How to play the Final Fantasy Ivalice Alliance video games in chronological order
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It’s hard to imagine a franchise that goes as far as to create enormous, immersive worlds filled with charming characters as Final Fantasy. With this quality comes complexity. Sometimes navigating worlds can be challenging, and some get a little lost in lore. The sheer size of these worlds means they will often grow to other games and even other media. For example, the Fabula Nova Crystallis series started with: Final Fantasy 13 but spanned a total of seven titles across multiple platforms. Before that, there was the Ivalice Alliance series, which was primarily based on the complex timeline and world of Ivalice.
Ivalice was first introduced in 1997 in Final Fantasy Tactics for the PS1. Video game designer Yasumi Matsuno created Ivalice as a world that combines magic and machines, allowing the two to coexist. This combination of medieval setting with machinery and technology gives Ivalice a distinct, memorable feel and look. The release of Final Fantasy 12 was followed by an announcement that marked the beginning of the Ivalice Alliance series, and it’s chronologically the first of four titles in this collection.
Final Fantasy 12
The twelfth main line Final Fantasy game launched on PS2 in 2006. It was a critical and commercial success, winning several Game of the Year awards. Some of the newer elements it introduced, such as the controversial Jobs and Gambits systems, divided opinion. Nevertheless, it was another enormous, sprawling JRPG that offered gamers with hours of content to enjoy. Final Fantasy 12 follows the adventures of protagonist Vaan and the sky pirate Balthier during a period of war between two empires, Archadia and Rozarria.
With a usually well-crafted story and plenty of sideline content, Final Fantasy 12 was an incredible experience, even if the characters weren’t as memorable as some of the more popular people from various entries. Final Fantasy 12 was not categorized as part of the Ivalice Alliance collection until its 2017 reissue, titled Final Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Age. At this point it became the first chronological entry in the collection.
Final Fantasy 12: Revenant Wings
The next game on the timeline is Final Fantasy 12: Revenant Wings. Launched for the Nintendo DS in 2007, it takes place only a year after the events of Final Fantasy 12, and again shows Vaan as a full-fledged sky pirate using his own airship. With gameplay similar to the Final Fantasy Tactics series, the game could be played from start to finish using the Nintendo DS stylus, which was a common gimmick at the time. The game introduced a floating continent of Lemures and was far more lighthearted than FF12.
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2: Grimoire of the Rift
The third chronological game is Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2: Grimoire of the Rift, which was released in 2008 for the Nintendo DS. The game follows Luso Clemens, a young troublemaker who is magically transported to the world of Ivalice. The game also features cameos from some of the main characters in Final Fantasy 12, specifically Vaan and Penelo. The gameplay is largely similar to its predecessor, with turn-based combat taking place in a grid-like arena. Despite the prologue and epilogue taking place in St. Ivalice, the future state of Ivalice’s world, much of the events in the game occur shortly after FF12 and FF12 Revenant Wings due to the character Luso and his friends experiencing time adventure.
Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions
Chronologically, the last game in the Ivalice Alliance series is Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions, which was released in 2007 for the PSP. The game is an updated version of the 1997 Final Fantasy Tactics for PS1, with new playable characters, a visual overhaul and other features, including unique cutscenes. It is set more than 1000 years after the events in FF12, and finds Ivalice in a dark time on account of a mysterious event known as the Cataclysm. The popular title kept all the things that made the original Final Fantasy Tactics such a highly regarded game, including the mature tone, challenge and some popular gameplay mechanics like the job system.
Other games set in Ivalice
While the Ivalice Alliance only includes four titles, there are still a few games in the world of Ivalice. One is 2000’s Vagrant Story, a non-Final Fantasy title that was confirmed to take place within the same universe. It was released for the PS1 as an action-adventure RPG, but had no shops to buy items or interact with other characters. These mechanics were highly unusual absences for a JRPG, but it still garnered high praise from critics.
There’s also Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, which is a spin-off set in a different version of Ivalice. It was released for the Game Boy Advance in 2003 and introduced new characters while sharing several traits with the original Final Fantasy Tactics, although it’s not an actual sequel.
Cutting through Ivalice’s intricate timeline, all of these titles had one thing in common: their strong review scores. Evidently, regardless of the character or adventure, having a Final Fantasy game set in Ivalice almost always ensures quality. For individuals who want to discover everything there is to find out about Ivalice, there’s a wealth of content to discover.