Final Fantasy Tactics Had the Best Writing in the Franchise

[@ResonantArc]

gud gaem

[@saltymedic85]

😊

[@EZog58]

One thing that isn't mentioned here, but is essential to Ramza's character, is that he and his little sister are bastards born to a commoner who their lord father fell in love with later in life. Their father treated them well for the rest of his life, as he loved their late mother, but this caused Ramza's older brothers to look down on him more than if he were their full-blooded brother. Ramza was born with his feet in both worlds from the very beginning, so his easy friendship with Delita and willingness to look at conflicts from all sides was inherent to him from the beginning of his life. His father told him on his death bed that he would be the greatest knight in their family, and I agree that the story vindicated Ramza's righteous actions, even if history did not.

[@MonkeyHero]

Nice write up.

[@TheDJman248]

What's even better is that history DID ultimately vindicate Ramza, even if it was waaaaaay afterwards.

[@trasher2692]

Where do you people get this "Ramza was a bastard" thing? I've seen it being brought up many times whenever FFT is mentioned but not once do I remember his noble status be questioned in the game, not even by Algus the "commoners aren't humans" guy, and his mother, while a commoner, is said to be his second wife, not his mistress.

[@EZog58]

@trasher2692 It's stated in the game a few times. Keep in mind my knowledge comes from playing War of the Lions, not the original, so perhaps that is where the disconnect is coming from. She is stated to have been a concubine and at the very least had Ramza before marrying his father. Here is a direct quote from the Cardinal regarding Ramza's birth: "I see Gaffgarion's sword was no match for his words. Then again, perhaps the fault lies with his adversary. Beoulve blood is not given to spill easily. Even when thinned with that of a courtesan, it would seem." In the in-game Chronicles, Ramza is also referred to as "the issue of his father's paramour". I do think these things highly suggest what I stated, but am open to being proven wrong.

[@trasher2692]

@@EZog58 If you're talking about Delacroix calling Ramza's mom a courtesan that means nothing he was already in enmity and about to turn into a demon, Algus also insulted Delitas's mom in the same way suggesting she was a prostitute.

[@Sena_ttv]

"what are you, enemy or ally?" "human, just like you."

[@misterious5217]

Love that quote

[@mad0gre]

Rapha - “And you fight these men, when fighting them means you must be labeled a heretic? Surely you must realize your efforts will earn you no thanks.” Ramza - “I do not fight for gratitude. I am a Beoulve. I fight for the honor of my name.” Rapha - “I'd not believe that for a moment. You strike me not as the sort of man to fight for things so trite. No, you see evil and injustice before your eyes and cannot turn away. You do not even think to seek reward.” Ramza - - “You mistake me for a better man.”

[@paulman34340]

And that part was what REALLY made me LOVE Ramza character, and any character SIMILAR to him in Many Tactics RPG I've played where I feel the character is similar (Like Ike from Fire Emblem) Ramza does the right thing REGARDLESS of the cost to himself, he is HUMBLE in that he ACKNOWLEDGES he's no Hero! It's like Solid Snake from Metal Gear whenever anyone calls him a "Hero" as he has to make clear "I'm no Hero, Never Was, Never would be!" MAN did the PS1 had some BANGERS I'll never forget for the rest of my life.

[@wiegraf-FNC]

yes that line always gave me chills.

[@zeliardforty-two4692]

Ramza will always be one of my favourite characters. In the face of all the power struggle happening around him he kept his morality in check. He never even sought power or to clear him name. He was faced with doing the right thing even if it meant going against everything, even someone who he had once called brother. In a world that seemed built on the old Greek philosophy “a man should obtain power by any means” I think that is very commendable! I do also understand Delita’s view. Sure his actions were morally questionable, but he was doing what he thought was the best way to change the world around him. Instead of being a pawn he became a major player. Completely embodying the Greek philosophy fully. Eventually falling just like many Greek heroes

[@DanielFalca0]

Heavy lies the crown

[@anonimoalfin]

Never better said. And also in real life.

[@mad0gre]

The most interesting aspect about Ramza and his moral choices, is that in the game it unfolds organically. He doesn't set out as the chosen one, as the hero meant for greatness. He is portrayed as a young man seeking truth, in a world where all truth is doctored and manipulated by those in power. And when he got to the core of it, there was no victory, no glory. There was no mountain of gold, no princess in his castle. And that makes his sacrifice all the more meaningful. He fought for truth, and truth was his only reward.

[@anonimoalfin]

@@mad0gre beautifully put, tragic and true.

[@olsenarliawan2951]

@@mad0gre Although Ramza is technically more moral, and it would be great if everyone in the world is like him, ultimately, it is a very naive and unrealistic mindset. Only naive and ignorant people believe that it is undeniably more moral to justify the means first than using the ends the justify the means. As horrible as it is to reward evil and punish good, do you truly believe that the ends never justify the means? If killing an innocent person will save 2 other innocent people is immoral because you must never punish innocence, will you still hold that belief when killing an innocent person will save 2 billion other people? Is not killing the innocent person, who would survive as long as you don't kill them, still the more moral choice? People tend to think that not doing evil actions is moral. Only evil actions will bring about consequences, but the truth is that idling can come with its own consequences. Let's say Delita doesn't exist and Ramza gets to do everything his way. He slowly finds the good people left in order to fight the good fight. No innocents sacrificed and only evil punished. Such methods aren't efficient and aren't guaranteed to work because it requires a lot of waiting. While Ramza is slowly waiting for the system to change, numerous innocent people will be crushed and sacrificed to the unchanged system. How is that more moral? In the end both Delita's methods and Ramza's methods require sacrifice, the only difference being that one method allows you to abstain from bloodying your own hands. Isn't it more moral to sacrifice one's own innocence in order to save more people and more immoral to let more people suffer just so you don't? In the end it is impossible to tell which is more moral because it would require you to be an omniscient being that knows exactly which methods create less suffering.

