Technologies

Final Fantasy Tactics: Ivalice Chronicles Director Says ‘That’ Boss Fight Still Wrecks Him

You’re not the only one who struggled against Wiegraf.

Last week was the first time I picked up Final Fantasy Tactics since finishing it back in 1998. One infamous boss battle scarred me so badly that I never went back — and given its reputation among fans, I know I’m not alone. So when I had the chance to talk with Kazutoyo Maehiro, part of the original dev team and now director of the upcoming remaster, Final Fantasy Tactics: Ivalice Chronicles, I jumped at it. I needed to know why they made that one fight so brutal.

My question for Maehiro: «Back then — 28 years ago — what was the original team even thinking with this fight?»

He laughed, as did the Square Enix PR team and interpreter in the room, clearly familiar with this question. Though it isn’t his favorite or the hardest fight — that honor goes to the Zeirchele Falls battle, a plot turning point that frustrated countless players with its early difficulty spike — the infamous fight I asked about looms far larger in players’ memories.

Arriving late in Chapter 3, the battle unfolds as two back-to-back encounters that form a brutal marathon. First up is a one-on-one duel between Ramza, the player’s protagonist, and Wiegraf, a recurring antagonist. Without careful preparation, this fight alone can feel impossible. After defeating him, players immediately battle Belias, the demon possessing Wiegraf, alongside his summoned monsters. For many, this moment is where their Tactics playthrough ended.

«At the time, having a battle that’s difficult for the sake of being difficult wasn’t necessarily seen as the correct thing to do,» Maehiro said through his interpreter. «In a way, it wasn’t necessary that we were trying to intentionally make it that difficult. It’s more so that it ended up being that way. And in retrospect, when I look back, I do think that the decision to make that battle as difficult as it was was the correct one.»

The new Final Fantasy Tactics: Ivalice Chronicles is a remaster of the original PlayStation game, which launched in 1998 in the US (1997 in Japan) following the blockbuster Final Fantasy VII. Unlike the main series, Tactics embraced the tactical RPG format popularized by Sega’s Shining Force and Nintendo’s Fire Emblem, requiring players to think carefully about unit positioning, abilities and turn order. Mistakes could wipe out your party quickly, a design choice that cemented the game as both beloved and intimidating.

The remaster lightly updates the game’s visuals, including its iconic character sprites and polygonal environments, while focusing on enriching other elements, such as adding fully voiced dialogue. Even minor enemies get voice lines, adding cinematic flair. The accents feel a bit theatrical, as if they’re voicing scenes from Game of Thrones, but they suit the game’s dark narrative of betrayal and political intrigue. Ramza’s journey through a war-torn kingdom was mature storytelling that I didn’t fully appreciate at 19 years old, but it resonates much more strongly now.

The most striking upgrades are «quality of life» improvements. Battles and dialogue can now be sped up with a fast-forward button — a godsend for a game known for its slow pace. My time with the preview was short, as it only included the first few battles of the game. It ended at the Dorter Trade City fight, the game’s first truly challenging battle, introducing new enemy types and set on a map filled with structures of varying heights.

Dorter Trade City is a pivotal introduction to a key element of the game’s combat. The vertical position of a character can be both beneficial and harmful: They can easily attack enemies farther away from a higher vantage point, but at that height, an enemy attack pushing them over the edge could mean instant death. A key disadvantage for players in the original and the remaster is that the computer-controlled opponents know all the pros and cons of certain heights, while the player has to learn on the fly. What I played in my preview felt true to the original game, especially that familiar crushing feeling of losing a battle due to misplayed moves.

Maehiro emphasized that players struggling with battles like these in the new Ivalice Chronicles now have options. Difficulty can be lowered and fights can be restarted instantly or abandoned entirely, making the game more accessible without losing its core challenge.

As mentioned earlier, Maehiro was on the original FF Tactics team as an evnt planner, responsible for directing scripted events such as character movement and animations during story sequences. At the time, he was a new developer, and now, years later, he can look back at his younger self — full of hunger and determination.

ç»I would feel very disappointed if I were to let down my past original team members,» he said. «In that sense, I really couldn’t let this project fail, and I felt some pressure from that as well. Looking through the archival material that exists in the past as well, it helped me reflect on my time over the past 28 years as a game designer. Having been able to come back to Final Fantasy Tactics after all that does make my chest swell with pride.»

Since the original Final Fantasy Tactics, Maehiro has worked on major Square Enix projects, including Vagrant Story, Final Fantasy XII and the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, eventually becoming creative director for 2023’s Final Fantasy XVI. But his connection to Tactics remains personal, especially when it comes to character jobs, a system that defined its depth and replayability, enabling players to customize their units with a dizzying array of options.

