So here, from the very beginning, we have our greatest link: the Espers, or, more accurately, the Demons that rebelled against the gods. Ultima in Tactics is also known for causing a great amount of misery and tragedy in the past. The 12 scions of dark are known as the Lucavi demons during the time of Final Fantasy Tactics, and Ultima herself is the the final villain in that game. The Occuria would punish the scions of darkness by sealing them on the earth via glyphs.įans of Tactics are likely already seeing a connection. These 12 rebelled against the Occuria and were bound to the world below, and would later incite the Thousand Year War, led by the High Seraph Ultima. While all 24 are named in the texts of Final Fantasy XII, only the scions of dark end up being relevant. They created 12 scions of light and dark. The Occuria are essentially the reigning deities of Ivalice. The gods, in this case, are the Occuria, a race of ethereal, undying, bird-like beings that play a central role in the plot of Final Fantasy XII. XII was made to stand on its own in addition to being connected to other games set in this particular world, so it sets out to tell a very complete story - one that is typical of RPGs, starting with a creation myth and ending with a rebellion against the gods. It also has the benefit of being a mainline entry in the series, giving extraordinary detail to the overarching history of Ivalice. Spoilers follow for Final Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy Tactics.ĭespite being made around a decade after Tactics, Final Fantasy XII marks the earliest known point in Ivalician history.

What even fewer realize is that the events of Final Fantasy XII may have subtle hints towards many major plot points from Tactics, including a mysterious 'cataclysm' that changed the face of Ivalice. (Matsuno is known for creating multi-episode epics spanning several games, as seen in his Ogre series, which tell an interconnected story complete with episode numbers.) What many don't realize is that the two games take place in the same universe, separated by over a thousand years worth of time.

Two, they take place in the world of Ivalice. Below I will posit my theory that the 'heroes' of Final Fantasy XII accidentally caused a great catastrophe to happen, and were responsible for the Lucavi plot that happens in Tactics.įinal Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy Tactics, the tactical RPG spinoff from the '90s, share two things in common.

I've always loved the world of Ivalice, and while the two games seem connected only through thematic similarities and use of similar names and motifs, I think there is a strong underlying narrative connecting the two titles if you read between the lines.

I thought I'd post it here, where people will actually read it. This was an article I had published on a now dead website from my time as a freelance journalist, and it now rests in the graveyard that is my blog.

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