Hello! Along with the latest spoilers and all the recent interest in Ivalician lore as a result, I thought I would make a guide to get into games set in the Ivalice universe for the people who want to know more and maybe try these games out. Having an understanding of Ivalice helps a lot with the understanding of the lore and story of FFXIV since they have a lot of similarities. Koji Fox had even said that FFXII was the game they wanted to borrow from since 2014.
MCKF: [...] Final Fantasy is about borrowing, taking things other Final Fantasies did and adjusting it and making it your own. The fact that the XIV team has a lot of people that worked on XII—our main scenario writer, Maehiro-san, also worked on XII, Minagawa-san, the guy that did all of the UI, also XII, he’s working with us, and also Yoshida-san himself being a fan of Final Fantasy XII—this is one of the games they wanted to borrow heavily from because they thought it was really cool, and they really liked the imagery and lore that it had. So they want to borrow from it, and of course they know Final Fantasy XII has its story, and they don’t want to take that story and put it into XIV, because it’s not XIV, it’s XII, but they want to draw on that imagery and those connections. It’s not random, but it might not be as deep a meaning as you think it is. Other things might be, but that’s all I can say… (Source)
Why should I care about Ivalice games?
Final Fantasy XIV is inspired a lot by games set in the Ivalice universe for several reasons:
FFXIV is also known for being a highly political game, which is something that it shares in common with Ivalice games. We could also talk about how the battle director said that the current trust system used the gambit system of FFXII as a base, but that's a subject for another time.
All of this to say, it is hard to ignore these games and their influence looming over Final Fantasy XIV, and there is much to learn in looking to what inspired FFXIV to become the success it is today.
_________
FINAL FANTASY TACTICS
Recommended version: The War of the Lions (PSP), also playable on Vita, Vita TV, iOS and Android.
The game that started it all. Final Fantasy Tactics set itself apart from the rest by being a deep strategy RPG focusing on politics and human drama on a medieval backdrop. It follows the story of Ramza Beoulve and Delita Heiral navigating through a treacherous political landscape full of backstabbing and deciding whether or they should stick to their ideals or discard them for a more practical course for action.
It is a heartwrenching story full of dramatic moments that will leave you shocked. The direction that characters will take through the course of the story will keep surprising you but will always feel logical and organic considering everything they've been through. It still enjoys a sizeable fanbase today that will scream at every rooftop about how it is secretly the best Final Fantasy and you wouldn't blame them considering everything the game offered to the table. It was the pioneer of offering a different kind of story focusing on mature, more adult writing in the Final Fantasy series, something that FFXIV has followed on its footsteps.
How important it is: Very. This is where it all started and it is still considered a pillar of Ivalice. If you have played FFXIV, you will find yourself right at home.
What else should I know?: Keep in mind that the game has been entirely retranslated with the PSP remaster, and it has become the de facto official translation for Square. You will miss on many references and names if you play the PS1 version instead because it did a lot of things differently at a time where game localization was still mostly terrible.
VAGRANT STORY
Recommended version: PS1, also playable on PS3, PSP and PS Vita through PS1 Classic.
While its place as an Ivalice game has always been put into question, Square Enix officially consider it so. Vagrant Story is probably the most mature game Square had ever put out, which had ironically worked against the game. It is a hardcore RPG where you control one man going through the depths of a ruined city to uncover a conspiracy involving the government, the church and more. It has a very Rashomon-esque setup in which the "truth" is different depending on who you talk to, giving a lot of interpretation of how the story unfolds and what really happened.. It also takes a lot of skill and understanding to play through the game but it was a huge precursor to games like the Souls series with its fully interconnected metroidvania-esque map, its high amount of difficulty and its deep level of customization and crafting.
Vagrant Story is known for its strong cast of characters, especially for its famously sympathetic & tragic villain, Sydney Losstarot, which is also a trait that FFXIV adopted to great effect.
Vagrant Story is also famous for being a JRPG that starred Ashley Riot, a well-built man in his prime, rather than another plucky teenager. Japanese players almost universally hated this change of pace, despite Ashley being an extremely well-written character. It gave Squaresoft and later Square-Enix the evidence they needed that they have to stick to their guns.
