Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions


 * For the in-game event, see War of the Lions.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions is a strategy role-playing game from Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable handheld game console. It is an updated port of Final Fantasy Tactics, and part of the Ivalice Alliance.

Multiplayer
Multiplayer is a new feature added to The War of the Lions, in which two players can choose to play together using Ad Hoc Mode. The two modes of play available to the player are Melee and Cooperative Play. Multiplayer is also the only way players can obtain exclusive equipment like the Onion Equipment.

Melee features two players facing off against each other and can accessed by selecting "Melee" at a tavern. The player can then choose whether they want to host a battle, or join a battle. If the player chooses to host a battle they will then be prompted to choose rules for the battle. These rules include map selection (only locations that the player has visited can be chosen), time limit, action limit, whether special controls should be on or off, trap placement, number of traps, and whether Arithmeticks should be allowed or not. After setting the rules the battle will begin and proceed like a normal battle. However, if special controls are turned on there will be certain situations that differ from regular battle. The player can knock back an opponent by pressing before landing an attack, and if the probably of hitting an opponent with the attack command is close to fifty percent then the two players will lock weapons. When this happens both players must tap as much as they can, and the player who gains the upper hand will follow with an attack. Also, if the player lands on a trap they will have the ability to disarm this trap by pressing a series of buttons. After the battle the player will be allowed to choose treasure based on their performance and their characters will retain all JP, Job levels, and items obtained during the battle.

Cooperative play can be accessed by selecting "Rendezvous" at a tavern. After selecting Rendezvous the player will then select the mission, which is exclusive to cooperative play, that they want to attempt to complete with a partner. The battles in cooperative play function the same way that they do in single player mode. The players will be given an objective and then they will place their units on the battlefield. A Rendezvous mission can be attempted as many times as the player wants and the player's characters will retain all JP, Job levels, and items obtained during their battle. If the players achieve their objective they will be rewarded with treasure based on their performance.

Storyline
Final Fantasy Tactics is a game that begins with a frame story. Arazlam Durai, a historical scholar researching the past, comes upon papers written by his ancestor, the Durai Papers. These tell the truth about the legendary hero, Delita Heiral. Delita was not what he seemed, rather the true hero was a squire named Ramza Beoulve. The game takes place in the past, telling the story of of the Durai Papers, with Ramza as the central hero.

Background
The game takes place in a medieval-inspired kingdom called Ivalice following the nation's defeat in the Fifty Years' War. Ivalice is a kingdom divided along class lines: great noble families such as House Beoulve rule over masses of peasants. This aristocratic class holds much of the real power of the country, with lords ruling directly over provinces of Ivalice as their personal fiefs while the monarchy is weaken by intrigue. Though the real power in Ivalice is the Church of Glabados, based around the divinity of the Christ-like Saint Ajora Glabados, with its military arm, the Knights Templar. Using manipulation and plotting, the Church is pulling the strings to create disorder in Ivalice and to defeat the secular powers. However, the Church's plot is just a cover for a far more sinister plan that threatens the very existence of Ivalice itself.

Two independent armies, the Order of the Northern Sky led by Duke Bestrald Larg, brother of Queen Louveria, and the Order of the Southern Sky led by Duke Druksmald Goltanna, are rival forces. They fight for control of the monarchy, hoping to take control of King Ondoria Atkascha III's child successor and use them as a puppet to rule Ivalice. However, the king has two children, his teenage adopted half-sister, Princess Ovelia, and the child Prince Orinus. The Princess, sheltered in the Orbonne Monastery, is targeted by forces of the Northern Sky. Ramza, a sellsword under the greedy Goffard Gaffgarion, is hired to protect Ovelia, working with Ovelia's bodyguards, led by Agrias Oaks. The mercenaries and the bodyguards defeat the forces sent by the Northern Sky, though the Princess is captured by Delita Heiral, a former friend of Ramza's. When Ramza sees Delita again, he has a long flashback that takes up most of the first chapter of the game.

