I was never into rpg games growing up, but this game had me hooked, the graphics, the artwork, the storyline, the music, all packed into a small gba. It was amazing.
I used to play this game a lot when I was a kid and today I just started playing it again. This video is the best guide out there, you did an impressive job explaining all these things
I played the sht out of this game. The tactics series are some of the best from FF series in general, shame squenix hasnt made premium one for mobile like the first FFT Good times, nostalgia hitting like a truck.
This game gets dogged on nonstop for not being the edgy GoT-style epic that the original Tactics was, but I will die on the hill forever that it is overall a better Final Fantasy story than its parent. Perhaps even one of the best in the series.
I can agree that FFTA has a story that is more inline with other FF games. However, I don't think its fair to call FFT's story an "edgy GoT-style epic." It has mature themes but doesn't revel in debauchery and while the world is corrupt, Ramza is not. He and his companions are the good people unwilling to let the clear evil of the world win. That's what separates it from GoT-style stories.
the fact that people think Marche is the villain because he is trying to free his friends from the Lotus Eater Machine shows how much we are are willing to sink ourselves in a world of dellusion to escape the harsh cruel reality. i think it makes sense that Marche is the one that realizes this is all an illusion, because he is the older brother, anyone who wore these shoes know that being the eldest sibling makes you mature faster than the others kids, especially if the younger one is sickly. back when i was a kid, i wrote off FFTA story as childish and silly, but as an adult i now realize why its like the way it is, and its overall message is great for kids growing up around Videogames.
@@FiresideGamingReviews i say that, but lets also take in consideration that being the older brother could've taken Marche to the delusional side as well, being finally free to do as he wishes, no longer have to take care of Donned, being finally able to fulfill his "wants" and " Don't wants", the temptation wad there for him as well.
@@mauricesteel4995 Oh no doubt. Marche shows how much he loves Ivalice throughout the game. He's just of strong enough character to know it's not how things should be and stands by that.
Oh, that part always drove me nuts about my fellow fans of this game. The fact the game on no uncertain terms showed how they were happier and better off once they were made to accept reality and stop letting it consume them when they get home does nothing to make those folk reconsider their position. Like, Ritz finally gains the self-confidence to stop dyeing her hair and stop caring that people think it's weird. How is that not her ending up better and happier? Mewt and Cid finally moving on from Mewt's mother's death and becoming a family again was the best thing for both of them. Doned finally realizing how hard taking care of him was on his whole family finally bridged the gap between him and Doned. It's very likely the underlying resentment between the brothers might have just simmered and then boiled over in an even worse way if never confronted.
Even as a kid I always thought that Marche was actually right. Another take of the players is that Marche is the one that has the least of problems compared to his friends. I totally disagree with that take, now that I am an adult and a teacher, I can see that Marche didn't have it easy either, in a way he is abandoned or lacks attention from his mother because of Doned, he is growing up alone. While in this case this made Marche mature quicker, other teenagers can develop the opposite, or even grudge or behavior problems. Marche problem is not minuscule.
Dude I love your videos and can see how much work you're putting into them. Seriously thanks so much, it shows you care and enjoy making them. I really can't wait to see your channel take off! Its awesome. Its also awesome to hear someone else played this in 8th grade on their DC trip on Amtrak with their friends :)
It was much brighter, FFT has a type of articulate darkness tho I also feel the localization on FFT GBA was better translated , the first game lacked polish because I don't think they saw much of a market outside japan.
I don't play a lot of gba games no more (i used to play at school and i was like 14), i was looking for a good and sincere review on yt, then i found out exactly what i was looking for, thanks for the amazing job and getting me to play this game :D
FFTA is my most favorite tactics game by a long shot. I did work through the 300+ missions including the Judge Cid missions and somehow never felt bored. The gameplay wasn't opaque like FFT and yet really punched above its age rating by telling these relatable stories of children coping with broken families. I even loved the yellow/red card mechanics, although I wish there was a warning before taking a red-card action, as I had far too many instant game-overs for dumb reasons.
Great video, my dude! Pretty easy to tell you have a lot of genuine love for the game and what it means. Though, if I could make a recommendation, it would be to leave the story review for the end or just do a quick premise of it before talking about everything else. My reasoning for this is that, if I haven't played a game and someone goes into spoilers then I just close the video because I wanna experience it myself. Also, if I remember it correctly, you CAN actually get the Judge Sword AND Cid for your party but that's after you 100% the game si they are just bragging rights. Still, loved the video and your narration. Keep up the good work!
Thanks and I'm glad you enjoyed the review! I appreciate the feedback. I don't want anyone spoiled on the story without warning, which is why I put that time skip to go past the story section. I also don't mind at all if people stop watching at that point, either, just to be extra sure they don't see spoilers. That's always their choice and the video will still be here if they ever decide to come back to it. From what I understand, you can get Cid after 100% but not the Judge Sword.
"A young man was charged with misdemeanor when he drank a potion. There were no illegal substances inside the potion, but the referee decreed that it was against the rules for this combat. Later, another young man was arrested for attacking an enemy when the judge felt like making it illegal. Neither side made a move, as the completely ridiculous laws caused the leaders of both sides to go to jail."
I love this game so much, the story, characters, graphics, gameplay and the Music! Some kind soul uploaded the official orchestrated soundtrack to TH-cam. It's amazing to hear it properly after listening to the gba post for so long. Can't believe this game is 20 years old. Peak squenix
I checked out of the orchestrated soundtrack for the first time while making this video. Found it on the Internet Archive. It really is great after listening to the compressed GBA songs for so long.
What an awesome review! I always played the beginning of this game - a few stages here and there, and never finished it. I was a little boy that didn’t know English that much, so I didn’t understand most of what was happening. That, and the pacing were too slow for me back then. Never ever grabbed the game again. Now, after this review, I might as well give it a chance! Thank you!
i remember getting this game on December 31 2003, playing it on the game cube GBA add on playing it on the living room TV and so my brother could help me learn how to read.
