Feature: “The Bigger A Fan You Are…The More Averse You Are To Making Changes”

Geez, Square-Enix sure is itching to turn our Switches into a nostalgia-fueled rave straight outta… 1997.

Over the past few years the publisher has already delivered three distinct entries in the freshly-coined, retro-flavored RPG line Octopath Traveler, and an upgraded Final Fantasy VII Remake is queued for Switch 2—the very saga that, almost thirty years ago, drew a bright dividing line between Nintendo and Sony RPG camps.

Next in line: a polished revisit to 1997’s Final Fantasy Tactics, reborn as Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, one of the most adored chapters in Square’s classic library. The pattern is unmistakably turning into a habit.

To herald the launch of Ivalice Chronicles, director Kazutoyo Maehiro and art director Hiroshi Minagawa chatted with Nintendo Life about revisiting Tactics and its weighty subject matter, how this edition diverges from 2007’s PSP rebirth War of the Lions, and where old-school turn-based experiences fit inside today’s Square Enix ecosystem.

Alan Lopez for Nintendo Life: Tactics debuted in 1997—practically shoulder-to-shoulder with FFVII—and that coincidence fascinates me. It felt like a junction where traditional menu-driven combat veered one way, while flashy, cinematic action took the other.

Equally intriguing, the Tactics remaster lands in 2025, a moment when “old-school”, turn-based design is roaring back into vogue—think Clair Obscur, Fire Emblem’s resurgence, and so on. So, first up: why resurrect Tactics now, and what does this style of play represent to you personally?

Kazutoyo Maehiro and Hiroshi Minagawa[image]

Kazutoyo Maehiro (Game Director): A handful of years back we both dusted off the PSone classic. Re-experiencing it hammered home how masterfully the narrative and systems were crafted. Three decades have passed, legions still swear by it, yet we’d never had the window to deliver a genuine remaster.

That replay sparked a desire to transplant the adventure to modern hardware. Veterans deserve a pristine version, and there’s a whole cohort that’s only heard the legends—our aim was to put the quest in their hands too.

I sampled the demo just before we spoke and was struck again by how grounded the storytelling feels—almost like historical fiction. The skirmish I tried pivoted on class conflict, not the usual identity trope. Was the present-day social climate a factor in choosing this particular moment for a comeback?

Maehiro: Whether you first tackled Tactics in ’97 or dive into The Ivalice Chronicles with its refreshed script from Yasumi Matsuno, the societal threads remain startlingly relevant. We didn’t set out to time the release to any headline; rather, the tale’s enduring resonance is the magic we’re riding.

Hiroshi Minagawa (Art Director): Matsuno himself keeps pointing out—during joint interviews—that the power structures and dilemmas we portray haven’t fundamentally shifted in 28 years. Those motifs will still hit players square in the chest; I’m convinced of it.

Let’s dig into Classic versus Remastered modes.

Fandoms online are vociferous about remakes: change too much and you’re a heretic, too little and you’re lazy. Games, unlike film, embrace QoL tweaks and hardware-driven upgrades. How did you walk the tightrope between preservation and meaningful renovation—say, folding in full voice-over?

Maehiro: The deeper your love for the original, the louder your inner purist screams. Still, 28 years of interface evolution can’t be ignored. To welcome newcomers we had to modernise menus, controls, feedback loops—hence the enhanced package.

Yet we knew stalwarts crave the untouched experience, so we embedded the vanilla build as well. Shipping two renditions isn’t typical, but the philosophy demanded it.

Ultimately you act as curators: some fans lament the absence of PSP-specific additions, others applaud the cleaner entry point. Do you see your mandate as…Sure, here’s a version of your text with synonyms and sentence structures altered while keeping the original HTML tags and format intact:

of conservationist…did you sense the gravity of how this title might be recalled?

Minagawa: [Personally], my role was centered around the visual aspects — that was my primary domain. And regarding the classic iteration of the game, since our aim was to replicate the original experience as precisely as we could, in a sense, the path forward was quite clear for us.

the challenge of ‘To what extent should we innovate and alter the existing formula?’ was something we had to carefully deliberate

However, when addressing the enhanced edition, the dilemma of ‘How far should we go in transforming and reimagining elements?’ became a pivotal issue we needed to resolve. Those initial choices marked a crucial juncture in our discussions.

One perspective is that, having been part of the team behind the original release, if I had opted to completely overhaul the visuals for this new version, I believe the rest of the team would’ve gone along with it. But in the end, we decided to take the aesthetic from that era and reinterpret it in a way that resonates with today’s players using contemporary hardware.

There are a couple of motivations behind this. First, because I was part of the original development cycle, the memories of collaborating with the team and understanding the intentions that shaped the initial creation held deep personal value for me. This was the very first project I participated in after joining the studio. Because of those personal ties, I was driven to revive that original visual identity and breathe fresh energy into it for modern systems.

Maehiro: If we shift focus and examine this from a gameplay standpoint, particularly regarding the PSP release *The War of the Lions*… when it launched [back in 2007], it coincided with other [Square Enix titles], so we integrated characters like Balthier from FFXII and Luso from Final Fantasy Tactics A2. For me, considering the era it came out in and the content included, those additions felt appropriate and helped form a cohesive experience for that version.

But when considering the broader tactical RPG genre — which I personally admire — while it’s undeniably engaging once you dive in, it’s still relatively specialized in appeal. So with this new version, we aimed to give the original a kind of “reincarnation”… and one of our key objectives with [The Ivalice Chronicles] was to broaden the reach of the genre. We believed that by staying faithful to the core content of the original, we could help achieve that ambition.

