One of the biggest topics of discussion surrounding Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles was its cut content, but it’s mostly been left vague what is and isn’t in the game. Thankfully, we do know the answer.
Remakes and remasters are all the rage these days, and Final Fantasy Tactics has been long overdue for one. While a remaster was released for the PSP in 2007, it never actually found its way to consoles or even PCs. That has left one of the most beloved RPGs of its era mostly lost to time.
Thankfully, after years of teases and reports, Square Enix is bringing the game back, but some elements wound up on the cutting room floor. Here’s what got left behind and what got added to the game.
All content cut from Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles cuts much of the content added to the game from The War of the Lions.
Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions was an enhanced port of the PlayStation 1 classic. The main selling point of the game was its complete re-translation, but it also added new gameplay elements. Unfortunately, the team developing The Ivalice Chronicles used the original Final Fantasy Tactics as a base. This means most of the original content added to The War of the Lions has been cut from Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles.
The confirmed cut content in Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles includes the following:
- Extra missions, including battles with Zalbaag and a returning Argath
- Final Fantasy 12’s Balthier as a playable character
- Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift’s Luso as a playable character
- New jobs Onion Knight and Dark Knight
- Various story moments and conversations
- New items
While the vast majority of The War of the Lions’ content has been cut from Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, some bits and pieces are being kept. The War of the Lions’ translation will be used in the “classic” version of the game, while its animated cutscenes are also set to return.
As for why the decision was made to cut this content, game director Kazutoyo Maehiro gave an answer.
“The original version of Final Fantasy Tactics is a very complete game both from a game design and story perspective…With this in mind, our first step in reviving Final Fantasy Tactics in the present was to adhere to the original and put a spotlight on the original game’s characters and jobs, as well as the original gameplay experience,” Maehiro stated through Square Enix.
What’s new in Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles?
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles adds new story content, alongside an overhauled UI and graphical facelift.
The list of new additions to the game includes:
- New content described as “extensive additions and adjustments to the story”
- Voice-acted dialogue
- Modernized combat UI that includes on-screen turn order
- New textures for levels
- Improved menus
- Story summaries on map screen
- Optional easy mode
- Up to 50 units in party
While in battle, the screen displays significantly more information including the turn order and the terrain height of units.This is accentuated by sharper textures to the environments similar to those seen in the Suikoden 1 and 2 Remastered collection.
The menus were also changed in a way that makes the game’s progression more explicit. The map gives a summary of story happenings, the change job screen shows how to unlock new jobs, and so on.
Players that want something closer to the original can instead opt for the classic version of the game. This keeps the classic, lean HUD and environmental textures.
