The Reins of History, back in the Hands of Man.

Dr. Cid (Final Fantasy XII, 2006)

It’s hard to believe that it’s been fourteen years since the initial release of Final Fantasy XII, yet the game remains a popular entry for many a fan of the Final Fantasy franchise. With its innovative gameplay, superlative voice acting, and a more grounded story than its predecessors, Final Fantasy XII stands out compared to other games in the Final Fantasy series. After recently playing and completing the rereleased The Zodiac Age edition, and venturing into the world of Ivalice for the very first time, I have to say that XII definitely earns its mark as being a strong entry of the beloved franchise. Although I would not say this game takes the crown as my favorite Final Fantasy game, I was pleasantly surprised by how well-executed it ended up being, especially after learning of the game’s rough production cycle. From restructuring of the staff to an elongated development period (more information can be found of that here), the final product managed to win many accolades and high praise from both critics and fans alike.

There are some naysayers, however, that offer complaints of the changes XII brought – some of them valid. However, this entry is definitely high up there for me as far as favorite Final Fantasy titles, and I’m going to share both what I enjoyed and what I felt held the game back in the following review. If you’ve been interested in XII for a while and have been curious in trying it out, I hope that this review will give you more insight of what you may expect.

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Basic Plot and Characters

Final Fantasy XII is set in the world of Ivalice, which is its own universe in the Final Fantasy franchise where other games take place in (such as Final Fantasy: Tactics (1997), Vagrant Story (2000), and others). The story is focused on two nations specifically, though there are several other, smaller nations involved: The Kingdom of Dalmasca, a small desert nation and the central location for most of the game, and the Archadian Empire, a powerful and vast kingdom located northeast of Dalmasca.

Much of the story’s conflict centers on a war among nations, with the Archadian Empire stretching its influence and dominion across multiple countries prior to the start of the game, with the Kingdom of Dalmasca becoming the next in line to fall. The King of Dalmasca is killed under suspicious circumstances while in the middle of the signing of a peace treaty, which gives the Empire the opening to take over the tiny nation with no repercussions.

The actual start of the game begins two years later, and Dalmasca has become a colony for the Empire. A young street urchin named Vaan lost his brother the night the king was killed, and the conspiracy behind their deaths prompts him to find some way of taking revenge against the Empire for all the loss and destruction they have caused. Motivated to take back what was once Dalmasca’s from the Empire, Vaan sneaks into the Royal Palace in the hopes of finding treasure. A series of events lead Vaan to meet the other main characters of the cast: Sky pirates Balthier and Fran, resistance leader Amalia (later revealed to be Princess Ashe of Dalmasca, who went into hiding after her father the king was killed), and Basch, a disgraced knight who was prosecuted and sentenced to death for the murder of the king of Dalmasca (as well executing his fellow soldiers, such as Vaan’s brother). The truth is much more complicated than any of them suspect, however, and along with Vaan’s childhood friend Penelo, they set off on a journey to restore Ashe to the throne and unravel the conspiracy the Archadian Empire has woven.

They are joined by several guest members along the way, such as Vossler Azelas (one of the leaders of the Resistance along with Ashe), Larsa Solidor (the youngest son of the Emperor of Archadia, who proves to be a valuable ally), and Reddas (a leader of the pirate haven Balfonheim who gives his assistance to the group as a way to make amends for his past).

The main antagonists are all Imperials, with the main instigators being Vayne Solidor (Larsa’s older brother and the new Consul of Dalmasca), Dr. Cid (a scientist under the Empire’s employ and Balthier’s estranged father), and the Archadian Judges (the head of Archadia’s law and order, as well the leaders of the Archadian military).

