Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (Game Boy Advance) Review

Everything starts off with a group of children playing snowball fights in the local playground. However, things turn nasty with the introduction of newcomer Marche, especially when he takes the side of Mewt, the typical child that always gets picked on in games and Ritz, a girl who supposedly dies her white hair red. Once the teacher has broken up the feud and everyone has gone home, Marche heads off to visit his sick brother. Later, Mewt and Ritz come over and bring along a special new book that nobody knows the name of. Upon opening it a lovely cut-scene kicks in with some strange text and images shown from the book. They then all discuss which games would make interesting reality – Mewt chooses Final Fantasy, obviously. Unfortunately, though, they had repeated some of the strange words in the tome and before they realise what is happening, their town of St Ivalice has become the imaginary world. So begins the journey of trying to unravel the mystery of returning home…

You can tell something has been well crafted and looked after when it is the first title to ever be considerate of your gaming environment and settings. FFTA gives you the option from the start to choose a colour setting, whether you are using the old GBA, an SP or the GBPlayer on a TV. A welcome start…Then once past this stage you get the main introductory sequences. That is when your jaw will well and truly hit the ground. Square Enix has managed to transplant the sheer beauty and in-depth detail from the PSone Japanese/US-only smash hit pseudo-predecessor onto this iddy, biddy ickle GBA cartridge, right down to the variations in clothing for each character or species’ job type!

Rich colours as far as the eye can see; solid building designs all around you; vast locales that are filled to the brim with intricate detail, so much so that on first glance you seriously cannot take everything in at once; amazing variation within the character line-up, from the usual humans, to Bangaa (lizard-like folk) and even Moogles (the white fluffy things, if you do not know)! The game might be ageing a lot now in terms of shelf-date, but this remains in the Top 5 graphical masterpieces on the GBA. Square Enix came and in its first full attempt managed to blow everyone else out of the water, and many companies are still struggling to get anywhere near this standard! Spectacular...

Whilst Masaharu Iwata and Hitoshi Sakimoto scored the original Sony version of Final Fantasy Tactics, it is the legendary Nobuo Uematsu that takes the reigns for this outing. Composed of mere midi work, you might be led to believe that the GBA soundtrack is weak. However, Uematsu, the self-taught musician, is a pure genius when it comes to be limited in the musical department. This is something echoed by RPG aficionados from the days of the SNES, where he created some of the most extravagant orchestral pieces you will ever hear in videogames. So what does he cook up here on the GBA? Yet another graceful, stirring, lively, yet gentle score that never grows tiresome. Many will bemoan the lack of tracks on the whole, but for the little handheld wonder this, just like the aesthetic side of the production, is of the very highest class...and so impressive that personally I was convinced to go and purchase two different CDs of the game's music reworked! Square Enix knows how to put others to shame...

...And nobody does it better than Uematsu-san, in my opinion. There are so many tunes that you seriously will just sit there in amazement wondering just how your GBA, oft derided for its musical capabilities, is managing to pump out such delicate, floaty-light music, then quickly changing to rousing battle-heavy themes, with the odd dark, melancholy piece slotted in for good measure. And this is from playing the game on a simple SP. Try slipping your cartridge into the stereo Nintendo DS or even your GB Player on your GameCube, hooked up to a meaty set of speakers and words cannot describe the feeling you get inside (especially if you are a nostalgia maniac such as myself, and great lover of the SNES). Simply amazing!

One look at the genre 'Strategy Role Playing Game' and it is enough to send shivers down the spines of many a man (and woman, of course...!). One criticism aimed at Squaresoft's original Final Fantasy Tactics on the PSone was that it was so complicated that anyone caring to dip their toe in would likely have it munched off within seconds. The answer? Square Enix has made FFT Advance perfect for the little handheld it has been made for. Yes, complications are still abound, but you need not worry your little heads about it, since all is easily explained and any points of contention are generally ironed out very quickly due to the early repetition of key points to ensure they are driven home and understood completely.

To start with, there is no physical control over your characters and teammates. So, whether you want to or not, you will not be a-wandering round this Final Fantasy world as normal. Instead the action takes place on an overhead map, with your 'engagements' (what the game call battle encounters) occurring once you have visited the local town pub to gain the latest gossip and agree to join various missions that are available to your and your ever-growing clan of fighters, black mages, archers, monks and healers (amongst many other skilled folk). Then, once one of these engagements is complete, you receive a nice little monetary and material reward, plus get the chance to place the next location anywhere on the map you should so desire.

Laws and jobs? Ah yes...First each battle is dictated by a Judge, as edicts were set in place many years ago whereby certain battles must have specific things you can and cannot do (such as cannot use swords, but may gain extra bonuses for using rods, etc.)