How much input did you have in selecting the voice cast? [From the demo], it felt like watching a film adaptation of a beloved book and suddenly realizing, “Wow, that’s how Ramza’s voice should’ve always sounded!” [laughter] I found the voice work to be excellent! I usually skip dialogue, but this time I couldn’t — the performances were captivating. So I’m curious about your role in the voice selection process.

Maehiro: First off, I’m really glad the voice performances resonated with you. [laughter]

Same here! [laughter]

Maehiro: As you mentioned, it’s been many years since the original release, and over time, fans have likely formed their own internalized versions of what these characters sound like. With that in mind, it’s tough to align with everyone’s expectations. That said, we made a conscious effort to stay true to what we felt fans would find authentic during the casting phase.

We also collaborated closely with Yasumi Matsuno (original writer/director of *Final Fantasy Tactics*), and together we discussed what vocal tones might align with players’ imagined voices for each character. Overall, I believe we secured strong choices for both the English and Japanese casts that greatly enhanced the emotional depth and storytelling.

Was there any internal disagreement regarding the voice direction?

Maehiro: Mmmmm, honestly, not really! With Matsuno-san’s support, the casting phase went quite smoothly. The same can be said for the recording sessions. We were assisted by the same team responsible for the voice work on Final Fantasy XVI, so their experience helped streamline the process. And it wasn’t just the narrative scenes — we also had to record all the combat voice lines. Even then, the workflow remained efficient and well-organized.

Is it accurate that the original source code for *Final Fantasy Tactics* was lost?

Maehiro: Strictly speaking, yes. And much of that stems from how development was handled in that era. Back then, we didn’t have the kind of asset management systems we rely on today. [Gestures with hands, stacking them alternately.] We’d develop the Japanese version, then move on to the English version, and in doing so, we’d just overwrite the previous build… layer by layer. So the “original” version no longer exists.

we just kept overwriting and overwriting. So that “original” version doesn’t exist.

What we ended up doing was gather whatever materials we could — whether it was the retail copy of the original, an archived master disc, or the mobile version — analyze them, and reconstruct what we believed to be the “true” original.

Minagawa: And from a visual standpoint, during development, you typically get bug reports to resolve. While working on [The Ivalice Chronicles], we encountered issues that had actually been present since the original version. [laughter]

What’s it like serving as art director for something you’re essentially recreating from memory or visual reference? How does that affect the creative journey?

Minagawa: To begin with, during the original development, when it came to character illustrations and designs, Akihiko Yoshida [former art director at Square] would create the artwork, and then I’d figure out how to translate those visuals onto the screen.

For the PS1 version, given the platform’s limited capabilities, my challenge was, ‘How can I represent the world Yoshida envisioned and make it come alive within the game?’ If I had [personally directed]…Sure, here’s a rewritten version of your text where I’ve replaced words with synonyms and restructured the sentences while preserving the HTML tags, formatting, and overall meaning:

Handle things in a plain and direct way, and it might not [have turned out the same].

‘Which aspects should I restrain myself on?’ That was the toughest hurdle

On the flip side, with the upgraded edition of Ivalice Chronicles, the hardware capabilities have grown dramatically. So while we’re now able to implement ideas we previously couldn’t, doing so risks disrupting the delicate balance we aimed to preserve in keeping the original game’s tone intact. In this updated scenario, the most difficult part was…finding that delicate balance between what I wanted to push forward and ‘Which elements should I hold back on?’ That was the main struggle I faced.

To illustrate, we were clearly building with practicality in mind—considering players using the Switch in handheld mode, as well as those playing on a larger TV screen, like the one behind us. In the end, the visual presentation had to remain consistent across both setups, but prioritising one over the other would [adversely affect] the alternative. We had to work around this by incorporating filters and ensuring visuals were more readable. I really had to ponder how to fine-tune every aspect of the display.

Alright, we’re being signaled for the last question now… circling back to the earlier topic, Square has recently been putting out more traditional-style RPGs, such as this Tactics remake, Triangle Strategy, Octopath Traveler, and more. So, given your experience with this [development] process, I’m curious—how would you personally like to see this genre evolve? One you described as “niche,” and what some might even label “pure”? Do you both consider games like Tactics as something separate from the rest?

Maehiro: For The Ivalice Chronicles, we’re offering it as that “classic” gameplay experience, but naturally, Square Enix also develops titles like the Final Fantasy VII remake series, which pushes the limits of modern specs. From where I stand, it’s not a matter of choosing one direction over the other—[rather], they evolve side by side.

I believe [Square Enix creates] a setting where those of us working on the frontlines, if we wish to explore a certain game concept, are supported in doing so.

As gaming platforms advance, there’s far more room for creative expression—whether it’s in a retro-style game or a high-budget AAA production, both are valid. What we aim to offer players is either of these journeys. I think what we’re now capable of delivering…is the ability to present both options, allowing players to pick what they prefer.

Minagawa: This is something where opinions might differ on how people perceive Square Enix as a whole. But personally, I feel [they’ve built] a workplace where, if we’re inclined to chase a particular game idea, we’re empowered to do so. Both Maehiro and I were part of Final Fantasy XVI before this, and [that] was clearly a more “high-end” production.

Yet, immediately after, we chose to work on something like this, and we were given the green light. Rather than the company imposing what we must create, I’d say—especially since we’re gamers ourselves—if we’re passionate about something, they’ve let us follow that vision.

Special thanks to Kazutoyo Maehiro and Hiroshi Minagawa for taking the time. This conversation has been slightly refined for readability.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ovalice Chronicles is scheduled to release for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 on September 30th.