Compared to previous Final Fantasy games, there is not as much character development shown throughout the course of the game. Rather, the focus is on their reactions to the events around them as they happen – and there is quite a lot that happens as the party visits many different locations in order to attain more power, and piece together the Archadian Empire’s intentions, as well as figure out their own as the story progresses. That’s not to say that the characters are not interesting or well-written, but I feel that the game only scratches the surface of what we get to know of these characters; by the end you do feel like you were along for the journey, but that there was still something missing in those relationships that you never really fully found. The world-building on the other hand is massive – there is so much to do and see in this game; there are so many locations and lore passed around that I found myself becoming a little lost in the middle of the story. I think if there were a theater option added or something to review past information as the plot unfolded, it would have helped keep me more on track on why we were going to certain locations, and why we needed to go to them.

Another strong part of the game is its presentation – unlike any other mainline game in the Final Fantasy, it feels very grounded and dignified. This shows from its character designs, to the locations you may visit, to its music – it’s by no means an over-the-top adventure, which was actually refreshing for me to see while playing. The localization and language of the game is formal and reminiscent of something of Shakespeare’s works; in fact, certain characters you come across later in the game actually speak in both iambic tetrameter and iambic pentameter, which gives the player the sense that those characters are both ancient and mysterious. Some of the actors chosen for the roles had backgrounds in stage theatre, and it really showed in their vocal performances, which were often powerful and nuanced. The dialogue for the other characters (especially the main protagonists) are crisp and witty; I was excited with every cutscene that unfolded because I wanted to hear more of what these characters had to say in their own unique voices (this is one good example of the superlative dialogue writing and voice acting from the game).

A decision was made in the localization of the English version to give each nation their own unique accents, to help add flavor to the world the player was investing in. It was remarkable hearing the variety of dialects given, even in a single specific location; the Archadians, for example, ranged from Received Pronunciation for citizens of higher class (Vayne, Larsa, the Judges, etc.), to more standard British accents for lower class characters. Other accents that help differentiate characters include American for the Dalmascans, Sri Lankan for citizens of the sky-city of Bhujerba that you visit early on, and Icelandic for the solitary Viera (Fran’s species). Decisions like these made specifically for the English version are what give the game high praise, even among the more hardened critics, and make replaying the game more engaging and enjoyable.

It’s been noted with amusement (and I’ve noticed this too) that Final Fantasy XII takes a lot of cues from the Star Wars franchise. This isn’t something that’s brand new to the series – recurring characters Biggs and Wedge were named in homage to both of Luke Skywalker’s wingmen in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. However, there are scenes and character roles that may have been heavily influenced by Star Wars – from the desert capital of Dalmasca, Rabanastre, resembling something like Tatooine and is where we first meet Vaan, to a rebellious princess looking to defeat the Empire, to two roguish characters who join the characters along for the ride – one of whom is non-human. I also saw elements of Lord of the Rings when it came to lore and story elements; no doubt, more could be said about the numerous allusions that can be found throughout this game. I greatly enjoyed Final Fantasy XII for its own identity and its own unique world, and I know many other players have and will as well.

Gameplay

The gameplay for Final Fantasy XII marks a huge departure from the franchise’s Active Time Battle (ATB) from previous games to introduce the Active Dimension Battle (ADB). Random battles are eliminated for the first time, and the player now has the option of approaching or avoiding potential enemies, with some exceptions as they materialize in front of you.

To diversify your actions, the game also introduces the Gambit System, which can be controlled manually or programmed in the game menu. Setting a Gambit for a character will allow the player to set the conditions for the character to use an action (for example, setting Fran to use the Cure spell when party members’ health are below 50% at anytime, rather than manually doing it yourself each time). I’ll be honest and admit that I had trouble understanding the Gambit System until about halfway through the game. Once I figured it out, though, I appreciated the freedom and flexibility it offered me as I worked on leveling up the characters, and setting the conditions became fun in a way. Some critics disparaged the Gambit System in that they felt that using it would essentially let the game play itself rather than the player having any input, but I didn’t see it that way. I was engaged with what was happening on the screen and watched carefully to change my strategy as needed, which is what the Gambit System is designed for.

