Since the first Final Fantasy game, the idea of your characters changing jobs - or class, has popped up now and again. Final Fantasy Tactics expands on that, offering a robust line up of jobs that any character can learn, and allows you to play with all the combinations of powers and skills each can provide. This is not to say all the characters are cookie-cutter, no, many are unique modeled characters who also start with a job unique to them. There is a staggering level of customization, oodles of talents, spells, rare items and powers to inflict upon your enemies. But this game comes with a price, investment. It is one seriously heavy time-sink, some battles taking a long time to complete. Which is not all surprising as the people behind SNES war game Ogre Battle, were involved in this too. 

You play as Ramza, and your friend Delita are in training at a soldier academy when a rebellion breaks out. The story quickly escalates from there, lending to a whole civil war. Its told over several acts, each full of supporting characters that come and go (although mainly its the bad guys that go). For each stage you will pick whom you want to take in your party, and then there is no retreat, no surrender. The battle are all done from an isometric view, if you see an opponent, you can try to attack them, no other battle screen needs to be initiated. 

This is not a traditional rpg where you walk around towns and search people's houses for treasure, getting into random battles with tonberry. To those who have played this series of games and love it, you might ask -is this anything like a Final Fantasy game? Why, yes, it is. There is no battle screen you're familiar with, but it has lots of things those who follow the series will remember. Play Final Fantasy II? The Dragoon job is here, called Lancer, and has the special Jump command that had Kain at your side until the end. Like magic? Time magic like stop, haste and even summoners with Shiva and spells you know and some new ones. These are just a tiny bit of examples. This has the heart of a Final Fantasy game because it IS a Final Fantasy game.

Let's review a bit, shall we?


Graphics: 8
This ain't no Final Fantasy 7. You won't be amazed by the graphics here. But you will be pleased. The many map types are by and large, interesting, detailed and usually have one or two focal points that really stand out. Giant buildings with the right gear can be scaled, pretty much everything can be explored. Love the maps, although some feel small. The characters are a decent size on screen, and being able to turn the map to see it from all sides, even enemies hiding can be spotted so you can plan and plot. Job classes dress different and stand out, bosses also have their own unique character art and the cast of players is huge, so you can see this is quite an undertaking. Probably the best graphic effects in game is the summoner spells, they are brief but not exactly impressive.
The character art is .. well its different. I won't say they are ugly, but they all have no nose. Some would argue its the least important feature for a portrait, but it makes everyone seem super young, even guys with grey beards. I am not docking the game anything point-wise for this, but it was odd enough I felt the need to point it out.

Sound: 6
Honestly, I think the music is not up to par with most games from Square. Not to say the music is bad and off-putting, like its for some other game entirely. No, its not exactly bad, its just.. there for me. I do like the title track, the horn music from the troop placement screen (Called "Attack Team" in ost), and honestly, thats about it.  Take the victorious fanfare music. Its not bombastic and full of triumph. Its almost bed-timey. It starts with tempo then its harps and a lighter sound than I was expecting. The battle music, its got the low menace of drums and a dangerous tone to it, but it never got catchy or memorable to me. By comparison of what my tastes in their previous works, American released Square games with great music I'd say are FFII, FFIII, FF7, FFX. Your mileage may vary, you may love it.


Addictiveness: 8
The story plays out over a series of years, and its far-reaching and has lots of twists and betrayals, traveling a large map and all sorts of things. There is a lot of hidden items to find on each map, and some of them can never be found anywhere else! This is a huge deal, although quite annoying, as there are many maps that are a one-time play. If you miss that chance, it does not come back. Playing with a strategy guide to clue you into their location is almost a must if you care about this one-in-a-chance loot.
The ability to level up your characters and change jobs is very fun, there are so many to choose from. Things you'd expect in Final Fantasy, the white mage, the mimic (ha!), the kung fu expert. There are some really clever ones, like one that deals damage based on a factor of equations, or one that inspires their comrades with stat boosts in a support role.
The fact that some maps take an hour or so to complete (if you're trying to get everything) can be a real drag. A special dungeon which forces you to look for the exit to continue (without killing all the monsters) makes the time slow to a complete crawl inside it. Not fun. 


Depth: 8
So many jobs. Over 30. Its a LOT of fun to unlock them, as they are initally divided into physical jobs (Knight, Thief, Monk) and Magical ones (White and Black mage, Chemist). Leveling up a job class can unlock new ones, and some take a combination of jobs to unlock. Some even are open only based on your gender!
The items. There is a ton of items in this game, most of it gear for your party. From rare perfumes to guns that fire magic bullets, there is much to collect here, and much of it good. As stated in Addictiveness, you can lose out on a lot of rare gear if you don't even know its there for the taking. The Theif class' steal ability to rip it right from enemy hands, or searching a square for finding hidden loot (from the Chemist) are uber important to trying to collect the best things.

Difficulty: 7
This is not a really hard game. But it is very long, and somewhat taxing on your patience. Thank goodness for save states now!  There are a few battles, one on a rooftop burns in my memory, that are almost unfair. But they are rare. WIth the ability to go to certain maps and fight random things to level up, raise jobs and learn new ones, its never impossible. That said, this game also features what i consider one of the cheapest characters in video gaming. Good news, hes on your side, and taking him is optional.
I won't spoil it, as they're not listed at first as a friend, but once you get this person, seriously, they are so overpowered its almost just like they could beat the game by themselves. 

Overall: 8.6
This is a great game, with detailed maps to explore, a long reaching story of intrigue and war, and the ultimate in customization for your skill sets. You can literally almost be any job, and have a party full of summoners if you want. Its your call. Its not the most fun Final Fantasy I've played, but its unique and still a lot of fun. You will love the beloved references to the series that pop up if you're a square fan.
That said, this is a strategy game, where you must rely on getting just the last hit and stopping a threat, and how best to move your team to make the most of them. Its not a game to just waste a little time on, you have to really invest. But if you have the time, this fantasy has the tactics.