Final Fantasy Weekly

Final Fantasy Tactics is an artistic triumph. It is better written than award-winning games, TV, and films, better developed than most video games, and more biting in its social commentary than most art dares to be. Our final thoughts.

Hitoshi Sakimoto creates incredibly moving themes for Final Fantasy Tactics that he reworks like a film score into everything from adventurous hero music, to calming character themes, to some of the best battle music in the series.

We breakdown the art and gameplay of FFT as best we can, focusing on the detailed and grounded designs that could have featured more diversity and all-time great job and battle systems.

We conclude the plot of Final Fantasy Tactics which packs a whopper right at the very end. We dive into more ethical gray areas struggle to find clear answers in this remarkably clever tale.

The War of the Lions concludes but not our story. And Delita's actions have us beginning to dive deep into whether they are justified in the end.

Somehow the plots thicken. Dycedarg is interrogated on the death of his father. And the Marquis Elmdor reveals the power of his legendary stone.

We near the endgame of FFT as we wrap up the side quests and get to a key scene where Delita sets us up for the final breathtaking act of this masterpiece. 

We begin Chapter 4 of FFT as the endgame starts to come into focus. Then we set out on some side adventures featuring legendary heroes of other lands. 

Grand Duke Barrington reveals himself to be among the most despicable people of all time and the Knights Templar fear a book that holds the truth of their religion. 

We continue with FFT as our characters struggle with revelations about the church and the grotesque abuses of powerful men.

We dive deeper into the corruption of the church and crown and the role of misogyny in an episode that feels sadly and eerily relevant to today's world.

Ramza Beolve is branded a heretic! The War of The Lions takes its toll on Dukes Larg and Goltanna while our heroes investigate the Church and the Zodiac Brave Stones.

Chapter Two comes to a close as the curtain rises on the War of the Lions. We learn a shocking truth (or lie) about Princess Ovelia and the story changes genres.

We meet Mustadio and his father and take the Mockingbird (Ovelia) into the arms of the Cardinal as the religious and spiritual themes of Final Fantasy Tactics begin to come into focus.

The story of Final Fantasy: Tactics expands immensely as we learn about the myriad of political machinations of the War of the Lions. Who are the Dukes Goltanna and Larg, what do they want, and what does princess Ovelia have to do with all this?

Ramza and Delita pursue the kidnappers of Delita's sister Tietra as the political machinations of Ivalice deepen and personal tragedy strikes.

Ramza, Delita, and Argath set out on a quest to save the Marquis Elmdor from the Corpse Brigade only to discover that the rebels are quite a bit more than they seemed.

Final Fantasy Tactics dives right into the class struggle between the nobility and "The Meager." Ramza and Delita set out on their first adventure as the Order of the Northern Sky clash with the Corpse Brigade. 

Welcome to Ivalice! We begin our deep dive on Final Fantasy Tactics, a hidden gem in the FF Multiverse and one of the best games of all time.

We break down as many Final Fantasy games as we can from the perspective of Plato's Allegory of the Cave with a specific focus on the recurring theme of Twin Worlds. Spoilers ahead as we dive deep into the philosophical pool of most of the series.

FFVII introduces us to the Materia system, limit breaks, and a host of mini games. Plus, Tetsuya Nomura makes his mark on the franchise, designing some of the most famous characters in video game history.

We count down Drew's picks for the Top 20 pieces of music on Nobuo Uematsu's masterpiece soundtrack for Final Fantasy VII.

We go about the impossible task of ranking individual pieces of music on the Final Fantasy VII soundtrack mostly as a frame work to celebrate more genius from Nobuo Uematsu.

Sephiroth takes Cloud and Tifa back to Nibelheim via their memories. We take a look at the history of "memory" as a theme in Final Fantasy and break down the real-world parallels to Cloud's mental break.

We discuss the most famous spoiler and arguably one of the most important moments in the history of video games. How and why was it so impactful, what other moments in other media compare, and must it be this way in the Remake project?

Cloud and crew head back to Nibelheim and meet Vincent, then off to Rocket Town and an introduction to Cid. Then Yuffie steals our materia so we're off to the mystical land of Wutai.

We visit a magical place and see more examples of clumsy representation in FFVII. We hear a bit from John Eric Bentley (voice of Barrett) via Crashing Game night, and experience one of the most emotional moments of the game.

Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, and Nanaki learn about Barrett's past and visit the Gold Saucer for the first time. Plus, the real-world parallels to an energy company sending private military personnel to massacre a small town.

We comment on Rufus Shinra, the welcoming ceremony, and displays of military might. Plus, FFVII continues to blow us away with its presentation and complex themes on our way to Costa Del Sol.

The Nibelheim Incident in its original telling by Cloud Strife. Themes emerge more clearly surrounding memory, reliable narrators, the nature of magic, sympathetic villains, making choices in a crisis, and what gives you strength in moments of abject horror.

Our heroes infiltrate Shinra, learn about the Ancients, meet Red XIII, and walk the trail of blood in one of the more memorable segments of FFVII.

Cloud and Aerith infiltrate Wall Market, do a little cross dressing, find Tifa in a strange place and meet Don Corneo who reveals a larger conspiracy. Plus, the romantic elements of the story deepen.

In this episode, we make a promise to Tifa, meet Aerith Gainsborough and do a deep dive on her character, then begin to open up some of the deeper spiritual themes of Final Fantasy VII. Plus, more hints at Cloud's mysterious past, and a discussion on some of the ambiguous gender dynamic at play.

We dive into the complicated legacy of Barrett Wallace and begin to talk representation in FFVII. We also start to think about the consequences of the ecoterrorism and meet Tifa who hints at Cloud's past. 

We begin our conversation on Final Fantasy VII. Before we can get into the game, we have to take a look at everything surrounding it and set the stage for why this is one of the most-discussed video games of all time. Then, we have just enough time to break down its iconic intro.

We conclude our conversation on what Final Fantasy VI has to say about fascism, bigotry, oppression, and community responsibility before examining its wonderful cast of characters and personal questions one last time.

Drew tries to make the argument that with FFVI, Nobuo Uematsu crafted the greatest soundtrack of all time... in any medium.

Final Fantasy VI does so much of its world building through its music. On this episode we discuss the places, battle, and event music that comprise one of the greatest soundtracks in any medium ever.

On this episode, Gau faces rejection, Cyan faces his own demons, literally and figuratively, the team faces down a sasquatch, and Terra once again faces a moment of truth.

It's an emotional episode as Celes surprises us with a rare act of self-doubt before picking up the pieces and scouring the world for the Returners. We meet back up with Sabin and Edgar and learn about the history of Setzer and Daryl.

We dive into the climactic moment of Final Fantasy VI's second act as our heroes are face off against Kefka on the Floating Continent.