6. Vagrant Story
Ivalice is a world returend to many times throughout the Final Fantasy series, and it’s come in different forms, even being featured in an upcoming patch for Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood. It’s almost always a rich world filled with lore and story, as well as links to the other versions of Ivalice. We’re going to take a look at which version of Ivalice is best, based on how well it fleshes out its world and uses it to strengthen the story.
Vagrant Story isn’t a Final Fantasy game and for a long period it wasn’t clear that the game was set in Ivalice. But in 2004, the game’s director Yasumi Matsuno, who also directed FF Tactics and XII, confirmed that it was in fact set there. The title takes place on the continent of Valendia, a location also named in Final Fantasy XII. You play as Ashley Graham, a Riskbreaker or special agent in service to the Valendia Knights of Peace.
Although you may not straight up see Ivalice in Vagrant Story, the game contains a fascinating self-contained story. Playing it after Matsuno confirmed the game’s setting also allows you to see a much different side of the world the Final Fantasy series loves to return to. There’re even some fun nods between games like how one of the clan ranks you can get in XII is called Riskbreaker, and it’s also mentioned that Valendia was one of the territories that Raithwall conquered in the past of Ivalice.
5. Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
Tactics A2 is technically a sequel to the first game, but it’s more of a standalone story than anything. A2 takes place in a new region of Ivalice called Jylland and even adds on a couple new races like the Seeq from Final Fantasy XII and a race of winged beings known as Gria. Much like the first game you play as Luso, a young boy from the real world that gets sucked into the world of Ivalice through a mysterious tome.
While the story of A2 is serviceable, there’s just nothing quite as engaging as the first Tactics Advance. Characters, besides Luso, are mostly flat and nothing about Jylland holds the same wonder and uniqueness about Ivalice from the first game. That’s not to say that Final Fantasy Tactics A2 is bad, the strategic gameplay is better than ever, but in terms of an interesting Ivalice to see and explore, the first Tactics Advance definitely has this one beat.
4. Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings
Revenant Wings takes place directly after Final Fantasy XII, and as such it uses many of the locations you visited in the original game. However, there’s plenty new to see as most of the game takes place on the newly discovered sky continent of Lemures. The game starts with Vaan and Penelo exploring the continent for treasure, where they encounter the flying race known as aegyl.
The great thing about Revenant Wings is that is uses an already established world and develops on the lore and size of Ivalice greatly. Although the Aegyl and Lemures are all new additions, the game does loop them back into the history of Ivalice, detailing how the continent vanished. For anyone that loved the world of Final Fantasy XII, there’s a real treat in Revenant Wings as you get to return to familiar locations, see fresh faces, and learn even more about the rich world of Ivalice.
3. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
While Final Fantasy Tactics Advance is set in the same world as the first Tactics, Ivalice, it’s a much different place this time around. The game focuses on four young children, Marche, Ritz, Mewt and Doned, who all live in a town called St. Ivalice in the real world. The four end up getting pulled into the fantasy world of Ivalice through a mysterious tome, and this time it’s filled with various other races besides just humans.
This is the version of Ivalice closest to what we’d see in the mainline game Final Fantasy XII. Even though it doesn’t feature the same locations, you’ll see the same races like Bangaa, Viera, and Moogles. The Tactics Advance version of the world is created by the imagination of a child, while Final Fantasy XII could be seen as a more mature take on the world. At the same time the land is governed by laws and Judges, and you’ll even see one of the major characters from Tactics Advance pop up in XII, with the clan leader Montblanc.One of the most fascinating parts of Tactics Advance is seeing things from the real world represented in Ivalice, like Mewt’s father Cid being a Judge, or noticing certain bullies being turned into other creatures. All this easily makes Tactics Advance one of the most intriguing version of Ivalice, as well as the basis for other versions we’d see for years to come.
2. Final Fantasy Tactics
Final Fantasy Tactics was the very first game to be set in Ivalice, and although it’s a far cry from the other games set there it still remains a riveting and fascinating world. You play as Ramza, a hero forgotten to history and wrongly branded a heretic. Like many of Yasumi Matsuno’s works, Tactics is absolutely brimming with political intrigue and war. Throughout the game you get rich detail on how Ivalice works, both with its political systems, religion, and more. In Tactics, Ivalice is referred to as a kingdom and the entire kingdom belongs to one religion, The Church of Glabados, which of course holds a deep dark secret. Canonically, however, Final Fantasy Tactics’ Ivalice is set far in the future of XII and the other games, which you can see detailed in the timeline of the world on the Final Fantasy wiki.
Final Fantasy Tactics’ version of Ivalice isn’t just memorable because it’s the first version, but because there’s so much drama and intrigue packed into it. You see a ton of different locations in the Kingdom filled with characters, history, and lore. There’s a reason we’ve returned to Ivalice time and again after all.
1. Final Fantasy XII
Like we said earlier, Final Fantasy XII’s Ivalice is basically a more mature version of the world featured in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, but it’s also the most comprehensive and breathtaking version of Ivalice we’ve ever seen. Right from the start, XII sets up a rich world that shows off the culture of Rabanastre while also displaying the dramatic war that will grip the nation. While the characters of Final Fantasy XII are important, there’s so much storytelling packed into the game by talking to the inhabitants of the world, taking on hunts, defeating Espers, digging into the bestiary, and more.
Ivalice is an incredibly rich and detailed world in Final Fantasy XII, not to mention the most expansive world we’d seen in the series at that point, besides maybe Final Fantasy XI. The main story of the game is filled with just as much betrayal and political drama as Final Fantasy Tactics, but you’d really be missing out by not talking to the numerous NPCs in the game. This time around Ivalice is an absolute joy to explore and learn about, and Final Fantasy XII shows the true potential that the world holds by developing even more on what previous games in the series set up.
Which version of Ivalice is your favorite? Let us know by leaving a comment down below.
Published: Jul 24, 2017 02:04 pm