Chapter 1: The Meager
Two years before the events at Orbonne, Ramza and Delita were both childhood friends and allies in the Order of the Northern Sky. Ramza was the third son of House Beoulve, while Delita was a commoner working in the house along with his sister, Tietra Heiral. The two studied at the Akademy in the Magick City of Gariland. Following Ivalice's defeat in the Fifty Years' War, soldiers returning home could not get their pay. This created vast dissatisfaction with the nobility, and charged revolts across Ivalice, like the Corpse Brigade's uprising in Ramza's home duchy of Gallionne. Corpse Brigade forces attack Gariland, and the students of the Akademy are sent to fight them. Ramza and Delita lead their group to victory. They then begin to move towards House Beoulve's seat of power, Eagrose Castle.

During the journey, Ramza's party comes upon a lone squire surrounded by Corpse Brigade forces. They rescue him, and learn his name is Argath Thadalfus, a noble servant of the Marquis Elmdore who has been kidnapped by the Brigade. Argath states his case to Ramza's elder true-born brother, the cold Dycedarg Beoulve, co-ruler with his brother Zalbaag since the death of their father Lord Barbaneth. Though Argath has impudent manners, Dycedarg says he will do what he can, though he orders Ramza to stay in the castle. While Ramza visits with his sister, Alma Beoulve, Zalbaag appears and drops a hint to Ramza, giving him permission to rescue the Marquis.

Ramza's group travels to the Merchant City of Dorter, where they spot the Corpse Brigade's leader, Wiegraf Folles, but are stopped in their pursuit by enemy forces. During the battle, a Corpse Brigade lieutenant is captured by Argath, who savagely beats him until he reveals the Marquis's location. The group travels to the Sand Rat Sietch, where they find Wiegraf fighting his own officer, Gustav Margriff. Wiegraf objects to the dishonorable tactics of kidnapping, and so kills Gustav. He then trades the Marquis's life for his own, and escapes past Ramza's group. With Elmdore safe, Ramza returns to Eagrose to find an angry Dycedarg. Little did he know that Elmdore was a supporter of the Southern Sky, and Dycedarg was pulling Gustav's strings to knock off a political foe.

While Ramza's party moves to attack the Corpse Brigade forces under Wiegraf's sister, Milleuda Folles, the Brigade strikes a blow directly at Eagrose Castle. Gragoroth Levigne leads the attack, and badly injures Dycedarg and almost takes Alma hostage. However, Zalbaag rescues his sister, so Gragoroth grabs Alma's lowborn friend, Tietra instead not knowing she is not noble born. Dycedarg promises to not attack the Brigade while they hold Tietra. Argath, never a friend to the peasant class, loudly shouts his disapproval in front of Delita's face, causing an argument between the two. Ramza sides with his childhood friend, and forces Argath out of his party. While leaving to rescue Tietra, Ramza and Delita share a moment watching the sunset Mandalia.

While Ramza's party tries to save Delita's sister, they come upon Milleuda again. Though they do not see her as an enemy, they are forced to kill her. They then move upon Wiegraf's group which holds Tietra in a windmill in the Fovoham Windflats. Wiegraf wants to free her, but is forced to go out to fight Ramza with his Chocobo, Boco. He is beaten and flees, abandoning his revolution to its inevitable defeat. Gragoroth, fearing for his life, steals away Tietra and heads off to Ziekden Fortress with Ramza's group following.

Despite Dycedarg's promise not to attack, Zalbaag leads an assault upon the Fortress, and orders his new soldier, Argath to fire upon Gragoroth and Tietra who is being held in the enemy hands at knife point. Both are mortally wounded. Delita, looking upon this scene, attacks Argath with Ramza's aid. Together they kill their old ally and betray their Order. Gragoroth lays an explosion in the Fortress to kill his enemies. During the explosion, Delita is thought to have been killed. Ramza, disgusted with what has occurred, abandons the Northern Sky, and his family to become a sell-sword, thus leading back to the beginning of the game.

