Final Fantasy Tactics Advance Final Fantasy Tactics Advance is a strategy role - playing game for the Game Boy Advance . It is not a remake or a direct sequel to " Final Fantasy Tactics " , but takes place in the same setting , Ivalice . The gameplay is similar with a few exceptions . The player is free to put together a group of fighters known as a " clan " , and control their actions over grid - like battlefields . For the most part , players are free to decide the party ' s classes , abilities , and statistics . " Final Fantasy Tactics Advance " spawned a sequel , " " . The game begins in a modern world , in a city called St . Ivalice , and in the initial stages controls and actions are explained . The main character , Marche , his brother Doned , their friend Ritz , and fellow classmate Mewt , find a strange book that transports them to a fantasy world . Gameplay . The player takes the role of Marche , who is accepted into a clan and must organize its members and take part in various missions to gain experience and status . The missions of varying difficulty are offered in pub s scattered around the world map , and a fee must be paid to partake ; they are essential to advancing the story and obtaining valuable items and experience points . Some missions require a special item to accept it ; this may mean another mission must be done first . Others require a certain skill or job class . The enemy parties consist of monsters , bosses , or members of each of the five humanoid races who populate Ivalice . The player guides their units ' actions across the three - dimensional battlefield in turn - based gameplay . The four types of missions include regular , encounter , dispatch , and area . Marche ' s party ventures to a particular location to do battle in regular missions , and many are used to advance the story . In encounter missions Marche ' s group battles a rival mercenary clan by purchasing a mission , or by meeting them while moving about the map . They are represented by a character icon that freely moves about , and sometimes must be pursued to engage in combat with them . Dispatch missions do not involve battle , and the player must temporarily send away one party member for a time to complete it . Area missions are usually a dispatch mission where Marche ' s clan can liberate certain regions to obtain bonuses and discounts at shop s . The world map is initially empty save for the starting location . The map is customized as the player wins " area tokens " after completing certain missions . The tokens are placed in slots on the world map of the player ' s choice and represent different terrains and settlements , such as plains , mountains , deserts , forest s , and town s . Depending on the placement of the tokens , items are rewarded but to get to them the player must travel to the newly placed location and engage in a " treasure hunt " . A menu will appear above the location and enable the player to select this option , and the game automatically scans the area for items , which are put into the items menu for future use . There are two side plots : the Redwing Arc and the Judge Arc . The Redwing Arc centers around the Redwings clan , a foreign crime ring , their subordinate clan Borzoi , and their smuggled foreign monsters . The other is the Judge Arc , unlockable after beating the main three hundred missions . This serves as an alternative ending . Multiplayer is available for up to two players using a link - cable peripheral , which enables battle against one another and to trade items and party members . Additional missions and items are offered when players link . Job system . There are 25 classes that govern a character ' s stats , equipment , and abilities . Most items that can be equipped have various abilities , each available for use by characters of a certain job while the item is equipped . When a battle is completed , characters will receive Ability Points ( AP ) distributed over their currently equipped abilities . Once a target amount of AP has been accumulated for a given ability , the character will master it allowing them to use it at any time , regardless of items equipped and job chosen . Mastery of abilities in different jobs will eventually allow the character access to more jobs . Units have a primary job that determines the stat boosts they receive when they level up and the attributes associated with that class . A unit may also have a secondary job where they can use any abilities of the selected job , but with the stat profile of the primary job . For example , an Assassin with a Sniper secondary job can use abilities from both jobs , but has the stat profile and appearance of an Assassin . The five races . In addition to human s ( called Humes in later renditions ) , there are four character races . Moogles , represented most prominently by Marche Radiuju ' s best friend in Ivalice , Montblanc , are small and friendly . Their jobs inflict status effects and have surprisingly high defensive stat growth despite not having a class like the Paladin or the Defender . Nu mou specialize in magic , and have one melee job , the Morpher . Bangaa are the most physically tough , specializing in melee . Viera are an entirely female species who can be ranged , melee , or magic , with all their jobs speed - based , and are the most versatile race along with humans . Each race has a list of jobs they can be , many of which ( though not all ) will be unique to them , and each race has access to its own Totema . The shops in various towns will have discounts on items for particular races . Each race is tied to a Totema , which can be called for an attack , providing the user has defeated the Totema and has ten Judge Points . The five Totema are : The Law System . In a battle , a judge is present on the map who will not fight for either side , but will merely move about , keeping himself out of the way . At times , he will move the unconscious bodies , of enemies and allies alike , from one space to another . Laws are set by judges , invincible arbiters present at each battle , with some exceptions . Laws may forbid the use of certain weapons , items , elemental spells , or status changes . Breaking a law results in punishment by carding , the receipt of a red or yellow card . Imprisonment happens if a character infringes a law twice or knocks out another unit with a forbidden ability or weapon . Jagd s have no judges or laws ; units knocked out in the jagds will die and permanently leave the clan if they are not revived by the end of the battle . To offset the difficulty of having things forbidden for use , there are certain things that are recommended by the judges , and grant Judge Points . Judge Points ( JP ) are used to carry out combos with nearby allies or to summon a Totema . JP are also received upon killing an opponent . Later in the game , the player can add new Laws and cast " Antilaws " to nullify laws that are already in effect . Law and Antilaw Cards . After Marche rescues Ezel Berbier , he will have access to Law and Antilaw Cards used to change the laws in effect on the battlefield . Law Cards ( white ) impose new laws , though the maximum number of Laws cannot be exceeded . Antilaw Cards ( black ) nullify laws that are already in effect . These can be used to grant a tactical advantage during battle , as enemies must obey the law or they will suffer the same penalties the heroes do ( assuming they are not wearing Hero Medals ) . On two occasions , cutscenes show characters using special Antilaws to help Marche out : Ezel uses one to avoid capture by Cid , and Cid uses one to nullify Llednar Twem ' s protective Fortune Law , rendering him vulnerable . Jagds . Although Laws govern the majority of Ivalice , there are three lawless locations called jagds , which judges avoid . No actions are forbidden , nor can Judge Points be earned . A character that is KO ' d in these locations will , unless revived before the end of the battle , permanently leave the party ( and in the case of Marche , a Game Over will occur ) . This applies to Montblanc and any other " storyline characters " , including Ritz Malheur . The three jagds are : Jagd Dorsa , Jagd Helje , and Jagd Ahli . Story . Marche and his sick brother , Doned , moved into St . Ivalice following their mother who believed a change in environment would be good for Doned ' s health . The Radiuju family had lived in a hot place where it never snowed . At school , Marche receives the nickname " New Kid " by the bullies Lyle , Colin , and Guinness , and is teased at for being quiet like " a little girl " , but he ignores them . He befriends Mewt Randell , and Ritz Malheur , the Class Head . After school , Marche and his new friends meet at his house to look at Mewt ' s new book on monsters and magic . On their way to Marche ' s house , Marche explains about Doned , his little brother , who always visits the hospital for his unknown illness . They encounter Mewt Randell ' s father , Cid , who greets Mewt and asks if he had a nice day . Ritz comments they rarely find a father acting like that . In the Japanese version , Cid appears drunk , while in the English version some citizens are charging him money . Mewt explains that after his mother died his family went into financial trouble . After the conversation between Mewt and Cid , they continue on to Marche ' s house which is " the house with the yellow roof " . As Marche arrives at the house he encounters Doned , who sits in a wheelchair . Doned inquires how Marche is doing and after Marche answers he had a snowball fight , Doned teases him that he cannot play sports well . Ritz and Mewt come to Marche ' s house and introduce themselves . Mewt opens the old book , which has the illustration of the bangaa , viera , nu mou , human , and moogle . Ritz states the language written on the book looks like Latin , and Mewt reads " Alta Oron Sondus Kameela " . The kids think it would be great if a game world like " Final Fantasy " becomes the real world . As the kids sleep St . Ivalice transforms into a dream Ivalice ; the snowy landscape changes into a hot climate filled with fantasy creatures . When Marche wakes up he finds himself stranded in a strange land . Unintentionally offending a bangaa , he receives