Final Fantasy Tactics (PlayStation, 1998)

This game's story is so epic, that at times, it seems that the story was wasted on a game designed with a focus on battles, although at other times, the format of the game seems to suit the story perfectly, as when the characters speak during mid-battle. The plot of this game has the theme of "exploring history in search of truth," and demonstrates, through allegory, the biases of the societal forces which allow for the recording of history, and the tendency of historians to attribute heroic characteristics to the victors of any scenario, regardless of their true alignment, or intentions. At many points in the plot, unexpected events occur, with the attentive player having received just enough information to speculate on the motivations of the characters involved, and playing through the game, there were many such moments at which I speculated improbably twisted scenarios, only to be shocked when future events actually confirmed my dark suspicions, or clarified the scenario to be even more depraved than I had imagined. This is not an incredibly violent game, nor is it atmospherically dark, in the film noir sense. But it is a deeply philosophical game, which doesn't under-represent the magnitude of human suffering, the tendency of humans to abuse power, or the unreliability one's personal allies in societies conducive to individual scheming. The character of Delita, who comes across as contradictorily skeptical and idealistic, is too much of a master-moralist, in the Nietzschean sense, to qualify as a hero, but is too difficult for a player, sensitive towards his motivations, to villainize. Even the aberrant supernatural elements of this mostly human and political story work well from a literary standpoint, as the relationship between Ajora, the Lucavi, and those who seek the Zodiac stones is represented with style and subtlety, adding Faustian intrigue to the plot. The gameplay of Tactics is reasonably balanced, in the sense that there are not many situations in which one overly powerful and convenient approach to winning battles makes every other possible strategy obsolete. Like other job-system games, the player can create these situations himself, by over committing to the equipment and abilities for a particular job for certain characters, thereby forcing himself to use the same strategy for every battle, or sacrifice the majority of his characters' power, but the game itself offers many different feasible play possibilities. Different sections of the game will present different challenges depending on how the player's party is configured, such as Ramza's one-on-one battle with Gafgarion, the "outnumbered" battle at Golgorand execution site, or the rooftop "save Rafa" battle, and unless the player's party is so ridiculously overpowered as to allow for massively inefficient gameplay, the tactical parameters of each battle require a rethinking of the player's strategy, as elements such as attack strength, attack range, and character mobility must be alternately prioritized. The ability to review story scenes and look up public information about the characters adds to the immersive element of the game, and the player's ability to appreciate the plot. This game is superb because its many innovations are effectively implemented, its visual design effectively portrays compelling, medieval-style fantasy, some characters are incredibly well-developed to fully serve their role within the incredibly literary plot.