Chapter 2: The Manipulative and the Subservient
After telling his story, Ramza's old party along with Agrias and Gaffgarion begin to pursue Delita across Ivalice. They eventually manage to find him and the Princess in the Zeirchele Falls. Delita is surrounded by Northern Sky forces, who then join with Gaffgarion, a traitor working for Dycedarg. After the battle Delita explains that he was trying to rescue Ovelia from the Northern Sky by leading her to the Southern Sky's stronghold at Fort Besselat. He leaves, letting Ramza's party take Ovelia to safety at Lionel Castle, held by the neutral Church.

Along the way, the party encounters a Machinist named Mustadio Bunansa, who is on the run from assassins sent by the Baert Trading Company, a crime syndicate specializing in human trafficking and opium smuggling. Mustadio joins with Ramza's party, hoping to find some help in Lionel as well. At Lionel, the party meets with Cardinal Delacroix, second-in-command of the Church and seemingly a willing ally. He gives refuge to Ovelia and her knight, Agrias. Delacroix reveals vast knowledge about Mustadio's plight. He knows that Mustadio carries the Taurus Zodiac Stone, an Auracite of great power related to the legendary Zodiac Braves, twelve knights that were led by Saint Ajora to defeat an ancient demon. The Cardinal promises to aid Mustadio against the Trading Company.

Ramza and Mustadio head off to the Clockwork City of Goug where Mustadio's father, Besrudio Bunansa is being held hostage by the Trading Company. Mustadio splits off from Ramza to rescue his father, but is captured himself. Ludovich Baert, head of the Trading Company, personally comes to threaten Ramza and demands that Ramza give up the Taurus. Mustadio had prepared for this, and tells Ramza to give over a fake stone. Ramza's party fights with Trading Company forces and defeats them, saving Mustadio and his father. After the battle, Baert returns to his master, none other than the Cardinal himself. Not willing to suffer failure, Delacroix destroys his conspirator using an unknown magic. During this time, Gaffgarion returns to his employer, Dycedarg to report on his failure to kill Ovelia. Dycedarg, apparently working with the Cardinal, sends Gaffgarion off to fight Ramza, seemingly fine with the idea of ordering his brother's execution.

The Cardinal blocks off the route Ramza first travelled, so now his party has to travel by ship to the Port City of Warjilis to rescue Ovelia. Along the way, they run into Delita, who tells Ramza to stay out of these events. Delita says that he is working against a current in history, though what this means is unknown to Ramza. Moving forward, they find Agrias fighting the Cardinal's soldiers in the Balias Swale. She had escaped from the Cardinal, but found that he is planning on executing the Princess. Together Ramza's party goes off to save the Princess, but have to fight their former ally, Gaffgarion, twice. Ramza kills the Dark Knight at the gates of Lionel Castle then moves on the confront the Cardinal himself. At the same times, Delita, working with the Cardinal and an unknown man, takes Ovelia off to the Southern Sky. The unknown character reveals that Ovelia is not really the Princess, rather a lowborn impostor placed to create strife between the aristocracy.

The story briefly switches to Wiegraf Folles. While weeping at his sister's gravestone over his failure to protect her or bring down the nobles, he is confronted by another unknown man. He says his name is Loffrey Wodring of the Church's Knights Templars. Loffrey promises Wiegraf that if he were to join with the organization, he would help destroy the tyrannical nobles. Wiegraf takes his offer.

Coming into the Cardinal's demesne, Ramza goes to directly challenge Delacroix. To everybody's surprise, the Cardinal uses the power of the Scorpio Zodiac Stone to transform in a Lucavi demon called Cúchulainn, the Impure. Despite the great and dark powers of the Lucavi, Ramza's party defeats Cúchulainn. As it dies, the monster explodes in dark energies, then all that is left is an innocent looking Zodiac Stone on the ground. Ramza realizes that the Zodiac Stones are not holy relics of the Zodiac Braves, rather their power is far more sinister.