How important it is: While being quite difficult to play today, Vagrant Story is definitely worth doing only for how good its story is. Anyone craving for complex villains that are extremely compelling and sympathetic, you will find yourself right at home.
FINAL FANTASY XII
Recommended version: The Zodiac Age on PS4/PC/Xbox One/Switch
This was the game that made Ivalice big. Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the series, was so moved by Vagrant Story that he personally entrusted the future of the series to Yasumi Matsuno and even called himself his biggest fan. It became the series' most ambitious project to date, making a ton of sweeping changes that became extremely influential for FFXIV but also other games. Most of all, it had a huge focus on lore and worldbuilding that was very unusual for the series and made Ivalice stand out among every other Final Fantasy universe (just look at this art!).
FFXII is happening after a terrible war that the kingdom of Dalmasca lost, where the people of the kingdom are suffering under the oppression of the Empire. FFXII examines various aspects of struggle, oppression, freedom and found family and goes as far as examining what free will really means. It has a ton of things to explore and learn and has a lot of compelling characters that are extremely well written. Its writer even said no one is truly evil in this game, it's all a matter of clashing ideologies and the conviction to make them a reality, which does remind a lot of FFXIV, which also has a great story that doesn't just rely on galactic threats but believable villains and protagonists.
Final Fantasy XII was very different from what happened before in the series because of how subtle and demanding it is to the player. One missed cue could have ripple effects in the understanding of the story and themes whereas the series was always often extremely easy to understand and holding your hand throughout. FFXIV is very similar to this approach, where you have to take into account various factors in order to get the full picture rather than just rushing through the story. It demanded to talk to NPCs, go through various sidequests, soak up what the environment is telling you.
How important it is: It has the most in common with FFXIV in terms of story beats, lore and staff who worked on both games. Many people highlighted the similarities between Archades and Garlemald or the Ascians and the Occuria. You would find yourself right at home playing this game and you would stand to learn the most by playing this game.
FINAL FANTASY XII: REVENANT WINGS
Recommended version: DS
The DS sequel of FFXII was in fact not worked on by the people who worked on FFXII. It was directed by Motomu Toriyama, who was a designer on FFX and the director of FFXIII. It's a bit more character driven but gives up most of the drama and politics of FFXII in the process. It also gives up the turn based gameplay for a RTS style where you summon units and send them to enemies in real time. It's a cute little game to play but it's generally not considered to be an essential because of the small involvement of the staff in the series.
How important it is: It's nice if you want more food after FFXII but it's not something that is going to heighten your enjoyment of FF14 further.
FINAL FANTASY TACTICS ADVANCE
Recommended version: GBA, no other version has been released
A spin-off series of Tactics for the GBA. It's a game that was more aimed at children, but still keep the great writing the series is known for. It features a fictional version of Ivalice where children living with various issues in their life gets sucked in and have the ability to live out their fantasies instead of living through their problems at home. It's still a great game today with a great music and tons of heart. It was the game that first featured races like Bangaa, Moogles or Viera, but Akihiko Yoshida had said that these races were first made for FFXII and then used for Tactics Advance, since FFXII took so long to make.
How important it is: Not very, Ivalice being fictional makes it less interesting, but even if it was, it's still a spin-off for kids. However, it's still a very fun game to play that is much better written than its usual kind.
FINAL FANTASY TACTICS ADVANCE 2
Recommended version: DS
The sequel to Tactics is this time happening in the real Ivalice, a few years after Final Fantasy XII, where you even get to meet Vaan & Penelo as full-fledged Sky Pirates! It is still a game primarily aimed at children and while the plot took a hit, it's even more fun to play! The lore is now more in line with the official, canon one but it doesn't have much that you wouldn't have learned in Final Fantasy XII already.
How important it is: Just like Advance, not very, despite being in the same world as the real Ivalice this time. However it is a good game to play as a sequel to FFXII, even if it doesn't reach the highs of the latter.
__________
TIMELINE
What is the timeline of Ivalice games? It gets a bit weird but it isn't hard to understand.