[@derekz5724]

Holy shit the "this game is the Dark Souls of Final Fantasy" gag made me burst out laughing at work 😂😂😂

[@Suikojunkie]

Mister Derrat i came here to tell you that you are a man of culture. It’s not a coincidence if Tactics Ogre is Sagakuchi’s favorite game of all time. Matsuno is special and Square should’ve never let him go.

[@Loreweavver]

Tactics Ogre is incredibly overlooked. The story and gameplay are phenomenal. It was probably one of the games I had that I actually replayed most often because of the many different paths and the different characters you can find.

[@lunar_arcus]

Yes. I like Ogre Battle 64 more but tactics ogre is also incredible.

[@akiinmoonlight79]

One of the best games of all time - it deserves a remaster ❤

[@viceverse11]

💯

[@neetscholar4149]

Too bad Square Enix can't be trusted to remake a paper bag these days! >.

[@akiinmoonlight79]

@@neetscholar4149 nah they can pull it of i believe if they stay faithful to the original with additional content it will be perfect

[@Fleshlight_Reviewer]

They are gonna mess it up. Psp version is the best

[@neetscholar4149]

@@akiinmoonlight79 I guess you slept through the whole FF7 Remake-Rebirth thing. Good luck with that, I would rather keep my expectations around minus-ten.

[@Loreweavver]

Don't blame me. Blame yourself or God.

[@askiia8713]

_Human, just like you!_

[@Spyderfarmman]

Blame David Blane

[@LeonardoGarcia-qt6lf]

- "If the penalty for a crime is a fine, then that law only exists for the lower class” - Wiegraf

[@LeonardoGarcia-qt6lf]

@@Loreweavver Stupid game made me a moral absolutist and an anarchist in the same move.

[@Fenrisson]

I barely spoke any english at all at the time, but this line stuck with me.

[@burstofsanity]

The story in Final Fantasy Tactics is definitely one of my favorites. I only played original and somehow missed that Ovelia stabs Delita in that final scene and saw it instead as him having a breakdown from the actions he had taken to get where he was stabbing her unprovoked; or perhaps a deliberate action to remove the final shred of the former system that remained by destroying the royal bloodline completely.

[@WhoIsJohnblack]

Try war of lions its fun

[@TheSlammurai]

To be fair Ovelia was not royal blood at all, as was stated by Folmarv. Delita was present for that conversation so he knows she's a commoner pretending to be a dead Princess.

[@mikeoakeshart3823]

Delita is a character where everyone could be, and Ramza is a character where everyone should strive to be.

[@SeventhheavenDK]

Well said.

[@prestonleebenjamin]

Eh, I don't know I think it's a lot deeper (and better) than that. Delita is a representation of people who got dealt all the wrong cards growing up while Ramza, while a bastard had a lot of privilege born into nobility. Don't get me wrong, I love Ramza as a character, but Delita was my favorite character growing up because he was the only character who said 'fuck the system' and made it on his own, in spite of what every other character in the story told him. If Delita 'strived' to be Ramza he would be dead way earlier in the game, especially considering he was a commoner. IIRC Delita started out as a saint, always following the rules and having faith that things will get better believing the nobles that raised him (Ramza's family) would protect him and his sister. Delita's family is a representation of what happens when you aren't born into privilege and you blindly follow what people say, which is what gives Delita his revelation to 'break the system' after the events of Tetra play out (trying to remain spoiler free); Ramza has it nowhere near as hard as Delita, and by the end let's just say Alma is way luckier than Tetra... Point here being, to say that "Ramza is the character everyone should strive to be" I take as saying "just be lucky and born into nobility and be the main character with tons of plot armor," Delita I'd argue was the character who had to go through the world without plot armor while Ramza had all the plot armor due to his nobility. Not at all saying this is bad writing, but just pointing out Delita turned out that way BECAUSE he had no nobility plot armor, while Ramza had the luxury to be empathetic because of his privileges. All in All, I'd say they're both masterfully written characters, since both characters teach very valuable lessons in life to different types of people.

[@heiral7773]

Fk that. King Delita ftw

[@MidlifeCrisisJoe]

Well put.

[@misterious5217]

Great analysis

[@timslack7568]

hopefully this goes viral so that Square will see it and finally give us a remaster. Not a remake, just a good old fashioned remaster that is available to be played without having to have an emulator. It is by far my favorite Final Fantasy game and my experience goes all the way back to beating the original when it was released and is my favorite franchise going on 35 years now

[@SaltyChickenDip]

The war of the Lion version is available on mobile

[@timslack7568]

@@SaltyChickenDip but then it has to be played on mobile which is garbage. Ive tried it, mobile gaming isnt for me

[@Mageman17]

Fr Square Enix needs to let Matsuno use the kitchen and cook. I think Yoko Taro’s been in the kitchen too long.

