The Rise and Fall of Ivalice

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Final Fantasy XII was a rather different kind of Final Fantasy game, but it brought so much variety and flavour to the franchise. Join us, as we run-through some of the lesser known facts about the creation of Final Fantasy XII, some of its secrets and some of the mechanics that are housed within.
0:00 Intro
3:34 Part 1: Matsuno's Arrival
13:14 Part 2: Creating Ivalice
21:25 Part 3: Vagrant Story
25:43 Part 4: Ivalice Goes Mainstream
38:36 Part 5: The Ivalice Alliance
42:33 Part 6: The Fall of Ivalice
51:20 Part 7: The Unexpected Resurgence
56:27 Epilogue: Hints at the Future
59:30 Outro
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Script By: Darryl
Voice Over By: Darryl
Video Editing By: ‪@FirstOutpost‬

[@FinalFantasyUnion]

This video wouldn't have been possible without the support of our Patreon community. If you've been on the fence and would like to see more content like this produced, please do consider supporting us, it makes a world of difference: www.patreon.com/ffunion

[@TIGiant]

Would you like to consider toning down music in the future? It's a tat bit loud for me to focus on the narration. Nice job as per usual.

[@charliewild2367]

A lot was changed in XII's story. I remember huge amounts of the story were changed. I could reel them off but it'd take forevever. It's a shame XII is one of my favorites but, it would have had as intricate a plot as Tactics. They cut a lot and changed the story drastically. Wasted potential. I think that what happened with Fortress is particularly disappointed.

[@lighttrizane9844]

I think they could still make use of the Basch Solo story in like a Stranger of Paradise type game. Stranger of Zodiac or something lol. But learned alot per usual, keep up the good work guys.

[@adrammelechthewroth6511]

I love Ivalice. I love viera. But most of all, I love Fran.

[@adrammelechthewroth6511]

I regret buying and watching The Spirits Within now.

[@JesseColton]

Ivalice is the best world Final Fantasy has created, and I really hope we return to it someday, especially with a Final Fantasy Tactics sequel

[@jplayer073]

Only if Nomura isn't involved in writing it

[@c.q.32]

@@Tetsaga I think it had less to do with the story and more with the fact that it was tied to a game mode that players really didn't enjoy.

[@fearlesscheshirecat1411]

@@jplayer073 Dude it’s so annoying seeing everyone jump on the ‘let’s hate on Nomura’ train. He’s one of the most talented people Square has. For example, if it wasn’t for Nomura literally every single character in Final Fantasy VII would’ve been killed.

[@JesseColton]

@@fearlesscheshirecat1411 Nomura is going to single handedly destroy Square Enix from inside. I've loved the guy for most of my life but the fact is he's a terrible writer and director and he should be an idea guy, not an execution guy.

[@fearlesscheshirecat1411]

@@JesseColton That’s not true at all. Everybody jumps on the bandwagon of hating, and I bet you can’t even tell me anything that he’s done that’s bad to the Final Fantasy series. He did an awesome job on FFVII Remake.

[@widdershyn5714]

I really liked the world building in ff12, each character had an accent that you could distinguish where they’re from. Dalmascans had an American accent, Rozarian - Spanish and Archadia - English. Even the races had distinguishable voices. Truly underrated game.

[@RLAjabs]

i'll die on the grave that ff12 by any other name would have been a game of the year, legendary title. new ip type stuff. but it had to follow ffx to most people, and a lot couldn't embrace combat, open-ish world ff.

[@puddingway9231]

I always thought Rozarian sounded Italian. Other than that, completely agree. Such a great game.

[@widdershyn5714]

@@puddingway9231 you might be right. The funny thing about Rozarria is we never actually visited the continent, which gives the world of ivalice feeling bigger than what’s shown.

[@widdershyn5714]

I was 10 the first time I played ff12 and I was watching Onepiece along side it. I would sometimes imagine myself being a sky pirate with my crew roaming the world of ivalice doing sky pirate stuff. Lol

[@Crawver]

Bhujerbans had something akin to indian or south asian dialects, viera had Icelandic accents, and baanga sounded like they were garbling on marbles. Everything sounding so believable, and the localisation team for 12 knocked it so far out of the park.