Great video! I really hope that some day this game is added in the nintendo switch with the expansion pack. I remember playing this game a lot of hours, Ivalice was and will always be amazing
The BEST feature this game has is the fact that units keep the class abilities after they switch classes. I had a mean warrior/mage build that would wreck.
I recently rebought this game and the Analog Pocket and have been having a blast reliving the fun. When I played as a kid I foolishly threw away a quest item that unlocks a very cool character. This time I won't make that mistake.
@@FiresideGamingReviews I haven't played FFTA since I was 13/14 so it has been a lot of fun remembering some of the things as well as relearning some of the parts I've since forgotten.
Just before the snow falls and gets cold just outside downtown Montreal, I always get SUPER nostalgic about this game. It's so good, deep for the people this game was intended to and as an older brother, I can sympathize with Marche to some extend. Around this time, my dad had separated with my mom, which really affected me mentally and would have a large impact for who I am today. The game makes me nostalgic for the holidays and spending time with people I hold dear to me. The music, classes, races and so much freedom for this kind of game with it's bounties and overworld fights made this game feel very unique for it's time and has aged beautifully. As others have said, it really felt like a magical world. FFTA A2 also gives this feeling, expanding on what made this game so very memorable gameplay-wise. Ugh I could ramble hahahaha thanks for the video, this was awesome!
Ivalice exists as a support for these kids to avoid despair. Despair that can be solved if they face reality and get over their insecurities. Ivalice also takes away any incentive from them to face reality as it solves their problems. Which means they dont have to face reality, making them more and more dependent on the illusion. The only way to develop their character is to make them understand their own flaws(what Marche does) and have them change themselves. At that point Ivalice becomes unnecessary as they have gotten over their issues. "desire is the thread that binds this world together" Since they have gotten over their issues, they no longer desperately desire Ivalice, causing an auto shut down. Its classic eastern storytelling.
I loved playing this on my GB Micro. But after emulating since the early days of Android, I too love the soundtrack, I am just used it at 2x speed. Subbed cuz tactics.
I have not played this game since summer 2004 after getting it in December the year before. 20 years later this is the first review I’ve checked up on the game wondering out of the blue what the old games I use to love have left as a legacy. For whatever reason, I can still remember the story, characters, maps, mechanics. I can’t believe the lasting power of such a title in my brain space. Not many things get recalled so vividly and after watching this those aspects were recalled correctly. Weirds me out.
Just means it left an impression on you. Not sure if you were a teen like I was at the time but it seems to be easier to recall things from that point in life. At least it is for me.
It's kind of weird playing this with modern tactics and turn based games in mind and realizing how little old games explained because they came with manual
This was a great game doomed to fail in the eyes of the community because it was so wildly different from the original FFT. Still one of the most interesting and unique stories in video games, even if it doesn't perfectly stick the landing.
It would be nice to finally see some expansion on the world setting of Ivalice in future FF games. Whether it would be a tactics game or a traditional FF game. Ivalice was such a fantastic world.
I like Marche tbh. But one thing I didn't like is that he didn't realize that not being able to use your legs is WAY worse than not getting enough attention.
I'm sure Marche understands that Doned not having use of his legs is worse. Still doesn't change the fact that he's lonely and jealous of the extra attention his brother gets and that he can't let him fall into the escapism that is Ivalice.
I really love this game, your review is pretty great, I just wish I could talk about it online without people immediately arguing about Marche's moral alignment.
Thanks! I felt I had to point out Marche isn't evil in counter to the online discourse that has surrounded him in recent years. But I completely get if it's something you are just tired of hearing about.
@@FiresideGamingReviews no it's something that needed pointing out, I'm a Marche supporter and due to real events I personally relate to him, but it's hard to talk about the characters without people going into a frenzy, and obviously I can't just tell them they are as immature as Mewt if they side with him, Marche was basically doing a bad thing to help everyone in the long run, and people nowadays assume that there is only black and white instead of shades of gray.
@TKHedgeHog Ah. I gotcha now. Unfortunately lots of people view FFTA through a cynical lens when it's one of the most heartfelt genuine games there is. They really do miss the point of it's story.
i believe if the maps were more creative and detailed in terrain layout like in fire emblem, and if the monster mage (the one that "morphs into monsters") actually turned into the monsters they morph into and copied their movement types, it would've been more loved. Note: my favorite job is the Monster mage Job. i love the idea of defeating (in this case, Capturing) monsters and acquiring monsters souls to turn into them and use their powers. the Blue mage is neat and more useful if you want to use monster skills, but had the monster mage did what i wrote above then it would've been a better version of blue mage.
It's definitely something that could've been more detailed. I actually don't deal much with the beat classes (Morph, Blue Mage or Beastcaller) because they just don't feel fleshed out enough. I might give them another shot since I'm still playing this file more on post-game.
@@FiresideGamingReviews Blue and Morpher are similar in that they use beast skills, but how they do changes how you would use them. Blue mage often requires a good punch in the face to learn their skill which can be inconvient, but My favorite class Morpher requires you to swicth between monster soul styles. fortunatley this includes all monsters of that type so you can use all three dragon/wrym skills, but if you want to use goblin punch you need to change to a goblin. in short, they are a fun class to use as monsters have skills that the player often never gets, but getting said skills can be tedious. for example, morph into a lamia and use frog. most battles get a lot easier. however, things like level 5 death or level 3 (insert skill here) get tricky to use because you have to remember which monster has said skill and what level is your opponent. TL:DR all monster/beast related jobs are versatile and helpful in the right circumstances, but due to each having a small draw back to their abilities makes using them require a bit more thought. sorry for text wall, got a lot to say and this stuff is hard to trim down without loosing context. 😅
@@Anime-Wyvern No need to apologize. I appreciate the extra context considering I'm not overly familiar with the classes. It's something I'll keep in mind going forward.
My first entry into Final Fantasy franchise as a whole. So I am a bit biased, but the job system is the best which they kind of slept on in future mainline releases
Yup. Haven't replayed it for a few years but I've spent a lot of time with the PS1 and PSP versions of FFT. It's definitely more mature in it's themes and less forgiving in combat but still loads of fun in my book.
