In a 1997 interview with the game's director Yasumi Matsuno, found within the Famicon Tsuushin magazine, he was asked if his "grand, dramatic" music would be in the game. He responded:

"Actually, in the beginning the idea for the music was more in-line with Sakaguchi’s tastes: exciting, energetic, and upbeat music. But owing to the direction we decided to take with the game—or my personality—we changed it. If FFT had mainly involved Humans vs. Monsters battles, then I think exciting, upbeat music would have been very appropriate, but in this strategy game your opponents are other human beings, and that kind of bright, upbeat music wasn’t working. There’s also the fact that Final Fantasy Tactics takes place in a hard, serious world. So I think it’s only natural for the songs to be similar."