History VideoGame / FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance

* FetchQuest: And ''how!''

*** Not only is this acknowledged in-universe, in the [[FinalFantasyTacticsA2 sequel]] its explained that the reason some bosses have this is [[Spoiler: Due to corrupt judges handing them out for bribes]]

*** Not only is this acknowledged in-universe, in the [[FinalFantasyTacticsA2 sequel]] its explained that the reason some bosses have this is [[Spoiler:Due to corrupt judges handing them out for bribes]]

However, despite enjoying Ivalice at first, Marche soon becomes homesick and looks for a way to return. He discovers that "Ivalice" is actually a dreamworld, the result of the grimoire imposing the childrens' own desires and imaginations upon his new home town and trapping everyone and everything within the illusion. Deciding that this is selfish of them, Marche resolves to shatter the fantasy and return everything to normal... a goal that brings him into conflict with his friends (who prefer life in Ivalice) and the ruling monarchy of Ivalice itself, whose members do not take kindly to the idea of a DreamApocalypse.

The game is the first (and only) game in the series to use the RecursiveCanon conceit. It begins when four outcast kids discover a mysterious grimoire that whisks them away from their boring town and into the fantastic world of [[IvaliceAlliance Ivalice]]: a strange MedievalEuropeanFantasy world populated by creatures from the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' franchise of which the children are huge fans of.

However, despite enjoying Ivalice at first, Marche soon becomes homesick and looks for a way to return. He discovers that "Ivalice" is actually a dreamworld, the result of the grimoire imposing the childrens' own desires and imaginations upon his new home town and trapping everyone and everything within the illusion. Deciding that this is selfish of them, Marche resolves to shatter the fantasy and return everything to normal... a goal that brings him into conflict with his friends (who prefer life in Ivalice) and the ruling monarchy of Ivalice itself, whose inhabitants do not take kindly to the idea of a DreamApocalypse.

The game is the first (and only) game in the series to use the RecursiveCanon conceit. It begins when four outcast kids discover a mysterious grimoire that whisks them away from their boring town and into the fantastic world of [[IvaliceAlliance Ivalice]]: a strange MedievalEuropeanFantasy world populated by created from the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' franchise of which the children are huge fans of.

The game is the first (and only) game in the series to use the RecursiveCanon conceit. It begins in the tiny town of St. [[IvaliceAlliance Ivalice]], where [[NaiveNewcomer new kid in town]], Marche, meets fellow outcasts Ritz and Mewt during his first day at his new school. Together with Marche's younger brother Doned, the three of them read a mysterious book Mewt had purchased earlier and dream of adventure far away from their boring town and tedious lives.

The next day, Marche awakens to find himself in Ivalice - a strange MedievalEuropeanFantasy world populated by creatures from the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' series of video games of which the children are big fans. Separated from his friends, Marche catches on with a mercenary clan and takes on odd jobs while searching for a way to return home.

Marche eventually encounters his real-world friends elsewhere in Ivalice, and makes a startling discovery: Ivalice, it seems, is a fictional construct, a dreamworld derived partly from the real world, partly the children's imaginations, and largely from the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games. Particularly, the constructed world turns out to be based on an Ivalice that existed long before the original ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' and ''VagrantStory'' take place. (''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'' turns out to be the exact era that the dreamed Ivalice of FFTA is based on - as well as being the era of guns and airships that was referenced in FFT - and features one "real" version of a "fictional" character from FFTA, the moogle Montblanc.)

The children find themselves changed as well: tomboy [[ActionGirl Ritz]] no longer has to dye her hair to shield herself from the taunting of her friends. Marche's brother Doned, crippled and wracked with illness in the real world, has regained the ability to walk. And sensitive EmoTeen Mewt is now the prince of all Ivalice, a far cry from his ButtMonkey existence in the real world. Each of them finds life in Ivalice preferable to their real ones at first blush, and none of them are down with Marche's "return to the real world and pretend this never happened" plan - [[DefeatMeansFriendship until he beats them.]]

Marche goes on to find himself on the wrong side of the government of Ivalice, as his attempts to return home are interpreted by the queen and her enforcer Judges as a plot to destroy Ivalice itself. Facing down persecution from the state and the very totemic beings that might be considered the gods of Ivalice on the other, Marche has to convince his friends to return home while surviving in the sometimes vicious world.

NOTE: This is for logging tropes, not lecturing on the common AlternateCharacterInterpretation. Canon is canon, no matter how little sense it makes.

* ImpossibleThief: You can steal just about anything in this game. Weapons while they're holding them, clothes while they're wearing them, ''experience'', '''abilities'''...and that's not even half of it. You can't steal boots, though.

* InfinityPlusOneSword: Plus one, plus one, plus one...the Sequence sword increases in strength the more times the player wins a certain mission. Excalibur2 and Masamune100 are more pedestrian examples.