With Ovelia being claimed as the rightful Queen by the Order of the Southern Sky, and the Northern Sky placing Prince Orinus as King, Ivalice is divided into civil war. Since both sides use the lion as their standard, the war becomes known as the War of the Lions. During the ensuing conflict, the Marquis Elmdore is killed fighting for the Southern Sky, while the Queen is captured by her enemies, leaving her to an unknown fate. Delita rises in the Southern Sky's ranks by exposing a plot and killing a traitorous lord to Duke Goltanna. The entire kingdom is ripped apart as lords bleed their people dry and allow the fields to die off in famine. Dark days had come to Ivalice.

Chapter 3: The Valiant
Ramza and his party begin Chapter 3 by moving to meet with his brothers who are currently occupying the capital, the Royal City of Lesalia along with their Northern Sky army. Along their journey north they meet Orran Durai, adopted son of the Order of the Southern Sky's fiercest commander, Count Cidolfus Orlandeau, known as the "Thunder God" for his strength in battle. Orran is threatened by a group of bandits, and is thankful when Ramza's party saves him, but continues on his separate way afterwards. In Lesalia, Ramza tries to convince Zalbaag that there is a plot orchestrating the entire war. Zalbaag refuses to listen to Ramza's claims, and banishes his brother from his sight.

While Ramza begins to leave the city, forces from the Church confront him, led by the Zalmour Lucianada. Zalmour and his inquisitor force are after Ramza since he has been branded a heretic because of his role in the death of the Cardinal Delacroix. With his younger sister Alma fighting along side him, Ramza defeats the Confessor, and moves down to the Orbonne Monastery to hunt for a Zodiac Stone before the Church can take it. Though Ramza fears for her safety, Alma demands that she go with him.

At Orbonne, forces of the Knights Templar have already appeared before Ramza's party can get there. They are led by Wiegraf Folles, now in a Templar uniform, and Isilud Tengille. Elder Simon, the monk who runs the Monastery and a tutor to Alma is injured in the fighting, but helps Ramza's side. During the fighting, Isilud is forced to retreat by capturing Alma as leverage. Wiegraf is mortally wounded, and succumbs to his injuries just outside of the Monastery. However, the Aries Auracite in his hand begins to speak to him, promising to save Wiegraf from death. Taking the offer, Wiegraf transforms into a Lucavi demon like the Cardinal, this one called Belias, the Gigas. In demonic form, Wiegraf teleports away. Before Ramza leaves, a barely living Elder Simon gives him a book he has spent his entire life translating: the Scriptures of Germonique. These tell the truth behind Saint Ajora, the deity of the Glabados Church, written by Germonique. In reality, Ajora was not holy man but an evil heretic who was a spy for an enemy nation, working to undermine the Holy Ydoran Empire. Germonique was in turn spying for the authorities, and sold Ajora out. Ajora had no connection to the Zodiac Braves, but did search for the Auracite Stones for an unknown reason. With this potentially disastrous artifact for the Church in hand, Ramza moves to rescue his sister.

Meanwhile, Delita is placed in charge of Princess Ovelia's protection by the Southern Sky. During a meeting with her, he begins to soften up to the Princess. Showing a romantic interest, Delita promises to protect her, and then goes further. He shows off his ruthless ambition to destroy the corrupt powers that rule Ivalice, and then rebuild it with a new order - all in Ovelia's benefit, he claims. Later, Delita saves Ovelia from an assassination attempt on her life by Northern Sky agents, bringer her closer to him.

As Ramza moves forward, he finds Rapha Galthena, an deserter from Khamja, a group of assassins under the command of the powerful Grand Duke Gerrith Barrington who has captured Isilud along with the Templar's Auracite and his captive, Alma. Rapha has fled from her master after he raped her, but she never told her brother, Marach. The uniquely skilled warriors are fighting each other when Ramza appears. Since Rapha is threatened by Marach and a group of Barrington's men, Ramza helps her in the battle. Rapha joins Ramza's party. Later, Marach, surviving the battle, possesses a toad and tells Ramza that if he goes forward to fight the Grand Duke his sister will be killed.

