When Final Fantasy VII was released in 1997, it brought the JRPG genre into the mainstream. The next Final Fantasy game would be released a year later, yet it would remain in the shadow of VII. Final Fantasy Tactics was a highly acclaimed game on the original PlayStation, but it was not as big of a seller as the other titles in the series.

While Final Fantasy VII is the most famous game in the series, it has aged very poorly. In comparison, Final Fantasy Tactics is still as great now as it was when it was released. It has beautiful sprite art, an amazing score, incredibly addictive gameplay, and a story that wouldn't seem out of place on Game of Thrones. 

We are here today to look into the most unjustly underappreciated game in the Final Fantasy series. From the bizarre game that almost bore its name, to the true fate of its protagonists.

Here are 15 Things You Never Knew About Final Fantasy Tactics!

15. The Original Final Fantasy Tactics

In 1996, Squaresoft released a new RPG on the Super Famicom. It was called Bahamut Lagoon, and it had a very unusual premise. The setting of Bahamut Lagoon was a series of floating continents, each of them holding their own cities and cultures. You play as Byuu, the leader of a squad of dragon riders. The core gameplay involves you training and feeding your dragons, in order to make them stronger in combat. While Bahamut Lagoon was never released outside of Japan, the game has received a fan translation that allows it to be played in English.

The main reason we never received Bahamut Lagoon in the West was due to the fact that it was created near the end of the Super Nintendo's lifespan. During its creation, it was originally called Final Fantasy Tactics, as the game has a few connections and references with the Final Fantasy series. This name was dropped, and given to the Final Fantasy Tactics that was released a year later in Japan.

14. The Japanese Sound Novels

As you progress through the story of Final Fantasy Tactics, you will be given the opportunity to send some of your party off on specific missions. These usually involve them disappearing for a few days worth of travel, and returning with lots of experience & job points, and occasionally, some unique items. Your characters can discover either Artefacts (items that come from other Final Fantasy games and real world mythology) or Wonders (abandoned locations from other Final Fantasy games). The Artefacts and Wonders have no in-game effect and just exist as fan service.

In the Japanese version of Final Fantasy Tactics, there are a series of minigames that can be unlocked by discovering certain Artefacts. These are known as "Sound Novels", and they are essentially short versions of the Choose Your Own Adventure series of gamebooks. The Sound Novels follow the adventures of different characters from the history of Ivalice.

The Sound Novels were left untranslated in the English version of Final Fantasy Tactics, which was likely due to time restraints. They were not restored for the War of the Lions version of the game on the PlayStation Portable  either.

13. The Young Saint Ajora

In the world of Final Fantasy Tactics, the most prominent religion is the church of Glabados. The priests of this faith worship a figure known as Saint Ajora, who existed over a thousand years ago. Ajora was said to be a prophet of god, who was betrayed by Germonique, who was one of his disciples. When Ajora was killed, the city of Mullonde was destroyed by a tidal wave, which many saw as an act of god.

Throughout Ramza's journey, he discovers that there is more to the story of Saint Ajora than what the church believed. Final Fantasy XII also confused matters further, by claiming that Saint Ajora was also a woman (something that is ed in the last battle of Final Fantasy Tactics).

It seems that we were originally going to see more of Saint Ajora's story. There is an unused character portrait for him hidden within the files of Final Fantasy Tactics. This has led fans to believe that we may have seen a flashback of Saint Ajora during his lifetime, or that he was going to have a bigger role in the story.

12. The Scrapped Hospital Battle

Final Fantasy Tactics is at its most difficult when it changes the rules. Most battles in the game take place between two groups of enemies, that are placed on either side of the field. There are points in the game when Ramza is separated from the other of his party, or the enemy is given a key location advantage (like starting out with Archers who are in high spots that are hard to reach).

At one point in Final Fantasy Tactics development, there was meant to be another experimental battle in the game. There are a series of four maps that were supposed to represent a hospital in the slums. They would have connected to each other through a series of doors, which would you allow a character to move between areas. No one is sure what purpose this location would have been used for, but the idea of a battle that restricts party to different maps would have made for an interesting battle.

11. Let's Do The Time Mage Warp

Like most games in the Final Fantasy series, Tactics has its fair share of bugs and glitches. One of the most infamous involves an unusual character whom many believed was an intentional inclusion by the developers.

Should you attempt to complete the Midnight's Deep dungeon, then you have a chance of encountering a male Time Mage on the 1st floor. If killed, this Time Mage will use the female death scream sound. Should you make this Time Mage the party (using the Invite command), then he will retain his unique gender. While this Time Mage uses the male job sprites, they can also use all the female exclusive items and classes. Should you transform them into the Dancer class,  then they will look like the Bard, but possess all of the Dancer's abilities. This unit is often referred to as the "Dragqueen" by fans.