[@Thetiredpotato11]

I'd like it if a remake added more dialogue from party members post recruitment, but frankly I wouldn't trust modern writers with tactics

[@AbyShure]

Woooow. I remember that when I started watching your videos I made this recommendation to you. Now after around 3 years I see this video and it is like a wish came true. This is awesome. Have you ever read about Vagrant Story? As far as I know, many people worked in the development of both games. And both are really something. Hopefully one day you come to play it too. I send you my best regards from Tlaxcallan. Mexico. I really enjoy all your videos.

[@BB-pn2qv]

Vagrant story is on par

[@SeventhheavenDK]

Vagrant Story sux.

[@BB-pn2qv]

@@SeventhheavenDK I politely disagree

[@Mondoness]

If you don't recruit Cid, he shows up with Oran in the cemetery at the end.

[@karlklein2263]

12 year old me had no idea how dense this story really is

[@TGCid01]

Seriously. Seeing this video just taught me so many things

[@MG-po6jc]

My dad gave me $ to buy just a single game at the store for my 11th birthday. I chose this game. Best life choice i've ever made.

[@IDoubleJ]

Max dramatically improved his comedic timing and delivery

[@BeakerSte]

One of my favourite games of all time. I search "FFT remake" at least once a week in the hope that it's finally announced officially

[@MonkeyHero]

Right there with you

[@giovanniprovost]

It will come, they have to do it.

[@o7i-q4r]

リメイクを求める消費者が新しい名作を生み出す創造を阻害してる 安易なリメイクは禁断の果実みたいなもん 消費者も反省したほうがいい 素晴らしい作品は良き思い出として、次の名作を生む創造をしたほうがいい 消費者の声は当てになら無いことはままある 名作は作り直さなくてもいつまでも名作。何回も時間が経ってもやり直せるのがゲームのいいところ。

[@BeakerSte]

I agree with you to an extent. Unfortunately, the modern gaming landscape has been extremely poor... ​@@o7i-q4r

[@kilmorecombine0]

​@user-xp4zf1hd1o and what of the younger generations? They would never be able to taste the fruit of that master piece. They can't even play it, if the console no longer exists.

[@gingerkingds7804]

This game reshaped my young mind and opened my eyes to the coruption of the church and the government. I've been an avid fan since 1997, and still somehow leearned something new from your video 😮 great job, and thank you!

[@TonyFontaine1988]

Now without the church western society falls apart morally. We need the church

[@chimerawizard5639]

trying to get me to replay Tactics after 20 years? GDI I'm in! [Tidus] "T- T~ that guy"

[@harmlessanimeposter3379]

You were really cooking in the back half of the video! I think the dynamic the game was trying to establish was Delita = the hero (in the political/folklore sense) but obviously, many historical heroes made their legends/names at the expense of others, while Ramza chose the difficult path of martyrdom -- in the truest sense of the word, and sometimes martyrs might be above heroes.

[@deviancepurplehaze6045]

The community of this gem is still very active. There are mods that make the game better or even change the entire story. "Tis your birth and faith that wronged you, not I."

[@Khwerz]

Gross. That quote completely changes the meaning of the original.

[@Xalmuster]

@@KhwerzNo it doesn’t, it’s what Delita was *actually* saying. He was telling the princess that she should blame her abduction on her royal blood (“yourself”) or the church (“God”) as she is important to both noble and clergy alike as an important piece in their schemes, whether to use her or dispose of her. The PS1 line means absolutely nothing, it feels iconic but it’s meaningless and just sounds edgy.

[@MrVariant]

​@@Xalmusterit's better like battle quotes WOTL took out. Shame psp had slowdown the mobile version fixed, though that lacks multiplayer and makes postgame onion knight a badass with he onion gear (use a fixed damage elemental gun instead of all the work to master for the sword to do damage let alone movement is limited outside chocobo or accessories).

[@Drifter2025]

I always wanted to read an anime based on the 50-year war and find out how Cid became the legendary man.

[@paulofaquin]

It's easy to know how Cid got legendary, just bring him solo with his Excalibur to a battle and see for yourself, now imagine how every battle he was present went, that's it.

[@Drifter2025]

@@paulofaquin touchè

[@Enharmony1625]

Ok, if you haven't played Vagrant Story, you need to play Vagrant Story! It genuinely has a lot of that Souls DNA, and came out 9 years before Demon's Souls. It features writing that is easily on par (I would say even surpasses) Final Fantasy Tactics, and is a true unique gem from the PS1 days. It's also PS1's most technically brilliant game, beyond even Metal Gear Solid and FF7-9.

[@theflashgordon193]

Glad to see some love for vagrant story

[@SeventhheavenDK]

Mere exaggeration about Vagrant Story. All of it.

[@michs7451]

If you liked Matsuno’s writing in Final Fantasy Tactics, you should really check out Tactics Ogre. It’s very similar to FFT, but I personally like it much more because it has a more political narrative and its narrative changes according to player choice.

[@ZX-Gear]

Yep. Whereas FF Tactics is based off the War of The Roses,Tactics Ogre is based off the Rwandan Genocide.

[@michs7451]

@@ZX-Gear That’s not true. Matsuno adapted FF Tactics from Umberto Eco’s “The Name of the Rose,” and Tactics Ogre was not so much devoted to examining a single conflict but how and why people enter into conflict with each other.