** FinalDeath: ...the "Jagds", where death is permanent for characters still dead at battle's end.

* RandomlyDrops: ...Don't ask.

* EscortMission: Several; if the NPC is KOed, you lose.

** Mundane: Hume and Viera
** High Men: None of them, really.

* AmbiguousGender: Except for the Viera, all generic allies and enemies qualify. They're randomly assigned male or female names.

* AmbiguousGender: Except for the viera, all generic allies and enemies qualify. They're randomly assigned male or female names.

* BackThatLightUp: Several settings designed to compensate for the lighting quirks of various hardware.

** [[spoiler: Ezel]] Gets the worst of this trope. He has high magic power but only has two abilities and neither of them inflict damage. He can't switch jobs either.

* BraggingRightsReward: After completing all 300 missions, you are allowed to recruit the Judgemaster Cid, who is a decent character, but nothing special. Not after you've reached ''100% completion,'' anyway.
** Completing all 300 missions isn't [[HundredPercentCompletion 100% completion]], though - there's a [[BonusDungeon Bonus Quest]] of another ten missions after that... he still isn't that great compared to instant kill assassins.

''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance'' swung as far to the easy side of the gameplay difficulty scale and the original ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' swung to the hard side. There's very little challenge, but the game is still solid and fans of TurnBasedStrategy games may wish to try it out. Although the LighterAndSofter graphics style caught some considerable flak from fans of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' and ''VagrantStory'', the game's style is actually lifted wholesale from an earlier Yasumi Matsuno title, ''TacticsOgre'' - which ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' was the DarkerAndEdgier SpiritualSuccessor to.

* ThePinIsMightierThanTheSword: Some characters can wear military badges that makes them exempt from laws.

* TheRedMage: A duh.

->'''Mewt''': I'd pick "FinalFantasy." That's my favorite.

A GaidenGame in the [[RunningGag unfathomably popular]] ''FinalFantasy'' series, ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance'' was released for the GameBoyAdvance in the fall of 2003. While it inherited its [[RPGElements RPG-flavored]] TurnBasedStrategy engine from its predecessor, the original ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'', its setting and plot are entirely new. With its good graphics, excellent soundtrack, and staggering depth of gameplay, the game is one of the standouts of the [=GBA's=] impressive library.

The next day, Marche awakens to find himself in Ivalice - a strange MedievalEuropeanFantasy world populated by creatures from the ''FinalFantasy'' series of video games of which the children are big fans. Separated from his friends, Marche catches on with a mercenary clan and takes on odd jobs while searching for a way to return home.

Marche eventually encounters his real-world friends elsewhere in Ivalice, and makes a startling discovery: Ivalice, it seems, is a fictional construct, a dreamworld derived partly from the real world, partly the children's imaginations, and largely from the ''FinalFantasy'' games. Particularly, the constructed world turns out to be based on an Ivalice that existed long before the original ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' and ''VagrantStory'' take place. (''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'' turns out to be the exact era that the dreamed Ivalice of FFTA is based on - as well as being the era of guns and airships that was referenced in FFT - and features one "real" version of a "fictional" character from FFTA, the moogle Montblanc.)

On the gameplay side, ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance'' returns the class system of the previous game, but adds a new twist: races. Unlike in the first game, where characters could theoretically learn almost any skill, given enough time and the right gender, certain abilities and classes are available only to certain species: The brutish, lizardlike Bangaa; the magical, mild-mannered Nu Mou; the lithe, [[OneGenderRace all-female]] Viera; ''FinalFantasy'' series staple Moogles; and, of course, ([[OneGenderRace all-male]]) Humans ([[HumansAreAverage guess what they]] [[JackOfAllStats are]]). Additionally, skills are learned by having certain weapons and armour equipped, instead of the ''Tactics'''s JP system.

* HeyItsThatVoice: Marche is [[FinalFantasyUnlimited Hayakawa Yu]], while Montblanc is [[ShugoChara Eru]].

----

A GaidenGame in the [[RunningGag unfathomably popular]] ''FinalFantasy'' series, ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance'' was released for the Game Boy Advance in the fall of 2003. While it inherited its [[RPGElements RPG-flavored]] TurnBasedStrategy engine from its predecessor, the original ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'', its setting and plot are entirely new. With its good graphics, excellent soundtrack, and staggering depth of gameplay, the game is one of the standouts of the [=GBA's=] impressive library.

A GaidenGame in the [[RunningGag unfathomably popular]] ''FinalFantasy'' series, ''FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance'' was released for the Game Boy Advance in the fall of 2003. While it inherited its [[RPGElements RPG-flavored]] TurnBasedStrategy engine from its predecessor, the original ''FinalFantasyTactics'', its setting and plot are entirely new. With its good graphics, excellent soundtrack, and staggering depth of gameplay, the game is one of the standouts of the [=GBA's=] impressive library.

