FINAL FANTASY TACTICS : WotL

FINAL FANTASY TACTICS : WotL is a narrative-driven, turn-based role-playing game featuring a vast array of character classes. You must assemble a well-balanced team to engage in various multiplayer battles and story-driven missions. Strategically maneuver your units across the tactical grid, defeat enemies to earn experience points and other resources, and enhance your characters' skills to secure ultimate victory. The game offers diverse gameplay options, including head-to-head combat against players from around the world; you can also deploy traps to ensnare your foes, steadily whittling down their health to claim the win. In addition to meticulously crafted character models and an evocative musical score, the game includes a save-anywhere feature, making it perfect for playing in short, convenient bursts.

Gameplay:

FINAL FANTASY TACTICS : WotL is a turn-based tactical role-playing game. Set within the fictional world of Ivalice, the game follows a war between the Kingdom of Ivalice and its neighbor Ordalia, told as a historical document relating the deeds of an extensive cast drawn from both sides of the conflict. While preserving the main narrative of Final Fantasy Tactics with updated localization, War of the Lions also features tie-in references to other games set within Ivalice, including Balthier from Final Fantasy XII, and Luso Clemens from Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift.

The combat of FINAL FANTASY TACTICS : WotL can be compared with board games such as chess, with each piece corresponding to a party member in Ramza's current roster of fighters. Each fighter may move about the grid-like board in accordance with their move allotment as well as attack enemy fighters or activate more complex abilities. The terrain of each map dictates the range and mobility of the warriors. Ramza's soldiers can each equip a job in the Final Fantasy tradition, from standard swordsmen and archers to magic specialists to even more exotic positions, like the dragoon and dancer. Fulfilling actions during a battle grants experience and job points to each character, the latter of which can be used to purchase new abilities. There are 22 jobs available in FINAL FANTASY TACTICS : WotL. Once a character has learned a skill from a job, they have permanent access to it, although only one primary group of skills is available at a time and is job-dependent. Many abilities, such as those related to movement or being struck by an enemy, can still be equipped if the character later changes jobs.The game also features permadeath — if a character is incapacitated from excessive damage and is not healed within several turns, they are permanently dead and cannot be used again in battle.

Outside of battles, players can move around on an overworld map. This is not free movement like other Final Fantasy games; instead, Ramza can only go from point to point on the map. Crossing a wilderness location may lead to a random battle. In cities and towns, the players can buy new equipment, recruit fresh soldiers, and send party members out on automated missions to earn cash and other rewards. Later in the game, the player can earn additional rewards by poaching creatures during battles.

Another addition to the game is a wireless multiplayer mode, both for cooperative and competitive play. In competitive play, opposing teams may place traps onto the battlefield, and these traps are hidden from the opponent. To ease identification, teams are assigned colors. The battle ends after a set number of rounds, and the team with the most remaining HP is declared the winner. The winner may then receive an item randomly generated from treasure chests. Multiplayer is not included in the iOS version, however.

Features:

Exploring the Enigmatic World of Ivalice: The narrative spins a tale set in the kingdom of Ivalice, woven with themes of betrayal, ambition, and war. Players are thrust into the heart of political intrigue, where alliances shift like sands in the desert. At its core, the story follows the journey of Ramza Beoulve, a young member of the noble Beoulve family, who is faced with the moral complexities of war. As Ramza navigates through the chaos that engulfs his homeland, players are met with characters that are as multifaceted as they are memorable. Each interaction not only drives the plot but also illuminates the stark realities of loyalty and virtue amidst the backdrop of strife.

Tactical Depth and Strategic Combat: What truly sets "FINAL FANTASY TACTICS: WotL" apart from traditional RPGs is its distinct gameplay that emphasizes strategic combat over hack-and-slash mechanics. Each battle unfolds on grid-based maps where positioning, unit class, and terrain play crucial roles in determining the outcomes of confrontations. Players command a diverse cast of characters, each belonging to unique job classes complete with their own distinct abilities and skills. This fosters a level of customization and strategy that is vital for overcoming the varied challenges posed throughout the game.

Innovative Touch Screen Mechanisms: With the transition to mobile platforms, the game has adapted its controls to suit touch screen devices, enhancing the accessibility of its complex tactical gameplay. Players can now command their units effortlessly with intuitive controls, merely by tapping on characters or menu options. The traditional fixed map views are now replaced with a fluid design that allows for rotation and manipulation of the battlefield with simple gestures. This feature encourages players to explore different strategic approaches without the constraints of old mechanics.

Enhanced Visuals and Audio Experience: The reimagined version of "FINAL FANTASY TACTICS: WotL" retains the charm of its predecessor while offering visual upgrades that fill the landscapes of Ivalice with vibrant colors and detailed character designs. The hand-drawn cut scenes showcase a stunning depth that captivates players, drawing them deeper into the storyline with each animated moment. Moreover, the game presents a beautifully orchestrated soundtrack that resonates with the emotional highs and lows of the narrative. The thematic composition creates an immersive atmosphere, making every battle and story-driven encounter more impactful.

