Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions

Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions
Developer(s)	TOSE, Square Enix
Publisher(s)	Square Enix
Artist(s)	Akihiko Yoshida
Composer(s)	Hitoshi Sakimoto Masaharu Iwata
Series	Final Fantasy series Ivalice Alliance
Platform(s)	PlayStation Portable
Release date(s)	JP May 10, 2007 EU October 5, 2007 AUS October 8, 2007 NA October 9, 2007
Genre(s)	Tactical role-playing game
Mode(s)	Single player, Multiplayer
Rating(s)	CERO: B ESRB: Teen OFLC: PG PEGI: 12+
Media	UMD

Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions (ファイナルファンタジータクティクス 獅子戦争, Fainaru Fantajī Takutikusu Shishi Sensō^?) is a tactical role-playing game developed by Square Enix and published by Square Enix for the Sony PlayStation Portable handheld game console. The game is an updated version of Final Fantasy Tactics for the PlayStation video game console.^[1]

The War of the Lions is the second announced game in the "Ivalice Alliance" campaign, a promotion of video games set in the Ivalice fictional world. The first is Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, a sequel to Final Fantasy XII, for the Nintendo DS, and the third is Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift.^[2]

Gameplay

Screenshot of a new cel-shaded CGI cutscene.

Following the trend of Final Fantasy video games on PlayStation systems, The War of the Lions features full motion video during certain scenes. These videos are rendered using cel-shading, a technique giving the illusion of hand drawn animation.^[3] Because of the PlayStation Portable's screen size, the game features a 16:9 aspect ratio, as opposed to the previous 4:3.^[4] The developers added sequences with visual arts illustrated by Akihiko Yoshida, and the game is complete with new episodes and cutscenes that were not in the original title. Developers wanted the game to suit both new players and players that have experienced the original title.^[5]

The game adds two new character classes; the Onion Knight, taken from Final Fantasy III, and the Dark Knight, which was previously only available to one character, Gafgarion. The Dark Knight in this game has added abilities and thus the original Dark Knight class was renamed to "Fell Knight". The Fell Knight class is still unique to Gafgarion.^[3] In addition, The War of the Lions contains new characters, including Balthier from Final Fantasy XII.^[6] Balthier is said to have an "important role", branded as a heretic in search of the "Cache of Glabados". He joins Ramza, the protagonist while he searches for his sister.^[7] Another new character, a monster hunter named Luso from Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift also joins Ramza.^[8]

Another addition to the game is a wireless multiplayer mode, both for co-operative and competitive play. In competitive play, opposing teams may place traps onto the battlefield, and these traps are hidden from the opponent. To ease identification, teams are assigned colors. The battle ends after a set number of rounds, and the team with the most remaining HP is declared the winner. The winner may then receive an item randomly generated from treasure chests.^[5]

Other additions include new items and equipment and an increased character party limit, as well as new scenes that flesh out the backstory of existing characters and explaining more events beyond what the player sees through Ramza's eyes.

Plot

Setting

The War of the Lions retains the setting of the PlayStation version, in which the fictional kingdom of Ivalice had just ended its war with neighboring kingdom Ordalia, dubbed the "Fifty Years' War". In the PSP version, several name changes were made in the retranslation to certain game locations, and certain characters have also been changed. The game revolves around the War of the Lions, a conflict occurring due to the death of King Ondorria. The heir to the throne, Prince Orinus, is only an infant; therefore a regent must be selected to rule in the prince's place. Loyalists of the crown chose Duke Larg as their candidate, while nobles prefer their candidate Duke Goltanna. Both served as generals in the Fifty Years' War under the banner of the White Lion and Black Lion respectively.

Characters

The War of the Lions possesses the same large cast in addition to a very deep and complex story. The two leads are taken by Ramza Beoulve of the noble house Beoulve, and Delita Heiral, a peasant who Ramza befriended. Though they have been friends since childhood, Delita's sister's death creates a rift between the two and causes them to choose different paths on how to save Ivalice from chaos. Many names undergo alterations to meet with the better quality of the translation such as Teta becoming Tietra, Olan becoming Orran, Zalbag becoming Zalbaag, and Orlandu changing to Orlandeau.

Two new unlockable characters include Balthier from Final Fantasy XII, and Luso from Final Fantasy Tactics A2.

Story

War of the Lions has retained much of the original storyline from Final Fantasy Tactics. The game is told through the framing device of a historian, Arazlam Durai, who is seeking to shed light on an era of Ivalice's history: specifically, the War of the Lions, and King Delita Heiral's rise to power. It is his contention that another man, Ramza Beoulve, is the true hero of the era. To prove it, the game flashes back to Ramza's day, finding him a mercenary employed as a bodyguard to Princess Ovelia. Though Ramza and his companions defend the monastery, a rogue kidnapper sneaks in the back and makes off with the princess: none other than Delita Heiral, future king and Ramza's best friend.

The game's first chapter depicts the past friendship between Ramza, heir to the noble House Beoulve, and Delita, a commoner. Both fight for justice and the common man, but both are astonished when, during a hostage situation, Ramza's elder brother Zalbaag is willing to kill that hostage (Delita's sister Tietra) to expedite a solution. Ramza, having raised hand against his family, is disinherited, while Delita decides to change the world for the better, creating an Ivalice where the nobility cannot take advantage of the weak and common.

