Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (2024)

So that was an unmitigated disaster.

It's a little frustrating. Actually very frustrating. This was a great story moment, but it was immediately followed by an extremely difficult battle that I failed, so now I have to sit through the entire sequence leading up to it again, and to every mid-battle speech, because it's not like the game autosaves between the cutscene and the fight. No, every time you wipe to an encounter you have to do the cutscene again.

Yes, this means I sat through Wiegraf and Gargaroth's conversation and Wiegraf's defiant speech to Ramza eight separate times.

Thank God for the fast forward function.

The battle is tough enough that I do think I'm going to need to focus on assassinating Argath; I don't have the range and mobility to take out the Black Mages before they start wrecking my team. Ramza has to be included in Squad 1, which means he only get one support member, and the other two are off into the cursed alleyway being worthless for Turn 1 and even Turn 2 if I'm unlucky. However, if I can draw Argath to me and drag the fight towards the middle of the arena, where both squads can converge, I should be out of the BLMs' initial range and able to focus my strength on the enemy.

I do spend some time in the menu fiddling with my Abilities but I just don't really have enough JP to afford any big shifts or experiments. I could teach Osric a second-tier black magic spell, but I'm trying to save up the JP so I can have him unlock Arcane Strength, which improves magical damage across the board. I do consider having everyone drop JP Boost for this fight and replace it with a more directly useful Support Ability, but like… I don't have any of those. JP is too scarce for me to easily afford anything that isn't one new Ability per major story development, effectively; Ramza just got Shockwave, Osric just got Ramuh, Gillian just became a White Mage and is saving up for Raise, Hadrian and Hester are at this point the main characters sitting on a pile of unspent JP (for Thief and Knight respectively) because I can't decide what would be most useful and can only afford one or two purchases.

So no, the toolkit I have now will have to do.

Let's try again.

Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (1)
Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (2)

This time, I have Gillian back up Ramza and Osric team up with Hadrian, the goal being that Hadrian moves fast and so should be able to join up with Squad 1 quickly. I have both Ramza and Hadrian move aggressively towards the enemy to draw their attention and try taking out Argath's support units (does that contradict what I just said about treating this as an assassination mission? Yes, it's just that I immediately changed my mind upon hitting the 'COMMENCE!' screen). As you can see here, the path to the second BLM is blocked by the enemy KNT, so Hadrian can't get to her and geek the mage the way I'd hoped, but the Knight is left trying frontal attacks which fail against Hadrian's high defense, and that means neither the KNT nor the BLM can advance towards Osric, who is free to make his slow way towards Squad 1.

Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (3)
Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (4)

That still leaves them able to hit Hadrian and Gillian for severe fire damage (I THOUGHT THE SNOW WAS SUPPOSED TO REDUCE FIRE DAMAGE, WHAT GIVES), but this time my characters are much more spaced out so they're not caught in the AoE and they only deal single-target damage.

And then… Do you see it in that picture above?

Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (5)

Argath decided to come down into the central alley to get a closer shot at Delita. Which puts him square in the middle of all my converging troops. Which means, I change plans a second time and revert to 'kill Argath immediately.'

Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (6)
Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (7)

Hadrian abandons the Knight he was dueling to go stab Argath in the back, and Osric follows up with a little Ramuh summon, hitting Argath for 57 damage and none of the other characters encircling him because, again, summons don't have friendly fire.

Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (8)

Ramza follows up, flanking Argath on the side, and hitting him with monk punches for another third of his HP. This drives him into critical HP - and his movement options are so restricted that all he can do is run and cower in a corner.

Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (9)

My other characters are taking a beating, but that doesn't matter. As long as can take out Argath - nothing else matters.

Which does lend a particular edge to his mid-combat speech, as contempt gives way to desperation and spite even as, in gameplay, Argath gets increasingly battered and cornered.

Argath: "What of you, Ramza? Why do you now raise arms against us? To turn your blade on us is treason! You would turn your cloak and name yourself a traitor to the Order of the Northern Sky?"
Ramza: "But - the Order would never forgive what you've done!"
Argath: "Does your naivety know no end? How ironic is fate, that one such as you would be born a Beoulve!"
Delita: "Make your peace with the gods, Argath! You die by my hand!"

Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (10)
Footage from previous battle.


Ramza: "My birth was not of my choosing!"
Argath: "Spare me the bleating, you are no sheep! You are a Beoulve, self-chosen or not! Yours is a line of champions, of lords among men! To do great deeds is your destiny, and your duty as well. Much is there that cannot be done, save by your hand. It falls to you to see it so - to act where we cannot."
Ramza: "I will not be made a puppet!"
Argath: "You? A puppet? Don't be absurd! The puppets stand before you, Ramza! Long have we danced for House Beoulve, that it might reign on history's stage. A dance that serves our ends, to be sure. The Beoulve name is our shield, behind whose aegis we've long thrived. It is the way of things! People are used, and use others in turn! How do you think you came to be where you are? You are loath to be used, yet you fain use others. Even your so-called friend Delita!"
Ramza: "What do you mean?"
Argath: "You play the white knight, but I'd feed panthers on the plain save you'd seen some use in me!"
Ramza: "Don't be absurd! I would never turn my back on a man beset!"
Argath: "Then you'd best learn to start! Many a trap-sprung lion would sooner have his savior for a meal than for a friend."
[He turns to Delita.]
Argath: "Does it grieve you, Delita, to see the depths of your own weakness laid bare? No mere commoner can leave his mark on history! You've not the power! Be glad you know enough to lament it. 'Tis all you can do, and more than you deserve!""
Delita: "Is your forked tongue done flitting? What I'd hear from your lips are not words!"
Argath: "Laughter, then? Be not so hasty, Delita! You'll hear that soon enough, when you are on your way to your dear sister's side!"
Delita: "I'll not be told what I will do, or when! Not by you, nor by any other!"

God, what a great villain.

Argath has fully understood his assignment as a pro wrestling heel or a Shakespearian villain, depending on your perspective, the kind who knows exactly how to step up on the stage and make you hate him while still being, on some level, kind of compelling. There's just enough of a legitimate grievance and fear - his anger at Ramza's stubborn refusal to acknowledge the world as it exists and the class dynamics that give him power and responsibility regardless of how he feels about them - behind his truly despicable actions and insults, his constant mocking of Delita, his absolute disdain towards Tietra (he murdered a child and he doesn't give a shit), and he just has enough of a passionate vibe for grand soliloquies about history's course and our roles in it that he's actually enjoyable to watch.

Like - the thing about Argath is that so far he has made absolutely no statement that he wants to usurp Ramza, to take his place or rise to the same heights of power. He is content in his role as a henchmen and a member of the lesser nobility, and his anger towards Ramza is aimed entirely at Ramza's refusal to assume his rightful position as the guy ordering Argath to do war crimes. Argath doesn't want to become the guy in charge, he wants Ramza to be the guy in charge, kill his friend Delita, stop caring about commoners, and allow Argath the power and safety of a guy one step lower on the class ladder, who enjoys the protection of the Beoulves and doesn't have to ask himself what to do in life because they're pointing him to what they need be done, and concerning themselves with the grand politics of the kingdom.

What an asshole. He's fantastic. I can't wait to stab him in the face.

Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (11)

The enemy closes in on our ranks. The BLMs fire spells that take out Osric, severely injure Gillian, and finally KO Delita. But we have Argath cornered, and we can deal more damage to a single character than they can spread over our entire party.

Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (12)
Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (13)
Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (14)

This time again, it's Hadrian, the Thief, who deals the killing blow. Argath collapses to the ground, then finds the strength to rise to his knees again, groaning that he will not die at the hands of 'milksop rabble'... Then falls again.

A commoner's blade cuts just as true as a noble's. This is a lesson Argath should have learned well from the nameless squire who stabbed his grandfather in the back and started his family's downfall.

Contempt is no armor against swords.

For this victory, we earn a whopping 7,600 Bonus Coin and no other rewards; I still don't really understand how Bonus Coin works, but this should safely see our next round of gear upgrades for most of the party.

A cutscene follows.

Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (15)
Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (16)

Delita reaches the bridge above, and retrieves his sister's body. Ramza says he's sorry, but before they can exchange any further words, the fortress begins to shake.

