Highlights

  • Final Fantasy Tactics is a classic that influenced the franchise's lore, characters, and gameplay.
  • The tactical RPG genre hasn't seen a game like FFT in terms of cultural impact.
  • A new FFT game or spiritual successor could fill a gap in Square Enix's lineup.

Many Final Fantasy entries are held up as all-time classics by portions of the fanbase, and Final Fantasy Tactics is one of them. The game was released in Japan in 1997 for the PlayStation 1, with a North American release the next year, and received a remaster for PSP and mobile devices in 2007. Written and directed by Ogre Battle creator Yasumi Matsuno, Final Fantasy Tactics became a success that spawned its own Final Fantasy subseries and inspired many more titles since.

That's not even all that it has done for the franchise. Final Fantasy Tactics introduced the Ivalice setting used by its sequels, Final Fantasy 12, and the Return to Ivalice raid in Final Fantasy 14. Protagonist Ramza Beoulve was one of the two Final Fantasy spin-off characters added to Dissidia Final Fantasy NT. Even the politically-charged medieval wartime drama in FFT has also influenced the stories of later games, especially Final Fantasy 14 and 16, courtesy of outspoken Tactics fan Naoki Yoshida. Recently, Yoshida went as far as stating that it was time for a new Final Fantasy Tactics game and, looking at Final Fantasy's current landscape, he’s probably right.

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Related
The Case For and Against a Final Fantasy Tactics Remake

The long-rumored remake of one of the most-beloved Final Fantasy spin-offs warrants examination into whether an update is even necessary.

Nothing Has Hit Like Final Fantasy Tactics Since FFT

Right now, there aren't many games like Final Fantasy Tactics on the market. Fire Emblem is still going strong, indie strategy RPGs continue to be released, and Square Enix itself is still publishing comparable titles like Triangle Strategy. Still, it feels like nothing has matched FFT’s cultural significance in its genre space yet. The recent Unicorn Overlord went over well enough to be praised by Yasumi Matsuno himself, which makes sense considering the influence of Ogre Battle and Final Fantasy 12 in it, but not even those games bring together the same narrative and gameplay trappings as Final Fantasy Tactics.

Final Fantasy Itself Has Grown Distant From Tactics

Not helping the issue are Final Fantasy’s modern efforts, which are moving further away from Tactics’ gameplay even while calling back to other elements. Produced by Naoki Yoshida, Final Fantasy 16 draws upon Final Fantasy Tactics heavily through its medieval warfare, themes of oppression, and other details like player-character Clive Rosfield changing his outfit over time similar to Ramza.

FF16’s character action gameplay couldn't feel more different than Final Fantasy Tactics, however, and the same can be said for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. A new Final Fantasy Tactics has an unoccupied place in this lineup.

The Final Fantasy Tactics Line Needs Fresh Blood

Final Fantasy Tactics and Ogre Battle fans have been underserved for a long time. Ogre Battle’s five distinct entries have only seen re-releases and remasters since 2001’s Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis, and FFT just had two sequels, a portable remaster, and three defunct mobile spin-offs. 2003’s Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and 2007’s Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift are the last new games from either, and while both were well-received, not even they could recapture the qualities that made the original FFT such a legend. As such, a revival is overdue.

A New Final Fantasy Tactics Is Still Possible

Several years of evidence for a modern, ambitious Final Fantasy Tactics remaster were piling up, but all that came of it was 2022's Tactics Ogre: Reborn. That could help pave the way for a proper continuation of Final Fantasy Tactics, though according to Matsuno himself, there are currently no plans for FFT itself to be remastered.

Still, Matsuno’s recent series of design positions might be leading up to another directing role, which would definitely turn FFT fans’ heads. A Final Fantasy Tactics sequel or spiritual successor would fill a long-standing hole in Square Enix’s lineup and could shake up both Final Fantasy and tactical RPGs all over again.