<s>
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
Tactics	I-Application
A2	I-Application
:	I-Application
Grimoire	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Rift	I-Application
is	O
a	O
tactical	O
role-playing	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Square	O
Enix	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
handheld	B-Application
game	I-Application
console	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Releasing	O
in	O
2007	O
in	O
Japan	O
and	O
2008	O
in	O
the	O
West	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
a	O
sequel	O
to	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
Tactics	I-Application
Advance	I-Application
and	O
forms	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Ivalice	O
Alliance	O
,	O
a	O
group	O
of	O
games	O
set	O
in	O
the	O
titular	O
fictional	O
universe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
features	O
cameo	O
appearances	O
from	O
central	O
and	O
supporting	O
characters	O
from	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
XII	I-Application
,	O
a	O
title	O
set	O
in	O
Ivalice	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tactics	B-Application
A2	I-Application
follows	O
a	O
young	O
man	O
named	O
Luso	O
Clemens	O
after	O
he	O
is	O
transported	O
through	O
a	O
magical	O
book	O
to	O
the	O
world	O
of	O
Ivalice	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gameplay	O
carries	O
over	O
mechanics	O
from	O
Tactics	B-Application
Advance	I-Application
including	O
turn-based	B-Application
combat	I-Application
on	O
a	O
grid	O
,	O
a	O
themed	O
Job	O
system	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
"	O
Law	O
"	O
system	O
placing	O
limitations	O
on	O
player	O
action	O
during	O
battles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
planned	O
for	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
prior	O
to	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
's	O
worldwide	O
commercial	O
success	O
,	O
the	O
project	O
began	O
development	O
in	O
2006	O
with	O
the	O
aim	O
of	O
expanding	O
on	O
the	O
elements	O
of	O
Tactics	B-Application
Advance	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Director	O
Yuichi	O
Murasawa	O
,	O
artist	O
Ryoma	O
Ito	O
,	O
and	O
composer	O
Hitoshi	O
Sakimoto	O
all	O
returned	O
from	O
Tactics	B-Application
Advance	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
English	O
translation	O
was	O
done	O
by	O
Alexander	O
O	O
.	O
Smith	O
and	O
Joseph	O
Reeder	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
worked	O
on	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
XII	I-Application
and	O
Vagrant	B-Application
Story	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Elements	O
from	O
the	O
game	O
were	O
later	O
used	O
in	O
mobile	B-Application
titles	I-Application
set	O
in	O
Ivalice	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
Tactics	I-Application
A2	I-Application
:	I-Application
Grimoire	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Rift	I-Application
is	O
a	O
tactical	O
role-playing	O
game	O
in	O
which	O
players	O
take	O
control	O
of	O
a	O
party	O
from	O
the	O
clan	O
of	O
protagonist	O
Luso	O
Clemens	O
—	O
Clan	O
Gully	O
—	O
for	O
turn-based	B-Application
tactical	I-Application
combat	I-Application
in	O
three-dimensional	O
isometric	O
areas	O
viewed	O
through	O
a	O
fixed	O
camera	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jobs	O
are	O
drawn	O
from	O
the	O
Tactics	O
games	O
and	O
the	O
wider	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
series	O
,	O
including	O
close-quarters	O
melee	O
fighters	O
such	O
as	O
Warrior	O
and	O
Soldier	O
;	O
ranged	O
fighters	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Archer	O
and	O
Sniper	O
;	O
and	O
magic-based	O
jobs	O
such	O
as	O
White	O
Mage	O
,	O
Black	O
Mage	O
and	O
Summoner	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
feature	O
carried	O
over	O
from	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
Tactics	I-Application
Advance	I-Application
is	O
the	O
Law	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
also	O
zones	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
called	O
"	O
Jagd	O
"	O
,	O
where	O
the	O
Judges	O
cannot	O
go	O
and	O
fallen	O
units	O
are	O
subject	O
to	O
permadeath	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tactics	B-Application
A2	I-Application
is	O
set	O
in	O
the	O
fictional	O
world	O
of	O
Ivalice	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rather	O
than	O
the	O
dream	O
version	O
featured	O
in	O
Tactics	B-Application
Advance	I-Application
,	O
Tactics	B-Application
A2	I-Application
takes	O
place	O
in	O
the	O
real	O
world	O
of	O
Ivalice	O
,	O
a	O
setting	O
shared	O
with	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
Tactics	I-Application
and	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
XII	I-Application
;	O
the	O
opening	O
uses	O
a	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
town	O
of	O
St.	O
Ivalice	O
,	O
the	O
setting	O
of	O
Tactics	B-Application
Advance	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Chronologically	O