Marche eventually encounters his real-world friends elsewhere in Ivalice, and makes a startling discovery: Ivalice, it seems, is a fictional construct, a dreamworld derived partly from the real world, partly the children's imaginations, and largely from the ''FinalFantasy'' games. Particularly, the constructed world turns out to be based on an Ivalice that existed long before the original ''FinalFantasyTactics'' and ''VagrantStory'' take place. (''FinalFantasyXII'' turns out to be the exact era that the dreamed Ivalice of FFTA is based on - as well as being the era of guns and airships that was referenced in FFT - and features one "real" version of a "fictional" character from FFTA, the moogle Montblanc.)

On the gameplay side, ''FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance'' returns the class system of the previous game, but adds a new twist: races. Unlike in the first game, where characters could theoretically learn almost any skill, given enough time and the right gender, certain abilities and classes are available only to certain species: The brutish, lizardlike Bangaa; the magical, mild-mannered Nu Mou; the lithe, [[OneGenderRace all-female]] Viera; ''FinalFantasy'' series staple Moogles; and, of course, ([[OneGenderRace all-male]]) Humans ([[HumansAreAverage guess what they]] [[JackOfAllStats are]]). Additionally, skills are learned by having certain weapons and armour equipped, instead of the ''Tactics'''s JP system.

''FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance'' swung as far to the easy side of the gameplay difficulty scale and the original ''FinalFantasyTactics'' swung to the hard side. There's very little challenge, but the game is still solid and fans of TurnBasedStrategy games may wish to try it out. Although the LighterAndSofter graphics style caught some considerable flak from fans of ''FinalFantasyTactics'' and ''VagrantStory'', the game's style is actually lifted wholesale from an earlier Yasumi Matsuno title, ''TacticsOgre'' - which ''FinalFantasyTactics'' was the DarkerAndEdgier SpiritualSuccessor to.

A sequel (''FinalFantasyTacticsA2: Grimoire of the Rift'') is out, and while it too is a bit of a NonLinearSequel, there are quite a few [[ContinuityNod continuity nods]] that suggest that the protagonist, Luso Clemens, is from the same world as the characters in FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance, even if the world he finds himself spirited to is quite different from the one in this game. [[spoiler: Its ending proves that Marche did not destroy the Ivalice from this game when he left, and that Mewt, at least, turned out just fine. However, WordOfGod contradicts this (see YMMV).]]

* BonusFeatureFailure: FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance is a two-in-one combo. It has several unlockable characters; Some of these are unique characters that cannot change classes or learn new abilities, while others are merely normal units with special sprites.

** AllThereInTheManual / GuideDangIt: The Revive skill/Phoenix Down clause for preventing undead from coming back to life is never mentioned in the game; in fact, it's never mentioned at ''all'' until the [[FinalFantasyTacticsA2 sequel]]. The game apparently figures you'll figure it out on your own.

** The Clan Borzoi sidequests are especially noteworthy. It lasts for 20 missions (Almost as long as the main story itself!) and starts with you fighting a chicken thief and builds up continuously until the finale, where you fight the leader, Gukko/Gutskor, who's been (somehow) transformed into a [[FinalFantasyTactics Lucavi]].

* AdaptationDistillation: In its AudioAdaptation, they changed the progress that the town St. Ivalice was changed into Ivalice to the same way [[FinalFantasyTacticsA2 how Luso was sent to Ivalice]].

* AdaptationExpansion: In its AudioAdaptation, they added Nono fixing his airship, new characters ("Moogle Knight" and "Madam Kiri"), the arrival of Ritz, Mewt, and Doned, and [[spoiler:Montblanc's voice at the very ending of the RadioDrama as an OrIsIt]].

* OrIsIt: After the supposed ending in the game ends, [[spoiler: the music stops, and a voice from Montblanc says towards Marche that he wanted to meet again in the dream.]] May it be that the dream Ivalice is still there or that it was Montblanc's Final Speech is still a mystery.

CharacterDevelopment and atmosphere are only side aspects and not quite as deep and immersive as in the first game, but the number of potential missions is simply staggering, and don't underestimate the [[JustOneMoreLevel addictiveness]] of putting a game of this type on a portable. There's more than 200 hours of gameplay here, if you seek it.

* BossRush: Part of the climax.

* EscortMission

* MyMasterRightOrWrong: Babus.

* PinkGirlBlueBoy: Ritz and Marche

* TheRedMage: A duh.

* SpySpeak: Ezel seems rather fond of CrypticConversation, [[spoiler:even going so far as to mention himself to Marche without actually introducing himself as * the* Ezel]], and will talk in code if you want the latest info on law card prices.