Montblanc ' s help who becomes his guide in the country called Ivalice , and joins Montblanc ' s clan , Clan Nutsy . Marche makes it his mission to return the world to normal and to find his friends . While on the mission " Twisted Flow " , Marche is transported into a strange dimension with a crystal . Before he can approach it , a being known as Famfrit appears , proclaiming himself a Totema , a defender of the crystal . Marche engages the Totema in battle and is victorious . After Famfrit joins Marche ' s cause , the crystal shatters and an image of Mewt in pain appears . A voice tells Marche that what he destroyed was one of the world threads , and that if all are destroyed , a new world would be born . Taking this as a hint on how to get his world back , Marche resolves to destroy the world threads . Marche ' s next mission introduces him to the famous Ezel Berbier , who is under attack from several warriors aligned with the judges . After helping Ezel , Marche is shown first hand the power of the Anti - Law cards . From then on , Ezel considers Marche a close friend and valuable customer . In the mission " Hot Awakening " Marche finds the next world thread . While at Roda Volcano , an earthquake opens up the portal to the crystal . He is confronted by the next Totema , or at least one of its forms , the Ultima Crystals . Upon defeating Ultima and shattering the crystal , another image of Mewt appears , this time demanding to know who is trying to destroy his dream world . When Marche returns to Ivalice , he has second thoughts about going about destroying his friend ' s world . During the mission " Pale Company " Marche is ordered to find a ghost . Entering the Nargai Cave , Marche finds a spirit , and follows it into a portal and into a crystal chamber . The ghost is here too , but is absorbed by the next Totema , Adrammelech , who claims only his master may approach the crystal . After defeating him and shattering the crystal , Marche finds himself back in the cave where Babus Swain is waiting for him . Before Babus can do anything , another image of a pained Mewt appears . Babus asks Marche whether it is worth causing Mewt so much pain to revert the world . Later at Muscadet , Marche finds judges taking away people for questioning , as they look for the people trying to destroy the world . When Marche sees a moogle being mistreated he runs in and claims he is who they are looking for . The judge sends in some units to see if he truly is whom they want . After defeating the units , Judgemaster Cid appears and takes Marche in for questioning . While Cid wants to know why he is destroying the world threads , another portal opens taking in Marche , Cid , and Babus . Inside the chamber Marche concludes this Totema is severely weakened as the Exodus Fruit can do nothing . Babus claims he will not allow anyone to destroy the crystal and tries to defend Exodus . Upon destroying all the fruit and Babus , the crystal shatters , and Marche and Cid are exposed to a scene from their past , and Cid regains his memories . Now realizing what Marche is doing is right , Cid allows him to leave . On the mission " Desert Patrol " , Marche finds his brother , Doned , who has regained the use of his legs . Instead of being equally happy to see his older brother , Doned runs to the nearest clan group and turns Marche in . Dumbfounded , Marche fights off the group and wonders what is wrong with Doned . During the mission " Quiet Sands " Marche encounters his biggest threat yet , the mysterious Llednar Twem , who tells Marche to leave the Delia Dunes . Before he can ask why , they are pulled into another crystal chamber where Llednar tries to kill Marche with his ultimate technique , Omega . Cid appears and uses an Anti - Law to disable it . The two engage in battle , but Marche is no match for him . When Llednar breaks a law Cid red cards him and sends him away . Marche is confronted by the final Totema , Mateus , who tries to trick Marche out of his will to fight . When Mateus is defeated , the crystal shatters , but the world does not revert . Queen Remedi ' s voice proclaims that even without the crystals , the world will remain as long as someone wants it to . Realizing his friends want the world to stay , Marche sets out to convince them to revert the world . Marche watches other people having a conversation about giving gifts . Montblanc explains it is because the Audience Day is approaching . Also known as Gift Day , it is a special day where everyone gives Prince Mewt gifts . Whoever has the best gift gets to meet him . Knowing it will be a chance to talk to Mewt , the clan sets out to get a gift , some Materite . In the Materiwoods the clan is ambushed by a group of viera bandits who knew Marche would be there . Upon defeating the bandits , Marche realizes it must have been Doned who told them where to find him . Doned appears and claims he does not want to go back since he has nothing and Marche has everything , shattering the Materite the clan had come to claim . Doned runs off with Marche exclaiming Doned did have something he had always wanted . They make a gift in time to