Final Fantasy Tactics

This time I dip once again into the well of Final Fantasy for the most underappreciated yet totally awesome game ever, Final Fantasy Tactics. Tactics was very different from other games in the series because it was played as a strategy game that functions mechanically different from any other FF game, yet uses everything that defines FF, from Jobs to spells, to equipment to monsters. Mechanically it is a fun romp for FF fans because you get to train and play as Dragoons and Mages to cast familiar spells like Fira and use summons and you can even have signature monsters in your party including chocoos which you can ride in battle. Of course, all the sprites are recognizable so you can try all kinds of party combinations to take full advantage of all that the Final Fantasy universe has to offer. But most importantly, it has an incredible story. The only weakness that held it back was graphics, which I believe were a beautiful throwback to the SD midget sprite days, but objectively, it came after FF7 and most fans were expecting more. It is a tragedy that more people could not klearn to appreciate this gem, although it was popular enough to be made available on PSNetwork, so get it if you can and enjoy first hand.

The story takes place in the Kingdom of Ivalice and focuses on two young men, Ramza Beoulve and Delita Hyral. Ramza is the youngest son of a noble family, Delita was the son of the stable hand but was orphaned after the plague and adopted as Ramza's brother. The two grow up together very close and isolated from the rest of the world and it's problems. Then they atend the academy for knight training to join the Order of the Northern Sky as the rest of the family has. A peasant revolt begins and the knights are required to intervene, but Delita sympathizes with the peasants an can't help but be swayed by Wiegraf, one of the leaders of the revolt. The boys also meet another youth named Algus who is trying to restore his family's once noble name. Algus is a brat who is at odds with Delita who he believes is beneath him and Ramza is offended. Delita's sister Teta is kidnapped in a botched attempt to kidnap Ramza's sister Alma. Algus dismisses the value of the peasant girl and Ramza and Delita go to retrieve her on their own. Then things take a very ugly turn when the boys find Teta, only for her to be murdered by Algus under orders from one of Ramza's older brothers. This forces the adoptive brothers in opposite directions, Delita hates the nobles for destroying his family, and Ramza disowns himself in shame for hurting his closest friends.

One year later, Ramza is working as a mercenary to protect Princess Ovelia. The War of Lions is beginning, the King died leaving two possible heirs, one is Princess Ovelia, the other is Prince Orias. Prince Orias is only a baby and can not possibly rule so some would rather see Ovelia rule as Queen as she is of age. Others insist on patriarchy and assigning his uncle, Duke Larg as regent to rule until he comes of age. Duke Larg leads the Knights of the Northern Sky under the banner of the White Lion, while Duke Goltana leads the Knights of the Southern Sky under the banner of the Black Lion. Ramza feels very detatched from it all until his mission as a bodyguard is interrupted by Delita who he hasn't seen since the death of Teta a year earlier. Delita kidnaps Ovelia and Ramza gives chase. Ramza discovers that his employer was in on the kidnapping plot, but Delita was not and has actually made a big mess that buys the princess time. While desperately trying to protect Ovelia from her enemies, Ramza stumbles across a much darker plot, the Lucavi planning to raise the Demon King Ultima. As it turns out, the Church of Glababdos the faith of the Kingdom, is based on a lie, their saints were actually demons who are using the unrest of civil war shed enough blood to feed their leader who was killed years ago under the guise of martyrdom when he pretended to be Saint Ajora Glababdos. In a cruel twist, the key to their plan is Alma, Ramza's sister and as he tries to protect his sister and the entire Kingdom, Ramza is put at odds with the Lucavi who happen to be reincarnating as power players(including Ramza's older brothers) that manage to brand our hero as a heretic, making him a fugitive.  Meanwhile, Delita rises to power by killing the people who currently hold power during battles and gets close to Ovelia.

History records that Delita was the hero who ended the War of the Lions and united Ivalice, but only an asrologer and forgotten historian, Orran Durai, knows what really happened, and you can to if you dig up a copy of this game and find out how it all ends for yourself.