[@akiinmoonlight79]

Ivalice deserves a worthy comback... this world is part so many timeless masterpieces ~ just magical ❤

[@TheOneRioji]

It really does. I love Ivalice so much it has a major influence on my FF D&D setting.

[@RaidenKaiser]

Pretty sure Ivalice is a continent not a world. Rabanastre appears in ff14 so it's highly likely that ff12 is Canon to ff14 tho set place in a completely different timeline

[@jemm113]

@@TheOneRioji I am totally making an FF D&D setting and you bet your ass Ivalice, by name if not in totality, is making a showing! I’m also delighted in adding stuff from XVI when it comes about and XIV already has some spots in my brain that need adapting. Especially a lot of the different era civilization stuffs! XIV has that shit in droves and I’d love to explore those concepts (or even outright lift some!) in a D&D setting! Ripe for dungeon fodder too lol.

[@ArrakisHeir88]

​@@RaidenKaiserAnd Metia, from ff14, is also in 16, making all of them distantly related one way or another.

[@Dragonkaiser20]

A 1 hour video on Ivalice? Yes please!

[@Carlama]

My same reaction

[@DaedalusGage]

For its part in the greater Final Fantasy universe, the content certainly deserved this kind of treatment. Or, rather, FFUnion has demonstrated that they know their Final Fantasy by giving this corner of the universe some more time in the spotlight. Really great work, folks! Studied, intriguing, and valuable for every Final Fantasy fan!

[@miles3987]

It was an hour long? Feltlike 20 minutes for me 😂... i swear, i didnt even realize it said 1hr vid

[@keiyangoshin3650]

I miss Balthier. 🥺 You know, ‘the leading man, who else?’ ❤️

[@InktheImpassive]

What I love about Ivalice is the races, with the Vierra, Bangaa, Nu Mou, and even the designs of moogles and it made me wish all those races were also available in FFXIV since the Vierra got in.

[@maverickbull1909]

same

[@willlauzon3744]

Actually I never liked the other races. Call me racist but humans vs humans was best in fft

[@AngelofAmbrosia]

Return to Ivalice was an emotional experience for me. I fell in love with FF12, and the amount of attention to detail they put into it felt so heartwarming.

[@foxdavion6865]

I loved that the FFXIV devs wanted to bring back some spark of Ivalice as content in the game and asked Yasumi Matsuno if he wanted to direct that content and he accepted. Those devs have singlehandedly reunited all the old Final Fantasy developers with the IP they helped to create and have been mending bridges for the past decade, bless them; Giving these creators opportunities to be with their creations without having to deal with SE corporatism, which is the main reason they left to begin with. Bozjas and Return to Ivalice may not be the Ivalice we wanted, it is definitely not the tactics we wanted; But, under the circumstances it is better than nothing and at least Yasumi had the opportunity to revisit his creation.

[@rogthepirate4593]

SE corporatism driving away the talent is really a major theme of this company, isn't it? You have so many incredibly talented and passionate people working on those games, and then you have - frankly - idiots like Matsuda who have absolutely no clue about why the successful games they created were so successful, and instead chases fads like battle royale and NFTs, even doubling and tripling down on the latter despite the very clear backlash. Square Enix is deeply divided in itself. Genius-level talented developers, producers, writers, composers etc vs absolutely clueless, idiotic management. It's such a shame. Imagine what they could create if they had sensible people in charge ...

[@foxdavion6865]

@@rogthepirate4593 SE's problem is not only is the company set up so that they do not recruit outside of it to fill positions of management, but those talented within the company do not want to be promoted out of working on games into management. So it is a double-edged sword, so you end up with the non-game developers being promoted into management who they in of themselves in most cases lack the credentials to run the company since the do not understand the company's product. Compare this to Nintendo, although it has the same archaic corporate system of internal promotion, the game developers there have no problem with leaving making games behind to take on the responsibility of running the company, resulting in a far different outcome in how the company is run. Yes, Nintendo makes some very questionable and upsetting wipe sweeping decisions, but for the most part they're not harming their own fanbase or harpooning their own products, despite being stubborn and having hypercritical reasons for some decisions.