At Barrington's stronghold of Riovanes Castle, the Knight Templar leader, Folmarv Tengille, Isilud's father and the mysterious man who appeared to the Princess in Chapter 2, goes to meet with the Grand Duke in negotiations. Wiegraf is with him. Barrington is interested in using his leverage against Folmarv to create an alliance with the Templars, who he considers the strongest power in Ivalice. Folmarv shows no interest in compromising, then orders Wiegraf away to settle his score with Ramza. To Barrington's shock, Folmarv transforms into a Lucavi, killing everyone in the room, and fatally wounding his own son for Isilud's weakness. During the chaos, Alma manages to escape from her cell, and runs into Isilud just before his death. Folmarv appears as a human, and senses in Alma that she is to be the new host for his "master". He takes her, hoping to complete the Lucavi plot using Alma as a vessel. Outside, Rapha and Marach split off from the battle to finish their personal feud. Inside the castle itself, Ramza is targeted by Wiegraf. Though Ramza tries to reason with Wiegraf by appealing to his humanity, the former leader of the Corpse Brigade announces he now longer cares for the peasant revolution or his sister's death, he only wishes to bring destruction to humanity. Ramza defeats Wiegraf's human form in a one-on-one duel, but then Wiegraf turns into the Lucavi, Belias. Together with his party, Ramza destroys this creature as well.

On the roof of Riovanes Castle, the Grand Duke is cornered by Rapha and Marach. Barrington admits that he raped Rapha, making Marach realize he has been fighting on the wrong side the entire time. Barrington shoots Marach, killing him. At this point, Ramza's party appears, along with a surprise group, the Marquis Elmdore and two female companions, Celia and Lettie. Ramza remembers that the Marquis had been killed in battle, then finds that Elmdore too must be a host for a Lucavi demon. Despite the debt he owes Ramza for saving his life back in Chapter 1, Elmdore attacks with his two servants, but the battle ends with the demons retreating. Rapha, standing over the corpse of her brother Marach with an Zodiac Stone in hand, then hears a voice from the Stone. Ramza fears that this voice will take control of Rapha like it did Wiegraf, though instead of an evil power it uses a Holy light to return Marach to life. Both of the Galthena siblings join Ramza's party as Chapter 4 begins.

The slaughter at Riovanes becomes known as The Horror of Riovanes in Taverns across Ivalice.

Chapter 4: In the Name of Love
As the war continues, both sides begin to suffer from the strain. If the war continues at this rate, neither Order will remain with enough power to rule Ivalice. The Orders plan to end the war in a single final battle at Ft. Bessalat, and they begin to mass their forces near the fortress. The Order of the Southern Sky is especially weakened, as many lords only continue to serve Duke Goltanna in the example of the Thunder God. Though Orran suggests to his father that he should leave the Order, Count Orlandeau is too bound by his honor code to betray his oath to Goltanna.

After the battles he has fought, Ramza decides to seek aid with his father's best ally, the very same Orlandeau at Zeltennia Castle. During the journey, Ramza's party is threatened by Folmarv's daughter, the Templar Knight Meliadoul Tengille. Since she knows nothing of the Lucavi plot, she thinks that Ramza's band was the one that killed her brother at Riovanes. After being overcome by Ramza's party, she retreats, still thinking that Ramza is her enemy. At Zeltennia, Ramza does not find the Thunder God, rather he only finds Delita. Delita willingly gives up the entirety of the Church's plot. He is to kill Duke Goltanna and Count Orlandeau, while another will kill off the heads of the Northern Sky. With both sides decapitated, the Church will take direct control over Ivalice, using the Zodiac Stones to sway the populace into following their orders. During the conversation, the Confessor Zalmour appears outside, hunting for the heretic that escaped him at Lesalia. Though Delita is working for the Church, he briefly betrays his allies by working with Ramza to kill the Confessor. Afterwards, Delita leaves Ramza, now manipulating his best friend too for his grand ambition.