Final Fantasy XII -> Revenant Wings -> Advance 2 -> Tactics -> Vagrant Story
While many think that Tactics is set before FFXII because it has a no-nonsense medieval fantasy vibe, it is set more than a millennia after FFXII. A huge cataclysm happened that seemingly wiped out civilization as they knew it and most of the races from FFXII with it. Of course, this is just from the point of view of one region of Ivalice, so things may appear to be different from what we know. So FFXII is to Allags what Tactics may be to FFXIV's current time: rediscovering powers and weapons from a lost civilization.
__________
What should I play in priority as a fan of FFXIV?
Final Fantasy XII is going to be the big one. FFXIV owes a lot to FFXII's legacy for reasons I laid out early in the post. It has the biggest lore and worldbuilding out of the Ivalice series and is also the closest to FFXIV's feel in terms of politics and drama. It is basically the anchor of Ivalice as we know it.
Final Fantasy Tactics is the other big one that FFXIV takes a lot of inspiration from. Full of big character drama, it basically paved the way for the FF series to feature mature and adult storylines full of believable and striking characters.
Vagrant Story is the last one I'd heartily recommend, but the last one you should play. This game is difficult, but it really delivered in terms of story and dialogue and characters, especially when it comes to deep, well-written sympathetic villains. If you loved Emet, you will love Vagrant Story a LOT. Vagrant Story was the game that inspired both FFXII and FFXIV to feature intros and outros for bosses for example.
These three games make up a lot of the backbone of FFXIV, both in the amount of staff who worked on these games now working on FFXIV, to the amount of inspiration FFXIV takes from it. I would also recommend Tactics Ogre, which isn't an Ivalice game, but it is very similar and also made by Matsuno. It is Naoki Yoshida's favorite game ever, and Banri Oda, MSQ writer, even went as far to say that FFXIV wouldn't have had its brand of politics today if he hadn't played Tactics Ogre.
__________
That's all I can provide but I hope it helps for you folks if you ever want to check those games. If you have any questions I'd love to answer them in the comments.
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MCKF: [...] Final Fantasy is about borrowing, taking things other Final Fantasies did and adjusting it and making it your own. The fact that the XIV team has a lot of people that worked on XII—our main scenario writer, Maehiro-san, also worked on XII, Minagawa-san, the guy that did all of the UI, also XII, he’s working with us, and also Yoshida-san himself being a fan of Final Fantasy XII—this is one of the games they wanted to borrow heavily from because they thought it was really cool, and they really liked the imagery and lore that it had. So they want to borrow from it, and of course they know Final Fantasy XII has its story, and they don’t want to take that story and put it into XIV, because it’s not XIV, it’s XII, but they want to draw on that imagery and those connections. It’s not random, but it might not be as deep a meaning as you think it is. Other things might be, but that’s all I can say… (Source)
Why should I care about Ivalice games?
Final Fantasy XIV is inspired a lot by games set in the Ivalice universe for several reasons:
- Many of the people who worked on FFXII are involved in FFXIV and are occupying lead roles, from story to 3D animation to art direction. (Source)
- Naoki Yoshida himself is a huge fan of Ivalice and Matsuno (the creator of Ivalice), claiming as far that the reason he joined Square was for the opportunity to work with Matsuno. (Source)
- Kazutoyo Maehiro was the main writer of ARR and Heavensward and is currently scenario director of the game. He worked on every Ivalice games and claimed Matsuno was a huge influence on his writing in a live letter (Source). This means that the story is still going along the key points that he laid out as its creator and he supervises it even today.
- More obviously, an entire Alliance Raid was dedicated to Ivalice, not to mention that Ivalice imagery and architecture is still very present throughout the game (and let's not talk about the huge amount of 3D models coming from FFXII being inserted in 14).
- Also, Vieras.
FFXIV is also known for being a highly political game, which is something that it shares in common with Ivalice games. We could also talk about how the battle director said that the current trust system used the gambit system of FFXII as a base, but that's a subject for another time.
All of this to say, it is hard to ignore these games and their influence looming over Final Fantasy XIV, and there is much to learn in looking to what inspired FFXIV to become the success it is today.
_________
FINAL FANTASY TACTICS
Recommended version: The War of the Lions (PSP), also playable on Vita, Vita TV, iOS and Android.