[@ZX-Gear]

@michs7451 I knew it was something Rose. I must have got it confused with Duelist of Roses.

[@bondrewdthenovel3598]

Why FF Tactics is the GOAT? Because of Yasumi Matsuno, the God of Tactical RPGs

[@reenchanted]

I’m so glad you enjoyed this, Max!

[@Visionary1002]

The class struggle is also a highlight of this game at times. The Corpse Brigade storyline is one of my favorite, because it really made you wonder if you were fighting for the correct side.

[@shayoko6]

Play the PSP version 100% improves EVERYTHING there is apparently a remake/remaster in development right now. 6,7 and tactics all have a good story. hard to pick 1! amazing 6 even competes since it was on such limited hardware. An RPG to check out (not on PC sadly) Unicorn Overlord

[@detpistonsff7]

My 2 first Final Fantasy games being FFVII and FF Tactics... What a time to be alive. Both are GOATs. I am still pissed that the only Tactics games we received afterwards were those Advance abominations... going from peak Game of Thrones to some Ferngully style fantasy. The whiplash in tone and setting was insane..

[@MonkeyHero]

SAME. It was, quite assuredly, THE Golden Age of JRPG's. Quality did not necessarily get higher than this era did for RPG's as time went on- regardless of technology upgrades to modern gaming.

[@the13thjoker]

FFT advance isn't abomination. The gameplay and class system are better than in FFT. Sure the story is more generic and childish but I don't see it as bad but different. FFTA 2 however...

[@SeventhheavenDK]

I liked both FFTAs too, of course, original FFT is the best.

[@TheAalen]

Mine was around 5-7 years old I played ff8 and ff tactics first. My older brother always kept ff7 and legends of dragoon and chrono cross with him,played them all by now!

[@wolffden08]

I'm of the opinion that Delita did not succeed in defeating the "evil system that controlled Ivalice" but rather became a part of it. That is the tragedy of his character. Ovelia had the same observation seeing how he disdainfully treated Ramza and the others as pawns to discard at a whim just so he could further his own ambition. Walking the path of vengeance blinded him to the fact that he was now inflicting the same injustice he experienced against others. Delita ultimately forgot the lessons of the past and became that which he sought to destroy.

[@Thetiredpotato11]

Tbf canonically delita's rule was a prosperous one that was kind to the common man in ways heretofore unseen He's a really complex character and it's hard to say if everything he did was justified

[@SuperSanjuro]

Wow, Max! Great video! I say that knowing that your work always reaches a high standard of quality!

[@Euph0rical]

Wow 🤩 I was definitely NOT expecting this web of storylines in a Final Fantasy ‘Tactics’ game. Amazing video as always Max!

[@itsasecrettoeverybody]

I don't remember this game being difficult. It had some difficult battles, but it never felt like a difficult game to master.

[@MrVariant]

A lot of people don't know the exploits I had a playlist for. In chapter 1, you can easily win doing black magic fire for everyone, and defense boost from the oracle for Ramza is a war of attrition, let alone invigoration life drains to 4 shot lucavi bosses. If you don't maximize bravery with ramza's steel/shout to always react to attacks, and do high monk damage, you're gonna struggle. Dual wield and iaido are nice, but you spend a ton of time as a thief/monk to unlock, and archer without aim is better as its slow and swiftness doesn't work, which also sucks if you spam holy that is fast enough. Better off using a time mage for graviga to 2 shot lucavi, or teleport to make archers OP as they're untouchable and have longer range on high ground. Just add items or white magic raise as life insurance, maybe with concentration to make ranged rend weapon useful (rend speed is more accurate and stops bosses like mimic darlavon sleep does for humans). And don't use Mustadio/Agrias as you lose whatever crossover buildup you had from chapter 1 (balthier is great due to having monk/geomancer unlocked upon recruiting and his better speed/equipment). An orator can recruit overpowered stuff like the blue dragon or dark behemoth (Luso battle in remake).

[@Thiago_Alves_Souza]

Ramza is very similar to Solid Snake. He never bent in the face of sheer adversity and even when the most soul crushing truths were dropped on him. Not that they didn't have moments of weakness but like Proverbs says, the just may fall 7 times but he will stand 8.

[@Loreweavver]

I was thinking while watching this video that there are a lot of Metal Gear parallels.

[@anonimoalfin]

One of my greatest heroes as a child, but still today!

[@Thetiredpotato11]

Something to note about the ending that was clarified by matsuno in a few interviews, ramza survives and travels to a different country where he lived in relative peace with alma, and iirc the stabbing scene takes place a few years into delita's rule, and ovelia survives but is sent to live in another monastery until she passes, further muddying delita's ethics

[@SuperLumianaire]

My favorite way of breaking the game, is literally breaking. Break speed first on any strong enenies, then their power or magic. Steal anything they have on them. I do not rename Ramza. I name the mercs. The one I call myself, Luminaire ends up being a breaking dragoon with a Holy Lance.

[@zoiwill123]

FINALLY SOMEONE SAID IT!

