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FINAL FANTASY XII: THE ZODIAC AGE Review – A Return Of A Timeless Classic

 
FINAL FANTASY Ⅻ THE ZODIAC AGE_20170716160020
FINAL FANTASY Ⅻ THE ZODIAC AGE_20170716160020
FINAL FANTASY Ⅻ THE ZODIAC AGE_20170716160020

 
Overview
 

Published by: Square Enix
 
Developed by: Square Enix
 
Platform(s): Playstation 4
 
Genre(s): Role Playing Game
 
Mode(s): Single Player
 
Game Type: ,
 
FG RATING
90%
90/ 100


User Rating
no ratings yet

 

Raves


unique gameplay mechanics, gorgeous visuals,

Rants


gameplay may take awhile to get used to


Bottom Line

I never got the chance to play Final Fantasy XII when it first came out on the PS2. I’ve always loved the Final Fantasy franchise, ever since Final Fantasy VIII. Unfortunately, that was also the last FF game I played since I never got to own a PS2 or a PS3. Luckily for me, these […]

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Posted August 24, 2017 by

 
FULL REVIEW
 
 

FINAL FANTASY Ⅻ THE ZODIAC AGE_20170716160020

I never got the chance to play Final Fantasy XII when it first came out on the PS2. I’ve always loved the Final Fantasy franchise, ever since Final Fantasy VIII. Unfortunately, that was also the last FF game I played since I never got to own a PS2 or a PS3. Luckily for me, these days the PS4 is releasing remastered versions of games of old.

Much has been said about FFXII all these years, how it deviate from the usual turn-based rpg mechanics that’s why this game was not as widely received by fans. In addition, the original game was released during the last days of the PS2 and the birth of the PS3. How does this version of FFXII fare in today’s console? Read on to find out.

STORY

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Final Fantasy does not deviate from the usual Final Fantasy storyline. FFXII is set in the world of Ivalice wherein war is being raged between the kingdoms of Archadia and Rozarria. As fate would have it, you are located in the middle of the endless war, in the small nation of Dalmasca. Our hero is Vaan, a young wanderer with hard-rock abs, who dreams of becoming a sky pirate. In the course of the story, he stumbles upon, Ashe, the princess of Archadia, who also happens to lead the resistance movement against the kingdom of Archadia.

GAMEPLAY

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This is where FFXII shines! FFXII introduced a new gameplay system to the world of Final Fantasy called Gambits. Gambits is similar to today’s games wherein your characters are act automatically based on the preset commands that you have set. This was a unique feature back then as players were used to the traditional turn-based or action-based rpgs. I admit, this is something that you need to get used to. At one point, you marvel at how your characters act on their own but eventually you’ll get bored and grab a piece of the action too! That’s why I always leave my party leader’s gambit off, so I get to control the party and prevent them from dying.

The commands that you provide to your party could is combination of attack and defense. For example, as shown in the tutorial, you can provide a command to a character to heal an ally when their health bar goes less than a certain percentage. When the conditions are met, you can either give a potion to your character or cast cure to heal them. There are tons of commands/combinations to choose and it’s up to you to select the right combinations based on the given situation.

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Levelling your character’s skill set is also different. You unlock skills throgh the License board. This is similar to the Sphere Grid, used by Final Fantasy X. In the License board you obtain your skills, spells, weapons and armors by spending the license points you earn from winning battles. Similar to that of FFX’s Sphere Grid.

In this installment, limit breaks are now called Quickenings. These are obtained through each characters license board and is limited to three quickenings per character. Quickenings does not cost MPs but is activated by filling out your characters Mist Gauge. When triggering quickenings, there are instances wherein you are able to execute chain quickenings or combos with your other characters. I have not yet unlock my other heroes quickenings during my first playthrough, so I have yet to encounter this feature.

VISUALS & PERFORMANCE

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Aside from its groundbreaking gameplay mechanics, FFXII also has the breathtaking visuals. It’s among the prettiest games I’ve played in the Final Fantasy franchise. Even though this is a remastered version of the 2006 original, it doesn’t look or feel like it. The gorgeous hand drawn looking visuals looks like this was made for the Playstation 4. Little did I know that the person in-charge behind FFXII is director Yasumi Matsuno. To those who are not familiar with his previous works, he also happens to be the person behind classics such as Final Fantasy Tactics and Vagrant Story, which happens to be among my all-time favorite games made for the Playstation.

VERDICT

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If you’re a fan of the traditional rpg, Final Fantasy XII may take awhile to get used to but when you do that’s when you’ll appreciate this game. It’s main strength lies between its unique gameplay mechanics and aesthetic visuals. FFXII is more than just a remastered video game, it stood the test of time and can hold its own among today’s games. If you haven’t had the chance to play this when it first came out (like myself), we can now enjoy the beauty that it is today. If you’re a fan of the Final Fantasy series, Final Fantasy XII has got to be include in your collection.


Ryan Villanueva

 
Your resident all around Flipgeek, from comics,movies,games,toys,music and even sports. A big Spider-man fan raised in the ways of the Jedi,who listens to punk rock and a sucker for chick flicks.


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