With over 20 jobs players assign to their characters, ranging from staples like Knight and Archer to unconventional picks like Calculator and Time Mage, Maehiro has his favorites. For efficiency, he prefers the Ninja, who can dual-wield weapons and throw items for big damage. For pure fun, though, he loves the Orator (originally called Mediator), a talking-based magic class capable of recruiting enemies, boosting allies or intimidating foes. It’s a fitting choice for a designer whose career has been built on strategy and storytelling.

Will I play Ivalice Chronicles and return to the game that left a mark on me almost three decades ago? Yes, but I’m going to make use of every QoL feature available to avoid spending days trying to defeat Wiegraf. I’m no longer a college kid wasting time to avoid studying; I’m an adult now, wasting time between writing assignments.

Final Fantasy Tactics: Ivalice Chronicles comes out on Sept. 30 for $50 on the Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PC, PS4, PS5 and Xbox Series X and S.

Technologies

That Supposed ‘Gmail Hack’: Google Says It’s False, but Watch Out for Phishing Anyway

No, Google didn’t send out a major warning, but it’s always good to keep your data secure.

Gmail is a hugely popular email service, with over 2.5 billion users. So when rumors start to swirl about Gmail problems, people pay attention. On Monday, Google made an unusual statement, formally denying that it had issued a broad warning about a major Gmail security issue.

«Gmail’s protections are strong and effective, and claims of a major Gmail security warning are false,» the post read. «While it’s always the case that phishers are looking for ways to infiltrate inboxes, our protections continue to block more than 99.9% of phishing and malware attempts from reaching users.»

It’s a bit odd that Google had to deny sending a warning. As a Gmail user, I didn’t see any major security warning, even though news outlets reported on it.

Salesforce data was affected in June

Perhaps Gmail users were confusing the nonexistent warning with another one.

Back in June, Google posted a blog entry about how its Threat Intelligence group is tracking hackers who are impersonating IT support personnel over the phone. The hackers’ goal is to trick employees into sharing their credentials so they can steal a company’s Salesforce data. (Salesforce is a cloud-based platform that helps businesses manage their customer interactions.)

On Aug. 5, the post was updated to note that one of Google’s own corporate Salesforce instances was affected by this kind of activity.

«Analysis revealed that data was retrieved by the threat actor during a small window of time before the access was cut off,» the post read. «The data retrieved by the threat actor was confined to basic and largely publicly available business information, such as business names and contact details.»

Emails were sent to those affected by this incident on Aug. 8, so if you didn’t receive one, your data wasn’t affected.

In late July, Google also posted a warning about the acceleration of phishing attacks and offered some tips on how to protect yourself.

Tighten up your security

While Google didn’t send out the massive warning last week that was reported, the Salesforce social-engineering hack is a good reminder that even if your Gmail account seems fine, there are ways to improve your email security.

«Each data breach is a reminder of the importance of good security habits,» said Adam Benjamin, CNET managing editor of software and services. «Services like password managers help you set a strong, unique password for each login and minimize the fallout if your information does wind up in the hands of someone else.»

A password manager can help you keep your accounts secure without having to memorize dozens of passwords and remember which is for each account. A recent CNET survey revealed that 49% of US adults have risky password habits. CNET has a list of the best password managers and the pros and cons of each.

Technologies

Hollow Knight: Silksong Is Coming to Xbox Game Pass to Eat Up Your Entire September

Microsoft is adding a few other titles to Game Pass, but we’re all here for Silksong.

I promise, this is real. On Sept. 4, Team Cherry is releasing Hollow Knight: Silksong, the sequel to the award-winning indie darling Hollow Knight. After years of waiting and speculation, Xbox Game Pass subscribers can play the highly anticipated sequel on day one at no additional cost.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, a CNET Editors’ Choice award pick, offers hundreds of games you can play on your Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, smart TV and PC or mobile device for $20 a month. A subscription gives you access to a large library of games, with new ones, like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, added monthly, plus other benefits such as online multiplayer and deals on non-Game Pass titles.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source on Chrome.

Here are all the games Microsoft is adding to Game Pass soon. You can also check out the games the company added to the service in August, including Gears of War: Reloaded.

I Am Your Beast

Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass and Game Pass Standard subscribers can play now.

This covert, revenge thriller is like a comic book in game form. You play as a retired secret agent who gets called in for «one last job.» But unlike other stories where the hero says, «Yes,» you say, «No.» So now the military-industrial complex is hunting you through the North American wilderness. You have to evade your enemies and sabotage their equipment to survive.