,	O
Tactics	B-Application
A2	I-Application
is	O
set	O
shortly	O
after	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
XII	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Ivalice	O
of	O
Tactics	B-Application
A2	I-Application
is	O
populated	O
by	O
seven	O
races	O
,	O
five	O
of	O
which	O
return	O
from	O
Tactics	B-Application
Advance	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
two	O
new	O
races	O
are	O
the	O
Seeq	O
from	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
XII	I-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
wholly	O
new	O
Gria	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Soon	O
after	O
arriving	O
,	O
he	O
is	O
rescued	O
from	O
monsters	O
by	O
Cid	O
,	O
leader	O
of	O
the	O
small	O
Clan	O
Gully	O
and	O
a	O
recurring	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
character	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Characters	O
from	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
XII	I-Application
appear	O
as	O
cameos	O
with	O
exclusive	O
Jobs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
characters	O
are	O
Vaan	O
,	O
the	O
main	O
protagonist	O
of	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
XII	I-Application
,	O
fellow	O
protagonist	O
Penelo	O
,	O
supporting	O
character	O
Al-Cid	O
and	O
the	O
moogle	O
Mont	B-Application
Blanc	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lezaford	O
then	O
identifies	O
the	O
book	O
as	O
the	O
"	O
Grimoire	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Rift	I-Application
"	O
,	O
having	O
the	O
power	O
to	O
open	O
portals	O
between	O
worlds	O
and	O
consequently	O
being	O
highly	O
dangerous	O
;	O
the	O
monstrous	O
hand	O
Clan	O
Gully	O
fought	O
off	O
belongs	O
to	O
a	O
beast	O
called	O
the	O
Neukhia	O
,	O
which	O
could	O
be	O
summoned	O
into	O
Ivalice	O
using	O
the	O
Grimoire	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Arriving	O
back	O
in	O
the	O
library	O
,	O
Luso	O
encounters	O
the	O
school	O
librarian	O
—	O
Mewt	O
Randell	O
,	O
a	O
major	O
character	O
from	O
Tactics	B-Application
Advance	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tactics	B-Application
A2	I-Application
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Square	O
Enix	O
,	O
owners	O
and	O
main	O
developers	O
of	O
the	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
franchise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
director	O
was	O
Yuichi	O
Murasawa	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
directed	O
the	O
original	O
Tactics	B-Application
Advance	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Character	O
designs	O
were	O
by	O
Ryoma	O
Ito	O
,	O
who	O
also	O
worked	O
on	O
Tactics	B-Application
Advance	I-Application
and	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
XII	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Planning	O
for	O
Tactics	B-Application
A2	I-Application
began	O
due	O
to	O
positive	O
fan	O
reception	O
and	O
demand	O
for	O
a	O
sequel	O
to	O
Tactics	B-Application
Advance	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
(	O
GBA	B-Device
)	O
in	O
2003	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
also	O
wanted	O
to	O
add	O
new	O
features	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
short	O
development	O
time	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
Tactics	B-Application
Advance	I-Application
prevented	O
their	O
inclusion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
initially	O
planned	O
to	O
develop	O
the	O
game	O
for	O
the	O
GBA	B-Device
,	O
cutting	O
down	O
on	O
development	O
time	O
,	O
and	O
started	O
producing	O
a	O
version	O
for	O
the	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
was	O
launched	O
to	O
worldwide	O
commercial	O
success	O
,	O
Square	O
Enix	O
shifted	O
the	O
project	O
from	O
GBA	B-Device
to	O
DS	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
its	O
predecessor	O
,	O
Tactics	B-Application
A2	I-Application
was	O
designed	O
to	O
be	O
accessible	O
to	O
casual	O
gamers	O
while	O
maintaining	O
"	O
serious	O
narrative	O
themes	O
"	O
;	O
the	O
team	O
designed	O
the	O
game	O
with	O
the	O
large	O
casual	O
gamer	O
base	O
of	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
in	O
mind	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
contrast	O
to	O
the	O
mature	O
tone	O
of	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
XII	I-Application
,	O
Tactics	B-Application
A2s	I-Application
story	O
was	O
described	O
as	O
"	O
light	O
adventure	O
"	O
similar	O
to	O
Tactics	B-Application
Advance	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
characters	O
from	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
XII	I-Application
were	O
planned	O
on	O
from	O
an	O
early	O
stage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wanting	O
characters	O
who	O
could	O
appeal	O
to	O
long-term	O
fans	O
and	O
series	O
newcomers	O
,	O
the	O
team	O
incorporated	O
Vaan	O
and	O
Penelo	O
,	O
with	O
Vaan	O
's	O
attitude	O
reflecting	O
his	O
character	O
development	O
across	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
