I
was one of the people who were hanging out for Final Fantasy XII ever since the
first few previews and pictures emerged several years ago. The game was finally
released in the United States late 2006, and the wait was finally over. Square
could have simply made another X-style game, with turn-based battles and very
limited exploration, but luckily they chose to step out in a bold new
direction. The result is a vast game which manages to not only be an extremely
memorable entry in the Final Fantasy series but also a fitting swansong to the
spectacular life of the Playstation 2.
According to Gamefaqs, the story is
much less invested in its characters, but attempts to immerse you in a world. The
game initially introduces Vaan, a sandy haired youth who was orphaned during a
war with the invading nation of Archadia. After the preliminary introductions,
Vaan becomes involved in a plot to overthrow the Archadian Empire by restoring
the rightful heir to the Dalmascan throne. What sets this story apart from
others is that it never feels as if you're controlling a solitary band of
heroes out to save the world. The game does a great job of making it feel like
Vaan and his friends are just a small part of a greater rebellion. It is also
commendable in how it steers away from the normal trite story of
world-destroying supervillain. Instead, it's a much more realistic story of the
effects of shady politics, imperialism and war between nations and how the
citizens of a conquered state are affected.
As much as the story diverges from
the norm, the gameplay is almost unrecognizable as a Final Fantasy game. True,
the overarching concepts that have always guided Final Fantasy remain the same,
but everything has been tweaked and altered to the point that even RPG veterans
will have a learning curve when it comes to understanding all the new
mechanics. Naturally, these mechanics are all related to combat. The first time
you meet an enemy, you'll realize Square has eliminated random encounters.
Enemies are strewn throughout the area and you will fight them just as you see
them – if there are two skeletons and you get near them, you'll fight two
skeletons. There is not a transition to a battle screen either, so exploration
flows smoothly into combat. An even bigger change is Square's dismissal of the
ancient turn based battle system. Now, combat occurs in real time. Far from
devolving into a mindless brawler, this new system requires a great deal of
strategy and foresight, all while dealing with the fast-paced nature of combat.
A key part of this new format is the Gambit system, which allows you to
completely automate your character's actions. While this may sound as if it
negates the need for the player to participate in combat, or takes control away
from the player, neither notion could be further from the truth. For instance,
you may set a character's Gambits to allow him to attack and use special
techniques, but not use support or curative magic. However, if said character
has purchased the required License Board spot, and you have the magic, you can
make him cure himself when it is needed. And Gambits are by no means as simple
as that example. There are an infinite number of variations you can create,
such as having a character with less than 20 percent health automatically use
cure, or protect. You can make a Gambit that allows a character to
automatically use a certain type of magic on a target that is weak against it.
This allows you to customize a set of actions for any situation you'll
encounter. What the Gambit system accomplishes is letting the player automate
minor actions in order to pay greater attention to the flow of battle and to devise
complicated strategies. Another new element of combat is the Quickening.
Quickenings would be nothing more than glorified limit breaks. Even summons
have been totally changed. The new Espers are nothing like the traditional
Final Fantasy summon monsters. Not only do none of the usual summons appear –
no Ifrit, no Shiva, no Bahamut – but they operate nothing like they usually do.
Rather than a summon acting like an overpowered spell, summoning an Esper
creates a new party member for a limited period. Once summoned, the other two
party members disappear and are replaced by the monster. Once on the field, it
acts according to pre-set Gambits. This character tradeoff is usually worth it,
as the attacks summons can use are devastating to the enemy.
Final Fantasy XII is a game that
many will claim to hate or love. To me, the game is a crowning example of how
the rpg genre is changing for the better. The days of bland j-rpg’s are over and
in its place the gaming crowd is getting something much better. According to
vgchartz.com, the game has sold over 5.95 million copies worldwide. This only
speaks to the fact that the gaming world is ready for a change in its rpg’s and
that is what Final Fantasy 12 is. I would definitely recommend FFXII to anyone
looking for a refreshing change to there traditional role-playing game.
Link to image: http://www.gametab.com/images/ss/ps2/2603/box-l.jpg
Links:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps2/459841-final-fantasy-xii
http://www.vgchartz.com/game/765/final-fantasy-xii/
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