Ramza's group runs into a Templar Knight named Barich Fendsor, who has just returned from sabotaging the Battle of Fort Besselat with Mossfungus poison to annihilate both Orders in a single blow. After Barich is killed, Ramza moves down to the Battle, where his party opens up the Sluice Gates, flooding the battlefield. When the Mossfungus is released, neither army is seriously affected, though the flooding stops any chance of a conclusion to the War of the Lions. Though the battlefield is safe from heavy fighting, the real warfare takes place behind the lines. Duke Goltanna arrests Count Orlandeau as a traitor, working on a false tip given by Delita. Delita then uses the Duke's trust as an opportunity to murder him, and he becomes the new commander of the Southern Sky. A fake Thunder God is killed to silence the Church, while the real Count Orlandeau joins with Ramza's party to fight the Lucavi. On the other side, Dycedarg uses the confusion created by the Mossfungus poison as an chance to murder Duke Larg. Zalbaag watches the betrayal without taking action, but is heavily disturbed by what he sees. Before Larg dies, he mentions that Dycedarg murdered his father, a shock to Zalbaag's ears. Zalbaag becomes distrustful of his brother.

Following a lead that Alma is in Limberry Castle, Ramza's party moves out to confront Marquis Elmdore at the seat of his power. Ramza fights through Celia and Lettie, and reveals their true forms as Ultima Demons. As he continues forward, a surprise character appears for revenge. Argath, now a zombie brought back by the Marquis, attacks to pay Ramza back for killing him at Zeklaus. Though Argath's power is far greater, he is killed again. At Limberry's undercroft, Ramza finds the Marquis. Elmdore reveals that Alma was never here at all, and this entire journey was a trap. He transforms into the Lucavi, Zalera, the Death Seraph. Meliadoul Tengille, who happened to be here at the time, sees Elmdore's demonic form and sides with Ramza to destroy it. She then believes Ramza's story of her father being a Lucavi, and joins with his party to end the Lucavi plot.

During these events, Dycedarg, now the commander of the Northern Sky, is confronted by the Templar Loffrey Lodring. Loffrey makes insinuations to Dycedarg's guilt in the death of his father, mentioning how those killed by Mossfungus have toadstools growing on their grave. Dycedarg denies everything with his usual calmness. As Loffrey leaves, he hands Dycedarg the Capricorn Zodiac Stone, as a sign of goodwill from the Church. Zalbaag overhears the conversation, and goes out to check the grave of the late Barbaneth. Finding the toadstools, he learns the horrible truth that his brother murdered their father. He returns to Eagrose, sword in hand.

Ramza hears from Meliadoul that Dycedarg has been given a Zodiac Stone. He rushes across Ivalice to Eagrose, and walks in to find his older brothers fighting with each other. Dycedarg coldly claims he was doing what was best for House Beoulve. In the end, he is killed, but his death triggers the Auracite in his hand. Turning into Adrammelech, the Wroth, he destroys Zalbaag in a single move. Ramza and his party defeat the Lucavi, ending the reign of House Beoulve.

At Mullonde, the seat of the Church's power, the Knights Templar under Folmarv revolt. They capture the High Confessor Marcel Funebris and order him to reveal the location of the Necrohol of Mullonde, a dimension of evil that is required to revive the Lucavi's master. Funebris reveals that it is located in Orbonne, but the Scriptures of Grimonique are required to open the door to the rift. Though the Templars promise to save the High Confessor's life, they fatally wound him. Ramza is confronted by Folmarv and his servants. He is told to give up the Scriptures in exchange for Alma. Though he gives up the Scriptures, the Knights Templar do not give up Alma, they instead attack then retreat. Before Ramza can leave Mullonde, he must fight a final battle. Folmarv revives Zalbaag as an undead zombie, then sends him to kill Ramza. Zalbaag is completely conscious, and begs Ramza to kill him before he can injure his younger brother. Ramza is forced to kill his elder brother. As the party leaves, they find the High Confessor nearing death from his injuries. From Funebris they learn where the Templars are going, but cannot save him from death.

