LogFAQs > #951256470

#10 Final Fantasy XII (Playstation 2, 2006)

Final Fantasy XII is the latest mainline Final Fantasy that I have played. It was a bit of a departure for the series, going from what had always been somewhat turn-based to something close to real-time combat. And although Final Fantasy X had dispatched with the overworld map, XII took that a bit further with the interconnected open world. Or at least as open a world as anything that the series had seen to that point.



It's a very divisive title. I think most people who tried it out either love it or hate it. Not a secret then where I fall on that divide. I love almost everything about it. The setting goes for something more "normal" than what you usually see in the series, and that makes the story and characters much more grounded (Vaan's cartoon six pack aside). For the first time since VI, it feels like a true ensemble, with no true focal character, although Penelo becomes invisible partway through. I hear a lot of griping about all the focus on political machinations, but I could say the same about the typical Final Fantasy tropes; different strokes, blah blah blah. Like Tactics, regrettably, the climax of the story veers again towards the world-ending crisis that the series can't get away from, but I have accepted that. It's probably the weakest aspect of the game, but still pretty good, all things considered.

Where Final Fantasy XII really shines is how it plays. The designers ditched the random encounter system that had been used up to that point, so combat and exploration are seamless in transition. Not revolutionary even for its time, but a stark change to the series formula. You can choose to avoid most enemies in the world, which is nice. The areas are pretty non-linear, and often the only thing stopping you from going anywhere you want is the strength of your party. That's a really nice throwback to the first few games in the series, where you could just explore and then "whoops" you're getting killed in one hit in an area you're not supposed to be in yet. I really like those moments. Feels "old-school" like a lot of games from my childhood.



Another change is that you control just one character at a time, and basically program your allies using a series of priorities. You can still assume control at any time, but it's fun to be able to set some routines and watch them play out. Makes the grind a bit less of a grind, not that you really need to grind in this game, at least not until the post-game. Speaking of which, Final Fantasy XII delivers post-game content in spades. There are several extra dungeons to explore, superbosses to fight, and so on. It's probably the most that the series had delivered up to that point in terms of this kind of content.

The game looked good enough, but the voice samples were compressed which was very unfortunate. The soundtrack was not compressed though, and remains one of my favorite video game soundtracks of all time. But I've said before that I prefer Sakimoto to Uematsu, so this is not a surprise. I really like all his Final Fantasy scores.



I first played this game I think four or five years after it first came out, on a tiny CRT in an apartment that I lived in by myself for a few weeks. I had moved to a new city for work and my then-fiance had yet to follow me out there. So I would go to work, come home, and just engross myself in the game. It was a fun few weeks and one of my favorite video game experiences, just something really magical. So, Final Fantasy XII has its place in my top ten through a combination of nostalgia for that sweet time, and also its outstanding merits.

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