Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is an interesting game, as it’s not an HD-2D remake, nor is it a Pixel Remaster. Instead, it’s different from Square Enix’s signature remake and remaster styles. That’s because the game’s visuals are overhauled but still have the same overall art style as the originals, all while having a bunch of quality-of-life enhancements.
After trying out the game in a media hands-on session, we also got to ask a couple of questions to the game’s director, Kazutoyo Maehiro. Specifically, we asked what their main goal was for this game, especially given its unique status when compared with Square Enix’s other JRPG remakes and remasters.
Maehiro answered, saying:
“It has been 28 years since the original game launched, and in that time, the platforms and hardware have changed greatly. A lot of the controls, especially with controllers, have shifted as well.
Our initial goal or focus was to make sure that this game, which launched nearly 30 years ago, could meet the current global standard of what people expect in a game. From there, we looked at components of the original that might have felt a little clunky or inconvenient and made adjustments on that front.”
Their main goal was to give players a similar experience to playing the originals, with just enough visual and gameplay enhancements to make it less clunky and inconvenient.
This approach makes sense if you’re a fan of Final Fantasy Tactics. After all, that game continues to be an icon of the tactical RPG genre.
Of course, there had to be some updates to make it feel better from a gameplay standpoint. Regarding their approach in this regard, Maheiro said:
“So, when it comes to the added features, I think the emphasis, or the ambition, that we had was to ensure that we were making the game feel much more playable and improving the overall quality of life. When it comes to the overall game design, we haven’t made any major changes or adjustments.”
As there will be no major changes or adjustments, The Ivalice Chronicles promises to delight fans of the original who want an experience that’s as true to the PlayStation 1 version as possible.
While some creators may be tempted to heavily tweak their old projects if they get the chance to do so, that’s not the case here, indicating that the original Final Fantasy Tactics creators are still happy with the original game’s release version.
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles will be released on September 30, 2025, for the PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, Switch 2, and PC.