FFTARecomp

FFTARecomp

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, running natively on your Windows PC, Linux PC or Steam Deck.
Widescreen, video and audio options, and a one-click installer.

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✨ What is this?

FFTARecomp turns Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (USA version) into a native program for Windows, Linux and Steam Deck. Instead of running in an emulator, the game is recompiled from your own ROM, so it runs smoothly, needs no BIOS, and gets modern options. It is based on gba-recomp by JRickey.

🆕 What's new in v3.0

• 🤖 Native Android version. FFTARecomp now runs natively on Android. It also includes touch support that works like the PC mouse support: tap to interact with the game's menus and interface. Touch mode (without a touchpad) is experimental for now; to enable it, go to Input > Touchscreen > Touch Controls. More solid touch support is coming soon.
• ⚡ Big PC optimization. The compiler was switched, so the install size drops from roughly 800 MB to only about 11 MB, and compile time goes from roughly 120 seconds to about 4 seconds.
• 💬 Fully reworked game UI and text bubbles. They are now editable: a new Text Bubbles option in the Settings menu lets you adjust their length and size in-game.
• 🖱️ Mouse support (experimental). It doesn't cover the whole game yet, but it is already usable and enjoyable, and support will keep expanding. To enable it, go to Input > Mouse and Keyboard and turn it on. On Windows, mouse mode comes with its own remappable layout that doesn't affect the keyboard controls.
• 🇪🇺 European ROM support. Saves are compatible between regions.
• 🛠️ Reworked installer.
• 🎮 Reworked XInput gamepad support.
• 🕹️ Steam Deck now has a dedicated installer (the Linux installer also works).

🎮 Features

• 🖥️ Widescreen: Auto, 16:10, 16:9 (default), 20:9, 21:9 and 32:9.
• 🔍 Zoom in and out.
• 🎨 Video options: screen model, grid, scaling and vsync.
• 🔊 Audio options and volume control.
• 🔊 Normal audio mode: the game fast-forwards while the audio keeps playing at normal speed.
• ⏩ Fast forward.
• 🎛️ Completely redesigned menu.
• 🎮 Gamepad support (generic XInput).
• 🐧 Native Linux version.
• 🕹️ Steam Deck support.
• 📦 One-click installer: pick your ROM and you're done.
• 🚫 No console BIOS needed.

🕹️ Controls

💡 To open the Options Menu, press Esc while in-game.

PC	Game Boy Advance
Z	A
X	B
A	L
S	R
Enter	Start
Right Shift	Select
Up Arrow	Up
Down Arrow	Down
Left Arrow	Left
Right Arrow	Right
Tab	Fast Forward
+	Zoom in
-	Zoom out

Controls can be remapped from the Options Menu.

🎮 Gamepad default

Gamepad	Action
A	GBA A
B	GBA B
LT	GBA L
RT	GBA R
LB	Zoom out
RB	Zoom in
Left stick click	Hold Fast Forward
Right stick click	Toggle Fast Forward
Start / Menu	Start
Back / View	Select
D-pad or left stick	Move
Guide	Options Menu

⏩ Fast forward modes

Mode	Behavior
Silent	No audio (default)
Fast audio	Audio speed follows the fast forward speed
Normal	Audio keeps playing at normal speed

💬 Text Bubbles

Option	Behavior
Manual length	Changes the length of the text bubbles
Size	Changes the size of the text bubbles

🚀 Installation

Windows

1. Download FFTARecomp-windows-x86_64.zip from Releases and extract it.
2. Run FFTARecomp.exe, choose your ROM and press Recompile & Install.
3. Wait for the five steps to finish, then press Play. ▶️

Linux / Steam Deck

Download FFTARecomp-linux-x86_64.tar.gz from Releases and run:

mkdir -p FFTARecomp-linux && tar -xzf FFTARecomp-linux-x86_64.tar.gz -C FFTARecomp-linux && cd FFTARecomp-linux && ./FFTAInstaller

On Steam Deck, run it from Desktop Mode.

💡 You need your own copy of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (USA). This project does not include any game data.

🔨 Building from source

You need Rust and Windows PowerShell. Then run a single script from the repo root:

git clone https://github.com/Jorge262007/FFTARecomp.git
cd FFTARecomp
.\build-all.ps1

The script does everything in order:

1. Builds the whole workspace (cargo build --release).
2. Builds the installer (cargo build --release -p installer).
3. Copies installer.exe into Installer\, next to the static payload folder.
4. Downloads the compiler toolchain (w64devkit 2.10.0) into Installer\payload\toolchain, only if it is missing.

When it finishes, the final installer is in:

FFTARecomp\Installer\

If PowerShell blocks the script, run it with:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\build-all.ps1

To force a fresh toolchain download, delete Installer\payload\toolchain and run the script again.

⏱️ The first build can take several minutes.

🐞 Known issues

• 👻 In the first level, some sprite silhouettes may appear on screen for 1 to 3 seconds. They don't show up again for the rest of the game.

⚠️ Good to know

• 🚧 This is a work in progress.

🛡️ Windows or your antivirus shows a warning?

The executables are not code-signed, so Windows SmartScreen or your antivirus may show a warning. Click More info → Run anyway, or right-click the .zip → Properties → tick Unblock before extracting.

If you have any doubts, you can check the VirusTotal report included in each release.

📜 License and credits

• License: MIT, see LICENSE. It keeps the original author's copyright line.
• Based on gba-recomp by JRickey (MIT OR Apache-2.0).
• gamedb.sqlite is by JRickey, released under CC0 1.0.
• Includes w64devkit (GCC, binutils and other tools under GPL and compatible licenses), unmodified. Their licenses are in payload/toolchain.
• Final Fantasy Tactics Advance is owned by Square Enix / Nintendo. This project is not affiliated with them and does not distribute ROMs or copyrighted game data.

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Made by a fan, for fans.