Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Image: Square Enix

Game Boy Advance tactical RPG Final Fantasy Tactics Advance is now 20 years old.

The game launched in Japan on February 14th, 2003, and served as a spin-off from 1997's Final Fantasy Tactics, rather than a direct sequel. It would arrive in North America on September 8th and Europe on October 24th, with Nintendo handling publishing duties for the western versions.

While it's part of the same series as the PlayStation original, the storyline for Final Fantasy Tactics Advance jettisons the dense political intrigue in favour of a fantasy setting involving a group of modern-day children who find themselves transported to the realm of Ivalice, The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe-style, and focuses on their quest to get back to their own world.

Despite coming under some criticism for its dumbed-down plot, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance was both a critical and commercial success, selling over a million copies in the west alone. It spawned a 2007 sequel – Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift – on the Nintendo DS, but since then, there have sadly been no further entries in the Final Fantasy Tactics franchise.

Hopefully, the rumoured remaster of the original 1997 game will give the series a new lease of life, but for now, let us know if you'll be booting this one up in honour of it reaching its 20th birthday.