Final Fantasy Tactics A2 (that’s Advanced 2): Grimoire of the Rift is the upcoming strategy RPG sequel to the previous “Final Fantasy Tactics Advance” (FFTA) that was released on the Game Boy Advance in late 2003 (September 8th in the US, October 24th in Europe).
The sequel is the latest chapter in the “Ivalice Alliance”, a series of games connected by the world of Ivalice. The “Alliance” titles were first introduced with the follow-up to Final Fantasy XII (FFXII), a DS sequel called “Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings“. The other game is a remake of the original PS1 Final Fantasy Tactics, which is coming out soon on the PSP with the title “Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions.”
As for improvements on the original game, the sequel will be more robust and improved as you’d expect. Square Enix has increased the number of jobs in the game, they are further developing the grid-based battle system, some enemies will be larger in scale than what was seen in the first game, taking up multiple squares on the grid, the world map will be more in-depth and they have introduced “area maps”, maps that feature multiple battle locations and a town, which will work similar to the previous game. There will also be enemy clans that will travel the world map against your characters.
The setting, as in all the Ivalice Alliance games, will be similar to that of FFTA and FFXII. There are seven playable races in the game: Hume, Moogle, Viera, Bangaa, Seeq, Nu Mou and Gria and the game is set after FFXII. Vaan and Panelo will even make appearances in the game, as can be seen in the all-new Japanese trailer below.
Similarly to the first game, the storyline stars a mischievous boy named Luso who lived in the real world until he was punished for a prank he pulled just before summer break. Locked away in the library, Luso finds an old book and writes his name on it. The book then transports him into the world of Ivalice. Rather than wishing to return home, Luso decides to venture the world farther. However, unlike in the previous installment, the main character travels to the real Ivalice, instead of a creation of his imagination born of strong feelings, this fact is reinforced by the reappearances of familiar characters such as Vaan and Penelo.
Additionally, references to Final Fantasy Tactics are present through the existence of the Kamyuja criminal organization, which first appeared in Final Fantasy Tactics in relation to the characters Malak and Rafa Galthana.
Check out the new Japanese trailer for Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift below, for an extensive look at the gameplay, boss characters, special attacks and more. FFT:A2 does not yet have a US release date, but you can be assured that it will hit Western shores eventually.