I put more hours into this one game than just about every other game I've played combined. And, in addition to other games, I also put too many hours to feel OK revealing into GTA V, Skyrim (multiple re-issues, too), and Baldur's Gate 3... and this game trumps them EVEN WHEN COMBINED. I can't wait for it to come to the Switch, hopefully.
@@FiresideGamingReviews My man, I played it an ungodly amount from release up until this year -- something about it just has me hooked -- different team combinations, mono-profession runs, single character runs (would just dump Marche in a corner), single race runs, and other different challenges. It's both my nostalgia and my currrent go-to, lol! Solid retrospective, too!
Thanks! Don't know if it's your thing but there are some interesting mods out there that rebalance the game or add things like permadeath to all battles. Just something to consider if you're looking for new challenges!
I bounced off of this game pretty fast. I hate games where you have to learn skills by having certain equipment equipped for enough time. I hate it so much that I couldn't play this game even though the original FFT is one of my top games of all time for any system.
I hate that too now. It was funny how I loved these features (along with FFIX) back then just because of "numbers go up" mentality. But now I see them as mindless grind without any meaning. That said I wouldn't consider this feature so bad that it reduced my opinion of the game.
I like AP per battle better than FFT JP per action system, which quickly degenerates into "throw stones at eachothers while your monk spams Chakra". FFT has too many incentives to stall battles, like Skill Inheritance from Crystals, Move Find items and JP grinding, FFTA incentivizes you to get done quickly with battles for the most part. Yes, you can still stall for level grinding and steal gear and even abilities, but i prefer that to waitinf for all my enemies to slowly bleed out so i ca harvest their souls.
Funnily enough, those are some of the things I like about FFT. It makes grinding more efficient, even if beating each other up doesn't make much sense, lol.
My first Final Fantasy game Never got tired of the music 🎶 The characters, the angst, and the battles... ...all gave me high expectations for the series Thank you SO MUCH for this 💖
I still have my original cartridge and file. Getting stuck after beating the game sucked, with nobody else to trade the required items to progress. I'm still holding onto hope there is someone out there to play with. I still have my cables, chargers, and DSlite.
That's some real dedication. Not having a link cable was a real hindrance for me. Didn't get one until years later when everyone had already moved on from the game.
@@FiresideGamingReviews My old friend got me into it, but he stopped playing by the time I got my copy and beat it. I honestly have some pretty fond memories playing co-op DSlite games like Chocobo Tales, Pokémon Diamond/Platinum, and Megaman Starforce 3 Red Joker.
@@Killjoyfiend After GBA I had a PSP and played a lot of games with friends that way. Stuff like Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep, and such. I've only recently started going back and playing DS games I missed out on. I picked up Chocobo Tales about a year ago but haven't had a chance to sit down and play it yet.
@@FiresideGamingReviews Chocobo Tales was so fun! It's strictly a stylus game. All touch screen. It's a fun card game. I used to play with one other person in the navy on my old ship. That's also how I ended up with my PSP and Monster Hunter Freedom Unite. I play Monster Hunter Now on my phone. These games have really come a long way.
@@Killjoyfiend I've fallen a bit behind on new MH games. I'm still working my way through Iceborne. I love the games, but the time sink can be rough, lol.
I would love for these tactics games to be remade. The mobile game War of the Visions is visually appealing. The fact that the game is mobile only is very disappointing too.
I bought this FFT right when it came out because of my love for the original FFT. Although I found the story a tad cliche, I still love the game for the changes they made to the battle system. Thank you for helping me relive part of my later childhood 💙
I would've stayed in the fantasy world. That blonde dude was a fool for destroying those crystals. Everyone was healthy, powerful, & rich 😁 I take my magic thank you very much. I felt that way when I first played it & i still feel that way. I enjoyed the game & I remembered everyone was cute 🤔 the art style was so pretty as well.
@@FiresideGamingReviews that would be amazing. Also I forgot to say great video and I’m definitely subbed. I’m going to replay the game soon to complete every mission and get secret ending. I’ll probably come back to this channel while I play it for the nice company lol
I will say the coop missions were a lot of fun, I remember one being all undead and that's when young mean learned curaga does massive damage to the undead lol
@@FiresideGamingReviews now im thinking of a lawless perma death mod for this game. Mt first playthrough as kid in my first jagd mission i let montblanc die and continued playing without him cuz saved out of habit and soft locked myself out of redoing the mission
i think marche being the bad guy and understanding the message that the game is trying to convey or not really depends more on personal perspective then anything else. you can understand the message without agreeing with the message. i dont consider him the bad guy of the story necessarily, but i don't see a problem with the escapism everyone else wanted
The game works better if you recognize the subtext - that sure, on the surface things are "better" for the main characters, but the escape that is Ivalice stunts their growth and makes them worse people than they were in St. Ivalice. Mewt is the biggest example - he turns from a kind if timid child into a spoiled sniveling brat that cries to his mother the instant something doesn't go his way. Ivalice (and Remedi) actively keep him from developing coping mechanisms and the mental fortitude to be a better, stronger person capable of living an actual good life. The other characters have similar arcs as well, but the thing is the game doesn't explicitly have Marche say outright that they're worse than they were back home because they escaped and got given "perfect" lives in Ivalice and so people miss that aspect (maybe because you don't get a lot of time with everyone prior to going to Ivalice?). This also ignores all of the other messed up things like how seemingly no one else remembers their real lives and thus the grimoire tore apart perfectly happy families and people who loved their lives in St. Ivalice who were thrust into a fantasy medieval setting full of monsters and threats and how some people got turned into literal monsters. Like yea, I don't like the schoolyard bullies, but they're literally children, they didn't deserve to become zombies and killed. Oh, and all of that was done without their consent or knowledge. Maybe you could defend going to a different world if people could choose to go but it being thrust on everyone unilaterally is just not right. So yea, FFTA isn't exactly FFT, but it still treats the younger target audience with respect and trusts that they can do the inferences and thinking to understand why Marche is in the right here.