The game that started it all. Final Fantasy Tactics set itself apart from the rest by being a deep strategy RPG focusing on politics and human drama on a medieval backdrop. It follows the story of Ramza Beoulve and Delita Heiral navigating through a treacherous political landscape full of backstabbing and deciding whether or they should stick to their ideals or discard them for a more practical course for action.
It is a heartwrenching story full of dramatic moments that will leave you shocked. The direction that characters will take through the course of the story will keep surprising you but will always feel logical and organic considering everything they've been through. It still enjoys a sizeable fanbase today that will scream at every rooftop about how it is secretly the best Final Fantasy and you wouldn't blame them considering everything the game offered to the table. It was the pioneer of offering a different kind of story focusing on mature, more adult writing in the Final Fantasy series, something that FFXIV has followed on its footsteps.
How important it is: Very. This is where it all started and it is still considered a pillar of Ivalice. If you have played FFXIV, you will find yourself right at home.
What else should I know?: Keep in mind that the game has been entirely retranslated with the PSP remaster, and it has become the de facto official translation for Square. You will miss on many references and names if you play the PS1 version instead because it did a lot of things differently at a time where game localization was still mostly terrible.
VAGRANT STORY
Recommended version: PS1, also playable on PS3, PSP and PS Vita through PS1 Classic.
While its place as an Ivalice game has always been put into question, Square Enix officially consider it so. Vagrant Story is probably the most mature game Square had ever put out, which had ironically worked against the game. It is a hardcore RPG where you control one man going through the depths of a ruined city to uncover a conspiracy involving the government, the church and more. It has a very Rashomon-esque setup in which the "truth" is different depending on who you talk to, giving a lot of interpretation of how the story unfolds and what really happened.. It also takes a lot of skill and understanding to play through the game but it was a huge precursor to games like the Souls series with its fully interconnected metroidvania-esque map, its high amount of difficulty and its deep level of customization and crafting.
Vagrant Story is known for its strong cast of characters, especially for its famously sympathetic & tragic villain, Sydney Losstarot, which is also a trait that FFXIV adopted to great effect.
Vagrant Story is also famous for being a JRPG that starred Ashley Riot, a well-built man in his prime, rather than another plucky teenager. Japanese players almost universally hated this change of pace, despite Ashley being an extremely well-written character. It gave Squaresoft and later Square-Enix the evidence they needed that they have to stick to their guns.
How important it is: While being quite difficult to play today, Vagrant Story is definitely worth doing only for how good its story is. Anyone craving for complex villains that are extremely compelling and sympathetic, you will find yourself right at home.
FINAL FANTASY XII
Recommended version: The Zodiac Age on PS4/PC/Xbox One/Switch
This was the game that made Ivalice big. Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the series, was so moved by Vagrant Story that he personally entrusted the future of the series to Yasumi Matsuno and even called himself his biggest fan. It became the series' most ambitious project to date, making a ton of sweeping changes that became extremely influential for FFXIV but also other games. Most of all, it had a huge focus on lore and worldbuilding that was very unusual for the series and made Ivalice stand out among every other Final Fantasy universe (just look at this art!).
FFXII is happening after a terrible war that the kingdom of Dalmasca lost, where the people of the kingdom are suffering under the oppression of the Empire. FFXII examines various aspects of struggle, oppression, freedom and found family and goes as far as examining what free will really means. It has a ton of things to explore and learn and has a lot of compelling characters that are extremely well written. Its writer even said no one is truly evil in this game, it's all a matter of clashing ideologies and the conviction to make them a reality, which does remind a lot of FFXIV, which also has a great story that doesn't just rely on galactic threats but believable villains and protagonists.
Final Fantasy XII was very different from what happened before in the series because of how subtle and demanding it is to the player. One missed cue could have ripple effects in the understanding of the story and themes whereas the series was always often extremely easy to understand and holding your hand throughout. FFXIV is very similar to this approach, where you have to take into account various factors in order to get the full picture rather than just rushing through the story. It demanded to talk to NPCs, go through various sidequests, soak up what the environment is telling you.
How important it is: It has the most in common with FFXIV in terms of story beats, lore and staff who worked on both games. Many people highlighted the similarities between Archades and Garlemald or the Ascians and the Occuria. You would find yourself right at home playing this game and you would stand to learn the most by playing this game.
