Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
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| Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift |
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 Official North American boxart for Final Fantasy Tactics A2. |
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| Developer(s) | Square Enix |
| Publisher(s) | Square Enix |
| Designer(s) | Akitoshi Kawazu (executive producer) Yuichi Murasawa (director) Ryoma Itō (character designer) |
| Series | Final Fantasy series Ivalice Alliance |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo DS |
| Release date | JP October 25, 2007[1] NA June 24, 2008[2] EU June 27, 2008[3] |
| Genre(s) | Tactical role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | CERO: A (All Ages)
ESRB: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Up) |
Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift (ファイナルファンタジータクティクス A2 封穴のグリモア Fainaru Fantajī Takutikusu Eitsū Fūketsu no Gurimoa, lit. "Final Fantasy Tactics A2: The Grimoire of the Sealed Hole") is a strategy roleplaying game from Square Enix for the Nintendo DS handheld game console.
It is a sequel to Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.[4] The "A" in "A2" stands for "Advance", while enabling its predecessor to keep the wordplay of "advance" relative to its platform, similar to the games in the Finest Fantasy for Advance metaseries.
Final Fantasy Tactics A2 is part of the "Ivalice Alliance", which also includes Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, a direct sequel to Final Fantasy XII for the Nintendo DS, Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions, an enhanced port of Final Fantasy Tactics for the PlayStation Portable, and Final Fantasy XII International: Zodiac Job System, an international version of Final Fantasy XII for the PlayStation 2.
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[edit] Gameplay
Square Enix further developed the game's grid-based system, and increased the number of character jobs. Some enemies also appear in larger scales, taking up multiple squares on the grid. The world map is also developed to be more in-depth with the introduction of "area maps". The area maps will feature multiple battle locations and a town, which will work similar to its predecessor. It also revealed the existence of enemy clans that will also travel the world map.[5]
Final Fantasy Tactics A2 is compatible with its predecessor, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. If the latter game is inserted into Slot 2 of the Nintendo DS/Lite upon starting a new game of the former, certain gameplay advantages can be gained, such as the automatic acquisition of certain abilities.
[edit] Plot
[edit] Setting
Like Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, the game takes place in both Ivalice and St. Ivalice. Chronologically, the Ivalice portion of the game is set some time after Final Fantasy XII[6], while the St. Ivalice portion is set around ten years after Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.
There are seven playable races in the game: Humes, Moogles, Vieras, Bangaas and Nu Mou return from Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, while Seeq, from Final Fantasy XII, are playable for the first time. The Gria are a new race appearing for the first time in Final Fantasy Tactics A2.[5]
The main character, Luso Clemens, is a mischievous boy who lives in the real world until, after being punished for teasing and being late countless times and sent to library clean-up duty right before summer vacation, he finds an old book in the library. The book is full of pictures of swords and wizards, but abruptly becomes blank in the middle. After this, the book commands that the reader should tell/write the person who should fill in this blank (presumably the 'hero' of the story) He then writes his own name on the blank page, "Luso Clemens," after which he is transported into the world of Ivalice. Dropping into the middle of a forest right in front of a large bird called a "Dekatrice" (a play on the Japanese adjective "dekai," huge, and "cockatrice", a recurring monster in the Final Fantasy series), he is told by a warrior named Cid nearby that if he wishes to live, he should join his clan, Clan Gully. Luso excitedly does so, and, in front of a judge, swears into the clan, after which he magically transforms into a soldier, complete with sword and fantasy garb.
Luso tells Cid that he probably should be looking for a way home, because his aunt will be worried about him. Cid agrees to help him find a way home, and Luso agrees to help the clan and see the world of Ivalice until he goes home. This is slightly different from Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, in that he is not overly concerned with getting home, but rather focuses his attention on the opportunity he has been given.[5] Unlike in the previous installment, the main character travels to the real Ivalice, instead of a creation of his friend's imagination;[7] this fact is reinforced by the reappearances of familiar characters such as Vaan and Penelo.
References are made to other games in the Ivalice Alliance: the Khamja criminal organization first appeared in Final Fantasy Tactics in relation to the characters Marach and Rapha Galthena. Montblanc will cry out to Marche Radiuju, the protagonist of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, if he is KO'd in battle, while Mewt Randell, another of the main characters, makes a cameo appearance in the game's prologue as the school librarian. Also, Luso makes an appearance in Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions as an optional playable character.