Nine Sols

New to Game Pass Standard on Sept. 3.

Don’t let the cute cat-like hero fool you; this game can be brutal. This 2D action platformer is about revenge. You play as an ancient hero who awakes from a 500-year slumber to embark on a vengeful journey against those who imprisoned them. The hand-drawn art style and gameplay inspired by Sekiro make this a uniquely challenging and beautiful game.

Game Pass Ultimate subscribers could play this game in December, and Game Pass Standard subscribers can play this difficult but rewarding game soon, too.

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can play on Sept. 4.

The wait is almost over for one of the most anticipated indie games in recent memory. You play as the hunter and princess Hornet as she ascends to Hallownest’s peak. You’ll venture through mossy grottos, craft deadly tools and take on over 200 powerful bugs with acrobatic skills as you climb to the top. But you aren’t just taking down everything in your path. You’ll also befriend strangers and unlock secrets that might help you in your quest.

Cataclismo

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can play on Sept. 4.

This game combines resource management, real-time strategy, siege defense and exploration into one title. Creatures from a corrupted world, called Horrors, are seeking to destroy humanity, so you have to build intricate fortresses to fend off waves of enemies. Once the Horrors are gone, you’ll forage for resources outside of your defenses during the day to help in the next night’s attacks. Will you be able to find a way to put a stop to the Horrors once and for all, or will you fall like the rest of humanity?

PAW Patrol World

Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass and Game Pass Standard subscribers can play on Sept. 10.

Microsoft removed this kid-friendly game from Game Pass in February, and the company is bringing it back to the service this month. You can play as Chase, Skye, Marshall or Everest as they save the day across locations like Adventure Bay, Jake’s Mountain, the Jungle and Barkingburg. Use your nose to sniff out secrets and pup treats you can use to unlock new outfits and more for your pup.

RoadCraft

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can play on Sept. 16.

When natural disasters strike, someone has to clean up the damage and restore the local infrastructure. That’s where you and your company come in. You’ll use construction machinery to clear debris, replace faulty equipment and rebuild roads, bridges and more. Don’t just throw all that debris away. Some of it can be recycled and used for reconstruction in this building simulator.

Games leaving Xbox Game Pass on Sept. 15

While Microsoft is adding all those games to Game Pass soon, the company is removing a few others from the service on Sept. 15. So you still have some time to finish your main campaign and any side quests in these games before you’ll have to buy them separately.

All You Need is Help
Wargroove 2
We Love Katamari Reroll+ Royal Reverie

For more on Xbox, discover other games available on Game Pass now, read our hands-on review of the gaming service and learn which Game Pass plan is right for you. You can also check out what to know about upcoming Xbox game price hikes.

Technologies

A New Pair of Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Could Be Yours for Just $75

Woot’s deal on Samsung Galaxy 3 earbuds saves you a massive $105 — at least while supplies last.

Labor Day came and went, but there are still plenty of discounts available across multiple categories if you didn’t get the chance to shop this holiday. If you’ve been looking for new earbuds but don’t want to overspend, then check out this Woot deal on a pair of new Samsung Galaxy Buds3 for just $75. This saves you $105 off the usual price. For comparison, the same pair of earbuds is $105 at Amazon, which makes this Woot deal a steal. Shopping now is also a great way to keep a few more dollars in your pocket if you’re concerned about potential tariffs.

Samsung equipped these earbuds with active noise cancelling (ANC) so you can focus. There’s an adaptive equalizer so you can personalize your music experience and an open design that makes it easier to pay attention to your surroundings when needed. You’ll also get 360-degree audio for a more immersive experience.

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On top of all of this, Samsung equipped the Buds3 with a 96Hz sample rate for deep bass and crisp treble that’ll help you enjoy every note, audiobook or call. With a playback time of 6 to 8 hours, you can enjoy these earbuds for several workouts and work calls. Woot has the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 in white or silver for the same price.

Keep in mind that these earbuds are compatible with devices that run on Android 8.0 or higher.

HEADPHONE DEALS OF THE WEEK

Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Noise Cancelling Over-Ear Headphones (Navy):

$298 (save $50)
Soundcore Life Q20 Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling Headphones (Black):

$40 (save $20)
Beats Studio Pro Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones (Black):

$300 (save $51)
Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless ANC Over-Ear Headphones (Black):

$299 (save $151)
Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e ANC Over-Ear Headphones (Black):

$220 (save $180)

Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.

Why this deal matters

Samsung makes some of the best tech on the market, and these earbuds are no exception. With stunning sound, up to 8 hours of playback time, and a $105 discount at Woot, this is an excellent deal for anyone who wants a budget-friendly pair of earbuds.