[@rogthepirate4593]

@@foxdavion6865 Also a factor, yeah. Although I would say that Nintendo do harm their fanbase and products, things like game preservation (or rather complete lack thereof), fairly idiotic hardware shenanigans etc. Plus, Nintendo do have the added issue that they seem to live in their own little bubble and ignore anything that's going on in the wider industry for the most part, which can make them come across as incredibly tone-deaf and backwards sometimes. Sure, it also means they mostly ignore negative trends, but the same goes for positive ones.

[@dargoz8]

I would love a new installment in the world of Ivalice, there's still plenty of story to be told. In my opinion the next one should take place during the age of Ajora, that would be the perfect way to combine tactics with 12.

[@Gregoroth_Durai]

There are very few creatives I appreciate as much as Matsuno. While I'm glad he was able to prioritize his mental health, the loss of his presence and creative force for so long is a truly tragic thing imo. I'm so glad he's more active in the gaming world, and look forward to more from him. Especially if he gets to work on an Ivalice project.

[@FF4l1e]

He did end up doing Ivalice content in two of FFXIV's expansions. Some of my favorite raids are in there. Him working on Tactics Ogre Reborn also makes me hope he's working on the FF Tactics remaster that was in the same Nvidia leak, of which almost everything has come true.

[@tommyliddell8794]

FF XII is my favourite Final Fantasy. Ivalice with all it's different terrain felt so rich and superbly designed.

[@kylemundy8871]

Ff12 is an overlooked masterpiece. Even if the story DOES feel like something was left on the cutting room floor during editing. Gambits need to return. It's such a deep game design.

[@happy_camper]

Ivalice - my favorite fantasy video game setting, in all its incarnations.

[@CruzifixioOG]

No, it's MY favourite setting.

[@ianttid5896]

@@CruzifixioOG no it’s MY favorite !

[@CruzifixioOG]

@@ianttid5896 I'll see you both outside after class and we settle this once and for all.

[@BerryMunchify]

looks like we need judge magister for this

[@Stand_By_For_Mind_Control]

Low key I think Final Fantasy Tactics is one of the greatest high fantasy stories ever told in a video game. It's profoundly melancholy and bittersweet.

[@BurnDoubt]

It hits harder the older I get

[@johnp5250]

It starts off simple then just icebergs before you noticed.

[@ericripley4716]

I grew up with FF:Tactics, love it to death, still play it to this day at least once a year, always say I'll play differently but always end up with ramza as a dual wielding monk who just devastated everything. 10/10 video, love the content, can't wait for more.

[@jesusdiaz4305]

What are the odds - I do the same thing with Ramza! I know people say that Ramza can pull off great damage with the Ultima spell and/or he can learn to be a super strong knight/dark knight (if you’re on the PSP or mobile port), but nothing quite beats having Ramza walk up and two-punch everything. 😂 (For some reason I also constantly end up making a generic dragoon with the “equip sword” ability and the knight/dark knight ability set, but that’s something completely different & done only because of aesthetics…)

[@wt_neptune54]

My Ramza is always a mediator that tries to save as many people as possible

[@coballard5334]

Always end up calculater throwing bolt 3 and entire team wearing rubber boots.

[@PortCityBalrog]

Maaan. That's what always happens to me too! Do you guys also grind early in the game leave one monster alive and start throwing 🪨 s at each other to grind jp?

[@jesusdiaz4305]

@@PortCityBalrog It’s all about the immobilize/disable spam while everyone else shouted or buffed, for me. That way Mustadio always ended up in my group of top leveled performers! 😂👍

[@VioletxVelvet]

I think it's really cute and heartwarming how Yoshi-P was so looking forward to working with Matsuno, and then got his wish with the Return to Ivalice raids.

