Unexpectedly and pretty quietly, the Wii U Virtual Console just got a very exciting RPG. In fact, it just got one of the finest handheld tactical RPGs ever made: Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, a 2003 Game Boy Advance game that returned after lo these many years. Trust us, it’s exciting stuff, and it’ll only set you back $7.99. Indeed, it’s a great throwback and its Jan. 28 release date is good timing as well: Fire Emblem Fates, a major modern tactical RPG, is coming out on March 10.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance And The Wii U Virtual Console

The original Final Fantasy Tactics Advance for GBA won a good deal of acclaim back in the early aughts, and it played a nontrivial role in keeping the tactical RPG vibrant. After all, Final Fantasy is a very big name, and it was even bigger back then.

It’s also worth noting that Final Fantasy Tactics Advance was just the second Final Fantasy game (after Final Fantasy Tactics) to bring us to the world of Ivalice. Ivalice has since reappeared in other games in heavily modified forms, most notably in Final Fantasy XII. Ivalice is one of the quintessential Final Fantasy settings, and Tactics Advance… certainly looks at it in a unique way.

Gameplay-wise, FF Tactics Advance isn’t that different from what you’d expect of a tactical RPG: It’s got an isometric grid-based battle mode, a jobs system, a variety of races, the works. More unusually, it has Judges and Laws, a system of rules that vary from battle to battle but influence the player’s options greatly. It’s an additional system of restrictions to keep the game interesting and fresh.

The game is available now on Wii U Virtual Console for $7.99. Are you thinking about picking it up?