present to Mewt with Nono ' s invention , the " lugaborg " ( a possible reference to the boss " Lugaborg " from Final Fantasy IV ) . Marche is worried because Ivalice has a bounty on his head , but Montblanc tries to calm him down . Inside the palace they are ambushed in the waiting room by the castle guards . After dealing with the initial batch , Babus appears to help them , wanting to know more about the other world . Taking them to the throne room , Marche approaches an angry Mewt and tries to reason with him , but is cut short by Queen Remedi , who teleports Mewt away . They are confronted by Llednar , who is invincible to anything they throw at him . Cid arrives scaring to run away . Babus and Cid promise to find where Mewt has gone . While the others look for Mewt , Marche searches for his brother . He goes to a mythril vein and starts digging , which gets Doned ' s attention . After disposing of his goons , Marche tells Doned he always envied the attention he got and he wishes he was as loved as him . Doned realizes it is wrong to be selfish and agrees to help Marche revert the world . After finding Mewt is hiding in Ambervale , Marche starts his trek there . On the mountain path he is confronted by his other friend , Ritz , who wants the world to stay and attacks . Upon her defeat , she accepts her fate and allows Marche ' s clan through . At Ambervale , Marche has a final engagement with Llednar , and using Ezel ' s ultimate Anti - Law , dispels his protection , allowing him to defeat Mewt ' s evil side once and for all . Inside Marche confronts Queen Remedi , and knocks her out . Marche begins to convince Mewt the world is not good for him and they should go home . Before Mewt can be fully convinced , Queen Remedi reveals her true form , the Li - Grim , the final world thread and the collection of all the world ' s wishes . Marche defeats her , convincing Mewt , who summons the Gran Grimoire and takes them all home . Back in St . Ivalice , snow is falling and they learn to appreciate their lives outside the realm of fantasy . Ritz accepts her white hair after Shara tells her it is considered a blessing by the viera ; Cid meets Biggs , his former business subordinate ; Marche and Mewt defend themselves against Lyle , Guinness , and Colin . When they call Marche " New Kid " , he asks them to call him by his real name . Doned gains will and helps another boy to play " Final Fantasy " . Development . Rumors of the game ' s development began when Square announced its publishing agreement with Nintendo , and it was later confirmed by the producer Yasumi Matsuno . The development team was constructed from employees of Quest Corporation , and work began in February 2002 . This comes after Quest announced the handover of its software development team to Square , of which the former is famed for its " Tactics Ogre " series . Initially thought of as a port of " Final Fantasy Tactics " , " Final Fantasy Tactics Advance " was developed with a new storyline and setting , and received significant changes to make it more user - friendly for the Game Boy Advance handheld console ; e . g . a quick - save function . " Final Fantasy Tactics Advance " uses the gameplay of " Final Fantasy Tactics " , but introduces certain changes , such as a customizable map for the world of Ivalice . While built for the Game Boy Advance , " Final Fantasy Tactics Advance ' s " graphics are vibrantly colored and detailed , and though environments and characters are sprite - based , facial expressions are identifiable and many motion frames have been given to create a smooth animation . The game introduces an option to switch between three display modes . Two of the modes are optimized for gameplay on GBA and the new GBA SP , and one mode may display the game into a television screen using certain peripherals . In Japan , the " Final Fantasy Tactics Advance " story was expanded and broadcast in Japanese radio stations . The radio drama titled " Final Fantasy Tactics Advance Radio Edition " was broadcast in four radio stations within Japan from early January 2003 to late March 2003 . Differences between Japanese and American versions . In the Japanese version , not only can the player not steal boots , but gloves cannot be stolen either . However , the player can steal Blue Mage abilities . The Law system contains only prohibited action . Some are JP - only laws , for example " Don ' t inflict damage above 20 point " or " Don ' t Cure lower than 50 point . " There ' s no picture graphic to show job - availability for each item . Instead of picture graphics , they show it with abbreviation of each job . There is a special feature in " Final Fantasy Tactics A2 " that only occurs when a " Final Fantasy Tactics Advance " game card is in the GBA slot of the Nintendo DS while the " Final Fantasy Tactics A2 " game card is in the DS slot . The setup unlocks the Clan Privilege Libra in " Final Fantasy Tactics A2 " . Music . " " is composed by Nobuo Uematsu , Hitoshi Sakimoto , Kaori Ohkoshi , and Ayako Saso . It has a remix album named " " , and an Japanese exclusive advertisement song named " Shiroi Hana " .