[@FF4l1e]

And how he was shilling the hell out of Tactics Ogre: Reborn. Wouldn't surprise me if he is responsible for us getting TO: Reborn since it's his favorite game ever, and he's on the board of directors.

[@courtlandmsmith]

I want to play the FFXII story as it was originally planned w/ Basch as the protagonist. The YA vibe of Vaan as a protagonist really clashed with the rest of the game.

[@Bingo_the_Pug]

I always wanted a Final Fantasy Tactics 2, meaning a direct sequel dealing with the consequences of the first game. It baffles me why Square Enix never realized this.

[@Drifter2025]

This makes my 12 year old heart flutter! Tactics was my safe place during my childhood. I would write myself into Ramza's squad and got me into d and d.

[@fernandesh.m.5504]

I love Yatsumi Matsuno's stories. I agree with Resonant Arc, IMO he is old Square's best storyteller.

[@aeonlord92]

Ivalice is a gem of a world for how it was made, fleshed out and made a fantasy world with rich lore able to handle both human, political matters and magical imaginative elements, creatures and races. FFT, Vagrant Story and FF12 just feel real and relatable despite being fiction. FFTA and FFTA2, while not Matsuno’s directly, have that same feeling in their DNA and can get looked over but are gems too. It’s a shame what happened to this universe with such promise and hopefully one day it comes back shining 🙂 Superb video I hope everyone watches to see Ivalice’s highs and lows, and what went into it. Bravo, stellar work!

[@adammalik5397]

i loved how it made a whole roster of summons. too bad they are kinda weak in the original game

[@_Just_Another_Guy]

Ivalice has the best quintessential "Final Fantasy" art direction, world setting, and style that defines one facet of the series as a medieval-meets-futuristic high-fantasy setting that it's been known for to some players.

[@DaRkLoRd-rc5yu]

I litterally just beat ff12 on the weekend. What a game. It's honestly a 10/10.

[@SasukeUchiha-zu6dw]

12 is probably my favorite

[@puddingway9231]

It was my first ever FF game, played many others after but 12 the best one honestly.

[@ReaveIdono]

@@puddingway9231 This is typically how most people view the best FF game. It was the first they played. 5 was the first I played and beat but I didn't own it. 7 was the first I owned and beat so it's my favorite.

[@10k-Noodles]

@@ReaveIdono Tactics, and then VII were my first two. But IX is my favorite, followed by Tactics, and then VI. FF Tactics kind of changed the entire trajectory of my life. I used to spend most of my free time playing basketball until I got addicted to it. From there I became a damn hermit and just spent my days playing 100-hour games and watching anime. Which sounds bad. But considering most of the people I played basketball with are either dead or in prison now, I'd say it worked out well enough.

[@seafear494]

hopefully they remake it and give it more areas 2 explore along with a better story for vaan and penelo maybe insert some of ff12 fortress into it

[@realitybitesx]

Ivalice was / is literally my favourite gaming world. Thanks to Tactics Advance and Tactics A2 as a teen I sank soo many hours into those games, especially A2.. Then used to make my own little stories set in that world which has inspired me to make my own game.

[@jacobsquare4812]

FFXII will always be my nostalgic favorite. Such a beautiful and atmospheric experience.

[@Forever_Zero]

When the world is told by such legendary games like FFTactics, VS and FFXII, it's easy to see why people want more, too bad Square hasn't been able to deliver the same quality

[@NeoScival]

No world has affected me more in molding what enjoy in a fantastical world than the world of Ivalice. The Tactics games and XII will always be some of my favorite games of all time.

[@blakerenimu9033]

Please, Square, get it together... I love Ivalice and it hurts to see the mistreat it went trough, so I hope it gets treated with the respect it deserves in any upcoming projects.

[@yogi_gs]

At least square still try to make new game from ivalice IP. Not like konamy who abandon their IP like suikoden.

[@Mageman17]

I still want him to have the freedom to create that Tactics Ogre side game which would have been set in Andoras' homeland. I'm not sure if current Square Enix would be able to make it happen, but I hope and wish all the same.

