There’s something surreal about sitting down with a game that shaped entire generations of strategy RPGs. Final Fantasy Tactics is one of those names that carries weight; it’s whispered in the same breath as classics, often with a nostalgic sigh. At Gamescom, I finally got to go hands-on with The Ivalice Chronicles, a complete rebirth of the 1997 original. And honestly, it feels less like a simple remake and more like stepping into a time machine where someone has polished every corner of my memory while still keeping the edges sharp.
The first thing that struck me wasn’t even the gameplay, it was the presentation. A hand-drawn opening cinematic pulled me straight back into Ivalice, only this time with a richness the PlayStation could never have handled. Characters now breathe through voice acting, entire scenes unfolding like a stage play with a fully voiced cast. Cutscenes have weight, and for a game that always lived on political intrigue and betrayal, that weight hits harder than ever. The shift from silent text boxes to performances you can hear changes everything; the world feels alive in a way the original could only hint at.
Once the tutorial wrapped, the real fight began. My battlefield was a cliffside waterfall, the kind of setting that screams both beauty and danger. I had four units to command: a mage, an archer, a summoner, and a thief whose mischievous streak gave the whole line-up some personality. It felt instantly familiar. Grid-based combat, careful positioning, planning every move with that nervous thrill of knowing a single misstep could cost you the fight. This is Final Fantasy Tactics through and through, and that’s exactly the point. The enhanced edition hasn’t tried to reinvent what already worked; it’s taken that skeleton and fleshed it out with modern muscle.
What surprised me most was how natural the new pacing feels. Battles still have the deliberate rhythm that defines the genre, but they’ve added quality-of-life touches that make the flow smoother. The original game has not aged well when you blow it up on a 4K TV, and playing that version now feels more like a museum visit, a nice curiosity, but not where you’ll want to spend your hours. The Enhanced mode is the real star, balancing reverence for the past with just enough modernization to make it work in 2025.
And then there’s the difficulty. The original Tactics could be brutal, and I still remember restarting missions in frustration back in the day. This time around, the developers have introduced three distinct difficulty levels. There’s an easier entry point for players who want to experience the story without suffering through punishing battles, a normal mode that mirrors the old challenge, and a higher mode that’s designed to push veterans to the edge. It’s a smart addition. It doesn’t cheapen the game; it just makes Ivalice more accessible, no matter who you are when you step in.
I asked about the job system during my session, and the team was clear: nothing has been touched. Every class, every job tree, every slightly overpowered option is still exactly as it was. That decision feels intentional, almost protective. Fans who have loved these systems for decades won’t have to relearn them or wonder why a favorite ability suddenly vanished. It’s a preservation of history, but with just enough shine to keep it from feeling dusty.
Walking away from the booth, I felt something rare: respect. This isn’t just nostalgia bait. It’s a careful rebuild of a legendary game that could easily have crumbled under the weight of time. With The Ivalice Chronicles, Square Enix hasn’t just revived Final Fantasy Tactics, they’ve honored it. And as someone who grew up with the genre, it feels like a gift.
