Stop Making Final Fantasy Tactics Clones & Just Make FF Tactics Again

Square Enix has been putting out several games that are basically just clones of Final Fantasy Tactics lately, so it should just stop and make the remake most people want. Games like Triangle Strategy and the new The DioField Chronicle, which was announced during the March 2022 State of Play, both mimic FF Tactics closely. They might be their own games with their own premises and stories, but the fact remains that they’re too close to truly be called unique. Instead of making a string of clones, Square Enix should just make a new entry in the Final Fantasy Tactics series.

There are four FF Tactics games in total: the original PS1 game, War of the Lions (an updated version of the original), FF Tactics Advance, and A2: Grimoire of the Rift. Grimoire is the latest, released in 2008 on the Nintendo DS in North America. Some of the games might not have had characters arcs as good as FFXIV, but they each had their own unique charm, interesting combat, and excellent world-building. They took elements from the classic Final Fantasy series and put them in a tactical setting where players needed to strategize and plan carefully in order to defeat their enemies. Since the release of Grimoire, Square Enix has been releasing a few games that are very similar to Final Fantasy Tactics, and the latest is The DioField Chronicles.

It seems strange for Square Enix to keep making new IPs so similar to Final Fantasy Tactics when it already has an established series that many are familiar with, especially when it carries such a big name. An announcement of a new entry in the Tactics series, even a Final Fantasy Tactics remake, could delight fans of the previous games. One of the biggest JRPGs releasing in 2022 is Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, so the attention it’s bringing to the series could have greatly helped the announcement of a new Tactics. The reason why Square Enix isn’t making one is a mystery that may never be solved, but hopefully, it relents and gives its fanbase a new FF Tactics game once The DioField Chronicle has been released.

Why Are There So Many Clones And No New FF Tactics?

Triangle Strategy is a recently-released strategy game by Square Enix, one that gives players three avenues to pursue in making decisions that will affect the game. The DioField Chronicle was announced just recently, and it promises a strategic game with an intriguing story. Although they both look good in their own right, they’re far too similar to FF Tactics, whose Metacritic score compares to Triangle Strategy quite well, to avoid its shadow. It’s a bit frustrating that Square Enix is releasing them when it could simply make another Final Fantasy Tactics, especially since it’s been so long since the last one.

Instead of making numerous clones like Triangle Strategy, Square Enix should revive Final Fantasy Tactics for one simple reason: The series is still wildly popular and receiving positive acclaim on Metacritic decades later. It doesn’t need games like The DioField Chronicle when it could enjoy much more success by giving fans of FF Tactics a new entry or remake to enjoy, rather than taking a risk on new IPs. Making so many similar titles makes them feel repetitive and stale, no matter what new features they have, so it may be better for it to simply revive Final Fantasy Tactics instead.

What a new FF Tactics game would look like after so long is impossible to say. Triangle Strategy takes a while to beat, and feels very much like a spiritual successor to FF Tactics, so hopefully another Tactics would have a good amount of content. Graphical improvements and new features, possibly even ones similar to those in The DioField Chronicle and Triangle Strategy, wouldn’t be a stretch. It would have a lot to live up to, so any new entry in Final Fantasy Tactics would hopefully be a good one.

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