[@Sawngawkuh]

Sakaguchi stepping down from his position actually predated Spirits Within's dismal release. What he and some others were taking responsibility for was the company going into the red after FFX was delayed.

[@mikeclark7026]

are you sure on this? You’re the first person I’ve ever seen say he was out before Spirit Within.

[@Sawngawkuh]

@@mikeclark7026 He wasn't out of the company yet, but the resignation from his position and taking responsibility for company troubles commonly misattributed to Spirits Within's failure happened beforehand. Even in the video here when it shows the article talking about his departure from the EVP seat and the company's troubles, you can see the date of the news was in February of 2001, months before the film's release. What got the ball rolling was the aforementioned delay and the company's financial woes around the same period due to them not being able to profit from an earlier release. It was ultimately just a good excuse for the other higher ups to finally get rid of Sakaguchi, as he tended to butt heads with the more business-minded people over there due to their different philosophies. Sakaguchi was against sequels, prequels, excessive amounts of spin-offs and supplementary materials, whereas the other higher ups wanted to start milking the brand.

[@mikeclark7026]

@@Sawngawkuh That’s fascinating. It’s hard to say who I agree with fundamentally. I certainly get where he is coming from, but CC is one of my favorite games ever; X-2 has the best RPG Battle system ever, and XIII-2 is so much better than XIII. And there are some other really good spin off games as well.

[@toddwatkins5011]

He was taking responsibility for spirits within because they projected failure before it released.

[@Sawngawkuh]

@@toddwatkins5011 It was due to the financial deficit they were experiencing at the time after X's delay: i.imgur.com/adQ6SFq.jpeg Tomoyuki Takeshi and Masahi Hiramatsu also resigned from their prior positions to take responsibility and weren't associated with the movie, and Hisashi Suzuki took a 50% paycut. The company went into the red and were already experiencing losses at the time.

[@AlexanderPR2]

Ivalice's downfall was brought about by Square Enix itself. The greed and stupidity of its executives caused, at the time, almost destruction of the company itself, in fact. Today they try to minimize it by saying that they were just consecutive technical failures, but those who followed everything at the time know that these problems were the least worst.

[@Jack_Ss]

Seems more like the general audience just wasn’t interested in Ivalice. Even without the original creator they made some good games and people just didn’t buy them

[@kaimvalentine]

In the end, the fall of final fantasy in general was because of the greed and laziness of the directives towards the legacy build by passion of real developers, it took me a long and painful time to understand that squaresoft is no more, thanks for the video man, brought some nostalgic memories.

[@Water777x]

Been saying for years that Ivalice was, if not one of, the best worlds created in the final fantasy series! I didn’t know about all these knockoffs of the Ivalice franchise, so thank you for the very informative and well put timeline! Sad to see it went that low, but hoping it comes back better than ever! I replay ffxii and ffta2 all the time, such amazing games!

[@justmeok2]

I played FFTA 1 and 2 so much that i fond memories of that Ivalice. Recently i bought FF12 for the switch and its been fun seeing familiar names

[@umokwhy2830]

Yeah but that's what made it feel more real, because real cities aren't symmetrical entities. I forgot tactics got 2 nintendo handheld releases, I only remember the gba one

[@tommyfraz.]

Insane timing with this. I was chatting with someone on Reddit about The Ivalice timeline, and how it fell, earlier today 😂 Now that’s quality customer service!

[@williamhelena7592]

This make me want to re-download FFXII and do a Trial Mode run! Thank you for the wonderful video

[@kennethjose7159]

I just started the Trails series and the world building on this game is quite fascinating as well

[@d3ly746]

trails world building is top tier

[@hugoferrer7155]

Thank you so much, FFXII is my fav and watching some quality content about Ivalice is always a pleasure. 🙏

[@arcturionblade1077]

I'm bummed that Vagrant Story didn't sell very well as it's one of my favorite video games ever. The storytelling and super tight narrative and characterizations are just fantastic, with its designs, combat system, music, comic book style cinematic cut scenes, and overall atmosphere and awesome localization. The learning curve was pretty high, granted, and the game's difficulty definitely was earned. But those with the patience to master the system were greatly rewarded by deep mechanics and vast customization for their character. Definitely one of my top ten games of all time.

