The Herculean Task of Rebuilding a Classic

The highly anticipated remake of Final Fantasy Tactics, titled The Ivalice Chronicles, is not just a simple remaster; it's a full-blown recreation of the original source code. According to an exclusive interview with Bloomber's Jason Schreier, Kazutoyo Maehiro, the game's director, shared the extraordinary challenges his team faced in bringing this beloved strategy RPG back to life.

A Lost Legacy Reclaimed

To everyone's surprise, Maehiro and his dedicated team discovered that the original source code was irretrievably lost due to haphazard practices in the gaming industry during the '90s. When shifting the game from its Japanese roots to an English-speaking audience, the original code had been overwritten, leading to an uphill battle. Maehiro and his team had to painstakingly reconstruct the entirety of the source code, relying on their memories from playing the iconic 1997 release, consulting the game's master disc, and examining the 2011 enhanced edition, Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions. Astonishingly, they even tapped into fan-made databases to regain lost information!

The Power of Count Cid: A Design Dilemma

In addition to code reconstruction, Maehiro opened up about the thoughtful design choices for character dynamics in The Ivalice Chronicles, particularly regarding Count Cidolfus Orlandeau, affectionately known as Cid, or Thunder God Cid. While many players have voiced concerns over Cid's overpowering abilities, Maehiro believes he should remain as is. "His character is pivotal in the storyline, serving as the powerful ally who joins your squad," he stated. Instead of toning Cid down, the team opted to enhance the abilities of other characters to strike a balance.

Looking to the Future of the Franchise

As excitement builds up for The Ivalice Chronicles, Maehiro hinted at the possibility of future sequels or even entirely new entries in the strategy RPG genre, contingent on the remake's success. Fans should stay tuned, as this revitalization could just be the beginning of a new era for the Final Fantasy Tactics franchise!