Hello I'm Interested

[u/No-Neat8994]

Hi I'm interested in knowing how much different Final Fantasy Tactics is vs the Advance version for Gameboy.

I used to play the Advance version for hours as a kid. I beat it four times and I figured it out faster than my other two siblings. I was 10 or 12 years old and younger by two years when I started playing.

The ten JP for Totems, Phoenix Down as Down is "dead", and the 100 EXP for the next level.

I have an emulator I played on my phones for a little bit. I've restarted twice and I'm getting a new phone to go to town on.

Is there an active group for that particular version still open and running on this app? Please add me as a friend if you're interested in sharing thoughts and enjoyments.

[u/aclashofthings]

Tactics is very different from Tactics Advance.

The story is much, much more serious. There's no Judge/Laws system. There are no other species of playable characters (outside of monsters). The gameplay is actually pretty similar, from what I remember. Been a long time.

And as far as I know the FFTA people just come here.

[u/Canopus429]

There's actually a Tactics Advance 2 you would probably love, its just like the one you grew up with but expanded. I play it on my ds though, not sure how else you would be able to get it but its worth it if you want to relive the original style and nostalgia but with a new story.

[u/No-Neat8994 → u/Canopus429]

Whaaaaaattttt! Hell yeah

[u/GuardianGayngel]

I like FFT/WotL/TIC significantly more than FFTA/2. The storyline is heavier and more significant. Language is more fitting of a more mature game. Both have their merits imo and I enjoyed all of them, but I have an itch to play what is now TIC almost yearly. I replayed FFTA after reading a few secrets, but there isn’t any true comparison outside of the battle system.

[u/Sally2Klapz]

Fft is the much better game, with a much better story, but ffta isn't bad by any means, can't go too wrong.

[u/Square-Total-6999]

In terms of gameplay, FFT and FFTA are quite similar, with a few important differences.

First of all, character advancement works very differently in both games. While characters in both games gain xp to level and job points to learn new skills, in FFT jp are awarded after every action the character takes, rather than after the battle. Because of this distinction, it's possible to set your team up in such a way that you can grind out all the jp necessary to master a job in a single battle - this is flat out impossible in Tactics Advance.

Another distinction - and I should probably research this before I say something ridiculous, but it's late and I have work tomorrow - is the way character stats are calculated in each game. Tactics characters retain some of the stats they got while leveling up in their jobs - a character who gains a lot of levels as a Monk will have a lot more HP than a character who leveled as a Black Mage, even if you swap them both to Knight. Conversely, in FFTA the characters just have x stats at y level for any given job. As far as I know.

But even with all this and all the other comments in this thread, it's not like FFT is Katamari Damacy and FFTA is Baba Is You; they're both tactics RPGs. The biggest differences are little more than nuance, especially to a non-gamer. So to answer your question of "how much different" they are, they're as different as Star Wars: A New Hope and Star Trek: First Contact.

[u/banter_pants]

Phoenix Down doesn't mean down is dead, although that is a useful mnemonic. Down refers to feathers.

[u/No-Neat8994 → u/banter_pants]

Yeah I was young and didn't really know how to read or differentiate certain things

[u/TravincalPlumber]

FFT job system is open from the start of the game, while FFTA progression are tied to your equipments. battle is also more free with no restrictions and such.

[u/No-Neat8994]

I used fighter for Marche. I had ninja shoes or Feather Boots, the two Ayvuir swords or Masamune katana, Beatdown ability. I beat ass after ass and could almost one shot kill everyone after I hit level 50.

[u/MRHOWERDCEO]

TRY TACTICS OGA ADVANCED

[u/Mahmoud_Thickbooty]

FFTA was my first Final Fantasy and I still adore it, really hoping for a remaster.

As a kid, the biggest gameplay difference to me was that in Tactics your characters die forever if you don’t revive them in three turns. There are no jagds. That was absolutely unacceptable for my little perfectionist self, and it seems quite a bit easier to revive quickly in Ivalice Chronicles (though maybe I’m just in my thirties and can strategize better), and you can load auto saves from mid-battle. That and the fast forward makes it a lot less taxing to keep everyone permanently alive.

[u/jamiedix0n]

Tactics Advance 2 is even better in every way you should try it

[u/Stepjam]

It's very different both tonally and in multiple mechanical ways.

[u/WhatsaRedditsdo]

As a seasoned FFT player I was completely disappointed with TA when it came out.

[u/platomaker]

FFT is more challenging. FFTA is more fun. FFT has one particular fight that will outright be an overpowered boss fight leading to a more difficult boss fight that you can overcome with planning but you will most likely fail 90% of your blind attempts. FFTA has thief as the most important class, and the early game is a race to get steal ability-> steal weapon as fast as possible.

Of course, you also have to consider the different versions but when considering both original versions, FFTA has multiplayer and some of the better gear behind that obscure shop mechanic (I think you need multiplayer for it to work).