[@jesusdiaz4305]

Anytime I see documentaries on the development of the Ivalice games or the narration found within, I absolutely must share it. Truly wonderful work. 👍

[@mfntonberry]

I still play ff12 religiously. Ps2 version of course.

[@RemnantSoul]

My god I needed this. Slow day at work and this was amazing to listen to in the background! Thank you for this wonderful video!

[@FinalFantasyUnion]

Glad you enjoyed it Drew! ~Darryl

[@izzyalistair]

This is the one I've been waiting for, Ivalice is my favorite Final Fantasy setting

[@worbl]

Haven't even watched yet bc I'm at work, but this is exactly the content I have wanted to see from this channel. Thank you so much for the deep dive and I can't wait to watch it all!

[@worbl]

Following up: finally had the time to watch this video and it did not disappoint! Ivalice and Matsuno are the best parts of the FF brand, in my opinion, and it was great to see them recounted with such detail and reverence. Thank you!

[@simongilgenbach4630]

I'm so glad you did such a deep dive. FFT is easily my most beloved FF game.. the music, the story, the combat - everything was perfect and a large part of my youth. I can only hope they do a proper remaster. Love everything you guys do! Keep it up!

[@FinalFantasyUnion]

Thank you so much for the kind words Simon, much appreciatred! ~Darryl

[@davidoros3268]

This was an amazing video! I never knew there was such a story behind Ivalice. I’m hoping to learn more about the actual timeline of Ivalice, the decision to create different races and the reason for their disappearance/arrival depending where each game falls within the timeline.

[@Thoreaux]

People talk about the "nuance lost in the sub-par english localization," and yeah, the upgraded translation from War of the Lions is pretty great, but nobody talks about the nuance *created* by the sub-par english localization! "Blame yourself, or God!" is still one of my and my brother's all-time favorite videogame quotes. We used to shout that at each other anytime we meant "Get over it!"

[@kingbowser6991]

Haha classic! I loved that opening chapter line too, seemed very blunt and to the point. Like dog eat dog world style

[@drowningin]

Ivalice is my favorite FF world. I wish they would return there with another tactics game. Not a FFT remake, but a sequel. And not that Gacha game I tried playing it but those games UI are so confusing. You need a PhD to navigate them

[@Aaronmizuno]

This was an amazing essay, and a fascinating look into what was going on outside of the games I've spent so much time loving. This content this channel provides is staggeringly cool.

[@eamonndeane587]

Vagrant Story deserves more Attention these days. In my opinion, it's one of the PS1's Best Titles.

[@HighPriestFuneral]

Overlooked in its time, (possibly since it was at the end of an era) but with some more modern graphical takes and a little more refinement of that truly innovative system, it would be wonderful. Apparently the Ivalice Alliance did plan on Vagrant Story at first, but with the lower sales of their next outings, they canned the idea.

[@cGousha]

This is a fantastic look at everything Ivalice! There’s so much more than I knew! I’m especially impressed with how much of the company actions are included here, compared to any in-world stuff. This makes a fabulous supplement to the History of Square series!

[@REVOLVERE]

Noice. Definitely looking forward to watching this all the way through after work 😊

[@naheemquattlebaum2267]

Ivalice is a setting that ties together 4 (technically 6) games is just an amazing setting.

[@JaredScott]

Makes me excited to play Zodiac Age soon. Happy to see a feature on Ivalice. Something about that world just oozes style that I’ve not seen in other games

[@petrus9067]

Zodiac age is reall the best version of ff12. I hope you enjoy

[@JayPeaFenn]

Finished Tactics A2 last night - perfect timing!

