Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift

Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift is the sequel to the Game Boy Advance Strategy role-playing game Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.

Development
A brand new region of Ivalice is used for Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift, with the game taking place at the junction of two landmasses, one of which is far-western Ordalia. The jobs system from Final Fantasy Tactics Advance returns, with Action Abilities, Reaction Abilities and Passive (Support) Abilities. The Laws System has been revised slightly–restrictions, like 'not moving three spaces', are set up in the beginning of an engagement but the player can also select a beneficial clan privilege like Speed&#8593;. As well, breaking these laws no longer sends your characters to jail, but instead negates whatever clan privilege you set for the battle and also restricts you from reviving any fallen allies. To top it off, upholding the law through the entirety of a battle will net you extra items as a bonus.

Story
The story takes place in St. Ivalice, and begins on the last day of school before summer vacation. Before being allowed to begin summer vacation, Luso is sent to help Mr. Randell the librarian clean up the library as punishment for his mischievous behavior and perpetual tardiness. Inside the library, Luso finds a stange book with exciting pictures of wizards and monsters, the latter half of which is mysteriously blank. On the last written page, the book asks who will be the hero to complete the story. Being a mischievious child, Luso writes his own name and is immediately transported to the world of Ivalice.

Meanwhile, Cid and members of his Clan were hunting a Crushatrice named Klesta (a monster that is involved in a sub plot with House Bowen). Luso drops in out of the sky to appear in the middle of the battle, helpless and confused. Cid quickly saves Luso by telling him he must join their clan for the battle by swearing an oath to the Judge. Luso then becomes a soldier and helps the clan defeat the Crushatrice, who flees after a while.

After that, they head for Wood Village, a small town in Targ Wood. There, Cid shows Luso the Clan and both discuss what will be of Luso's future. Then, Luso notices that he brings a journal within his garments, which hold writings about his recent adventures in Ivalice. Cid and Luso decide to leave Targ Wood, and find more about the journal, but they also hear that the road to Camoa is blocked by a band of Thieves. Cid then tells Luso of a contact he has in Camoa, and the clan heads there, defeating the band of Thieves in the path.

In Camoa, Cid and Luso find Ribs, a Seeq streetear. He tells them that he has information about some mages, but will only give it in exchange for a tomato stalk. The clan then searches for Deadly Nightshades, encountering an Alraune in the midst. Cid explains that the Alraune drops an "Alraune Drill", a rare loot that could bring in a hefty amount of Gil. But before the hunt, they meet Adelle, a poacher who cares about nothing other than Gil. They obtain the tomato stalk, but in the end, Adelle runs off with the drill, which enrages Cid.

On their return to Camoa, the clan learns more about Adelle, who is called "The Cat", and about Lezaford, a mythic mage of old, who seems to be living at present time. Ribs also tells Cid and Luso where to find him, as well as Adelle's probable destination. After defeating a mark, Adelle joins the party, and Cid tells Luso that he has a friend that knows where Lezaford is, in Graszton. Cid visits the mysterious friend, alone, and finds the location of Lezaford, but on his way back a mysterious ninja shoots him with a gun and runs off. Luso arrives just in time and takes Cid to an inn. Cid tells him where Lezaford is, in his humble abode in the Aldanna range. Luso finds Lezaford and tells him that the journal is magically connected to him, writing itself down, after every major event. Lezaford tells him that to when his 'story' is finished in the journal he will return home.

After partaking in an Auction and some pearl hunting (pearls being located near pearl moss, an ingredient for a restorative item later given to Cid), Luso and Adelle are hired to be tour guides at the Rupie Mountains. After finishing their evening shift, a lone, shadowy figure approaches them with the intent of buying off Clan Gully's Judge. Though Luso does not know it, the briber is Ewen, the very same ninja who shot Cid in Graszton. When Ewen's offer of two million gil is rejected by Luso, the Nightfall and his cronies attack Luso. Upon defeat, Ewen teleports away from the battlefield, leaving behind a shining shard that Luso pockets.