The final battles take place inside the Necrohol. Ramza's party defeats each of the Knights Templar one by one, until they reach the final location of the game, the Airship Graveyard. Folmarv tries to summon his master using Alma, but cannot. Too few have died since the time of Saint Ajora, and more sacrifices will be needed. Turning into Hashmal, Bringer of Order, he attacks Ramza and his party to spill their blood. However, Hashmal is defeated instead. Realizing that the only way to revive his master is to make himself the sacrifice, Hashmal digs his claws into his chest and with this power he brings Saint Ajora back to life.

Saint Ajora is divided by Alma within her, and Alma is freed. Using the power of the ultimate Lucavi, Ajora transforms into Ultima, the High Seraph. Though this demon has immense power, Ramza's party prevails and defeats the demon before it can bring devastation to Ivalice. As Ultima dies, she unleashes massive energy that destroys the entire area, leaving the fate of Ramza, Alma, and his entire party unknown.

Afterwards, Orran Durai appears at the funeral of Alma. Since Ramza is a heretic, he cannot be given a proper burial. After the service, he sees Ramza and Alma riding a Chocobo away to freedom. If this vision is real or just in Orran's mind is left up to the player to decide. Afterwards, Orran writes up a long history of the events in the game and Ramza's role in defeating the Lucavi. However, the Church senses the danger of his work, and have him branded as a heretic and burned at the stake, though they do not burn his work, which would be become the Durai Papers. Orran's descendant, Arazlam would uncover the papers in the frame story around the game.

In the final scene of the game, Delita, now King of the Ivalice comes to his Queen, Ovelia, with flowers. But she runs at him with a knife and wounds him gravely out of hatred for being used as a puppet. Taking the weapon, Delita kills Ovelia, and is left with nothing. As he lies in defeat, Delita thinks of Ramza, wondering which one truly succeeded in the end.

Music
The game retains the music used in the PlayStation version. It also retains the hidden Sound Test feature that was found in the PlayStation Japanese version. When the player starts a "New Game" with the name "PolkaPolka", it takes the player to the Sound Test menu where the player can listen to soundtracks for the game, listing its oddly named tracks as well as the composer's nicknames.

Development
Changes from the original version are as follows:
 * A new translation, which includes a few additions to help it link to other games in the Ivalice Alliance, such as now using the term auracite. The spelling and pronunciation of many names have been changed and, while they sound more correct in English, the pronunciation no longer matches the katakana of the names.
 * Several Job classes and many skills were renamed, and some skills had their JP costs tweaked; for instance, while the original "Hamedo" cost 1,200 JP, "First Strike" costs 1,300, and Cloud's Limit Cherry Blossom cost 1,200 JP in the original version, they now each cost 2,500 JP. Another note is that the JP glitch in the original PS1 version no longer works.
 * A notable change in the translation quality is the changing of the spelling of six Lucavi's names and titles to match their counterparts in the Ivalice Alliance games and to match the actual spelling of the real world mythological references.
 * "Altima, the Bloody Angel" is now "Ultima, the High Seraph" but still called "Angel of Blood" at times.
 * "Hashmalum the Regulator" is now "Hashmal, Bringer of Order,"
 * "Queklain the Impure King" is now "Cúchulainn the Impure".
 * "Velius the Warlock" is now "Belias the Gigas".
 * "Adramelk the Ghost of Fury" is now "Adrammelech the Wroth".
 * While his name does not change, Zalera's original title of "Angel of Death" is now "the Death Seraph"
 * Two new generic Jobs: Onion Knight and Dark Knight.
 * Cel-shaded cutscenes instead of using the in-game engine. These cut-scenes did not contain voice acting in the Japanese version, but voice acting was added to the English translation.
 * Remastered soundtrack.
 * 16:9 display.
 * Final Fantasy XII's Balthier and Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift's Luso as playable characters.
 * Wireless Multiplayer
 * Additional battles and events.
 * More space for characters in the party roster. Whilst you could only have 16 characters at one time in the original, it is now expanded to 24.
 * Not a major change, but the spelling of "Magic" is now "Magick" to match the more recent Ivalice games (even "Gariland Magic City" is now "Magick City of Gariland").