[@joe_davola1085]

Great video. I love the world of Ivalice. Played FF Tactics over and over as well as FFXII and the remaster. When I played the return to Ivalice raid series in FFXIV I was hit by so much nostalgia, the music, locations and characters. was amazing

[@mikeclark7026]

This video was the best you’ve ever done, you, your wife and your entire team that worked on this did an OUTSTANDING job. I was enthralled from the moment I clicked till the epilogue.

[@FinalFantasyUnion]

Thank you so much for the kind words Mike. We are always trying to raise the level of our output and it's pleasing to see it resonated so well! ~Darryl

[@frankdelgado8534]

Vagrant Story is such an underrated gem

[@Murkoph]

It's not really underrated. Critics at the time gave it perfect scores - including the notoriously picky Famitsu - it got a green label reprint and has remained a cult classic to this day. It's just not the sort of game that appeals to your typical player out for lulz and flash and kawaii girls. But if you know, you know.

[@brandyrocacorba5072]

Vagrant story a nonstop action game very nice

[@JorgeM270]

FFXII and Ivalice were the first video game worlds I fell in love with. Magical experience, and it remains my favorite FF setting

[@Walamonga1313]

You need to experience Zemuria from Trails

[@joelman1989]

Every game Matsuno helmed is a masterpiece imo. Funny how the only thing I didn’t like about FF12 (Vaan) was the product of corporate meddling. It’s telling that revenant wings and tactics A2 are noticeably inferior products.

[@Ilyak1986]

Oh? Who were players supposed to play as in FFXII if not Vaan? Because Vaan was an *AWFUL* choice IMO. Took whatever wind FFXII had out of its sails IMO.

[@Dzzy123]

@@Ilyak1986 The rumours are that it was supposed to be Basch as the party lead in XII. It might have fit better with Matsuno's writing style to have us play as someone who's been framed for murder and treason. Personally, I think Ashe should have been the lead because most of the story revolves around her.

[@Muncheiy]

You guys do the absolute BEST in-depth studies of rpg development and history. Probably the only creators that could get me to actually sit down and watch a documentary by myself, of my own volition.

[@FinalFantasyUnion]

Thank you so much for the kind words! We worked very hard on this video, so it's great to hear that you enjoyed it so much :) ~Darryl

[@xcesarx23]

made my Monday! Still have my original copy and original startegy guide. Picked up the soundtrack 20 years ago love this so much.

[@nerdadtpc]

This was a really good watch! Always appreciate you guys coming through with this much solid information and not just all the surface level stuff that's out there. The fact that Final Fantasy XII was set in Ivalice was probably the only reason I played as much of it as I did. I'm such a huge fan of Final Fantasy Tactics that I'll try anything that says it is even remotely related.

[@jeremybennett9037]

Such a great video, loving this channel. Keep it up everyone.

[@folkenhellfang9468]

Nice work! Very informative and very professional production values.

[@ty_sylicus]

What a wonderful video! I have so many fond memories of Final Fantasy XII, Tactics, and Vagrant Story. Truly a golden age. Would love to experience Tactics Orge.

[@LightVaan38]

Thanks you for making this video. It made me realised how much of a fan of Ivalice I am, and now i just wish Square to understand the potential of it. This video hyped me a lot for futur project !

[@johnpatricktan5545]

thanks for the great content, i learned many things i didn’t know about the series, this is good to listen to while doing school work, good job 👏

[@FinalFantasyUnion]

Glad you enjoyed the video John! ~Darryl

[@johnpatricktan5545]

this is an interesting video, i learned many things about the series i didn’t, thanks for the great content!

[@thriftypsgr]

Makes me want to play XII again

[@Gloominary.]

Today, I learned a lot of things I didn't know before about my favorite FF setting. Thank you very much, a well researched video, loved the writing and the editing :)

[@FinalFantasyUnion]

Thank you for the kind words Baldu! ~Darryl

[@mxhawk1]

Great job. I always appreciate the work you put into every video!!!

[@FinalFantasyUnion]

Thanks so much! :) ~Darryl

[@jake192]

An amazing video, thank you!