[@MarSprite]

So. in your opening statements, you make some claims about "gamers." Claims which are wrong by virtue of being absolute statements. Ocarina of time - makes me think of the zelda series in general, "hey listen," and the mastersword/hylian shield. I do not consider it "the archetype" of much of anything aside from later zeldas. Most of what ocarina of time did was just an adaptation of something Mario 64 did. It has some points I would think of as original, like the titular artifact, but that's actually pretty unique. ET - doesn't actually make me think of anything game related, I think of the movie, mostly the quote "et phone home." I never tried to play the game, but there are some pretty bad games out there, I doubt it's the worst, even if some people say so. Dark Souls - makes me think about 2 handing the zweihander, Frampt, and demon souls. Journalists tendency to use uninformative metaphors to try to be relevant doesn't really pop into my head unless I have to be exposed to it, then it goes quick enough as I just ignore it and move on. Be aware that your paradigm doesn't represent the paradigm of gamers as a whole. I am a gamer, and I see things differently than you do. As a gamer whose late to the party don't think you have some omnipotent viewpoint that lets you see things the way everyone else does. We gamers are diverse in perspective and there is no omnipresent viewpoint.

[@neetscholar4149]

One thing important to point out is that in the American versions, some characters in the PS1 original and the PSP remakes got slightly different names. Possibly due to translation. And another is that in the original PS1 game, what actually happened at the end between Delita and Ovelia was extremely unclear. I spent years wondering exactly whom did what. And another is that in comparison, none of the other Final Fantasy Tactics sequels ever got a story as amazing as the first one and it's remake got. Nothing even close.

[@st.haborym]

Quite a few of the names where just straight up wrong. Cú Chulainn got mistranslated to Queklain. There's a reason why the tvtropes page for this game has a blind idiot translation entry. Hell they translated fire/ice/thunder breath as BRACELET ffs. How do you even manage to mistranslate something that obvious, so poorly?

[@zerosuitfalcon]

There’s a lot of issues with the translation but he’ll always be Queklain to me. At least until someone can help me comprehend what an Irish legend and a giant blob monster have in common.

[@Tohlemiach]

@@st.haborym pretty easily actually. In Japanese bracelet is ブレスレット (buresuretto) and is often abbreviated as ブレス (buresu). "Breath" is also romanized the exact same way, that is, ブレス (buresu). Probably what happened is that someone was just given a list of terms and asked to translate them with no context. If the translator had been able to see an animation of the attack, they probably would have put two and two together, so that's why my guess is that they just had zero idea what they were translating. As for Cú Chulainn, that's an interesting one. In the original PS1 title, in Japanese his name was キュクレイン (kyukurein) so "Queklain" is a pretty fair interpretation if you had no idea what the original is meant to refer to. Now if you take Cú Chulainn and you have zero clue how it's pronounced, something like "koo koo lane" might seem to make sense, or in the case the original Japanese, "Kyoo koo lane." Nowadays, though, if you look up Cú Chulainn on any Japanese dictionary it will give you クー・フーリン (kuu-fuurin) which is a more accurate attempt to recreate the proper pronunciation that you might imagine as something like "kuh-HULL-inn." Back in the late 90's, I don't really think there was a very large media presence for the figure of Cú Chulainn, so I'm not surprised that not even the Japanese writers knew how his name was pronounced. Since then he's been in a number of media, more prominently in Smite, and his name is pronounced by the announcer in that game whenever you pick him, so a lot of people are getting used to that pronunciation now. The whole thing was a shitshow in all likelihood. Probably a skeleton crew with no budget just translating a list of words and a script with zero reference to what they're talking about all the while some of the original Japanese terms aren't even correct.

[@st.haborym]

@@Tohlemiach Dude, it's a dragon breathing fucking fire. You'd have to be literally retarded to translate that wrong.

[@Prinygod]

@@zerosuitfalcon It might have to do with the literal demonetization of "Pagan" beliefs. In the dark ages the church would often create demons named after Pagan to make it easier to persecute their followers as devil worshipers. Its possible that St. Ajora/Ultima did the same thing, corrupting, or naming his demons after rival religion. Then again Japanese writers love to use the names from other religions so i may be overthinking it.

[@jstratton1981]

To me this is the big touble in little china of video games. Like we play as ramza, who is like jack burton, the sidekick while acting like the main character, while delita is the real hero who is treated as a sidekick. I always like that about this game.

[@TheMemesofDestruction]

Final Fantasy Tactics is Legendary! ^.^

[@TerryHesticles87]

My favorite game of all time...Ramza's morality definitely had an effect on me as a kid. This game rocked my world, and I replay it once a year usually. Thanks for covering this.

[@captindo]

Haven’t played this awesome game in decades. Still waiting for it to come to Xbox. You know, it would only be a short 200 years later that the new world was found and settled on. Wish more rpgs took place in settings like Vagrant Story around the turn of the 18-19 century.

[@emmiranda2]

I played this game when I was 10 years old, didn’t know English but only basic terms like magic and attack and so on. I played 3 files of 100 hours each. I have the battle music in my mind to this day. Gameplay is great (although I don’t know if today as adult I would have the patience for it). What I am trying to say is that this game is great at many things, and here we have a 30 min video talking its story and saying nothing about its game design or gameplay or music. Truly an ambitious game. Great vid!

