It is 1997. You just popped a black-bottomed disc into a PlayStation. Most people are busy obsessing over Final Fantasy VII, but you've stumbled onto something different. It’s grittier. It’s brown and beige and bloody. It feels more like a history book than a space opera. That was the original arrival of Final Fantasy Tactics, but the version we talk about now—the one that actually fixed the translation and added those gorgeous cel-shaded cinematics—is Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions.
Honestly, I’ve played a lot of strategy games. Most of them are fine. Some are great. But none of them hit quite like this one. It’s a game about a guy named Ramza Beoulve who gets erased from history while his best friend, Delita Heiral, becomes a legendary hero by being a total sociopath. It’s Shakespearean. It’s messy. And it is arguably the most complex game Square Enix ever put their name on.
People always ask me if it’s worth playing the PSP version or the mobile port over the original PS1 release. The answer is yes, mostly because the script in Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions is written in this pseudo-Elizabethan English that actually makes sense. Gone are the days of "I got a good feeling!" and "Defeat Dycedarg's elder brother!" In their place is a narrative that feels heavy. It feels like it matters.
The Job System is a Beautiful, Chaotic Nightmare
If you’ve never touched this game, the Job System is where you’ll spend 80% of your time. It’s not just "choose a class and level up." It’s a web. You start as a Squire or a Chemist. You want to be a Knight? Level up Squire. You want to be a Ninja? You’re going to need to level up Archer, Thief, and Monk first.
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It’s addictive. You’ll find yourself grinding random battles at Mandalia Plains just because you’re this close to unlocking the Arithmetician. But here’s the thing about the Arithmetician: it’s the most broken, confusing, and brilliant class in gaming history. You’re literally using math—multiples of 3, 4, or 5—to cast spells instantly across the entire map. It’s ridiculous. It shouldn’t work. It does.
Why the Learning Curve is a Vertical Wall
Let’s be real. This game hates you for the first five hours. If you don't understand how "Brave" and "Faith" stats work, you’re going to struggle. Low Faith? Your magic sucks, but you're a tank against enemy spells. High Brave? You hit like a truck with physical weapons. But if your Brave gets too low, your character literally becomes a coward and leaves your party forever. Permanent death is a thing here. If a unit falls and that timer hits zero, they turn into a crystal or a treasure chest. They’re gone. All those hours of grinding? Poof.
I remember my first playthrough. I lost my favorite Archer because I didn't realize the battle at Dorter Slums was a massive difficulty spike. That’s the "Dorter Trade City" fight, by the way. It’s the gatekeeper. If you can beat the archers on the rooftops there, you can beat the game. If not, you’re just another casualty of the Lion War.
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Politics, Church Corruption, and the Zodiac Brave Story
The plot of Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions isn't about saving the world from a meteor. It’s about the War of the Roses, basically. You have two Dukes—Goltana and Larg—fighting over who gets to be the regent for a young prince. It’s a civil war. But then you layer on the Glabados Church, which is pulling strings behind the scenes, and the Zodiac Stones, which are basically demonic artifacts that turn people into monsters called Lucavi.
It’s dark.
Ramza is a noble who realizes his family is terrible. Delita is a commoner who realizes the only way to win is to use everyone around him. Their paths cross and diverge in ways that still make me think about the ending. Who really won? Delita got the crown and the history books, but he lost his soul. Ramza saved the world but was branded a heretic and forgotten. It’s a bitter pill.
The War of the Lions Additions
The "War of the Lions" version (originally on PSP) added a few things that changed the vibe. We got Balthier from Final Fantasy XII and Luso from Tactics Advance. Balthier is, frankly, too good. His "Barrage" ability makes almost every other physical attacker obsolete. Then there’s the Dark Knight class. In the original, only enemies could be Dark Knights. Now you can be one, but the requirements are insane. You have to master Knight and Black Mage, kill 20 enemies (fully crystallized), and reach Level 8 in several other jobs. It’s a grind, but it’s the ultimate flex.
The Sound and the Vision
Hitoshi Sakimoto and Masaharu Iwata. Those are the names you need to know. The soundtrack isn't your typical catchy JRPG fluff. It’s orchestral. It’s tense. It sounds like a battlefield. When those horns kick in during a boss fight against a Lucavi, you feel the pressure.
And the art style? Akihiko Yoshida is a genius. The characters don't have noses. It sounds weird, but it works. It gives the game this puppet-theater aesthetic that makes the violence feel more like a tragic play. The 2D sprites on 3D maps was a look that defined an era, and honestly, modern "HD-2D" games like Triangle Strategy owe everything to this game.
Common Misconceptions and Pro Tips
A lot of people think you should just play with the "Special" characters like Agrias or Orlandeau. And yeah, "Thunder God" Cid Orlandeau is basically a "Win" button. He joins the party late and can solo entire armies. But the real fun is building a team of generics. There’s something deeply satisfying about a generic female Monk with the "Attack Boost" support ability from the Ninja class just wrecking shop.
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- Don't ignore Chemists. Potions are instant. Cure spells take time to charge. In a pinch, a Chemist with a gun is more reliable than a White Mage.
- Save in multiple slots. This is the most important advice. There are sequences of battles where the game asks if you want to save between them. If you save and your team isn't strong enough for the next fight, you can literally get stuck in a "dead end" and have to restart the whole game. Wiegraf at Riovanes Castle has ruined more lives than any other boss in gaming.
- Stealing is a trap. You’ll want to steal the Genji gear from Elmdore. In the original PS1 version, you could. In Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions, they gave him a hidden ability called "Maintenance" that makes his gear unstealable. Don't waste twenty turns trying. I learned that the hard way.
Why We Are Still Talking About It in 2026
The reason this game persists is that it doesn't talk down to the player. It assumes you’re smart enough to handle a complex political plot and a combat system that requires genuine tactical thinking. It’s not about "power of friendship." It’s about "how do I position my Knight so he doesn't get turned into a toad by a wizard standing three stories above him?"
There have been rumors of a remaster for years. We saw the NVIDIA leak. Fans are desperate for a version that runs at a stable 60fps without the "slowdown" that plagued the PSP version (though the mobile and fan-patched versions fixed this). Whether a remake happens or not, the core experience remains the gold standard for the genre.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Playthrough
If you’re diving back into Ivalice or starting for the first time, do these things to actually enjoy your life:
- Get the "Move +1" or "Move +2" abilities immediately. Mobility is king. A character who can't reach the enemy is useless.
- Unlock the Ninja. Dual-wielding is the best support ability for physical units. Being able to hit twice is mathematically superior to almost everything else.
- Learn how to manipulate the CT (Charge Time) bar. Don't just look at the damage. Look at when the turn happens. If you're casting a spell and the enemy moves before it lands, you’re just wasting MP and hitting air.
- Grind JP, not Levels. High levels make the random encounters harder because enemies scale with you. High Job Points (JP) make you more versatile without making the enemies stronger.
- Watch the "Tavern" rumors. The world-building is hidden in the text. If you want to understand why the war started, read the reports.
Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions is a masterpiece of design and storytelling. It’s a bit clunky by modern standards, sure. The camera can be annoying when you’re behind a building. The menus are dense. But once you get into the flow of "Move, Act, Wait," everything else disappears. You aren't just playing a game; you're navigating a tragedy. Keep your Brave high, your Faith manageable, and for the love of God, keep a backup save before you enter Riovanes Castle.