After seeing Cid in Camoa and showing him the item that Ewen dropped, Luso and Adelle decide to go to Moorabella and ride an airship to Fluorgis. While engaging the troublesome Genius Ed, a Nu Mou who has grounded the airship with his futile experiments, Luso meets Vaan, a Sky Pirate who has come to look for a supposed treasure on the airship. After Genius Ed's defeat, Penelo appears and chides Vaan for mistaking which airship dock they were supposed to meet at. She then advises Luso to hunt for treasure in Tramdine Fens. Luso, Adelle, and a newly recovered Cid then board the repaired airship and head to Fluorgis, taking the mission to hunt for spoils at the Fens.

Clan Gully arrives at the Fens, and finds not treasure, but a hoarde of undeads, one of which curses Luso and haunts his dreams. Clan Gully learns of a fiend in the Nazan Mines that haunts dreams and defeat it. Clan Gully, upon their return to the nearest town, listens to a music performance by Hurdy. The clan accepts his bill to get strawood, and heads to Aisenfield to get some. After making an instrument for Hurdy, who joins the clan, the party finds a bill from a scholar, Narph, who claims to have lost the piece of magicite dropped by Ewen. When the party delivers the stone, they discover that it was a setup by Khamja. Clan Gully battles the scholar, but Ewen takes off with the magicite.

After returning to town, Adelle is approached by a blue-haired woman who attempts to recruit Adelle into her organization. Though Adelle refuses, she is evidently troubled by the woman's parting words, which hint at Adelle's "talents". Luso, Cid, and Adelle then notice a petition at the Pub for the capture of two attempted murdurers, who are none other than Vaan and Penelo. The pair have been accused of attacking the wealthy Baron Beltorey in Graszton. Cid recalls the Baron as being one of the most powerful men in the area and one of the more prominent opposers of Khamja's operations in Graszton. When Clan Gully reaches the Rupie Mountains, they find Vaan and Penelo surrounded by a band of bounty hunters. The sky pirates plead innocence, so Luso and his clanmates clear out the headhunters in order to get the true story. Vaan and Penelo tell Luso that they had only been in the Baron's mansion for a stealing raid when they witnessed the attempt on the Baron's life by Khamja members. The sky pirates helped save Beltorey from murder, but in turn they were framed for the crime.

After the sky pirates go into hiding, Clan Gully receives an anonymous request to meet at the Ruins of Delgantua. The bill turns out to be a trap by Khamja, as Illua and Ewen ambush Luso and his clan when they arrive at the ruins. When Illua is bested in battle, Luso notices the grimoire she has chained to her belt. He brings out his own magic journal, which Illua tries to destroy, recognizing it as another grimoire. The book repels her assult with a flash of light, teleporting Clan Gully to Zellea, the Forbidden Land and leaving the Khamja leaders behind.

Upon reaching the misty land of Jagd Zellea, Luso, Cid, and Adelle are urged by an apparition of Lezaford to flee the desolate place. His warning comes too late, as a hand of the demon Neukhia breaks through the rift, intent on manifesting its full self in the land of Jylland. With the help of an ancient mage cannon and Lezaford's directions, Luso and his friends are able to defeat the demon and return to Lezaford's cottage via a teleportation crystal.

All too soon, Glan Gully finds themselves another petition, titled "The Ritual". Oddly, like the last one, this one is addressed to Clan Gully only. Knowing that thi is Khamja's doing, our herous accept the petition and head to confront Illua. Once they arrive, Illua explains that she is going to open a portal to Jagd Zelleaand create a rift for the Neuhkia to enter. Illua is defeated once more, but manages to transport the party to Zellea along with her.

Luso, Cid, and Adelle then find Illua, and fight her one last time, to stop her from completing her "hero's story" and opening the rift. Defeate one last time, Illua drops to the cold ground. But she had succeeded, and created a rift to allow the Neuhkia to pass throw. Confronted by the giant monstrosity, our heroes then do one last epic battle to end the threat to all of Ivalice.