Not complicated combat? Bro my 8 year old self struggled to beat this game.... Definitely not because i never bought new equipment or figure out how to learn new abilities, It looks me struggling through 50% of the game before i realized i could by new items (yes I was a smart kid) 💀
Man I’m surprised how rare it is to have different emotion portraits in these text box games I have more appreciation for Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories in that regard
@@FiresideGamingReviews I was once a hardcore player of the beginning and played Brave Exvius for several years hoarding for that one day that FFTA chars would drop. It never happened and was one reason why I left. They made FFT chars like Ramza appear but taking a quick look into the wiki, FFTA never made it. It is really a shame.
@@Rotschwinge I only stuck with the game for a few months. It was a lot of fun but I have a hard time keeping up with mobile games. It sucks that Square has basically forgotten about FFTA at this point.
You'd be surprised how often I practice saying names right before recording only to slip into old mispornounciations as soon as the mic is on. It's honestly a little frustrating at times.
I’m def better at FE than I am with this style.. Still interesting tho.. Really need to put more time in to git good.. They should remaster and rerelease all the FFT titles on one cart imo
@@FiresideGamingReviews That was my first of the genre FE 7.. Did get really far but still gotta go back and finish.. Somehow Jeanne DArc whisked me away and that’s actually the one I ended up finishing.. Strange as hell
@@FiresideGamingReviews In hindsight it might be my favorite.. It quite honestly blows my mind Level 5 never followed it up.. Although in addition to that one I’ve also been very impressed with both Triangle Strategy and Unicorn Overlord in recent times
My only beef with this game is the card system its a overdone balancing system for combat done to cover for poor class implementation and enemy balancing.
I was never into rpg games growing up, but this game had me hooked, the graphics, the artwork, the storyline, the music, all packed into a small gba. It was amazing.
Probably the best game on the GBA. Played this nonstop as a kid
Absolutely
Fire emblem on gba is better other game to many rules and flags
@@celestialarmor695 FE GBA combat system pales in comparison to FFTA.
With the rumors of Tactics being remastered, I hope Square doesn't forget the other two games in the series
I'm hoping for a Switch/Switch2 remaster with both the Tactics Advance games bundled together.
FFTA appreciation in the 2020s! 🎉 It's been 20 years and I think I'll remember the music and themes of this game for the rest of my life.
I used to play this game a lot when I was a kid and today I just started playing it again. This video is the best guide out there, you did an impressive job explaining all these things
Thanks! I appreciate the compliment!
I played the sht out of this game. The tactics series are some of the best from FF series in general, shame squenix hasnt made premium one for mobile like the first FFT
Good times, nostalgia hitting like a truck.
This really does need a rerelease. I would love an updated version that unlocks the co-op missions for single player.
This game gets dogged on nonstop for not being the edgy GoT-style epic that the original Tactics was, but I will die on the hill forever that it is overall a better Final Fantasy story than its parent. Perhaps even one of the best in the series.
I can agree that FFTA has a story that is more inline with other FF games. However, I don't think its fair to call FFT's story an "edgy GoT-style epic." It has mature themes but doesn't revel in debauchery and while the world is corrupt, Ramza is not. He and his companions are the good people unwilling to let the clear evil of the world win. That's what separates it from GoT-style stories.
the fact that people think Marche is the villain because he is trying to free his friends from the Lotus Eater Machine shows how much we are are willing to sink ourselves in a world of dellusion to escape the harsh cruel reality.
i think it makes sense that Marche is the one that realizes this is all an illusion, because he is the older brother, anyone who wore these shoes know that being the eldest sibling makes you mature faster than the others kids, especially if the younger one is sickly.
back when i was a kid, i wrote off FFTA story as childish and silly, but as an adult i now realize why its like the way it is, and its overall message is great for kids growing up around Videogames.
I hadn't considered the older brother aspect of it (I'm the youngest child of my siblings), but that makes a lot of sense.
@@FiresideGamingReviews i say that, but lets also take in consideration that being the older brother could've taken Marche to the delusional side as well, being finally free to do as he wishes, no longer have to take care of Donned, being finally able to fulfill his "wants" and " Don't wants", the temptation wad there for him as well.
@@mauricesteel4995 Oh no doubt. Marche shows how much he loves Ivalice throughout the game. He's just of strong enough character to know it's not how things should be and stands by that.
Oh, that part always drove me nuts about my fellow fans of this game. The fact the game on no uncertain terms showed how they were happier and better off once they were made to accept reality and stop letting it consume them when they get home does nothing to make those folk reconsider their position.
Like, Ritz finally gains the self-confidence to stop dyeing her hair and stop caring that people think it's weird. How is that not her ending up better and happier?
Mewt and Cid finally moving on from Mewt's mother's death and becoming a family again was the best thing for both of them.
Doned finally realizing how hard taking care of him was on his whole family finally bridged the gap between him and Doned. It's very likely the underlying resentment between the brothers might have just simmered and then boiled over in an even worse way if never confronted.
Even as a kid I always thought that Marche was actually right.
Another take of the players is that Marche is the one that has the least of problems compared to his friends.
I totally disagree with that take, now that I am an adult and a teacher, I can see that Marche didn't have it easy either, in a way he is abandoned or lacks attention from his mother because of Doned, he is growing up alone.
While in this case this made Marche mature quicker, other teenagers can develop the opposite, or even grudge or behavior problems.
Marche problem is not minuscule.
Dude I love your videos and can see how much work you're putting into them. Seriously thanks so much, it shows you care and enjoy making them. I really can't wait to see your channel take off! Its awesome. Its also awesome to hear someone else played this in 8th grade on their DC trip on Amtrak with their friends :)
Thanks and it's super cool to hear that someone else had a similar experience with the DC trip! I wasn't sure if that was a normal thing or not, lol.
I played FFT, but the music and atmosphere of this game were so much better for me. It really felt like a magical world
Wow... FFT OST is much better than FFTA all the way
Music is subjective, my friend! I happen to agree though, FFT’s OST goes unreasonably hard.
Exactly. This and all Ivalice series games sounds magical to me too
It was much brighter, FFT has a type of articulate darkness tho
I also feel the localization on FFT GBA was better translated , the first game lacked polish because I don't think they saw much of a market outside japan.