[@zealous944]

lol there is a reason I chose this as my handle. I don't think that being idealistic is being naive. In a perfect world that wouldn't be the case. Just because an ideal is unobtainable, is not an excuse to not strive for it. "the world isn't fair" and whose fault is that? With thinking like this it never will be. "you cant have your cake and eat it too" said the guy who wants your cake. Don't compromise your own truth just because the world and the people in it are content to languish in lies. And on the topic of whether Ramza will ever get the recognition he deserves. Heroism, to me, isn't the parade and the page in an almanac. If you are doing something with the intention of being remembered then I question your intentions. You do something because it's the right thing to do. Whether someone pats you on the ass for it is irrelevant. So before I rant any further lol, I unironically like Ramza more than Delita and think he got his just deserts in the end.

[@nickmoran8417]

Well said 👏

[@tgs5725]

I've never played FFT but I LOVED Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced as a child. It looks very similar to this game but from what I'm reading online it has a different story apparently.

[@TheAalen]

Yes advance was more kid friendly,as an adult ff tactics will be 10x better

[@mountainoise]

Final Fantasy Tactics is my favorite game of all time and no other media has ever made me feel the same way as I did when experiencing it for the first time. The OST is truly fantastic and adds so much to the world building. I am always especially moved when thinking about Ovelia and her role in everything. Glad to see you cover this, Max.

[@anonimoalfin]

A superb video, deep, well documented, but above all fair and accurate, to such a point that I have been forced to log in just to give it a Like, Subscribe, and even leave a comment (all of which I have done only exceptionally, very rarely, in many years). [ 2:45 ] "Sublime" is the correct adjective for FFT, which far surpasses most TRPGs to stand as a true work of art. Played it for the first time in 1997 on the PS1, and it made an indelible impression on me to this day: despite having played, studied and loved all sorts of games since I was born, very few managed to envelop me and move me so much, as only art is capable of doing. However [ 3:12 ] claiming that the game has some of the best writing in all of gaming medium is an understatement: it has without a doubt some of the best writing in all of entertainment media (one that shines even brighter in these dark times, where we have aberrations like Netflix's Witcher, Amazon's Rings of Power, or David Benioff and D.B.Weiss...). It's funny that since GoT came out FFT has been compared to the show because of [ 3:40 ] "...its epic scale, reminiscent, even if not equal to Game of Thrones". But I believe the opposite is true: the rightly abhorred David Benioff and D. B. Weiss would have done well to learn from Master Sensei Yasumi Matsuno (and not just about writing, but also about being at least humans). With infinitely less budget, manpower and privilege than the imbecile "writers" at HBO but with infinitely greater challenges, difficulties and pressures, Matsuno and his team managed to create a profound work of art, cohesive and epic from start to finish, where all the arts (visuals, music, writing, game design) come together in perfect harmony and virtuosity, surpassing the technical limits of the time, to present a reflection that is both poetic [ 4:21 ] and philosophical [ 21:46 ] of life and death, power and religion, geopolitics and justice, the human condition, good and evil, and how humans position themselves in relation to them. Finally I have to thank you, Max, because your vid helped me solve an enigma that occupied me 27 years, and made me understand myself better: after countless videos and documentaries about FFT, after so many discussions and fights in forums, I finally understand why even as a child Delita seemed to me to be the most nefarious, despicable being, while I naturally identified with noble Ramza Beoulve, one of my favorite tragic heroes ever, which resonated so much as a kid. And it is because I was raised and educated in the same deontological values ​​as Ramza, where actions follow principles regardless of the consequences for oneself, and even in spite of oneself. It was called "Honor". By contrast, Delita (plucked from the trash by the noble Beoulves and adopted as another son) hates and resents them instead of thanking them, and makes his way through life by deceiving, scheming, kidnapping, and murdering because he is a Machiavellian utilitarian, a relativist, a consequentialist who (like so many genocide sociopaths in history and today) wouldn't hesitate to murder even his own brother "for the greater good." Oh, how accurate and REAL this epic tale is, when one thinks about world geopolitics and plain everyday life today, "when the only morality that exists in this corrupt world is one based on power" [ 20:20 ]!!!

[@Goodpizzaa]

it is absolutely criminal your channel only has 413k subs. Been watching you a while and love your videos. The FMA videos were my favorite. Thanks Max.

[@euphoricganjanath5625]

Tactics, is still and will always be, my favorite rpg game. With all the advancements in tech, still nothing can beat how much of an experience tactics is, no matter how you play because of how good the characters and the story is. WOTL only made me love Tactics more. Then theres the gameplay, it makes you want to play the game multiple times just to get a different experience. Then theres the modding community, Tactics and WOTL, have some crazy mods, theres so much fun to be had that is missing in most games today. Vinns Lair just got a whole list of games taken down, never let beautiful works of art die because of companies.

[@JackRaynerV]

I’ve easily put over 500 hours into Tactics, from various play throughs. I love it so much I’d even level grind for a friend on his PSP when we would hang out 😂

[@gringles]

It’s been my favorite FF and one of my favorite RPGs for a long time. Got it on release as kid, right before moving across the country.

[@stephenlanuto5993]

It was my first Playstation game, it was so hard but so good, amazing soundtrack too

[@adiksaff]

It all makes sense now. You have highlighted how formative this game really was for my childhood. Thank you Mr Derrat! - A deontological

[@Nextliar]

I played this game so any times, but now im getting some things of the game I didn't catch well with this video. lol

[@jplayer073]

Still in my top 3 games even today. The music, the setting, the lore, the writing, the gameplay. It's an incredibly put together experience.