Useful Tips:

Picking Your Birthday & Zodiac Sign Basics: The very first decision you have to make at the start of the game is to select a birthday for Ramza Beoulve, the main player character. While it may initially seem like a fun way to give the protagonist your own birthday for a bit of personal flair, it actually has an impact on gameplay overall.Zodiac Signs (modeled after real-life signs like Taurus and Aquarius) impact character compatibility in a somewhat convoluted way. Damage, healing, and success rate are modified between two characters depending on their signs. Gender also plays a role in the mix.If your go-to healer has the opposite sign as Ramza and is male, for instance, every time he heals Ramza, it’ll be half as effective. You can really get into the nitty-gritty on this in terms of optimizing your party or planning for specific boss fights, but as long as your party has some diversity, you’ll be fine.

Starting Party, Bravery, and Faith: In addition to Ramza and his pal Delita, you’ll start the game proper with three totally random characters. Starting jobs, Zodiac signs, stats, gender, and even their names are randomized — for better or for worse.Every character overview card you see in the various menus lists two important stats: Bravery and Faith. To oversimplify it, Bravery corresponds to physical prowess and Faith to magical potency. (Though if a character’s Bravery gets too low, they do literally become a chicken!) Those three random characters will start as either a Chemist (Item-user and essentially the starting point for mage types) or a Squire (the starting martial class). You may want to swap a character’s job as soon as possible because of this. If your Chemist has higher Bravery than all of your other units, switch them to Squire.Furthermore, for your frontline fighters, it can actually be beneficial for them to have high Bravery and low Faith, since that means they’ll receive less damage from magic attacks. Though if you have a unit with high values in both, that just means they have a different path to focus on in terms of jobs.

Warriors’ Guilds: As soon as you hit the world map after the opening encounters and scenes, you can visit Warriors’ Guilds at any city or town to hire new fighters. It’s best to do this at the start of the game so you can replace any bad characters you get from your opening soldiers.As a general rule of thumb, anybody with low Bravery and low Faith isn’t worth keeping. Frontline fighters should have high Bravery and lower Faith. Magic types (both healers and offensive casters) just need high Faith, and their Bravery doesn’t matter as much. There are exceptions to both of these rules depending on a character’s build, but these are just the basics.

Job System Basics and EXP vs. JP: Aside from specialty recruits, every soldier starts as either an Item-using Chemist or a Squire. As you level up each job, you unlock even more.Broadly speaking, Chemist is the starting point for magic-focused jobs, and Squire leads to martial combat jobs.Level 2 Squire unlocks Knight and Archer. Level 2 Knight unlocks Monk. And Level 2 Archer unlocks Thief. For the magic-users out there, Level 2 Chemist unlocks Wizard (Black Mage) and Priest (White Mage). Then, Level 2 Wizard unlocks Time Mage, whereas Level 2 Priest unlocks Oracle / Mystic.Some of the more advanced jobs require multiple levels in two or more different jobs. The new Enhanced Version actually offers an official “Job Tree” in-game showing the progression. To access it in the menu, follow these steps: Units → Select a Unit → Status → Job → Job Progress.Every action a unit takes earns them both XP and JP (Job Points). XP typically scales based on the level of each respective unit. For example, if a Level 15 character attacks a Level 5 enemy, they'll earn less XP. But in most cases, they'll still earn a decent amount of JP. And JP both levels up jobs and allows you to unlock more abilities on that job.

Player Comments:

I LOVE this game and being able to play it on my phone is a delight. The touch controls can take a bit of getting used to, but are generally very smooth and intuitive. If I could change one thing, Id add back the multiplayer, but that will never happen. But my next pick would be Save File management. If you accidentally create an alternate save file you just gotta live with it or wipe all your save data. Not a huge deal, but bloats the UI a bit. Then this would be PERFECT.

Hard early game. Gets harder if you grind to much. The ending makes me furious. I wouldn't take back the experience of playing this game for anything. An intricate story and one of my favorite combat systems makes this an instant favorite. The games is ruthless but it is an enjoyable experience once you get rolling. Please play this. If you've tried it before and found it to tough, as I did many times, dont give up! A trick is to JP Boost and Focus in a corner till you're over leveled~.

This is a game with a DEEP gameplay and it needs some good commitment to be enjoyed, but it's very worth it. The tutorial (optional yet strongly recommended) took me about 3 hours to fully complete & understand. The controls felt a bit hard at the beginning, although after a couple hours they felt natural & I totally enjoyed them. It's a fantastic game with excellent gameplay & a masterclass story, but if you think you'll be playing a simple mobile game like crossy road, you'd be wrong.

66 hours...66 hours I've put into this game so far... And only just now did I learn I could swipe right on the options menu to lower music and sound. I tend to play with YouTube or Twitch in the corner, and the game would often drown out the music.. For the actual game itself, AMAZING. I've attempted this game several times in the past, but would always lose interest or get busy with life. This time the game has clicked for me. I'm in the post game right now, just maxing jobs. I'm hooked.

Final words:

FINAL FANTASY TACTICS: WotL expands the world with a new style for you to explore and enjoy. The most riveting thing is the massive plot system with many different directions to complete a particular milestone or create a new approach for yourself in the world.