@@SubReikoPyhe said “for me”
I don't play a lot of gba games no more (i used to play at school and i was like 14), i was looking for a good and sincere review on yt, then i found out exactly what i was looking for, thanks for the amazing job and getting me to play this game :D
You're welcome and thanks for watching! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Small donation for a solid and clear retrospective of a game that has consumed too much of my spare time!
Wow! Thanks, man! I really appreciate it!
Nice surprise in my recommened video list, always happy to see a game in the Tactics series get more love
Thanks and I'm glad you enjoyed the review! One of these days I'll get to the other Tactics games.
FFTA is my most favorite tactics game by a long shot. I did work through the 300+ missions including the Judge Cid missions and somehow never felt bored. The gameplay wasn't opaque like FFT and yet really punched above its age rating by telling these relatable stories of children coping with broken families. I even loved the yellow/red card mechanics, although I wish there was a warning before taking a red-card action, as I had far too many instant game-overs for dumb reasons.
The music in this game is amazing too!
Great video, my dude! Pretty easy to tell you have a lot of genuine love for the game and what it means. Though, if I could make a recommendation, it would be to leave the story review for the end or just do a quick premise of it before talking about everything else. My reasoning for this is that, if I haven't played a game and someone goes into spoilers then I just close the video because I wanna experience it myself.
Also, if I remember it correctly, you CAN actually get the Judge Sword AND Cid for your party but that's after you 100% the game si they are just bragging rights.
Still, loved the video and your narration. Keep up the good work!
Thanks and I'm glad you enjoyed the review!
I appreciate the feedback. I don't want anyone spoiled on the story without warning, which is why I put that time skip to go past the story section. I also don't mind at all if people stop watching at that point, either, just to be extra sure they don't see spoilers. That's always their choice and the video will still be here if they ever decide to come back to it.
From what I understand, you can get Cid after 100% but not the Judge Sword.
"A young man was charged with misdemeanor when he drank a potion. There were no illegal substances inside the potion, but the referee decreed that it was against the rules for this combat. Later, another young man was arrested for attacking an enemy when the judge felt like making it illegal. Neither side made a move, as the completely ridiculous laws caused the leaders of both sides to go to jail."
this was my first tactics-style game!! loved it!!! thanks for the work you put into covering i 😁
Welcome and thank you for watching!
I love this game so much, the story, characters, graphics, gameplay and the Music! Some kind soul uploaded the official orchestrated soundtrack to TH-cam. It's amazing to hear it properly after listening to the gba post for so long. Can't believe this game is 20 years old. Peak squenix
I checked out of the orchestrated soundtrack for the first time while making this video. Found it on the Internet Archive. It really is great after listening to the compressed GBA songs for so long.
I probably put more hours into this game than any other (literally hundreds), it's an absolutely GREAT game!
People talk shit about this game but its genuinely one of my all time best.
Too many people compare it directly to FFT and look down on it as a result instead of just accepting that both are great.
Loved the work you put into this video, keep at it ! Best game on GBA period
Thanks!
i love this my new friend ❤️❤️❤️
This game was my intro to tactical turn based games and I was hooked. This made me want to do another playthrough
Loved this retrospective! ffta is my favorite game, so many good nostalgic childhood memories
Thanks!
One of my most cherished games. It’s so addicting to play and it’s story is just stellar.
spent so many late nights playing this as a kid with my new SP
What an awesome review! I always played the beginning of this game - a few stages here and there, and never finished it. I was a little boy that didn’t know English that much, so I didn’t understand most of what was happening. That, and the pacing were too slow for me back then. Never ever grabbed the game again. Now, after this review, I might as well give it a chance! Thank you!
Thanks and I'm glad you enjoyed it. I hope your playthrough of the game goes well this time!
I love this video! This game was so amazing when I was 12 years old
Thank you!
i remember getting this game on December 31 2003, playing it on the game cube GBA add on playing it on the living room TV and so my brother could help me learn how to read.
This was great. I’m new to game boy games and was curious about this one. This helped clarify a lot of things. Thanks!
Welcome!
Great video! I really hope that some day this game is added in the nintendo switch with the expansion pack. I remember playing this game a lot of hours, Ivalice was and will always be amazing
Thanks and I'm betting it will be. Nintendo just takes their sweet time with NSO releases.
great game been replaying on my miyoo mini plus, pure nostalgia
The BEST feature this game has is the fact that units keep the class abilities after they switch classes. I had a mean warrior/mage build that would wreck.
I brought this on our 8th grade dc trip too! i just replayed it a few months ago and it still holds up, one of my top 5 games of all time.
Nice! It's really one of the best and gets overshadowed by FFT too much.
Dang, good video! I had this game stolen years ago, never finished it. So I’m buying it on Monday when i get paid. 😊
@@droogsurgeon1440 Thanks and I'm sorry to hear that. Here's hoping your next playthrough goes by without interruption!
I recently rebought this game and the Analog Pocket and have been having a blast reliving the fun.
When I played as a kid I foolishly threw away a quest item that unlocks a very cool character. This time I won't make that mistake.
Heard a lot of good things about the Analog Pocket. I hope your FFTA journey goes well on it!
@@FiresideGamingReviews I haven't played FFTA since I was 13/14 so it has been a lot of fun remembering some of the things as well as relearning some of the parts I've since forgotten.
Just before the snow falls and gets cold just outside downtown Montreal, I always get SUPER nostalgic about this game. It's so good, deep for the people this game was intended to and as an older brother, I can sympathize with Marche to some extend. Around this time, my dad had separated with my mom, which really affected me mentally and would have a large impact for who I am today.
The game makes me nostalgic for the holidays and spending time with people I hold dear to me. The music, classes, races and so much freedom for this kind of game with it's bounties and overworld fights made this game feel very unique for it's time and has aged beautifully.
As others have said, it really felt like a magical world. FFTA A2 also gives this feeling, expanding on what made this game so very memorable gameplay-wise.
Ugh I could ramble hahahaha thanks for the video, this was awesome!