Once the Neuhkia has been defeated in a grand battle, Luso is being transported back to his home. With all his new friends, it is hard for him to say goodbye, especially for Adelle. But Luso promises that he will return one day, to visit all of them again.

Setting
The game takes places in a region of Ivalice called Jylland. Jylland stretches across two continents; Loar Continent in the west and Ordalia Continent in the east. The land is governed by a set of Laws thought to be devised by Archduke Beaudonis, but in truth by his high mage Lezaford, centuries ago. Jylland uses a 220-day calendar divided according to the seasons; where each season spans three months; each month spanning 20 days. This region is populated by eight known races: Hume, Bangaa, Nu Mou, Moogle, Viera, Seeq, Gria and Revgaji.

Characters
Below are the main characters that join the player's clan: Clan Gully, within the storyline. More characters can be found in the list page. {| border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="10" align="center" width="100%"
 * Luso: The brown-haired protagonist with a sense of justice, Luso is a quite the prankster, but has a fear of ghosts. Before his school's summer break, he was sent to clean the library as a punishment and this is where he found a mysterious book that transported him to the world of Ivalice.
 * Adelle: The silver-haired female protagonist, a thief-type fighter. She is a hunter, and is called among other hunters "Adelle the Cat". Unlike Luso, Adelle actually comes from Ivalice. Also Adelle is a "gifted" person with special powers learned from certain weapons aquired from other "gifted" persons.
 * Cid: The Revgaji leader of a group of hunters, Clan Gully, Cid will make his appearance by saving Luso from being attacked by a monster. Intent to help Luso return to his world, Cid acts as a big brother. He seems to hide a mysterious past and connection with a certain organization.
 * Hurdy: A joyful minstrel Moogle that Luso and the clan befriended. One of Montblanc's siblings, and twin brother of Gurdy. He promises Luso that he will compose a song for him.

Races and Jobs

 * valign="top" width="50%"|
 * Humes: A balanced tribe. The jobs available for them are:
 * Soldier
 * White Mage
 * Thief
 * Black Mage
 * Archer
 * Paladin
 * Fighter
 * Hunter
 * Parivir
 * Blue Mage
 * Illusionist
 * Seer
 * Ninja


 * Moogles: The mechanics specialists. The jobs available for them are:
 * Animist
 * Thief
 * Black Mage
 * Moogle Knight
 * Fusilier
 * Juggler
 * Tinker
 * Time Mage
 * Chocobo Knight
 * Flintlock


 * Viera: Forest dwellers that are comparable to humes, but having better agility and speed, able to inflict large damage on enemies. Viera jobs are:
 * Fencer
 * White Mage
 * Archer
 * Assassin
 * Summoner
 * Sniper
 * Elementalist
 * Red Mage
 * Green Mage
 * Spellblade
 * valign="top" width="50%"|
 * Bangaa: Natural combatants, their jobs are mostly physical:
 * Warrior
 * White Monk
 * Dragoon
 * Defender
 * Bishop
 * Gladiator
 * Templar
 * Cannoneer
 * Master Monk
 * Trickster


 * Nu Mou: Because of their high intelligence, they are suited to magic-related jobs:
 * White Mage
 * Black Mage
 * Beastmaster
 * Time Mage
 * Illusionist
 * Sage
 * Alchemist
 * Arcanist
 * Scholar


 * Seeq: First appeared in Final Fantasy XII. This pig-like race has four jobs:
 * Ranger
 * Berserker
 * Lanista
 * Viking


 * Gria: A humanoid race with dragon-like wings. Has four jobs:
 * Raptor
 * Hunter
 * Ravager
 * Geomancer
 * }

Music
Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Original Soundtrack is the soundtrack of the game. Composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto and joined by other composers under Basiscape, the soundtrack reused several music from Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and Final Fantasy XII, with several new and original themes.