FINAL FANTASY XII: REVENANT WINGS
Recommended version: DS
The DS sequel of FFXII was in fact not worked on by the people who worked on FFXII. It was directed by Motomu Toriyama, who was a designer on FFX and the director of FFXIII. It's a bit more character driven but gives up most of the drama and politics of FFXII in the process. It also gives up the turn based gameplay for a RTS style where you summon units and send them to enemies in real time. It's a cute little game to play but it's generally not considered to be an essential because of the small involvement of the staff in the series.
How important it is: It's nice if you want more food after FFXII but it's not something that is going to heighten your enjoyment of FF14 further.
FINAL FANTASY TACTICS ADVANCE
Recommended version: GBA, no other version has been released
A spin-off series of Tactics for the GBA. It's a game that was more aimed at children, but still keep the great writing the series is known for. It features a fictional version of Ivalice where children living with various issues in their life gets sucked in and have the ability to live out their fantasies instead of living through their problems at home. It's still a great game today with a great music and tons of heart. It was the game that first featured races like Bangaa, Moogles or Viera, but Akihiko Yoshida had said that these races were first made for FFXII and then used for Tactics Advance, since FFXII took so long to make.
How important it is: Not very, Ivalice being fictional makes it less interesting, but even if it was, it's still a spin-off for kids. However, it's still a very fun game to play that is much better written than its usual kind.
FINAL FANTASY TACTICS ADVANCE 2
Recommended version: DS
The sequel to Tactics is this time happening in the real Ivalice, a few years after Final Fantasy XII, where you even get to meet Vaan & Penelo as full-fledged Sky Pirates! It is still a game primarily aimed at children and while the plot took a hit, it's even more fun to play! The lore is now more in line with the official, canon one but it doesn't have much that you wouldn't have learned in Final Fantasy XII already.
How important it is: Just like Advance, not very, despite being in the same world as the real Ivalice this time. However it is a good game to play as a sequel to FFXII, even if it doesn't reach the highs of the latter.
__________
TIMELINE
What is the timeline of Ivalice games? It gets a bit weird but it isn't hard to understand.
Final Fantasy XII -> Revenant Wings -> Advance 2 -> Tactics -> Vagrant Story
While many think that Tactics is set before FFXII because it has a no-nonsense medieval fantasy vibe, it is set more than a millennia after FFXII. A huge cataclysm happened that seemingly wiped out civilization as they knew it and most of the races from FFXII with it. Of course, this is just from the point of view of one region of Ivalice, so things may appear to be different from what we know. So FFXII is to Allags what Tactics may be to FFXIV's current time: rediscovering powers and weapons from a lost civilization.
__________
What should I play in priority as a fan of FFXIV?
Final Fantasy XII is going to be the big one. FFXIV owes a lot to FFXII's legacy for reasons I laid out early in the post. It has the biggest lore and worldbuilding out of the Ivalice series and is also the closest to FFXIV's feel in terms of politics and drama. It is basically the anchor of Ivalice as we know it.
Final Fantasy Tactics is the other big one that FFXIV takes a lot of inspiration from. Full of big character drama, it basically paved the way for the FF series to feature mature and adult storylines full of believable and striking characters.
Vagrant Story is the last one I'd heartily recommend, but the last one you should play. This game is difficult, but it really delivered in terms of story and dialogue and characters, especially when it comes to deep, well-written sympathetic villains. If you loved Emet, you will love Vagrant Story a LOT. Vagrant Story was the game that inspired both FFXII and FFXIV to feature intros and outros for bosses for example.
These three games make up a lot of the backbone of FFXIV, both in the amount of staff who worked on these games now working on FFXIV, to the amount of inspiration FFXIV takes from it. I would also recommend Tactics Ogre, which isn't an Ivalice game, but it is very similar and also made by Matsuno. It is Naoki Yoshida's favorite game ever, and Banri Oda, MSQ writer, even went as far to say that FFXIV wouldn't have had its brand of politics today if he hadn't played Tactics Ogre.
__________
That's all I can provide but I hope it helps for you folks if you ever want to check those games. If you have any questions I'd love to answer them in the comments.
submitted by /u/RadicalMemers
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Continue reading...