I'm glad I could take you on this trip down memory lane and thanks for the compliment!
Ivalice exists as a support for these kids to avoid despair. Despair that can be solved if they face reality and get over their insecurities. Ivalice also takes away any incentive from them to face reality as it solves their problems. Which means they dont have to face reality, making them more and more dependent on the illusion. The only way to develop their character is to make them understand their own flaws(what Marche does) and have them change themselves. At that point Ivalice becomes unnecessary as they have gotten over their issues. "desire is the thread that binds this world together" Since they have gotten over their issues, they no longer desperately desire Ivalice, causing an auto shut down.
Its classic eastern storytelling.
I have played ffta for at least 10 plus years. Never once did adding laws to hinder the enemy cross my mind... i now know what i must do
I picked this game back up. Had a save with my thieves guild build. Half don't remember where i left off and got smacked by a totema
I loved playing this on my GB Micro. But after emulating since the early days of Android, I too love the soundtrack, I am just used it at 2x speed. Subbed cuz tactics.
Thanks for the sub! I always have to turn audio off when fast forwarding games. Otherwise it just bugs me, lol.
I have not played this game since summer 2004 after getting it in December the year before. 20 years later this is the first review I’ve checked up on the game wondering out of the blue what the old games I use to love have left as a legacy.
For whatever reason, I can still remember the story, characters, maps, mechanics. I can’t believe the lasting power of such a title in my brain space. Not many things get recalled so vividly and after watching this those aspects were recalled correctly. Weirds me out.
Just means it left an impression on you. Not sure if you were a teen like I was at the time but it seems to be easier to recall things from that point in life. At least it is for me.
This is was my favorite ff aside from IX. Blue mage with double sword was my favorite.
It's kind of weird playing this with modern tactics and turn based games in mind and realizing how little old games explained because they came with manual
The thought hasn't occurred to me but you're right.
Great video! love me some FFT/A
Thank you!
In today's day in age I would give anything to go to the world of final fantasy but that's just me
I don't know. I enjoy a lot of modern conveniences that wouldn't exist in FFTA's Ivalice.
@FiresideGamingReviews I could do away with technology really fast if I had magic and be a adventure
This was a great game doomed to fail in the eyes of the community because it was so wildly different from the original FFT.
Still one of the most interesting and unique stories in video games, even if it doesn't perfectly stick the landing.
It's one of the few cases of a game that switches tone so hard from its predecessor but manages to still stick the landing.
i also do think FFT fanbase to be quite silly to expect a game with the same tone of WoTL for the Game Boy Advance for Nintendo.
Great reviw. Subscribed.
Thanks! Glad to have a fellow Marche fan onboard!
It would be nice to finally see some expansion on the world setting of Ivalice in future FF games. Whether it would be a tactics game or a traditional FF game. Ivalice was such a fantastic world.
I re beat this game recently and just love it. While not as grand at the og fft this games story is still good
Agreed!
There is something about gba sprites, they are absolutely timeless.
Great job 🎉
If we got a remaster I could die happy and giddy
I like your background.
Thank you!
The only correct name for Marche is “New Kid” he CAN be new kid forever
Fellow FFTA enjoyer
fft is great even without advance graphics its amazing i hope they will remake this
You deserve more subs so count me in 😊
Thanks!
I like Marche tbh. But one thing I didn't like is that he didn't realize that not being able to use your legs is WAY worse than not getting enough attention.
I'm sure Marche understands that Doned not having use of his legs is worse. Still doesn't change the fact that he's lonely and jealous of the extra attention his brother gets and that he can't let him fall into the escapism that is Ivalice.
I really love this game, your review is pretty great, I just wish I could talk about it online without people immediately arguing about Marche's moral alignment.
Thanks! I felt I had to point out Marche isn't evil in counter to the online discourse that has surrounded him in recent years. But I completely get if it's something you are just tired of hearing about.
@@FiresideGamingReviews no it's something that needed pointing out, I'm a Marche supporter and due to real events I personally relate to him,
but it's hard to talk about the characters without people going into a frenzy, and obviously I can't just tell them they are as immature as Mewt if they side with him, Marche was basically doing a bad thing to help everyone in the long run, and people nowadays assume that there is only black and white instead of shades of gray.
@TKHedgeHog Ah. I gotcha now. Unfortunately lots of people view FFTA through a cynical lens when it's one of the most heartfelt genuine games there is. They really do miss the point of it's story.
Two comment threads about Marche not being the bad guy in a row? I feel like a kid at Christmas as a fellow Marche supporter.
Excellently done.
Thank you!
My brother and I used to play the heck out of this. We had the link cables and all. Lol.
i believe if the maps were more creative and detailed in terrain layout like in fire emblem, and if the monster mage (the one that "morphs into monsters") actually turned into the monsters they morph into and copied their movement types, it would've been more loved.
Note: my favorite job is the Monster mage Job. i love the idea of defeating (in this case, Capturing) monsters and acquiring monsters souls to turn into them and use their powers.
the Blue mage is neat and more useful if you want to use monster skills, but had the monster mage did what i wrote above then it would've been a better version of blue mage.
It's definitely something that could've been more detailed. I actually don't deal much with the beat classes (Morph, Blue Mage or Beastcaller) because they just don't feel fleshed out enough. I might give them another shot since I'm still playing this file more on post-game.
@@FiresideGamingReviews Blue and Morpher are similar in that they use beast skills, but how they do changes how you would use them. Blue mage often requires a good punch in the face to learn their skill which can be inconvient, but My favorite class Morpher requires you to swicth between monster soul styles. fortunatley this includes all monsters of that type so you can use all three dragon/wrym skills, but if you want to use goblin punch you need to change to a goblin.
in short, they are a fun class to use as monsters have skills that the player often never gets, but getting said skills can be tedious. for example, morph into a lamia and use frog. most battles get a lot easier. however, things like level 5 death or level 3 (insert skill here) get tricky to use because you have to remember which monster has said skill and what level is your opponent.
