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During Tokyo Game Show 2025, we had the opportunity to get a preview and experience about 1.5 hours of FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles on PS5. This remaster combines story-driven gameplay with tactical combat in a package that feels both familiar and refreshed.
Story Immersion Gets a Modern Touch
Starting a new game reveals immediate immersion through the opening movie and cutscenes. The political drama and rich setting of Ivalice come through clearly from the very beginning. What stands out most is the addition of fully voiced dialogue throughout the game. This brings much more personality to the characters and makes story scenes feel more engaging than the original text-based version.
The opening sequences do an excellent job of establishing the game’s world-building and political intrigue that the series is known for. The combination of visual storytelling and voice acting creates a more cinematic experience that draws players into Ivalice’s complex narrative from the start.
The first story battle takes place at Orbonne Monastery in Chapter 1. The game introduces its tactical combat mechanics gradually, working like a tutorial that doesn’t feel heavy-handed. Even for newcomers to this particular battle, it’s easy to become absorbed in both the story and the strategic planning needed for each fight. Players can change character classes in Chapter 1, though these early choices don’t dramatically impact team abilities yet.
The tutorial approach at Orbonne Monastery strikes a good balance between teaching mechanics and maintaining engagement. While class changes are available early on, the limited impact keeps the learning curve manageable for new players while still offering customization options.
Enhanced Job System Shows Its Strength
The battle-focused experience really shines during a Chapter 2 encounter at Zeirchele Falls. Here, the enhanced job system demonstrates its depth. With only four units allowed in this particular battle, players can test different team combinations. The most effective setup found was Squire, Monk, White Mage, and Time Mage. Each class contributes different strengths, and the ability to experiment with various party compositions makes battles feel strategic and rewarding.
The four-unit limitation at Zeirchele Falls creates interesting tactical decisions. The Squire provides reliable physical damage and versatility, while the Monk offers strong melee capabilities. The White Mage handles healing duties, and the Time Mage brings unique battlefield control through speed and time-based abilities. This combination showcases how different job roles complement each other in the enhanced system.
The updated visuals make every spell and ability stand out clearly on the PS5 screen. One helpful feature is that if a party loses a battle, players can retry the stage without penalty, which encourages trying different approaches and tactics. Spells and special abilities have enhanced effects that make battles more visually engaging without overwhelming the tactical grid-based gameplay. The retry system removes frustration and instead promotes experimentation with different strategies and team compositions.
Classic vs Enhanced: A Direct Comparison
The demo also includes the classic version for comparison. The original retains all its strategic depth and story appeal, but the differences are clear. The enhanced edition features an updated user interface, improved visuals, and the fully voiced dialogue that makes the experience feel much more current and polished.
Having both versions available side-by-side highlights just how much the enhancements improve the overall experience. While the classic version maintains its strategic complexity and narrative strength, the enhanced edition’s modern presentation makes it significantly more accessible. The UI improvements in particular make managing menus and battle information much smoother.
After our preview with the game FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles manages to honor the original while adding meaningful improvements. The redesigned UI, script updates, and voice acting give new energy to this classic tactical RPG. The weight of Ivalice’s story and the satisfying tactical combat become apparent, creating anticipation for exploring more of this remastered world.
The preview suggests this remaster will appeal to both longtime fans and newcomers, offering the strategic gameplay the series is known for with modern presentation that makes it accessible to today’s players.
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