The cuts in Final Fantasy Tactics remake might not be what we want, but they are what we need

The announcement of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles came as a surprise to me (I saw the signs though), although the possibility of other titles from this classic JRPG series receiving a modern treatment looked likely after the success of Final Fantasy VII Remake. In a recent interview, the game director Kazutoyo Maehiro explained what moved him and his team to work on a new version of what, for many, is a perfect game.

However, some decisions made by Maehiro and his team over the direction of the Final Fantasy Tactics remake have put the community off. The reactions confirm the murky perspective that we, the players, still have on remakes.

The original Final Fantasy Tactics was developed for the PlayStation and released in Japan in 1997. Despite not being a numbered entry, Tactics established itself as one of the best in the series. The game’s story, focused more on political intrigue and featuring memorable characters like Ramza, the main hero whose participation in the War of the Lions had been forgotten by history. The dry narrative stood out against the series’ high-fantasy settings in previous installments.

Ten years later, Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions was released for the PSP. The expanded edition offered a new English translation, additional jobs, the inclusion of characters from other games, like Final Fantasy XII‘s Balthier, and other functionalities. The War of the Lions was almost immediately regarded as the best iteration of the game.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is not changing the original material in the same extent as Final Fantasy VII Remake did. Character sprites look better, but their cute visuals and little leg and arm animations remain intact. The game UI has received a modern makeover, and hey, we can hear Ramza talking now! But in the end, the material with which Maehiro and his team are working with is the original 1997 game, and not the more modern version The War of the Lions, leaving out all the additions from the PSP version in the remake. 

Maehiro understands the original Tactics as a complete game, which is true if we think that Tactics was already well-established as a classic before The War of the Lions. astill, their decision was met with huffs and groans. While it’s fair to expect an expanded or considerably changed experience from a remake, no one can seem to agree on whether they want to prioritize the original material or leave room for artistic expression in a remake. When Final Fantasy VII Remake was out, I saw some pretty angry arguments saying “Remake was not Final Fantasy VII” because it deviated from the original. Now, the Final Fantasy Tactics remake promises to return to origin, to the first version, and improve that experience. People don’t like that either. 

Considering the age of the core Final Fantasy playerbase, I can’t help but think that turning a title accessible to younger generations is more important than trying to match the community’s idea of what they had in mind for a remake. Keeping the game alive is exactly what motivated Kazutoyo Maehiro to work on this project. He realized that when he played the game again some years ago and thought that more people should have the chance to experience the original Tactics.

In the interview, he said that “I really wanted the younger generation of players who didn’t get to experience the original release to be able to play this incredible game. That’s why we started developing this title.” 

If the dispute over remakes revolves around preserving a personal preference at the expense of preserving history or creating room to new experiences, the answer is clear. Whether we like the idea of not being able to use jobs added in The War of the Lions or any other features of that version or not, we can be sure that Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles will keep the legacy of Ivalice, Ramza, and even The War of the Lions alive for many years to come.