TL:DR all monster/beast related jobs are versatile and helpful in the right circumstances, but due to each having a small draw back to their abilities makes using them require a bit more thought.
sorry for text wall, got a lot to say and this stuff is hard to trim down without loosing context. 😅
@@Anime-Wyvern No need to apologize. I appreciate the extra context considering I'm not overly familiar with the classes. It's something I'll keep in mind going forward.
I still remember my best Banga Templar/ Dragoon named Aksel, and my Viera Summoner/ White Mage name Cecilia...🤣🤣 Those 2 my best boy and girl!
Replaying this one right now, such a damn good game
loved this game
My most played FF game
So nostalgic!
Still playing it right now with my phone❤❤❤❤
Awesome video! Can you do one about FFTA2?? Thank youuu!!!
Eventually I will.
@@FiresideGamingReviews THE NOSTALGIA IS REAL!!
My first entry into Final Fantasy franchise as a whole. So I am a bit biased, but the job system is the best which they kind of slept on in future mainline releases
I'm a big fan of the job system. It's one of the reasons FFV is my favorite.
Legendary video, did you ever play FFT? I absolutely lovely FFTA as a kid but FFT didn’t sit well with me - couldn’t even get through half the game.
Yup. Haven't replayed it for a few years but I've spent a lot of time with the PS1 and PSP versions of FFT. It's definitely more mature in it's themes and less forgiving in combat but still loads of fun in my book.
Best Final Fantasy portable ever!
I put more hours into this one game than just about every other game I've played combined. And, in addition to other games, I also put too many hours to feel OK revealing into GTA V, Skyrim (multiple re-issues, too), and Baldur's Gate 3... and this game trumps them EVEN WHEN COMBINED. I can't wait for it to come to the Switch, hopefully.
Dang. I can respect the dedication. I think it's crazy we haven't seen a Switch release yet.
@@FiresideGamingReviews My man, I played it an ungodly amount from release up until this year -- something about it just has me hooked -- different team combinations, mono-profession runs, single character runs (would just dump Marche in a corner), single race runs, and other different challenges. It's both my nostalgia and my currrent go-to, lol!
Solid retrospective, too!
Thanks! Don't know if it's your thing but there are some interesting mods out there that rebalance the game or add things like permadeath to all battles. Just something to consider if you're looking for new challenges!
@@FiresideGamingReviews Oh yes, I’ve played with those - Grim Grimoire is on permanently.
I bounced off of this game pretty fast. I hate games where you have to learn skills by having certain equipment equipped for enough time. I hate it so much that I couldn't play this game even though the original FFT is one of my top games of all time for any system.
I can understand that. It's doesn't bother me here but I hate this same system for learning skills in FFIX.
I hate that too now. It was funny how I loved these features (along with FFIX) back then just because of "numbers go up" mentality. But now I see them as mindless grind without any meaning.
That said I wouldn't consider this feature so bad that it reduced my opinion of the game.
I like AP per battle better than FFT JP per action system, which quickly degenerates into "throw stones at eachothers while your monk spams Chakra".
FFT has too many incentives to stall battles, like Skill Inheritance from Crystals, Move Find items and JP grinding, FFTA incentivizes you to get done quickly with battles for the most part. Yes, you can still stall for level grinding and steal gear and even abilities, but i prefer that to waitinf for all my enemies to slowly bleed out so i ca harvest their souls.
Funnily enough, those are some of the things I like about FFT. It makes grinding more efficient, even if beating each other up doesn't make much sense, lol.
My first Final Fantasy game
Never got tired of the music 🎶
The characters, the angst, and the battles...
...all gave me high expectations for the series
Thank you SO MUCH for this 💖
You're welcome and thanks for watching!
man I Love this game so much
I still have my original cartridge and file. Getting stuck after beating the game sucked, with nobody else to trade the required items to progress.
I'm still holding onto hope there is someone out there to play with. I still have my cables, chargers, and DSlite.
That's some real dedication. Not having a link cable was a real hindrance for me. Didn't get one until years later when everyone had already moved on from the game.
@@FiresideGamingReviews My old friend got me into it, but he stopped playing by the time I got my copy and beat it.
I honestly have some pretty fond memories playing co-op DSlite games like Chocobo Tales, Pokémon Diamond/Platinum, and Megaman Starforce 3 Red Joker.
@@Killjoyfiend After GBA I had a PSP and played a lot of games with friends that way. Stuff like Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep, and such. I've only recently started going back and playing DS games I missed out on. I picked up Chocobo Tales about a year ago but haven't had a chance to sit down and play it yet.
@@FiresideGamingReviews Chocobo Tales was so fun! It's strictly a stylus game. All touch screen.
It's a fun card game. I used to play with one other person in the navy on my old ship. That's also how I ended up with my PSP and Monster Hunter Freedom Unite. I play Monster Hunter Now on my phone. These games have really come a long way.
@@Killjoyfiend I've fallen a bit behind on new MH games. I'm still working my way through Iceborne. I love the games, but the time sink can be rough, lol.
Imagine if this becomes a movie
I would love for these tactics games to be remade. The mobile game War of the Visions is visually appealing. The fact that the game is mobile only is very disappointing too.
With Tactics Ogre getting remastered recently I feel like the FFT games have to be next on the list.
I bought this FFT right when it came out because of my love for the original FFT. Although I found the story a tad cliche, I still love the game for the changes they made to the battle system. Thank you for helping me relive part of my later childhood 💙
Welcome!
I would've stayed in the fantasy world. That blonde dude was a fool for destroying those crystals. Everyone was healthy, powerful, & rich 😁 I take my magic thank you very much. I felt that way when I first played it & i still feel that way. I enjoyed the game & I remembered everyone was cute 🤔 the art style was so pretty as well.
Wait the GBA took batteries? I had the clamshell one that had an internal battery
Yup. Two AAs gave it about 15 hours of life. Less if you had a worm light attached so you could play at night.
@@FiresideGamingReviews think hrs talking bout the game boy sp
I wish this would come to the switches game boy advance system. My favorite game in the whole world❤
I wouldn't be surprised if it did. I could also see SE giving it a rerelease on Switch like they did with Tactics Ogre.