XII	I-Application
and	O
its	O
sequel	O
Revenant	B-Application
Wings	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
biggest	O
change	O
from	O
developing	O
Tactics	B-Application
Advance	I-Application
was	O
the	O
dual	O
screens	O
of	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
,	O
which	O
enabled	O
menu	O
displays	O
to	O
be	O
spread	O
out	O
and	O
increase	O
the	O
visual	O
spectacle	O
of	O
some	O
sequences	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
quest	O
variety	O
was	O
also	O
expanded	O
compared	O
to	O
Tactics	B-Application
Advance	I-Application
,	O
as	O
Murasawa	O
regretted	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
variety	O
in	O
the	O
original	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
summoned	O
monsters	O
were	O
taken	O
directly	O
from	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
XII	I-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
team	O
used	O
both	O
screens	O
for	O
their	O
attacks	O
to	O
convey	O
their	O
scale	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
creating	O
the	O
gameplay	O
,	O
the	O
team	O
carried	O
over	O
multiple	O
mechanics	O
from	O
Tactics	B-Application
Advance	I-Application
,	O
while	O
also	O
adjusting	O
elements	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
leveling	O
system	O
and	O
Law	O
mechanics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
the	O
original	O
Japanese	O
release	O
,	O
the	O
team	O
decided	O
not	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
touchscreen	O
as	O
it	O
did	O
not	O
fit	O
in	O
with	O
their	O
design	O
plans	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Western	O
versions	O
added	O
touchscreen-based	O
stylus	B-Device
control	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ito	O
came	O
on	O
board	O
the	O
project	O
after	O
finishing	O
his	O
work	O
on	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
XII	I-Application
,	O
being	O
invited	O
to	O
join	O
the	O
project	O
by	O
Murasawa	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
character	O
Cid	O
—	O
the	O
first	O
non-human	O
version	O
in	O
the	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
series	O
—	O
went	O
through	O
multiple	O
revisions	O
as	O
Ito	O
created	O
designs	O
based	O
on	O
Kitahara	O
's	O
directions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
of	O
the	O
Job	O
designs	O
were	O
carried	O
over	O
from	O
Tactics	B-Application
Advance	I-Application
with	O
minor	O
revisions	O
,	O
so	O
the	O
new	O
Job	O
outfits	O
were	O
designed	O
to	O
fall	O
in	O
line	O
with	O
the	O
earlier	O
designs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ito	O
's	O
design	O
for	O
Vaan	O
had	O
him	O
looking	O
more	O
mature	O
than	O
his	O
appearances	O
in	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
XII	I-Application
and	O
its	O
sequel	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
main	O
difference	O
being	O
a	O
shirt	O
covering	O
his	O
chest	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
music	O
for	O
Tactics	B-Application
A2	I-Application
was	O
composed	O
by	O
Hitoshi	O
Sakimoto	O
,	O
who	O
previously	O
worked	O
on	O
Tactics	B-Application
Advance	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
soundtrack	O
included	O
themes	O
from	O
Tactics	O
and	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
XII	I-Application
by	O
Sakimoto	O
,	O
Kaneda	O
,	O
Kaori	O
Ohkoshi	O
and	O
Ayako	O
Sasou	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
arranged	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
main	O
theme	O
of	O
Tactics	B-Application
Advance	I-Application
by	O
Nobuo	O
Uematsu	O
was	O
also	O
used	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
with	O
Tactics	B-Application
Advance	I-Application
,	O
Sakimoto	O
moved	O
away	O
from	O
his	O
typical	O
heavy	O
style	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
more	O
light-hearted	O
score	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
the	O
increased	O
hardware	O
of	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
,	O
Sakimoto	O
could	O
incorporate	O
higher-quality	O
music	O
into	O
the	O
game	O
compared	O
to	O
Tactics	B-Application
Advance	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tactics	B-Application
A2	I-Application
was	O
announced	O
in	O
December	O
2006	O
alongside	O
the	O
other	O
Ivalice	O
Alliance	O
projects	O
Revenant	B-Application
Wings	I-Application
and	O
The	B-Application
War	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Lions	I-Application
,	O
a	O
remake	O
of	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
Tactics	I-Application
for	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
Portable	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
cross-game	O
promotion	O
,	O
Tactics	B-Application
A2	I-Application
protagonist	O
Luso	O
appears	O
in	O
War	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Lions	I-Application
,	O
with	O
the	O
decision	O
being	O
made	O
when	O
the	O
Ivalice	O
Alliance	O
was	O
first	O
announced	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