One way to unlock more abilities for Gambits is to purchase points called Licenses. The more you battle enemies, the more License Points are earned that can unlock new abilities, such as equipping heavier equipment and higher quality weapons. Each character has their own license board, depending on which class you choose for them. In Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, you have the opportunity of selecting two different jobs for each character (which are symbolized by the different Zodiac signs). Although some may be more appropriate for certain characters based on their stats, the truth is that any class can fit well with any character if you work on unlocking more abilities and Licenses. During my play through, before I even knew I was doing, I accidentally made Vaan to be a White Mage (primarily a healer), when I hadn’t meant to. Despite that mistake, I found that the role actually suited Vaan very well in battle. If by chance you find that a job just isn’t working for a character, there’s a character by the name of Montblanc that you can visit to request a change.

The landscapes and elements are also key to your battles, as your environment can change, and the enemies along with them. Knowing which attacks and spells best oppose those adversaries will make defeating them much quicker and less painful rather than guessing the entire way through. I enjoyed learning more about different ways to play the game compared to past titles, and I found myself growing to love the battle system the way it was designed. The additional feature of a speed option for the Zodiac Age edition also made battles much swifter, which helped make grinding far less tedious.

The areas of Ivalice are vast and can take a while to go through. Part of the reason why I lost grasp of the plot at times was because much of the gameplay really is going through a variety of different landscapes to reach the next location. This was the franchise’s first take of an open world game, and I just wish the player had the opportunity to review important plot revelations and story elements. If it had done so, I think there would have been the perfect balance between a complex story as well as engaging gameplay. For what we were given, however, I was pleased and only wanted even more.

Music

For the first time in the series, the music was not written or composed by long-time composer Nobuo Uematsu, but by Hitoshi Sakimoto, who had also composed the music for Final Fantasy: Tactics. Sakimoto’s style when compared to Uematsu is much more atmospheric, I would say. While Uematsu created emotional tracks highlighting pivotal moments and character development, Sakimoto’s is much more subtle helps bring the world of Ivalice to life. His style is more cinematic, which I think fits the nature of the game perfectly.

As it was a big change compared to what long-term fans were used to, reception on Sakimoto’s work was mixed in its initial release. With the release of the Zodiac Age edition, the player has the chance of playing the game with either the original soundtrack, or a recreated one with real orchestral instruments. Some tracks that best highlighted this that I enjoyed included Eryut Village, Lowtown, and Clan Hall, among many others. It was wonderful being introduced to Sakimoto’s work through this game, and I’m looking forward to hearing more from him in the future.

Uematsu did compose one song, the main theme of Final Fantasy XII called Kiss Me Goodbye, which is the only vocal track of the game and is played at the conclusion of the game. Both the Japanese and English versions were written and performed by Japanese pop singer Angela Aki. Although the theme song doesn’t allude to the plot as strongly as past theme songs, it does fit the tone of the story by its conclusion. It is enjoyable to listen to, even if it’s not, in my opinion, as powerful as something like Suteki da ne from Final Fantasy X.

Overall thoughts

I’m glad that at long last I’ve finally given Final Fantasy XII a try. It was long overdue, and I’m glad to say that the longer I played through it the more I enjoyed it. Although it would not place as my number one favorite Final Fantasy game, it does place high up there on the list (either in 3rd or 4th, depending on how I feel about Final Fantasy IX when I finally complete it).

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age is a great upgrade and introduction for players like myself who have never played XII when it was first released back in 2006. If the reception for this remastered edition is any indication, it’s that XII is still beloved, for all the changes and differences it has brought in comparison to other titles. Every Final Fantasy title is unique, but this one I feel is especially so. I’m looking forward to exploring the world of Ivalice further now, and I know I will be replaying XII again in the near future. My hope is that one day in the future, these characters will have a continuation of some kind, so that we can see them evolve further than what we were able to see in the main game. I hope that my thoughts on the game will help encourage you to at least take a further look at what it has to offer, if you haven’t before.