In case you missed it, Final Fantasy Tactics, the classic tactical RPG is making a comeback September 30, 2025. Titled Final Fantasy Tactics The Ivalice Chronicles, the remaster will launch with both classic and enhanced versions of the game. The classic game will still come as many remember it. However, the enhanced version will come with fully voiced dialogue and script changes.
Yasumi Matsuno, the original script writer, scenario writer, and editor for the game spoke with JPGames.de and did not shy away from the story adjustments and additional dialogue in the enhanced version. When asked if the script changes would make it more acceptable to modern sensibilities the answer was “Not particularly, no.”
Final Fantasy Tactics script changes may sound alarming to those who are fans of the original release. Will the game change dramatically? Will the enhanced version ruin the experience of the original? Thankfully, it does not sound like it will. Matsuno was quoted as saying, “The main focus of the updates to the script was to change it from something that the audience reads to something that the audience listens to. It's kind of like the difference between a novel and a play. It's the difference between text that you follow with your eyes and text that you hear with your ears.”
The written word doesn’t always sound very natural when spoken out loud, so it makes sense there would be tweaks made to the script. Instead of bringing players out of the experience with unnatural sounding conversation, the team behind Final Fantasy Tactics is looking to ensure a good experience. This goes double for a game that is being written in one language and then translated. As Matsuno shared, the new script allows for voice actors to show off their talents. Of course, this sometimes comes at the expense of readability and aesthetic beauty. This is especially true for those who may be reading the text in Japanese.
"The result of this is that we have made tweaks to almost the entire script. That is to say that we shifted to a "˜listening-first' approach in order to support the new voice acting implementation," shared Matsuno. For audiences picking up the game in 2025, it makes sense to make these tweaks. Of course, those who want the classic experience will still have their opportunity to do so. Many may even opt to try both and compare. Those who do, may find the differences Matsuno has made to reflect his change in attitude since the 1997 release. If this worries you, Matsuno has already apologized in advance. “If my writing technique has improved, then that's great, but if it's just that I've got older and my sense of perception has grown dull, then I'm sorry,” he laughed with JPGames.de.
Now that we have more clarity on the Final Fantasy Tactics script changes, will you be playing the classic, the enhanced, or both versions? Final Fantasy Tactics - The Ivalice Chronicles will launch September 30th for PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X and S, and PC via Steam. Stay tuned here for more updates in the coming months.
