When it comes to the Final Fantasy Tactics games, the role-playing game elements and tactical battles went hand-in-hand in a way that made Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy Tactics Advance such a deliciously satisfying experience. The tactical RPG series makes a return on the Nintendo DS - that is now hardly a stranger to the fantastical worlds of the Final Fantasy series - with Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift.

In Grimoire of the Rift, a young High school student named Luso finds himself in trouble yet again. His grades have been slipping and his teacher thinks he should spend his summer studying and cleaning up after the school library. Upon entering the library, Luso encounters an old book filled with empty pages expect for a few words that ask for the name of a champion. As Luso writes his own name on said book, he is transported to the land of Ivalice where his life is immediately in danger. Luckily for him, there are members of a clan that come to his aid and ask him if he would like to join. Luso does so in hopes of finding answers to why he is here and how to get back to his own world.

Of course, this is far from an easy task seeing as Ivalice is filled with monsters, bandits and other fantastical creatures Final Fantasy fans know well. It’s a world filled with Chocobos, lovely bunny-eared women known as Viera and the cute diminutive Moogles. Luso finds himself joining the Clan Gully led by the powerful Cid who helps the young lad discover how he got here in the first place. As a member of the clan, Luso makes himself useful by helping his new friends complete missions offered up in the local pub where the group hangs out.

In the beginning of the game, you are prompted to answer a few personality trait quests that help flesh out your character as well as determine his strengths and weaknesses. Don’t worry if you think you got the answers wrong because, in the end, you won’t be stuck with a job you don’t like. The job system allows you to sample just about all the numerous jobs the game has to offer such as Ninja, Thief or White Mage just to name a few of the many job classes offered in the game. You can even switch jobs during battles, which helps level out the playfield when things look rather bleak. Knowing when to balance your party out is important so you’ll have to know when you need a Black Mage (to pull off destructive magic such as Lightning) as well as an Archer (for when you need to take down enemies from afar).

It’s great to see the clan system make its return from Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced so managing your party well means juicy rewards that raises your clan’s skills. Teamwork is definitely the key to winning battles in the game and you’ll get far if you keep that in mind … although you don’t control Cid. Speaking of battles, the battle system has a few tweaks and changes over Advanced but it’s nothing considerably new. What gamers will notice the most is that battles are way too long and this will not sit well with those who are used to a quicker pace that other role-playing games or strategy games possess. In fact, the game drags out a few other things and break up the pace. I almost wince every time I have business in the shops.

The turn-based battles take place within a gird and each member of your unit moves differently and, obviously enough, attacks differently as well. This also being a game of strategy, it is up to you how you set up your unit and when to use their abilities. As you play, you’ll be unlocking not only new jobs but also a variety of other abilities you can set your clan mates with along the way. Before a battle begins, you will be visited by a sort of mystical knight known as the Judge. The Judge sets up laws for each battle that you are rewarded for meeting and punished for ignoring. For instance, the Judge might set up a condition that requires a magic-user not unleash Lightning during battle. If you complete a battle without using Lightning, you are rewarded with powerful items or weapons. If you use Lightning, on the other hand, you are punished by not earning special privileges (like increasing the damage you can dish out) or have the ability to revive a fallen comrade.

Impressively enough, the game isn’t limited by only a few quests but rather you can complete somewhere in the vicinity of 300 or so quests. Yes, there are some quests that feel similar to others (e.g. crushing bandits harassing folks trying to get to town) but this doesn’t make them any less fun. Quests are issued in pubs by speaking with the tavern keeper who has a list of quests posted by people in need. One quest has you chasing out wolves from a Chocobo farm while others have you trying to clear a path from monsters.

One interesting new element to the game is the ability to put up loot you managed to recover from a battle and put it up in the bazaar where interested parties will put up new items instantly. This certainly beats having to keep coming back to shops to see if their inventory has changed. There are even auctions in the game for better items. If they don’t have what you need you can always trade with other gamers online via the game’s Wi-Fi capabilities. Control-wise, the game feels right at home on the DS, although I found very little use for my Stylus or the touch screen to advance the story.

Graphically, Final Fantasy Tactics A2 looks just as charming as the story itself with its detailed environments and anime-styled characters. Past Final Fantasy games on the DS impressed gamers with its gorgeous production values and flashy visual effects and this game is no different. Even the game’s sound scores big points with its eclectic soundtrack and detailed sound effects that make up for the fact that all the dialogue is handled through text.

In the end, Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift is one of those Nintendo DS games that are so charming and so utterly engrossing that you can’t help but be swept away by the game. The game is far from serious but its sweetness and cute characters don’t stop it from being a compelling and fun story that makes the game one of those impressive handheld gems you will not want to miss even if you’re not a fan of the Final Fantasy series. Trust me, DS owners; you will not regret spending your summer in Ivalice.

Gameplay: 9.0
Without really breaking new ground in tactical gameplay, the game is still able to give you plenty to think about during the excessively long battles. Character and job classes offer something different on the battlefield and this is good news seeing as there are hundreds of quests to take on aside from the main quest.

Graphics: 9.0
It’s not often you come across impressive visuals like the ones seen in Final Fantasy Tactics A2. The backgrounds and characters look like FF-themed anime and that’s not a bad thing at all. Even the visual effects are flashy and awesome.

Sound: 9.2
Also impressive is the game’s sound that offers a more than decent soundtrack and great sound effects scattered throughout.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
The battles are actually challenging and even more so since they seem to drag on longer than other games in the genre. You are not only tasked with successfully winning a match but also to adhere to the battle conditions and management of your party.

Concept: 9.0
The story’s premise might sound unoriginal but it’s actually cute and oftentimes endearing. There are jobs aplenty and you can change them if you want to try your hand as a White Mage or a Thief. The loads of quests are also quite impressive so there’s no shortage of things to do in this game. You can even trade items with a friend online.

Multiplayer: 7.5
Sadly, the game doesn’t allow you to quest with other gamers online but you can trade items and weapons with others gamers looking for items you can both benefit from using. It’s good to have but I would have loved actual multiplayer fun.

Overall: 9.0
One of the most enjoyable and charming Final Fantasy games to come out on the Nintendo DS; Final Fantasy Tactics A2 is one of those games that does justice to the genre as well as the franchise. There are things that I wish the game included as well as left out but in the end, what we have here is a deep and rewarding game.