Final Fantasy Tactics is back after 28 years in phenomenal critical acclaim in The Ivalice Chronicles, where fans both old and new enjoy improved gameplay and acting that weren't possible in 1997. As Yasumi Matsuno, the creator of the original game, wrote in a touching book, Twitter postTactics comes to players at a time similar to when the original game was released – a time filled with “inequality and division” that may leave many feeling “without hope.” Although Tactics is a fantasy story set in a fictional setting, the developers did take a page or two from real historical events, such as the Wars of the Roses in England in the mid-to-late 1400s. It's bittersweet that history is now repeating itself, but it underscores how relevant the evergreen themes of Tactics are and how important Rafa and Marach Galtena's involvement is in this story.
Although Israel and Palestine also made headlines in 1997, the recent dramatic escalation of the situation is now the subject of global discussion. With this escalation comes surge in anti-Arab sentimentwhich makes Rafa and Marach's participation in The Ivalice Chronicles even more special for South West Asia and North Africa (SWANA) gamers like me. It's also great to hear actors Elham Ehsas and Lara Sawalha bring these characters to life so authentically, because it's no secret that SWANA-coded characters haven't historically been portrayed in the most flattering or nuanced light—especially in video games. From Metal Slug to Counter Strike, characters coded into SWANA have been one of three things: belly dancers, camel-riding snake charmers, or just downright evil terrorists. Rafa and Marah tell a very different story – one that leaves room for nuance and reflects many of the issues our community faces internationally, which spoke volumes back in 1997 and speaks even more in 2025.
Rafa and Marah are orphans who are quickly taken into the care of the Duke of Barrington, a powerful man who intends to use the siblings for their rare mantric abilities. Duke Barrington not only recruited Rafa and Marach as child soldiers for his war effort, but also raised and trained countless other children, opening orphanages filled with a “reservoir of willing young minds.” This allowed him to select the very best for “shaping and training,” as Ramza put it. This may sound cartoonishly evil, but it's actually a lot like Taliban are recruiting today. It's commendable that instead of presenting Marach and Rafa as roadblocks to be cut in Ramza's path, they are given a humane backstory that explains why they end up on the megalomaniacal side of the war rather than Ramza. Rafa especially plays a crucial role in emphasizing how misled she and her brother are and tries her best to make him see it despite his initial stubbornness.
Now, despite how much attention is paid to the Galtenas story, there is room for criticism. It's worth noting that the siblings are the only characters in the game with mantra abilities; this feeds into the Orientalist trope, essentially exoticizing the only SWANA-coded characters in the game. Moreover, the fact that Rafa and Marah not very well optimized generally makes them much less popular among Tactics fans. While this is relatively easy to fix with some respect, it's still not immediately obvious how to best use both characters in combat, and this may end up discouraging players from including Rafa and Marach in their parties, which is unfortunate and reflects some sloppiness on Square's part.
The other major criticism I have is one narrative moment that paints an unflattering picture of Marach in particular. When Rafa and Marah first appear in The Chronicles of Ivalice, they are in the middle of an argument. Marah is angry at Rafa for saying disparaging things about the man he believed saved them as children. When Rafa tells him that she knows that it was Barrington who made them orphans, Marah slaps her and says that he “will not tolerate [her] “Ill-mannered tongue” This seems to suggest that Marach is a strong supporter of the Duke of Barrington and is furious that anyone, let alone his own sister, would say a negative word about him. This moment also plays into the negative stereotype of SWANA men. “inherently more violent”especially towards women. This scene makes even less sense when it turns out that Marach actually wants to free himself from Barrington and does not intend to remain in his service.
With all the changes and improvements this version of Tactics has undergone, including the excellent script overhaul, I think there was room to take the slap out of Marach and Rafa's arguments to avoid unintentionally reinforcing a negative stereotype. This isn't the first time a character from the Final Fantasy franchise has been re-examined. Cid was originally supposed to be in Final Fantasy 7. offensive in the 1997 version of the game and has since been redesigned to become a sweet and cheerful southern gentleman in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
While the original Cid from FF7 was a pretty dour character overall, Marach on the other hand is a flawed character, but not a bad one. He genuinely cares for his sister and even takes a bullet for her when he finally hears Duke Barrington admit to being the villain he's always been. After Rafa brings Marach back to life using the Scorpion Stone, the siblings join Ramza's group. For the first time in their lives, they are actively choosing what to fight for and who to fight alongside. In additional dialogue during the Hashmal/Folmarv fight, it is also revealed that Rafa and Marah want this encounter to be the last time they have to kill anyone again, which was unheard of for SWANA code characters in the 90s and is still quite rare now.
While Rafa and Marah's story is a bit short in the overall Tactics narrative, it is still impressive and continues to go against the grain by portraying SWANA's characters as virtuous, flawed people, as many other characters become. Wouldn't it be nice if their stats were better optimized? Certainly. But by and large, the Galten siblings are still great examples of what SWANA-coded characters can be, and something I hope to see more of in future games.