[edit] Characters
The story of Final Fantasy Tactics A2 revolves around the protagonist Luso Clemens, and his exploits in the land of Ivalice. Upon his arrival in Ivalice, Luso is joined by Cid, the leader of a group of hunters known as Clan Gully. His adventures also introduced him to Adelle, the story's silver-haired female protagonist, and Hurdy, a Moogle minstrel.[8]
The plot of the game also involves supporting characters that have been featured in games within the Ivalice universe. Ezel Berbier plays a supporting role, featured in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. Vaan, Penelo and Al-Cid Margrace, a noble from Rozarria, are playable characters that are featured in Final Fantasy XII. Even Montblanc, who appeared in both games, makes an appearance due to being Hurdy's brother. Other characters include antagonists such as Illua and Ewen of a criminal syndicate known as the Khamja, and new characters such as Lezaford and Frimelda.
[edit] Development
A screenshot of the Esper Hashmal from Final Fantasy XII was published in Famitsu's April edition.[9] Other Espers featured in Final Fantasy XII have also been revealed in the latest trailers and magazine scans, including Belias, Mateus and Chaos.
The North American and European versions of the game will feature stylus control, unlike the Japanese version.[2]
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[edit] Audio
The music of Final Fantasy Tactics A2 is composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto and other composers under Basiscape. Several compositions were taken from the scores of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and Final Fantasy XII
Final Fantasy Tactics A2 Original Soundtrack is the soundtrack for Final Fantasy Tactics A2. It was released in Japan on Wednesday, 28th November 2007.
Track listing
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[edit] Reception
The Japanese version of the game has received a mix of criticism and approval from the Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu. Approving an overall score of 34 (out of 40), Famitsu comments on the wide variety of missions, jobs and skills that are available to the player. The magazine also indicated that fans would be pleased on the ability to customize characters. On the downside, Famitsu was not pleased on the camera issue, which retained the Final Fantasy Tactics Advance viewpoint. This hinders the player from tracking down the location of characters during battle, especially when there are a large number of units standing side-by-side in the playfield. Famitsu also criticized the story, which according to the reviewers was poorly developed.[10]
[edit] Legacy
Crystal Guardians, a game for mobile phones taking place somewhere in the timeline of Final Fantasy Tactics A2 has been released by Square Enix. Three chapters have been released so far: W1,[11] W2[12] and W3.[13]
[edit] References
- ^ Hatfield, Daemon (September 20, 2007). TGS 2007: Final Fantasy Tactics A2 Update. Retrieved on 2007-09-26.
- ^ a b Square Enix staff (2008-03-19). Dive into the world of Ivalice this summer with Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift. square-enix.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-20.
- ^ Final Fantasy Republic (2008-05-20). PAL Region Release Date For FF Tactics A2. Retrieved on 2008-05-20.
- ^ IGN staff (March 29, 2007). First Final Fantasy Tactics Details. IGN.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-02.
- ^ a b c Gantayat, Anoop (April 04, 2007). Final Fantasy Tactics Update. Retrieved on 2007-04-08.
- ^ Harris, Craig (May 16, 2007). Interview: Final Fantasy Tactics A2. Retrieved on 2007-07-14.
- ^ Chen, Charlott (May 22, 2007). Interviews from the Square Enix Party 2007 in Japan. Retrieved on 2007-07-14.
- ^ KujaFFman (2007-05-09). FFTA2 : Quelques scans (French). Final Fantasy World. Retrieved on 2007-05-09.
- ^ Morcos, Antoine (April 04, 2007). Final Fantasy Tactics A2 images. Retrieved on 2007-04-05. (French)
- ^ KujaFFman. FFTA2 : Ce qu'en dit Famitsu (French). Retrieved on 2007-10-19.
- ^ CRYSTAL GUARDIANS - クリスタル ガーディアンズ
- ^ Final Eclipse << DreizehnteφNichtvorhandensein 『CRYSTAL GUARDIANS W2』:配信開始日決定
- ^ 旧 FF&KH情報倉庫 | ファイナルファンタジー＆キングダムハーツ ONLiNFO - CRYSTAL GUARDIANS Archive
[edit] External links
- Official Japanese Website
- Official North American Website
- Crystal Guardians official Website
- Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift article at the Final Fantasy Wiki
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