The original PlayStation had three of the best mainline entries in the Final Fantasy series - Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII, and Final Fantasy IX. There are some fans who know that the best Final Fantasy game on the PlayStation was the one that didn't bear a number in its name, as Final Fantasy Tactics is still regarded by many as one of the best video games of all time.
Final Fantasy Tactics told the story of Ramza Beoulve - a member of a noble house who gets caught up in a civil war that is being spurred on by the machinations of demons. Final Fantasy Tactics has earned a cult following due to its amazing gameplay, soundtrack, and story, yet Square Enix has yet to remaster the game for modern systems. The majority of the Final Fantasy games are on Steam, yet Final Fantasy Tactics is still absent from the service, despite Square Enix seemingly wanting to port every game in the series to the PC platform. The question now is whether a remaster of Final Fantasy Tactics is on the cards or is Square Enix going to ignore it, in the same way they've ignored Final Fantasy Mystic Quest?
It's The Last Of The PlayStation Final Fantasy Games To Need A Remaster
Square Enix has been on a Final Fantasy remastering spree over the past few years, with almost every entry in the series being available on the current generation of consoles, mobile phones, or Steam. The most recent game to receive a remaster is Final Fantasy VIII, which is due to be released in September. Later this year a remake of Chrystal Chronicles is expected to release, and next year the most-anticipated remake, Final Fantasy VII, will grace our PS4s and Xbox Ones.
The release of Final Fantasy VIII Remastered means that Final Fantasy Tactics is the last of the original PlayStation Final Fantasy titles to be remastered for modern systems, with the exception of the games that were collections of older titles (like Final Fantasy Chronicles).
As of right now, the only way to play Final Fantasy Tactics on a modern system (outside of emulation) is through the Android and iOS versions of the game.
Ramza & Ivalice Have Appeared In Current Final Fantasy Games
The director of Final Fantasy Tactics was Yasumi Matsuno, who left Square Enix in 2005 due to health issues that developed during the period of time when he acted as the director of Final Fantasy XII.
Whatever bad blood may have existed Matsuno and Square Enix seems to have ended a long time ago, as he worked with the company on a freelance basis on Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together. Matsuno would later return to work on Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood as a guest creator for the "Return to Ivalice" raid series, which heavily referenced Final Fantasy Tactics.
The story of Ramza Beoulve might have concluded, but he continues to appear in Final Fantasy spin-off games as a playable character, such Dissidia Final Fantasy NT. It's clear that people within Square Enix know that people fondly remember Final Fantasy Tactics and that the game still has fans after all of these years, so an audience exists for a remaster.
The Remaster Can Be Based On The Mobile Version Of The Game
A mobile version of Final Fantasy Tactics was released for iOS in 2011 and Android in 2015. The mobile version of Final Fantasy Tactics contains all of the new content from the War of the Lions version of the game, with the exception of the multiplayer mode, whose unique items were unlocked in the Poacher's Den after completing the game.
The Android version of Final Fantasy Tactics has improved character sprites and portraits, which means that it's already an improvement over the PlayStation/PSP versions of the game and could serve as the basis for a true remaster that eschews the touchscreen controls that were a necessity in the mobile version of the game.
Matsuno recently dropped hints that he might make more games in the Final Fantasy Tactics and Ogre Battle series, but there is no proof that such projects have entered development. If a sequel to Final Fantasy Tactics was announced in the future, then a remaster of the original would be the perfect way to introduce new people to the series.