localization	O
was	O
handled	O
by	O
Kajiya	O
Productions	O
,	O
a	O
company	O
led	O
by	O
translators	O
Alexander	O
O	O
.	O
Smith	O
and	O
Joseph	O
Reeder	O
;	O
Smith	O
and	O
Reeder	O
were	O
veterans	O
of	O
previous	O
Square	O
Enix	O
titles	O
,	O
having	O
worked	O
on	O
the	O
acclaimed	O
localizations	O
for	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
XII	I-Application
and	O
Vagrant	B-Application
Story	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
its	O
first	O
week	O
on	O
sale	O
,	O
Tactics	B-Application
A2	I-Application
reached	O
first	O
place	O
in	O
gaming	O
charts	O
,	O
selling	O
over	O
142,000	O
units	O
;	O
these	O
sales	O
put	O
it	O
level	O
with	O
debut	O
sales	O
of	O
War	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Lions	I-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
only	O
title	O
that	O
week	O
to	O
sell	O
over	O
100,000	O
units	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
gameplay	O
was	O
praised	O
by	O
Famitsu	O
for	O
its	O
relaxed	O
difficulty	O
compared	O
to	O
Tactics	B-Application
Advance	I-Application
and	O
large	O
amount	O
of	O
content	O
,	O
while	O
1UP.coms	O
James	O
Miekle	O
praised	O
the	O
depth	O
of	O
gameplay	O
as	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
strongest	O
feature	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Simon	O
Parkin	O
,	O
writing	O
for	O
Eurogamer	O
,	O
called	O
the	O
game	O
a	O
"	O
straightforward	O
interpretation	O
of	O
the	O
[	O
tactical	O
RPG ]	O
genre	O
"	O
,	O
enjoying	O
several	O
elements	O
of	O
the	O
gameplay	O
and	O
calling	O
it	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
genre	O
's	O
best	O
examples	O
on	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
had	O
differing	O
views	O
on	O
the	O
Law	O
system	O
;	O
some	O
praised	O
its	O
challenge	O
,	O
while	O
others	O
found	O
it	O
needlessly	O
restrictive	O
or	O
an	O
unwanted	O
element	O
from	O
Tactics	B-Application
Advance	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Miekle	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
graphics	O
were	O
inferior	O
to	O
fellow	O
DS	B-Device
tactical	O
RPG	O
Advance	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
:	I-Application
Days	I-Application
of	I-Application
Ruin	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Parkin	O
called	O
the	O
graphics	O
among	O
the	O
best	O
on	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
while	O
Juba	O
praised	O
the	O
general	O
graphic	O
designs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Miekle	O
negatively	O
noted	O
a	O
lack	O
of	O
mature	O
story	O
elements	O
compared	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
Tactics	O
or	O
Tactics	B-Application
Advance	I-Application
,	O
while	O
Parkin	O
found	O
the	O
initial	O
premise	O
cliche	O
and	O
noted	O
a	O
lack	O
of	O
substantial	O
story	O
after	O
the	O
opening	O
segment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tactics	B-Application
A2	I-Application
was	O
awarded	O
Best	O
Strategy	O
Game	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
by	O
IGN	O
for	O
their	O
2008	O
video	O
game	O
awards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
2008	O
National	O
Academy	O
of	O
Video	O
Game	O
Trade	O
Reviewers	O
awards	O
,	O
Tactics	B-Application
A2	I-Application
was	O
among	O
those	O
nominated	O
in	O
the	O
"	O
Game	O
Strategy	O
"	O
category	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
RPGFan	O
named	O
the	O
game	O
"	O
Strategy	O
RPG	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
:	O
Handheld	B-Application
"	O
during	O
their	O
"	O
Games	O
of	O
2008	O
"	O
feature	O
ahead	O
of	O
Yggdra	B-Application
Union	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
artwork	O
and	O
character	O
jobs	O
of	O
Tactics	B-Application
A2	I-Application
were	O
reused	O
by	O
Square	O
Enix	O
for	O
Crystal	B-Application
Defenders	I-Application
,	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
titles	O
released	O
principally	O
for	O
mobile	B-Application
and	O
covering	O
turn-based	O
strategy	O
for	O
its	O
first	O
two	O
entries	O
and	O
tower	B-Application
defense	I-Application
for	O
the	O
third	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
Tactics	B-Application
A2	I-Application
,	O
the	O
Crystal	B-Application
Defenders	I-Application
series	O
uses	O
the	O
true	O
Ivalice	O
as	O
its	O
setting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Crystal	B-Application
Defenders	I-Application
games	O
were	O
released	O
between	O
2008	O
and	O
2009	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
second	O
and	O
third	O
entries	O
releasing	O
internationally	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Music	O
from	O
Tactics	B-Application
A2	I-Application
was	O
used	O
for	O
the	O
Crystal	B-Application
Defenders	I-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Tactics	B-Application
A2	I-Application
jobs	O
were	O
later	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
mobile	B-Application
title	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
Tactics	I-Application
S	O
.	O
</s>
