I’m not a very good Switch 2 owner. After getting my new console home and running through the setup process, it has been firmly planted in its dock below my TV ever since. Yeah, I took it out once or twice to see how Donkey Kong Bananza ran in handheld mode, but I’ve basically been treating it like a home console and completely ignoring its handheld functionality. Part of that is because I’m terrified of losing or damaging it, but it’s mostly because I haven’t found a game that felt more comfortable on the go than on my TV.
I wasn’t sure there was any major upcoming video game that would convince me to change my ways, either. Metroid Prime 4 demands to be played on the big screen when it arrives in December, and even Pokémon Legends: Z-A doesn’t feel like it would be a better handheld experience either, despite the franchise’s history.
You can imagine my surprise when it wasn’t anything from Nintendo that got me to undock my Switch 2, but a remake (remaster?) of Final Fantasy Tactics.
Ivalice on the go
Originally a PS1 game from 1997, I have mostly heard praise for the War of the Lions version that came to PSP in 2007. People talked about this game as an overlooked gem that was wrongfully overshadowed by Final Fantasy 7. It set the standard for all tactics games going forward, and told a story perhaps greater than any mainline game. Or so I was told.
As big a Final Fantasy fan as I am, access to this game always felt just out of reach. I don’t have that old hardware anymore, and it isn’t readily available on any modern platforms.
Until now, that is.
Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles contains both a more faithful port with cleaned-up visuals called Classic mode and the enhanced version. I played the latter, which retools the UI, includes new quality of life improvements, updates the graphics, and adds voice acting.
I’ve dabbled in tactics games before, but tend to enjoy them more as an observer. I’ve watched dozens of X-COM 2 playthroughs playing armchair commander, knowing full well my own tactical decisions would likely spell death for my entire squad. And when I started Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles on PS5, that is basically what happened.
As much care as has gone into bringing this PS1 game up to modern standards, something about it still feels off on my big TV. It wasn’t so much the visuals, but the pacing I couldn’t quite find a groove with. I felt myself rushing decisions and making impulsive moves without taking every variable into account — a recipe for defeat in any tactics game. Despite its art style, Final Fantasy Tactics isn’t easy. This game beat me down and wouldn’t let up until I learned to respect its rules.
That struggle became infinitely easier — and then enjoyable — once I tried again on the Switch 2. Not only do the toy-like models look so much more appealing in my hands than on a giant screen, but the toybox-like arenas also benefit from the more direct perspective. Because I didn’t feel the self-induced pressure to go, go, go that comes with playing a game on my TV, I felt much better about all the micromanagement aspects. Tinkering with my troops to find the best jobs and gear before battle, and then taking my time to make smarter plays in the long-term rather than expose myself for short-term gain, simply felt right when I was in a more relaxed state in handheld mode.
Something about the tactics experience played in handheld just feels…comfy to me.
The same is true for the story. Don’t misunderstand me; Final Fantasy Tactics‘ story is not light and fun. Even for a Final Fantasy game, Tactics is an especially dark and serious tale filled with political strife, war, death, the works. Taking the game with me, the story became like a novel I would dive into for a chapter here and there whenever I had time. It may not have been intended to be consumed that way, but taking it in more frequent, smaller chunks as opposed to giant bites gave me more time to mull over its themes and events. Plus, the added glossary system ensured I never lost track of who was who or what events had transpired.
I’m not done with Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles, but I am finally understanding why it garnered such a passionate fanbase begging for its rerelease. There’s nothing wrong with playing the game on console or PC, but the style, mechanics, and story all feel right on a handheld system to me.
