UPDATE (September 6, 2025): You cannot, in fact, control guest units in Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles. While the trailer might’ve made it seem like that was the case, guest units are still autonomous. Argath and Delita will still go suicidal in Chapter 1.
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is a remake of the beloved tactical RPG from Square Enix. Pretty much all of the original design elements have been preserved, but Square Enix has also taken the opportunity to enhance a few bits here and there. You can check out the new gameplay trailer for yourself down below:
This trailer focuses on the combat and job systems of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles. As you can see, things remain largely the same. You’ll still be moving your units around a grid, and you’ll also be able to recruit allies with different jobs and abilities. Do note, though, that permadeath is a thing in this game. If you’re unable to rescue a downed unit in time, you may end up losing them forever.
One key takeaway from this trailer is that it looks like you’ll actually be able to directly control guest units in battle. Every so often, a guest character will join your party for a fight, but in the original game, you were not able to give them commands and they’d just act freely. And because their AI was born dumb, they’d often run straight into enemy lines and get themselves killed. In The Ivalice Chronicles, Square Enix seems to have fixed that issue by just letting you control them yourself, which should make life a lot easier going forward.
From Square Enix’s press release:
“Battles will require players to wisely traverse the tile-based battlefield, search for advantageous positioning, and determine which of the wide range of melee attacks, spells and other abilities to secure victory. Recruiting powerful allies and developing their job abilities over time will be key – but be careful, as allies who fall in battle may be permanently lost if aid does not reach them in time.”
The trailer also gives us a better look at some of the visual enhancements and UI updates, along with the brand new voice performances that will be included in this version.
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is set to be released for PC and consoles on Sept. 30.
