PSP Top Game Review : Final Fantasy Tactics "The War of the Lions"

Developer : TOSE

Publisher : Square Enix

Designer : Akihiko Yoshida (character illustration)

Series : Final Fantasy series,Ivalice Alliance

Platform : PlayStation Portable( PSP )

Release date : JP May 10, 2007, EU October 5, 2007,AUS October 8, 2007, NA October 9, 2007

Genre : Tactical role-playing game

Mode : Single player, Multiplayer

Media : UMD

Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions is a tactical role-playing game developed by TOSE 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. 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. Because of the PlayStation Portable's screen size, the game features a 16:9 aspect ratio, as opposed to the previous 4:3.

The game retains the setting of the 1998 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 PlayStation Portable version, several name changes were made in the retranslation to certain game locations, and certain characters have also been changed. Final Fantasy Tactics revolves around the War of the Lions, a conflict spurred 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 of Gallionne as their candidate, while nobles prefer their candidate Duke Goltanna of Zeltennia. Both served as Generals in the Fifty Years' War under the banner of White Lion and Black Lion respectively.

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. In addition, The War of the Lions contains new characters, including Balthier from Final Fantasy XII. Balthier is said to feature 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, Alma. Another new
character, a monster hunter named Luso from Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift also joins Ramza.

Another development added to the game is a wireless multiplayer mode, both for co-op and versus play. In a versus play, opposing teams may place traps into the battlefield, and these traps will be hidden from the opponent's views. To ease identification and avoid players from attacking their own party members, teams are assigned colors of either red or blue. The battle ends after a set number of rounds, of which the team with the most remaining HP declared the winner. The winner may then receive an item randomly generated from treasure chests, and with this chances are that the winner may receive rare items not received during normal gameplay mode.

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. For example, certain points in the story has the player assuming the role of Delita as he continues on his separated path from Ramza.

Story :

The game is told through the framing device of a historian, Arazlam J. 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 Black 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 reveal that neither Ramza nor his friends were ever confirmed to survive that battle. Their only outside friend, 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 discovered and disseminated by Orran's descendent: the game's narrator, Arazlam J. Durai. Finally, in a 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."