As great as the mainlineFinal Fantasygames may be, not many of them have been able to surpass the hit spin-off,Final Fantasy Tactics, from a quality point of view.Final Fantasy Tacticsis exactly as its name implies: it’s a tactical role-playing game with aFinal Fantasycoat of paint. The game was released exclusively for the original PlayStation in June 1997, only a few months after the genre-definingFinal Fantasy 7. Despite launching in a relatively crowded timeframe,Final Fantasy Tacticsattracted a lot of attention from gaming media outlets back in the day, and it was regarded as a masterpiece by many fans.
Like many of Square Enix’s popular RPGs,Final Fantasy Tacticshas been re-released and rebuilt for multiple platforms throughout the course of its existence. Apparently, though, the company isn’t done with the game just yet. Over the last couple of years, there have been several rumors about aFinal FantasyTacticsremake that’s reportedly in the works. The game was first leaked in the infamous Nvidia data breach of 2021, and its existence was later corroborated by Bloomberg’s ever-credible insider, Jason Schreier, in 2024. Although some developers from Square Enix have denied the rumors about the game, thisFinal Fantasy Tacticsremakeseems to be a real thing. If it does actually release, hopefully Square Enix won’t forget to include a major job class from the game’s PSP version.
A Remake of Final Fantasy Tactics Should Include the Onion Knight Job Class
The PSP Version of FF Tactics Introduced Many New Features, Like the Onion Knight Job Class
In 2007, Square Enix broughtFinal Fantasy TacticstoSony’s popular handheld console, the PlayStation Portable. This edition of the game wasn’t just a simple port, however. It was an upgraded re-release with a brand-new name:Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions. This new version of the game was essentially remade from the ground up for the PSP, and it contained a bunch of additional features that weren’t present in its PS1 counterpart.Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lionsincluded a completely new English translation, as well as a new multiplayer mode, some new animated cutscenes, 16:9 widescreen support, and even a few new playable characters, such as Balthier fromFinal Fantasy 12.
One of the more interesting new features inFinal Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lionswas the Onion Knight job class. Like their name implies, Onion Knights are young little knights with onion-shaped hats. Despite their somewhat silly appearance, they’ve been around in theFinal Fantasyfranchise for quite some time. The Onion Knight class made its first appearance in the originalFamicom version ofFinal Fantasy 3. It then appeared in several otherFinal Fantasytitles over the years, including spin-offs and mainline entries.
Even Though Its Stats are Initially Weak, The Onion Knight is One of the Best Classes in the Game
Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions' rendition of the Onion Knight class was not very different from its predecessors. The Onion Knights in the game had basic, underwhelming stats and no real abilities, unlike most of the other job classes. They were also relatively weak, at least at the start of the game. Their base attack and MP were low, they couldn’t gain experience points from levels, and they had a measly physical evasion rate of just 5%. In spite of these downsides, though, the Onion Knights could gradually become one of themost powerful classesin the entire game.
InFinal Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions, players can train their Onion Knights by maximizing other job classes. For every two jobs a player masters, the ranks of their Onion Knights go up by one point. Once fourteen jobs in the game have been mastered, the Onion Knight’s stats will become the highest out of all the classes. These knights are not only able to deal insane amounts of damage to enemies once this occurs, but they also become nearly invincible thanks to their uniqueOnion equipment. Since the Onion Knight is such an interesting job class, Square Enix should prioritize bringing it back in the rumoredFinal FantasyTacticsremake.
