Final Fantasy Tactics Analysis (Ep.1): Dev History | State of the Arc Podcast

This game rules. You should play it. Next time, we're playing up to the Lenalia Plains (just after the Thieves' Fort/Brigands' Den battle)

I've gotten halfway through this game multiple times but then it kicks my ass so I've never finished it.

Now this is what I want them to hear talk about. The FF with the most relevant social commentaries that hits so hard to home.

I can't be the only one who played FFT because I rented it at blockbuster under the assumption that it would reach me tactics for how to play FF7 better

Similar to the Xenogears deep dive I did a couple years ago with help from your episodes and the hardcover edition of the Perfect Works and the more recent Vagrant Story run I did too, I'm pumped to be doing the same with Final Fantasy Tactics. This will forever remain the pinnacle of that Squaresoft magic and charm. At different moments in my life ranging from 9 years old to 19 years old to now, FFT has always earned the most fondness from me when I look back on aimless days playing the gray Playstation One console on a CRT fatback in a dark cold basement. It's been quite the ride so far going back to this game and using this analysis series as a springboard, I had forgotten just how mature and engrossing FFT feels in it's script and presentation. I see a lot of Tactics Ogre DNA in this just cleaned up and polished to a shine. These videos really help dig deeper into the world, history, and lore. On a second run and being a grown man, a lot of the pacing and grinding issues have withered away and it probably helps I just played Tactics Ogre Reborn last year but I've found myself having a quicker and smoother experience going through the story and getting a great balance of gameplay and cutscenes. Looking forward to catching up to the end of Chapter One. I remember this story gets very wild and complex so its great to have a guide like this to keep it all together and organized.

I'm back watiching this episode again in 2024.
I do believe S-E wants to make a remake with MATSUNO but Matsuno wont budge...

"Someone like you wouldn't understand," sounds like a quote that Weigraf said to Ramza the first time they met / fought.

Anyone have a link to the help video on the mechanics mentioned in the video?

I don’t understand why level scaling in any game gets hate tbh. FFT doesn’t even have level scaling outside of overworld enemies; the scripted story encounters don’t scale with Ramza. Even still, the game is too easy because it doesn’t have good level scaling. Most games are too easy, because you can out level the enemy. The reward for grinding levels isn’t in doling out more damage and obliterating enemies in one hit, it’s getting access to more skills and having a greater tactical ability.

I have been playing FFT as a kid and replayed it a few times and kept coming back to reading the stories in the tavern but, I was lost due to the Shakespeare era language. This really helped me understand how it starts and the way you explain things and tell the story at a good pace, is easy to understand. Thank you for your hard work!

I really disagree on your takes about it not being accessible to play. I pretty much ignored the zodiac and compatibility systems as a kid. Still beat it because of how strong a lot of the classes are. I don't think people need to obsess about the obscure Matsudo systems unless that's the kind of thing they're into.

Re-watching this one after the first tactics ogre episode. I just love that FF16 tipped the hat to Tactics by making Cid control Ramuh - making him T.G. Cid 🫡🤘

FFT: WOTL on android, i hooked up a wireless mouse and keyboard to my tablet and its a FAR MORE comfortable experience.

FFT was my first FF

You're not alone on that hill Mike, i played both versions as well and WotL's dialoge just added a heavy feeling of "this is real, lives are at stake here" that helped me be immersed in the fantasy setting, and insults just felt more "cutting" to me

well i am 10 hours in and I am finding it pretty freaking difficult.
I shall persist but it is a tough mother

I remember stumbling upon this title at the store. I had no idea what it was but I saw it was from square. To me it was apparent that the game was going to be different from other FF titles as it didnt have a number and the back highlighted that it was a different type of game. So glad I picked up FFT it became one of my favorite games of all time.

My experience with Final Fantasy was pretty much the same as yours, Mike. Our experience is one that simply doesn’t happen anymore.

I'm playing through FFXII right now with my wife while I'm out sick from work! I didn't know that these games were connected! :D

When FFT came out i'd only ever played FF 1- 3 (US) I was blown away at the new gameplay. When I finally played seven a year or so later. I hated it. I felt like the look of FFT is what FF7 should've look liked. I hated the static prerendered backgrounds with polygons laid on top it just made me feel like the characters didn't fit within the world. and that i could only fight with three characters.

I loved that the characters of FFT look like they belong in their world. Graphically both of these games have aged very differently.

It's such a good game. I keep coming back to this analysis. I love everything you two do. Keep it up.

This is my second time coming back to this playlist. I love these in depth looks at the masterpieces. Such great work from you guys!