When Final Fantasy Tactics received an updated port on the PlayStation Portable, the Time Mage was removed from this version of the game. This has confirmed that their presence was unintentional, and was caused by a glitch.

10. The Rare Encounters

Final Fantasy Tactics has often been accused of being both the easiest and most difficult game in the series. It is considered to be too easy, due to some of the extremely powerful job/ability combinations that you can create. This is to say nothing of the overpowered guest characters that can your party. Final Fantasy Tactics is also known for being extremely difficult, due to some unfairly hard battles. The Dorter Trade City fight stacks the odds against you, while Riovanes Castle waits to throw some of the most brutally difficult battles in the game at you, without giving the player a chance to go and level grind.

To those seeking more of a challenge in Final Fantasy Tactics, there are some incredibly rare battles that are worth seeking out. Chances are, you will not see these battles during a regular playthrough.

The first pits you against eleven Monks at once. This battle can be found on Grog Hill. You will be in for a rough ride here, as the Monk job is one of the most overpowered in the game.

In the Yuguewood, it is possible to battle against seven Samurais at once. This is most likely a reference to the movie Seven Samurai.

The third battle takes place on Barius Hill and has you fighting against a collection of some of the most powerful monsters in the game.

9. The Real Overpowered Character

One of the most notorious characters in Final Fantasy Tactics is Cidolfus Orlandeau, who is often referred to as Thunder God Cid. He is a former general of the Order of the Southern Sky, who is framed for the murder of Duke Goltanna by Delita. This was part of a larger plan by Delita, as he intended for Cid to escape and to Ramza. Delita knew that Cid would be a major asset in Ramza's quest to stop the Lucavi.

If you allow Cid to the party, then the rest of the game becomes a joke. Not only does Cid possess most of the unique special attacks, but his job (the Sword Saint) has the highest stat growth in the game. He also comes equipped with a powerful Excalibur sword, which grants auto-haste.

There is another unique character who is actually more powerful than Cid. Ramza will have the opportunity to invite Agrias Oaks, the Holy Knight, into the party. Agrias has access to a range of powerful sword attacks, and can also equip a female exclusive item, known as the Chantage. This is a perfume that grants her the auto-raise ability. If you have more than one female party member that uses the Chantage, then your party cannot be defeated by anything that a one turn party kill.

8. L...i....t...t...l...e M...o...n...e...y

One of the earliest cutscenes in Final Fantasy Tactics shows Ramza and Delita during their days at the Academy. They are given a speech by one of their instructors, before being dispatched to deal with a group of bandits. Before this scene plays out, we are shown text on the screen which discusses the current situation in Ivalice. After a long war, many soldiers returned home, only to find themselves destitute. This caused many people to turn rogue, which lead to the formation of a revolutionary group, known as the Corpse Brigade.

The most peculiar thing about the text during this scene is how slowly it plays at a certain point. When the words "little money" appear on screen, each individual letter shows up at an incredibly slow pace, as if the game is trying to draw attention to this point.

When comparing the English localisation of the game to the versions released in other languages, it seems that this was a glitch. The text plays at a consistent speed in the non-English versions of the game.

7. The Nose Controversy

Fans have waited a long time for a true sequel to Final Fantasy Tactics. While the Advance series of games are entertaining enough on their own, they lack the drama and setting that made the original Tactics so good. With the game's creator, Yasumi Matsuno, leaving Square Enix in 2005, the chances of a proper Tactics sequel arriving are slim.

While Final Fantasy Tactics might be gone, for the time being, that doesn't mean it is forgotten. The characters and music from the game have appeared in the Theatrhythm series, and Ramza has appeared in several of Square Enix's mobile games.

The Dissidia Final Fantasy series has a new entry in the arcades, which will likely see a release on the PlayStation 4 in the future. Ramza Beoulve is one of the new playable characters in the game. His appearance was not without controversy, however, as he now has a nose. No one in Final Fantasy Tactics had a nose, which was an intentional aesthetic choice. According to the character designer of the game, there were serious discussions over whether Ramza should have a nose.

6. The Short Second Life Of Argath Thadalfus

One of the most despicable characters in the Final Fantasy series is Argath (originally known as Algus in the PlayStation version of Tactics). He is not some wannabe god monster with anime hair, whose motives and personality are not meant to be taken seriously. Argath looks down on the people he is sworn to protect, for no other reason than he believes himself to be above the common people. He murders Delita's sister, Teta, in order to get to the man who is holding her hostage. Argath needs to be killed for the proceeding battle to end, though you will likely want to do this anyway, as revenge for Teta's death.

When Final Fantasy Tactics received an updated port for the PlayStation Portable, it included some new story content. You can meet Argath in battle once more, as he has returned to the world as an undead Deathknight. This gives you another chance to get revenge on Argath, and this time, it is even sweeter. In order to return to Ivalice, Argath sold his soul to the Lucavi. As his body is destroyed for the second time, he will return to a much darker fate in the afterlife.