[@hovasaxa]

This was excellent. Thank you 🙏🏽

[@Jimboslice222]

Props to you for including Vagrant Story! This game holds cherished memories of playing video games at my uncles house back in high the day!

[@loosemeatsamich3689]

Awesome video. Ivalice is my favorite world in square. I feel in love with it after playing vagrant story and ff tactics back in the 90’s.

[@ZalbaagBeoulve]

This channel is incredible. I'm SO EXCITED for this

[@ZalbaagBeoulve]

Part 6 is WILD and the whole video is amazing. Thanks for all the work

[@FinalFantasyUnion]

Thank you so much! ~Darryl

[@ebonflames]

Thank you for the work you do! Ivalice is my favorite world, and tactics is my 2nd favorite game!

[@GQDStar]

This is your finest work yet FFU!!!

[@FinalFantasyUnion]

Thank you so much Scoompoof! ~Darryl

[@joyhappiness]

God I miss the Ivalice setting. it felt so real and yet so fantastical. FFXII, Tactics, Revenant Wings...fuck I miss it all

[@RythymBeast]

An absolutely brilliant video!

[@magnusprime27]

Excellent video and history of the series

[@mattsweat3387]

Started playing ffxii again today and then look at KZbin to see this! My day is made

[@kingbowser6991]

How the hell am I just finding your channel!! Your a legend sir thank you for these beautiful videos 😢❤

[@jalunow]

Amazing documentary!!

[@angrymikko]

People clamouring for more Matsuno games should play his Crimson Shroud. It had the best writing in a Matsuno game AND it also happens to have Hitoshi Sakimoto’s best score he has ever composed.

[@dollarcostbackpacker1226]

Thanks for lead.

[@Bevtone]

Thank you. I've never heard of this! But if you're saying this is Matsuno's and Sakimoto's best, well, that's some high praise I can't ignore.

[@Fraven85]

that... was hella in-depth. thank you.

[@xXGreenXArrowXx]

I love this so much. Thank you

[@moonwolfv671]

Excellent video. I've only played a small handful of the Ivalice games (FF12, FFTA & FFTA2). Looking forward to the tactics remasters/remakes if and when they do come out. Hopefully the advance titles might be included too.

[@umokwhy2830]

I never felt the tactics advance was part of the same world, I never did like the law system that it had. Loved original tactics though

[@CaseyOrmond]

Great video, I learned so much about this world and it’s development history. I hope that Ivalice (and dare I say, Vagrant Story) makes a return!

[@Eldagusto]

I’ve been in love with Ivalice. Ramza is the noblest FF protagonist, tactics advanced was a genius system that needs more content and FF12 has the best world building and a unique job system with each character having two permanent jobs.

[@Enharmony1625]

Is it Christmas!? An hour-long video on Ivalice IS basically Christmas as far as I'm concerned. :) Thank you so much for this. And hey, Square, where is that rumoured Final Fantasy Tactics remaster? ;) And also, please please please, a proper remake of Vagrant Story!! Imagine the possibilities and potential! The game isn't available on ANY modern platform, and is way overdue for a comeback. Don't let this masterpiece fade away!!

[@TheRopiak]

A VERY good video. thank you!

[@KazzGabranth]

Omg, yes!! This video is everything!

[@DragonQueefs]

Crazy how they basically get rid of the person who created the world, and ever since then they just cant fully realize the potential of the world like he could.

[@marcoreus2564]

amazing video, loved ff tactics and tactics ogre, great story and gameplay

[@ansem9999]

I am /here/ for this, let's go!

[@SonnyPlaystation]

Great video. Thank you

[@Curiosity_Engaged]

This was so much fun to revisit.

[@renzovihelmoayalaalarco9520]

Such a great work!, I loved your video guys!!, hope you could make a video on what you think is the best level progression system… I can’t wait to the real ease of tactics remaster and they integrate the new jobs and dungeon they did in the war of the lions iteration

[@FinalFantasyUnion]

Thank you so much for the Super Thanks Renzo, it's much appreciated! ~Darryl