Idk if you guys are the right guys for this. Only a few mins in and you haven't beaten this amazing game? I've grind my way through it all...guess I'll try and grind through this too.

FF7 was my first FF, and I bought Tactics based purely on the name and it sitting on the shelf. Totally different of course, but I loved it from the start. Meanwhile the 8 demo didn't interest me at all. I still adore Tactics to this day.

This was the first game I ever bought, what a masterpiece

Its funny I have tactics on the psx and the psp and i still haven't finished those games yet. :)

It would be great to listen to you guys while having actual gameplay of the games... you know otherwise its no entertaining... gets boring easily and has way too many PBS vibes (of the bad kind), talking for hours on this medium is not ideal, I think your works are usually great but this series as well as the ones before it lack the entertaining factor

MGS5 used the same concept of sending your units to missions

One could say he was Larg and in Charg

Can you add to Amazon Music please?

Would you guys be open to doing a Triangle Strategy podcast? That would be awesome and I'd love to see it.

I actually got both this game and FF7 @ the same time for Christmas having never heard of FF. I played through the first battle and thought it was really cool but was so disappointed by the fact that I could only control Ramza that I didn't play past the first battle. It was months later before I picked it back up because I realized it was a Squaresoft game so it must be like FF7 which I loved. After I got to the second battle and found out that I controlled almost everyone and it's been one of my fav games of all time ever sense. It's funny how if it weren't for FF7 I might not have come back to it XD

You should do a whole series on the ivalice timeline

This was my first tactics game and third Final Fantasy game. Played the FF8 demo, FF7 (my first ps1 game to own), and had no idea what I was getting into. It's still one of my favorite games and it's a shame that the sequels went the direction they did. They should have made a spin off following Orlandeau during the war.

When I was first introduced to FFT was on the blockbuster rental shelf - I had played a ton of FF7 but hadn't beaten it. I thought this new title was going to be similar to Metal Gear Solid VR Missions and would help me become a better FF7 player. The treat was allll mine.

That's one extremely well-informed Tavernmaster.

Lol I got final fantasy tactics after I played 7 when I was like 9. I didn't get it at first but when I was 12 it became one of my favorite games that I kept replaying.

Any plans on making a Trails series analysis? That'd be awesome. GREAT VIDEO. Love Tactics

I was the opposite, I heard about 7 on the schoolyard saw fft at the store and got it as my "one game" thought that was like every FF game... Then I played 7

Talking about fire emblem here in this episode was interesting. I would love to see a series about path of radiance! Its one of my favorite games in the series and definitely has one of the most interesting stories that could make for good discussions

Why would anyone hate enemies that scale with the character?
The level grind in ANY RPG should basically be for the player to invest time and effort into his party, and for them to gradually increase in power.. not to make the game easier. Just look at Pokémon, and how the "competitive play" defaults everything to a specific level, making most Pokémons useful! Sure, some balancing is required, but it should be the default way to go! The same could be said for Elden Ring, and how some areas at the beginning of the game pose NO challenge at all when you do a final sweep.

In 97 if you watched WWF Raw FF VII was on every commercial break. At least where I lived. I was already a RPG convert with Chrono Trigger and FF VI but advertising during the early AE days probably did the brand wonders that year


I bought Tactics knowing combat was different but had never played a tactical RPG so didn't know how or in what way it would differ. I primarily bought based on brand and I liked the art. Besides if it sucked I could just play more Resident Evil

Triangle Strategy scenes were WAY too long. Mediocre/bad dialogue didn't help.

You gonna need a back up save, especially when you gonna fight with Wiegraft (final) and Elmdor + 2 assassins and of course with the deadweight name Rapha 🤣

I remember I got an issue of Nintendo Power entirely devoted to the first Final Fantasy, and even though I never played it at the time, I pored over all the monster designs and imagined how cool and fun it was. So when Final Fantasy II came out for the Super Nintendo, I begged my parents to get it for my birthday.

I had no clue how to actually play the game at first (I remember not understanding how to equip weapons and armor for probably the first 6 months to a year after getting it), but I was a Final Fantasy fan for life, all because of some pictures of Tiamat and WarMech in a magazine.

I am one of those people that bought Tactics because I loved FF6 and 7. So when Tactics came out and I saw it at the store after I adored 7 I bought it immediately. Was very surprised and confused but it became one of my favorite FF games. Especially War of the Lions

Can we get a list of which different theme tracks both composers worked on. I want to know the differences.

Can anybody tell me what the ending BGM is for the podcasts? Been looking for it, thanks!

Guile's theme goes well even with a Final Fantasy podcast.