Final Fantasy Tactics has returned after 28 years to phenomenal critical acclaim in The Ivalice Chronicles, with fans both old and new reveling in the improved gameplay and actor performances that weren’t possible in 1997. As Yasumi Matsuno, the creator of the original game, wrote in a moving Twitter post, Tactics comes to players in a time much like when the original was released–a time fraught with “inequality and division” that may leave many feeling “robbed of hope.” While Tactics is a fantasy story set in a fictional setting, developers did take a page or two out of real historical events, such as England’s War of the Roses in the mid to late 1400s. It’s bittersweet that history repeats itself now, but it does emphasize how relevant the evergreen themes of Tactics are, and how important Rapha and Marach Galthena’s involvement in the story is.
Although Israel and Palestine were also making headlines in 1997, the recent dramatic escalation of the situation has become a prominent global conversation today. With this escalation comes an uptick in anti-Arab sentiment, making Rapha and Marach’s involvement in The Ivalice Chronicles that much more special to South West Asian and North African (SWANA) gamers like me. It’s also very refreshing to hear actors Elham Ehsas and Lara Sawalha bringing these characters to life so authentically because it’s no secret that SWANA coded characters have, historically, not been depicted in the most flattering or nuanced light–especially in video games. From Metal Slug to Counter Strike, SWANA coded characters have been one of three things: belly dancers, camel-riding snake charmers, or just flat out evil terrorists. Rapha and Marach tell a very different story–one that allows room for nuance and mirrors many of the issues that our community faces internationally, which was saying a lot back in 1997 and says even more in 2025.
Rapha and Marach are orphans who were swiftly brought under the wing of Duke Barrington, a powerful man who intended to use the siblings for their rare mantra abilities. Duke Barrington not only recruited Rapha and Marach as child soldiers for his war efforts, but he also indoctrinated and trained countless other children too, by opening orphanages filled with “a pool of willing young minds.” This allowed him to select the very best to “mold and train,” as Ramza puts it. It may sound cartoonishly evil, but this is actually eerily similar to how the Taliban recruits today. It is commendable that instead of framing Marach and Rapha as roadblocks designed to be cut down on Ramza’s journey, they are given a humanizing backstory that explains why they end up on a megalomaniac’s side of the war instead of Ramza’s. Rapha especially plays a crucial role in highlighting just how misled she and her brother have been, and tries her best to make him see that, in spite of his initial obstinance.