[@thesurvivorssanctuary6561]

Game taight Mme more about the world than: Noam Chompsky, George RR Martin, Kyle Kulinski, Carl Marx, Intersectional Feminist Academia, Bernie Sanders, n ANY other Alchemist. If: "As above, so below", then the Heavens must be working to settle some colossal disputes.

[@lunabeann]

FFTs story was honestly sooo boring to me. Idk why but trying to follow the political stuff just put me to sleep. I do love this game though

[@lunabeann]

@@Daiyve yup i could not get into the ff12 story either, just so much politic stuff. Im not saying bad story i just dont like that stuff.

[@Void84276]

One of my favorite games! Thanks.

[@omegaXjammur]

Here's to hoping that FF Tactics gets the Tactics Ogre treatment. Square Enix could save/make a lot of money *COUGH* *COUGH*

[@MindForgedManacle]

Consequentialism framed as 'the ends justifies the means' is always bastardized to mean 'Oh, you think you can do anything as long as the results sound good on their own'. As is often the case, I find these kinds of critiques of consequentialism somewhat hollow. Pretty much any such theory also has an account for how to avoid means that go too far or deem them to be immoral means (because those means basically always has disastrous consequences of their own, and thus can't be justified on a consequentialist moral theory). One could just as easily criticize deontological morality as "Your intentions/motives matter more than if you hurt people" or something to that effect. It's an attempt to rhetorically 'disprove' something by making it sound cruder, nothing more. More often than not, deontological positions in art (even art I enjoy, like Tactics) are given credence more by narrative dictate than analysis. Things are made to work out for that perspective in the end because it caters one to seeing themselves in a good light because all ethical questions become a mere act of will. If they simply intended to do a good thing, they must be good and good results will follow eventually. But of course, in the real world, that's not really how things work, and so naturally we get a sort incredulous moral arc of the universe bending to a good outcome to fit those intentions. Otherwise, most people would find it too difficult to accept a choice that makes oneself feel good but hurts everyone in the end. Whether deontology is correct or not, it often seems to be used as a lazy and even incoherent means of creating a "good" option that allows one to avoid delving into the actual moral conundrums at play. That option is not made to fully reckon with the results of their chosen actions or inactions, because they don't think consequences are the determinator of what's good or bad. Hence the consequentialist side must become bloodthirsty so it isn't even seen as an option, and the deontological side either has no negative consequences or they're glossed over. Which is strange, considering (as an example) Abrahamic religions tend towards a deontological morality, and they've been used to justify or direct some of the most heinous crimes on deontological grounds.

[@cd5sircoupe]

Easily one of my favorite games of all time. I've played through it more times than I can count since the late 90s. Just a couple of months ago I did a play through a sick romhack called The Lion War I believe. It's based on the ps1 version, but it incorporates a LOT of the stuff from WOTL in terms of extra content & tweaked game mechanics. I took it the extra level and replaced a bunch of the sprites as well as gave myself a few custom units. My favorite creation is a Lune Knight with Limit Break and Short/No Charge. I just bench Orlandu & Cloud in favor of that one unit. Oh yeah, so the mod gives you I think 10 bench slots where you can sideline units out of your main roster, and it allows Limit to be used with other swords than just Materia Blade. There's a bunch of quality of life improvements like that in the mod. Playing the game like that was so refreshing with all of the new stuff in it, honestly it almost felt like I was playing FFT again for the first time but not really. I would definitely recommend trying out a patched version of the game if one has the means to. There's PC, PS3, PSP, Vita, etc.

[@EionBlue]

You should definitely play Vagrant Story if you haven't, same creator, same level of Shakespearean storytelling on a different subject.

[@APDaneGL]

I haven't played every game ever, but of the ones I did play, this is my favorite. Mainly, because of its story. ❤ Edit: and the soundtrack ❤

[@Tenpouin]

Great video, you should follow up with FFXII and Vagrant Story, by the same creators. All three games have amazing writing imo

[@FoxFireUnlimited]

Skip the portable games, by the way. Nothing like the original.

[@mmatthews90]

I LOVE Final Fantasy Tactics. One of the GOATs!

[@FantasyYeet]

Tactics is in my top 5 game of all time. The story, music, characters, battle system, upgrade system. Perfect. I dont think its 10/10, but its 9.5/10. Close enough. The only issue I have with the game is that some of the classes were useless compares to other classes. Tactics still holds up to this day.

[@franimal86]

Yes, that and Calculators were so OP but also made battles a menuing nightmare for people with OCD (like me) looking for the best possible move hahah

[@KIL0]

I played this on ps1 back in the day. It ALMOST beat ME . . I didn't really know what I was doing, play this job, play that job, whatever. Then . . I had to rescue the Marquis. And some Demon spawns in a massive boss fight. I was TOO weak. I was under level. I didn't have the proper job skills equipped. I just went in blind playing for fun. The game saves as you go, and I was STUCK at the boss fight I couldn't win. There was simply no way. I had to chose:: Quit, or, restart a New Game, grind, and be better prepared for the boss fight once I returned. I'm no quitter. I started over. I maxed jobs, unlocked all the skills, and by the time I came back, I was a dual wielding sword knight. This was my favorite FF game. Until I played the MMO, FXXI. FFXI is still, to this day, the best videogame I ever played. Dropped 15,000 hours on that one. And I swore to myself I would quit at 10,000 hours. Well, I'm not a quitter. Arcadius from Asura Server.

[@lgstanton96]

why are you writing like that?

