"He's kind of a piece of s**t, really": Final Fantasy 16 lead Ben Starr returned to voice Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles antagonist Dycedarg because he's a "very different" character to Clive

Cropped header key art for Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles — (Image credit: Square Enix)

Final Fantasy 16's lead actor Ben Starr is back and flexing his vocal chords in Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, notably as a character "who's very different" to everyone's beloved Clive Rosfield – and "kind of a piece of shit," actually.

In The Ivalice Chronicles, Starr plays antagonist Dycedarg Beoulve, a role he's been discussing in a new Square Enix video alongside some of the other cast. During their chat, voice director Oli Chance notes that in the new tactical RPG, "Ben, you are also horribly duplicitous and kill people," to which Starr somewhat concerningly replies: "Yes, and that's why I said I want to do it."

Don't worry, though, he's not been filled with a sudden bloodlust in real life. He's actually got a good reason for wanting to take on such a different character, and it comes down to something he's mentioned before – the fact that he's been part of the series already.

"You've been able to be a part of creating something that's very iconic in a lot of people's eyes," he begins, "and certainly coming off Clive Rosfield, which a lot of people have this very intense relationship with because they've been with him for a long period of time, and they've been with my voice – or my performance – for a long time, it was a very difficult decision to come back to this franchise because I thought, 'I don't know, do you want to come back? Is it going to be as good?'"

Behind the Voices | Final Fantasy Tactics - The Ivalice Chronicles - YouTube

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That's where Dycedarg and his wildly different vibes come into play. "I think we managed to have a conversation about how in which we can do a character who's very different," he continues, before adding: "And Dycedarg is… he's kind of a piece of shit, really."

Starr acknowledges that "there's a beauty in it, and there's a playfulness, and there's all this plotting and scheming," noting that "obviously you don't want to play him as a piece of shit, but he has to have his own reasons." Dycedarg "believes his reasoning," he adds, even if that reasoning doesn't line up with the goals of protagonist Ramza.

Of course, the rest is history, but it's clear that Starr was thoughtful about his return to the JRPG series and didn't want to voice just anyone. There's no doubt fans will always be happy to hear him wherever he pops up again, though.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles lead hopes it "will appeal to people who aren't particularly good at tactical RPGs," since devs "hopefully reduced some of the frustration."

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I'm GamesRadar+'s Deputy News Editor, working alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.

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