Opening to the present, Ramza catches up to Delita and helps save Ovelia, who was targeted for assassination by the White Lion faction, led by Duke Larg and Dycedarg Beoulve (Ramza's eldest brother). Ramza then escorts Ovelia to Cardinal Delacroix of the Glabados Church, which neither side will dare to offend. On their way they encounter Mustadio Bunansa, who is on the run from a trading company; Mustadio has a piece of Auracite which this company wants. Delacroix explains that it is one of twelve Zodiac Stones, relics from an ancient Ivalician tale: that of the Zodiac Braves, a group of heroes who defeated a demon summoned to Ivalice by a king with more ambition than sense. Though Delacroix promises to put an end to the trading company, it transpires that he is actually part of a faction within the church that is trying to collect the Zodiac Stones for their own use. This faction is also manipulating and motivating the entire war, urging on Dukes Larg and Goltanna in an effort to expand their influence. Delacroix, invoking the power of the Zodiac Stone when confronted by Ramza, becomes one of the "Lucavi," demons associated with each Stone, and must be defeated, which results in Ramza being branded a heretic. Though Ramza makes many enemies, he also gathers a party of supporters around him, including several who previously supported the church.

Frequent cut scenes depict Delita's rise to power. Like the Glabados Church, Delita manipulates many of the people around him, staging betrayals and reversals to further his own agenda. As more and more persons of power are demoted or killed, Delita's prestige grows; he also romances Princess Ovelia, eventually marrying her and promising never to use her.

The final chapters of the game involve Ramza's fight against the Knights Templar, the faction within the Glabados Church that is gathering the Zodiac Stones. This faction is controlled by the Lucavi and is attempting to resurrect the ancient founder of the church—Ajora Glabados, the chosen host for the leader of the Lucavi, the High Seraph Ultima. As the Knights Templar's agenda becomes more overt, they cause increasing chaos, as Ultima requires vast amounts of bloodshed to be resurrected; among the slain are Dukes Larg and Goltanna, as well as Dycedarg and Zalbaag Beoulve. Alma Beoulve, youngest in the family, is saved for a different fate: it will be her body that substitutes for Ajora's as a container for Ultima. Ramza and his party, however, are able to save Alma and defeat the demon, saving Ivalice from destruction.

The epilogue reveals that neither Ramza nor his friends were ever confirmed to have survived the battle. In this same epilogue, Orran Durai sees both Ramza and Alma riding off on Chocobos, though it is never confirmed that they were truly there. Orran Durai later compiled records of the Church's deceit and went public with the tale. However, he was burned at the stake as a heretic, and his records, the "Durai Papers," lay unheeded for several hundred years until their release from the Church and disseminated by Orran's descendant: the game's narrator, Arazlam Durai. In the final scene, Ovelia accuses Delita of having manipulated her as he does everyone and stabs him in anger. Delita kills her, and then staggers backwards, wondering aloud: "Did you get your end in all of this, Ramza? I...I got this."

Development

This section requires expansion.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions was revealed on December 13, 2006 in the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine as a PlayStation Portable port of Final Fantasy Tactics. The magazine stated additions of cel-shaded full motion videos, and extra job classes among other new features.^[9]

The title was originally made for the PlayStation console in 1997. Takamasa Shiba, the current game's producer, said that Square Enix decided to "re-envision the game a decade later". Because of the extensive gameplay and deep storyline, the PlayStation version would compel players to spend hours playing it. Shiba cited this as one of the main reasons why Square chose to develop it for the PSP, and because of its portability. The subtitle of The War of the Lions was chosen as it illustrates "the backdrop for the story of the two main characters Ramza and Delita", as well as illustrating the multiplayer gameplay.^[10]

The North American localization of The War of the Lions has full audio voice acting for the video sequences in the game.^[11] The slowdown and sound downgrade, though acknowledged by the localizers, was not a priority for them to fix, being stated as "out of their hands."^[12] Various reviewers have differing opinions about how the slowdown issue has been addressed; one of the previews of the North American version claims that the slowdown has been reduced, stating that "now the technical issues are about on par with the minor slowdown exhibited in the PS1 release and are no longer distracting", while others stated that the slowdowns still "occur when performing attacks or spells in battle".^[13][14]

Reception

The War of the Lions reached the top of Japanese gaming charts, and sold 100,000 copies in the first month of release in the United States.^[20] The game was the 53rd best-selling game of 2007 in Japan at 301,796 copies according to Famitsu magazine.^[21]

As of December 18, 2007, The War of the Lions has a score of 88/100 at the aggregate review site Metacritic, based on 39 reviews.^[22] In comparison, the original Final Fantasy Tactics scored 83 from 12 reviews.^[23]

The War of the Lions has been criticized for slowdowns during battles and decreased audio quality.^[24]

References

External links

• Final Fantasy Tactics Shishi Sensō official website for Japan (Japanese)
• Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions official website for Europe
• Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions official website for North America