It looks like our battle was just enough time for Gargoroth to set fire to the powder stores and for the fuse to reach its end. Ramza, panicked, tells Delita they have to leave, but it's too late.

Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (17)
Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (18)
Seriously dude what the fuck is wrong with your hands.

Smoke and fire consume the fortress. The blasts knocks Ramza out briefly; he opens his eyes again in time to see Delita, his back turned, still holding his sister, standing amidst the flames. He does not turn to look at Ramza, even as Ramza calls out his name.

The flames surge, and there's a great roar like collapsing walls, and all of it swallows Delita.

Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (19)
Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (20)

Fade to white.

No wonder Ramza thought Delita had died. He watched him be swallowed up in a powder keg blast that blew up an entire fortress. Gargoroth's parting gift.

Delita…

Man.

It's not clear yet who he's working for in the present; Agrias guessed Duke Goldanna, and that's entirely possible - Delita could simply have thrown in with Duke Larg's rival for the regency out of anger and a desire for revenge. But I do wonder if there isn't more there. Delita's arc across Chapter 1 has been one of awakening to the way the nobility use and discard commoners, how he was made to fight and kill people like him, of his same social class, who had entirely legitimate grievances.

"Forgive me. 'Tis your birth and faith that wrong you, not I." Clearly, Delita is working for someone who sees Princess Ovelia as an obstacle, likely due to her inconvenient position in the royal family tree. But faith? We don't yet have a clear picture of what role religion is playing into the War of the Lions.

But one thing seems apparent, and it's that he no longer has any word or thought to spare for Ramza. He didn't, kneeling over his sister's body, killed on order of Ramza's own brother. He didn't, standing astride his chocobo and watching Ramza for one moment before running away with the captive princess.

There's no doubt that won't last. Soon, Ramza and Delita must face each other again, and we'll know more of Delita's true feelings. In the meantime…

Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (21)

And here we see Ramza walk away from the ruins, in the snow of the mountains, towards a new and uncertain future. One thing is for certain; there's no going back to the way things were.

Ramza: "I had lived my life the only way that I had known. But when the pillars of that life came crashing down, I did not stand and watch them fall. I turned, and walked away."

Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (22)

And here, we are given the option to save, just as if we'd hit the end of a Disc on VII or VIII. That's effectively what this is - the end of Chapter I: The Meager.

To my surprise, we do not follow it up with how Ramza met with Gaffgarion or joined his band of sellswords. No, instead, we flash back to where we left off at the start of the game: Orbonne Monastery, moments after Delita's escape.

Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (23)
Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (24)
Which means that Ramza's sweet 'I have gone over to the dark side' spiked armor is here to stay, very good.


Gaffgarion: "What's this, Ramza? Do you know him?"
Ramza: "..."
[Agrias steps out of the monastery.]
Agrias: "He carries the princess with him. They'll not be able to travel far."
Gaffgarion: "You mean to give chase?"
Agrias: "What else? I will not return to the Crown in shame!"
Gaffgarion: "Well, you'll have no help from us! Our agreement said naught of this."
Agrias: "I would not accept your help if you offered it! A true knight is all too eager to set right what he has let go amiss. The Lionsguard will serve the king's justice. Lavian, Alicia. We leave at once!"
[At this point, the old priest comes out.]
Agrias: "Elder Simon! You are unharmed?"
Elder Simon: "The princess…! What of the princess?"
Agrias: "She is taken. I am sorry. But you may put your fears to rest. We go to rescue her!"
Elder Simon: "No. No, milady, you mustn't! You would only throw your own life away."
Agrias: "Your worry will find no purchase with me. A knight is oathbound to render aid!"
Ramza: [He steps forward to address Agrias.] "I want to go with you! I'll be no trouble to you, I swear it!"
Gaffgarion: "Nonsense, Ramza! This is no concern of ours!"
Ramza: "I must go! I must know if it's truly him!"
Gaffgarion: "The boy, eh?
[Ramza lowers his head and closes his eyes, as if apologizing. Gaffgarion turns around and takes a few steps away.]
Gaffgarion: "Well, there it is. Gods know where this path leads us."
[The camera pans up, onto the title card.]

Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (25)
Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (26)


CHAPTER 2: The Manipulative & The Subservient

Kind of a mouthful, if you ask me. "The Meager" flowed better.

And with this, we open on a new chapter of the game. Several members join our party: Ladd, Lavian and Alicia, who were all called out by name in this cutscene or the one at the start of the game, join us as one lv 8 Squire and two lv 8 Knights - actually a little stronger than Hester, our Knight (who recently swapped over to Monk) who is still lv 7. Not only that, but our new party roster includes…

Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (27)
Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (28)

Gaffgarion and Agrias our now in our party roster. Like Argath and Delita before them, they're Guest members we will not control in combat; unlike Argath and Delita before them, they are powerful special knights with unique abilities and vastly superior equipment to our own. Ramza and Agrias are both lv 10, but she has much more HP than him, can hit harder, and has better skills.

These are two powerhouses that we are going to need, because:

Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (29)

Look at this new map.

The Orbonne Monastery is one node away from the Merchant City of Dorter. Its only path leads directly to Dorter. There is nothing we can do here other than prep our party roster, then move to Dorter. We cannot do anything else, cannot backtrack, cannot grind random encounters, etc.

In Dorter, another mandatory battle awaits us. That battle will involve enemies of higher level than us. Without Agrias and Gaffgarion's special skills, it would be entirely possible to have just softlocked ourselves by showing up with a group not strong enough to take on the next encounter and having absolutely no recourse than to reload whatever our most recent save from before the Ziekden Fortress battle was. That would feel really bad!

Thankfully, we have these two powerhouses with us, and we'll see them in action next time, when we deal with the Dorter 2 battle.

I really like the character dynamic here, where Gaffgarion is a cantankerous old bastard who doesn't want to do anything not in his contract, Agrias is a pride and prickly knight who keeps going 'NOT LIKE I NEEDED YOU ANYWAY,' and yet Ramza just mentioning that this guy they saw for thirty seconds is his childhood friend who's supposed to be dead and he needs to find out what happened is enough for Gaffy to immediately do a 180° and go "alright then let's hunt down this guy.' It's notable how Agrias's ethos around how a knight is 'oathbound,' must aid those in need, must selflessly pursue justice at their own risk, is only introduced to us after we've seen just how much 'oaths' and 'justice' and 'aid' matter to the great and devout knights of House Beoulve - she's almost presented to us as an archaism, an oddity for taking her role so seriously.

It's a little… jarring, how we timeskip ahead by one full year and are given no explanation of who the Princess is (she was not mentioned in prior Rumor or Chronicle entries), how she's connected to the royal family, how we came to work with her, what she was doing at Orbonne Monastery and what her plans are, how Ramza came to work with Gaffgarion…

Thankfully, we have the Chronicle tab, and its Dramatis Personae to fill us in. We'll also shortly have the Rumors tab at the Tavern, but for that we'll need to first fight our way back to Dorter.

Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (30)
Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (31)
Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (32)

Ramza is no longer Ramza Beoulve (he also now 18). He now goes by Ramza Lugria, his mother's family name. Only Gaffgarion knows his origin… As, presumably, do all the mooks we carried over from Chapter 1? I mean, I get the feeling that within the narrative they're supposed to have all died in the Ziekden Fire, as Ramza wandered off into the snow alone, but the game understandably isn't taking all the blorbos I have spent the last eight game hours laboring over away from us. Which is a good thing, because I would have instantly quit.

Many of the other entries have updated, and new ones have opened. Princess Ovelia was the adoptive daughter of King Ondoria III, but is actually the trueborn daughter to… Who the fuck is Denamda IV?

*furious browsing through past logs*

Okay, Denamda IV was the previous King of Ivalice, noted for his prowess in battle and managing to turn Ivalician defeats into a stalemate. He was struck by malady and succeeded by Ondoria III. Ovelia is Denamda IV's daughter, and Ondoria III's half-sister, whom he adopted as his daughter - presumably in a measure to ensure a chain of succession with reinforced legitimacy in case he died without an heir; once he had a 'trueborn' son, Ovelia was no longer necessary and was sidelined and entrusted to Duke Larg, which ended up making things worse, as Ondoria's son is too young to assume power, precipitation the current succession crisis.