@@FiresideGamingReviews that would be amazing. Also I forgot to say great video and I’m definitely subbed. I’m going to replay the game soon to complete every mission and get secret ending. I’ll probably come back to this channel while I play it for the nice company lol
Thanks for the compliment and the sub! I wish you luck with doing all the missions. I'm still poking away at that on the file I used for this review.
I will say the coop missions were a lot of fun, I remember one being all undead and that's when young mean learned curaga does massive damage to the undead lol
Been replaying this game jagd style and i honeslty love and hate the effort it take to make a completed blue mage but im doing it
I've never heard of a jagd style playthrough but I can guess what it is and that sounds fun. As for the Blue Mage bit, I salute your dedication!
@@FiresideGamingReviews i say jadg. But i mean emu aka lawless
@kouzanno1 Gotcha. I can still see the fun in that.
@@FiresideGamingReviews now im thinking of a lawless perma death mod for this game. Mt first playthrough as kid in my first jagd mission i let montblanc die and continued playing without him cuz saved out of habit and soft locked myself out of redoing the mission
@kouzanno1 Oh dang. Poor Montblanc, lol. It looks like there's a mod that does that. It might be something I play in my spare time.
i think i spent hundred hours on this game and double the amount on its sequel. i wish we could go back to Ivalice :(
We might someday. I can't imagine Square will never use it again.
I still have my original cartridge
Nice! Mine's been missing for a few years but I'm positive it's somewhere in my parents house.
i think marche being the bad guy and understanding the message that the game is trying to convey or not really depends more on personal perspective then anything else. you can understand the message without agreeing with the message. i dont consider him the bad guy of the story necessarily, but i don't see a problem with the escapism everyone else wanted
The escapism is a problem though when taken this far. The game makes that clear throughout. It's not a matter of personal perspective at that point.
The game works better if you recognize the subtext - that sure, on the surface things are "better" for the main characters, but the escape that is Ivalice stunts their growth and makes them worse people than they were in St. Ivalice. Mewt is the biggest example - he turns from a kind if timid child into a spoiled sniveling brat that cries to his mother the instant something doesn't go his way. Ivalice (and Remedi) actively keep him from developing coping mechanisms and the mental fortitude to be a better, stronger person capable of living an actual good life. The other characters have similar arcs as well, but the thing is the game doesn't explicitly have Marche say outright that they're worse than they were back home because they escaped and got given "perfect" lives in Ivalice and so people miss that aspect (maybe because you don't get a lot of time with everyone prior to going to Ivalice?).
This also ignores all of the other messed up things like how seemingly no one else remembers their real lives and thus the grimoire tore apart perfectly happy families and people who loved their lives in St. Ivalice who were thrust into a fantasy medieval setting full of monsters and threats and how some people got turned into literal monsters. Like yea, I don't like the schoolyard bullies, but they're literally children, they didn't deserve to become zombies and killed. Oh, and all of that was done without their consent or knowledge. Maybe you could defend going to a different world if people could choose to go but it being thrust on everyone unilaterally is just not right. So yea, FFTA isn't exactly FFT, but it still treats the younger target audience with respect and trusts that they can do the inferences and thinking to understand why Marche is in the right here.
Its games like this that made me miss the old square soft. God what happen to them.
Agree. New Square lost a lot of its magic post-PS2 era.
Not complicated combat? Bro my 8 year old self struggled to beat this game....
Definitely not because i never bought new equipment or figure out how to learn new abilities,
It looks me struggling through 50% of the game before i realized i could by new items (yes I was a smart kid) 💀
Which final fantasy game is this?
Man I’m surprised how rare it is to have different emotion portraits in these text box games
I have more appreciation for Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories in that regard
I do really enjoy having the different expressions. First saw them in Grandia and it immediately made that game stick out to me back in the day.
Hoping they at least consider them for the Mobil Brave Exvius
It's surprising they haven't since they touched on the FFTA games before. At least I think they did. Haven't actually played Brave Exvius in years.
@@FiresideGamingReviews I was once a hardcore player of the beginning and played Brave Exvius for several years hoarding for that one day that FFTA chars would drop. It never happened and was one reason why I left. They made FFT chars like Ramza appear but taking a quick look into the wiki, FFTA never made it. It is really a shame.
@@Rotschwinge I only stuck with the game for a few months. It was a lot of fun but I have a hard time keeping up with mobile games. It sucks that Square has basically forgotten about FFTA at this point.
Why can't they make these types of games today? It's a nice multiplayer game to produce, I think.
I play in "FFT: Advance" and "Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis" and second more 'real FFT' then first.
You played through this game twice and still call Montblanc Mont Black??? How?
You'd be surprised how often I practice saying names right before recording only to slip into old mispornounciations as soon as the mic is on. It's honestly a little frustrating at times.
I’m def better at FE than I am with this style.. Still interesting tho.. Really need to put more time in to git good.. They should remaster and rerelease all the FFT titles on one cart imo
It's love to see that happen. I'm planning to review FE7 sometime this year. Beat Eliwood and currently in Hector mode.
@@FiresideGamingReviews That was my first of the genre FE 7.. Did get really far but still gotta go back and finish.. Somehow Jeanne DArc whisked me away and that’s actually the one I ended up finishing.. Strange as hell
I picked up Jeanne DArc last year at a con but haven't played it yet. Heard nothing but good things about it ever since it first came out.
@@FiresideGamingReviews In hindsight it might be my favorite.. It quite honestly blows my mind Level 5 never followed it up.. Although in addition to that one I’ve also been very impressed with both Triangle Strategy and Unicorn Overlord in recent times
@@Mintcar923 Triangle Strategy was a fun one. Never got the true ending but liked my first playthrough.
I disagree with nearly every part of this video which is, nonetheless, very good
Unfortunate that we disagree but I do appreciate the compliment!
It's honestly a game I keep really *wanting* to like that never clicks for me, so I can't say as I'm sad someone else manages to love it
That's fair. I'm the same way with FFXII.
My only beef with this game is the card system its a overdone balancing system for combat done to cover for poor class implementation and enemy balancing.
Agustina Cape