over and over as you pinpoint what your weak
links are (with something as simple as the
'star sign' of a character playing a huge
role in whether they'll survive or die horribly
in a given encounter).
Being set in a 3D world means there's the
likelihood that the terrain will get in the
way of what you're trying to see, so handy
controls for panning, tilting and rotating
the screen are available. Most actions require
players to tap specific squares or units to
set a target and barring an awkward angle
the game picks up on where you're touching
intelligently. The menus themselves are far
less accommodating, with the text being incredibly
small even on Retina devices, making it hard
to select the ability or option you're after
from the large set of menus they're buried
in.
Once you've mastered the basics of the gameplay
the rabbit-hole only goes deeper as you tinker
with and explore the available routes of growth
for Ramza and his crew of men, women and various
other creatures. Be careful though as non-critical
friendly units can die permanently, meaning
you'll need to save often to avoid a bad outcome.
What's most important about the decision to
buy a game like Final Fantasy Tactics is whether
or not you're after something this deep on
a platform that will constantly interrupt
you (in the case of iPhones) or isn't well
suited to long-term play (in the case of iPads).
In terms of gameplay, depth and content, Tactics
provides an experience that's far from comparable
and the decision ultimately comes down to
whether or not you're willing to invest the
time required to unlock the complex story
contained within.
Fans of the series looking to complete their
collection need not fear any loss of quality
in Final Fantasy Tactics for the iOS (although
third-gen users will have some performance
issues) and fans of tactical RPGs should relish
the opportunity to absorb such a challenging
title. If you haven't dipped your toe in to
the world of tactical titles yet, this may
be a much harder game to start off with, but
it's still a tried and tested classic worth
checking out.