It's unlikely that Queen Louveria has much love for Ovelia, who lost two children shortly after birth, watched Ondoria adopt a female successor unrelated to her, and only barely managed to issue a son before Ondoria died and left her with a succession crisis to manage. Ovelia is an active threat to Prince Orinus's claim to the throne and therefore to Louveria being the Queen Mother whose issue remain kings of Ivalice.

Notably, Queen Louveria's updated entry is much more sinister than previous ones:

Louveria Atkascha (Age 28): Wife of King Ondoria III of Ivalice and trueborn sister to Duke Larg. Louveria became queen at twenty years of age and gave birth to three sons. The first two children died shortly after birth, leaving the infant Prince Orinus as the only heir to the throne. After the king's death, the queen quickly disposed of any who stood in her way - even members of the royal family.

So yeah, it's unlikely the Queen will feature as a particularly sympathetic figure - but the game kept its cards close to its chest on this in Chapter 1, where because the Beoulve serve Duke Larg and Larg is the Queen's brother and staunch ally, it seemed like we'd be falling in with the Queen when the chips went down. Now that we know the Beoulve are just as bad as any other noble house, the game is free to reveal that the Queen herself is a ruthless powermonger… Which doesn't necessarily make her worse than anyone else involved in the conflict.

The picture, as ever, remains blurry.

And for the last roundup of major characters, here are Gaffgarion and Agrias's entries:

Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (33)
Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (34)

Gaffgarion features as another 'got kicked out of his Order because he just couldn't stop doing war crimes' figure like some of the Corpse Brigade members, which I guess fits with his title of Fell Knight. Dude's a good friend to have and a terrible enemy to face. It's also our confirmation that all four orders follow a cardinal naming scheme, with this first reference to the Order of the Eastern Sky.

Alright. We only covered one story battle this time but it was, uh, a lot.

This is basically Final Fantasy Tactics's equivalent to the Midgar Plate Drop: The sudden dramatic, tragic, and traumatic event that shatters our protagonists' previous lives, forces them out into the world as outcasts, and just hits you like a punch in the gut. The aesthetic sensibilities are very different - Argath's Shakespearian soliloquies are a far cry from President Shinra's personality, Ramza actually goes off into the wilderness for a year instead of seeking revenge - but the way it recontextualizes everything, irreparably breaks the status quo, and affects our characters emotionally? Yeah, that's about it. Whatever trajectory Ramza, Argath, and Delita might have once had together, it ended forever in the snows of Ziekden Fortress, washed away in Tietra's blood. I wish she'd had more characterization, more screen time, to make her less of a disposable female character getting killed for drama, but we knew Delita enough that it still hurt.

But the greatest hurt, ironically, isn't to Delita's feelings; in a way that strangely validates Argath's worldview, it's to Ramza, who learned that his family was never what he thought them to be, that he was deceived, that their ideals were lies, that the class divide he tried so hard to pretend didn't matter to him would be made to matter regardless of his wishes.

Man.

What a good fucking game.

Anyway, we have updated classes: Ramza can now become a Geomancer, Hadrian can become a Dragoon, Gillian can become a Mystic. I've taken two out of these three classes for a spin with the next main story mission, which I've already beaten, but we'll wait until next time to cover them in detail (or at least I will, feel free to talk about them since I've already tested them a little). For now, I'm exhausted from writing this, but also quite satisfied with this sequence of the game.

Thank you for reading.

Next Time: On the Princess's trail.

Let's Play Every Final Fantasy Game In Order Of Release [Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics] Let's Play (2024)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Rob Wisoky

Last Updated:

Views: 6360

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (48 voted)

Reviews: 95% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Rob Wisoky

Birthday: 1994-09-30

Address: 5789 Michel Vista, West Domenic, OR 80464-9452

Phone: +97313824072371

Job: Education Orchestrator

Hobby: Lockpicking, Crocheting, Baton twirling, Video gaming, Jogging, Whittling, Model building

Introduction: My name is Rob Wisoky, I am a smiling, helpful, encouraging, zealous, energetic, faithful, fantastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.