[@KIL0]

@@lgstanton96 Because, unlike you I have Style

[@Roger3eme]

I'm a huge fan and collector of anything Final Fantasy related. And FF Tactics is still by far my favorite Final Fantasy game because of the story.

[@virusthesnafu]

Had Deltia lived long enough he would have been his own Charles Foster Kane.

[@Getdown8319]

My second favorite rpg all time. Timeless.

[@_shivers]

That's a pretty low bar.

[@robocroakie2649]

10/10 video, absolute fucking banger. FFT is one of the goats for sure baby!!!!!!!!!!!

[@aeolussvichi7680]

Potential spoiler…. Cloud is in FFT 😆

[@strictlybananas]

Most agreeable title of all time

[@SuperLumianaire]

Raisens are the dark souls of grapes. Hilarious.

[@giovanniprovost]

In FULL AGREEMENT

[@partofthetribe3277]

So glad you're making a video about this I've always said that this one had the best story.

[@justicerainz]

So, wait, Cid was spared by Delita because of his morality? What a twist that I never noticed before!

[@TheBeird]

The praises for this game from Dark Pixel Gaming, now Resonant Arc, made me pick up this game when it came out on IPhone. It was a good purchase. And yes, I got my ass handed to me in the very first fight, but it was worth persevering with. Not one of my favorite Final Fantasy games, but one of the best.

[@Eyes-Scream0213]

For me the best version of Tactics is the PSP War of the Lions. I love the game and was really hoping for it to be appreciated by others too. I'm tired of seeing people over praising FFVII.

[@Mille8492]

Different vharacter builds. Laughes in Jumping ninja and calculator wizard

[@Enharmony1625]

I mean.. it's Matsuno, so of course it does. Just look at Vagrant Story, which the Tactics team made right after this. The writing in Vagrant Story, and particularly its English localization, is still some of the best in the industry!

[@ryosukekaneshiro]

no it didnt. FF12 is Waaaaaay better.

[@Thennecan]

I always struggle between FFVII and Tactics between which one is my favorite, FFT is definitely a masterpiece. Thanks for this video!

[@willysu1352]

its silly how square named its main cast and their sister greek alphabet ( alma alpha , delita delta ,ramza lambda ,tietra theta ) but other siblings are named differently😅 Edit : after reading EZog58 comment , i think their naming was intentional to signify that they are born from commoners

[@anightdragonscreativity1074]

A truly legendary game. Influenced many greats in the genre such as the Disgaea series. I didn't see it mentioned in the comments but the world of Ivalice spans across many games. Its called the Ivalice Alliance series. I believe the chronology is FFXII, then its sequel FFXII: Revenant Wings, Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift, the original Final Fatasy Tactics, Vagrant Story, and Finally Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. FFT A2 is a strange one story wise because the main game takes place after Revenant Wings but before the original tactics while its prologue and epilogue are after its predecessor FFT A1. Quality varies but I usually only recommend people go that far in the games if they want to deep dive. Another bit of interesting lore is within FFXIV which had its own Return to Ivalice storyline within one of its raid series. Great story there and the fights are fun and difficult to this day. It's not canon to the main story but more of a reinterpretation for FFXIV to tie both universes together. I'd only recommend that if you play the mmo already because its at the end of the third expansion. You can look up the cutscenes on KZbin though. They are really good. Great video!

[@sagenerd419]

I'm proud of you for how you did this video. This is my absolute favorite game and the scene where Ramza's father emplores him to show his brothers what a true knight is is everything to me Also, story wise, this game has maybe the best opening in video games

[@4MonsterhunterStory]

The music used in this is super cute 😂

[@bli2z4rd]

Maybe I'm just bias because I love final fantasy, but I think this is one of your best videos of all time. The story is a huge reason why, you truly got me hooked from beginning to end, I loved hearing more about this story through this video!

[@alexanderk-zw1hc]

I prefer the ps1 writing, but most likely because it was the version I played as a kid over and over

[@ItalianAvalanche]

I love the sound track. I heard bangers from Xenogears and Dragon’s Dogma. Great video.

[@soccerandtrack10]

29:08 =waiting?... At the end,=waiting?...

[@wiegraf-FNC]

When I was around 12-15 years old. back in the 90s. This was the game I went to for comfort. This was the game I spent more than 3 thousand hours playing in PS1. Despite the poor translation and english not being my main language and struggling to understand certain parts. This was the game that made me the person I am today. all thanks to the philosophy and story and the way everthing was framed. good vs evil. the shades of grey. there being no heroes or villains but people with their own agendas. this took me down the path to go on to the college of journalism and advertising. Up to date. my nickname in most online games, IRC, and many social medias is Wiegraf. The one who fought tooth and nail before Ramza could understand the reality of the world.

[@ScudX]

Replying before watching to confirm the absolute truth of the video title. 😌👍

[@tslfrontman]

Genuinely so happy to see this story and it's arcs get the adoration it deserves. It truly is a phenomenal experience that forever shaped an entire genre of gaming.

[@wenerjy]

FFT also has an amazing romhack modding scene that adds a lot more content and rebalances the game mechanics to make them more challenging.

[@partofthetribe3277]

Cid/Count Orlandu is OP

[@mdp720]

FF Tactics would make SUCH a great TV adaptation, the way Netflix did with Castlevania. They could probably tell the whole story in a 12-15 episode miniseries.