Final Fantasy XII

You could move both the heroes and the camera freely in the battles, but you still had to wait until the bar was filled up and the fighter could finally launch a dagger. It was a mix of tradition and modernity that not everyone liked.

Another generation of HD

Before we get to the graphic innovations, a brief introduction to the history of the game: It revolves around street boy Vaan and his girlfriend Penelo. Vaan has been orphaned by the war and is now rebelling against the occupation of his hometown by the great power Archadia. He would like to run away and leave his life as a thief behind.

One day he happens to meet the pirates Balthier and Fran and joins them. At the same time, he encounters a conspiracy to kill the king and finds himself a little later in the war between the two great empires. The story corresponds to the original, but it is visually much more stylish.

The most striking improvement is of course the heavily pretted graphics . The game still looks a bit old-fashioned at first glance, but in a direct comparison at the latest the revised textures and the higher resolution are noticeable. Everything looks sharper and a little more detailed.

However, there are still a few washed-out pixel wallpapers, especially the desert areas still yawn at us with bleak emptiness. In addition, pop-up effects occur especially in the busy cities when figures suddenly appear nearby.

Since it is also a remaster and not a complete remake, the developers used the original 3D models and only drilled them out slightly, so the heroes appear subtly angular. The figures now cast nicer shadows and the rendering videos, which were already considerable back then, were subsequently scaled and sharpened to Full HD resolution. This means that FF12 can really be seen on the PC after more than eleven years, but of course you shouldn't expect a graphics miracle.

A sound miracle, on the other hand, was the already impressive sound carpet by Hitoshi Sakimoto, which was recorded by an orchestra from scratch and even booms with 7.1 surround from the speakers. Of course, this benefits the atmosphere. By the way, you can switch between the old and the new soundtrack in the menu. If necessary, you can also activate the English or Japanese voice output here, but a German setting is missing.

Time for a new job

A gameplay enrichment is the new Zodiac job system. In the original version, all heroes shared a license board, on which you could unlock new abilities, spells and equipment with points earned in combat (LP). This inevitably led to sophisticated superheroes, because theoretically all characters could learn all skills. The fighting became very monotonous.

In Zodiac Age, however, you can only teach one character two professions . So you have to deal specifically with the individual license boards and set a focus for each party member.

Some players may find this a limitation, but the battles benefit immensely from the new job system, as you now have to weigh up your specific skills depending on the situation. For example, if you were attacked by flying enemies in the past, your favorite fighters could simply blow them up.

Now you may need to trade your favorite warrior for a hunter you rarely use. This reaction and variation makes the battles more varied and exciting, especially since you continue to have an incredible number of options with the well-known Gambit system (see box).

Comfortable adventure life

In addition to the improvements that are visible at first glance, the developers have given the remaster a number of convenience functions that make the adventure life more pleasant. The map can now be faded in transparently at all times. This greatly facilitates the quick orientation without slowing down the flow of the game.

Thanks to the automatic storage function, the potential for frustration is also reduced. If you bite the grass, you no longer have to fight your way through the entire area, but start at the zone transition. Of course, you can still manually back up the storage crystals.

Detail improvements and more replayability

The balancing was also screwed on. Getting started is a little easier, so you no longer have to suck on the healing potions as often. The boss opponents, on the other hand, require more tactics and are no longer easily impressed with stupid attacks because they are blocked more often.

Veterans are happy about the new exam mode , which you can control via the main menu. 100 battle challenges await you in which you compete with your hero group. It is imperative to master the gambit system, otherwise you won't get very far. A few newly added side quests and hunting assignments ensure even more replayability.

Furthermore, a few detail improvements were made. So you can now invert the camera perspective, you can actively control guest characters and of course you can collect all kinds of achievements. As a result, the pirate nest in the Zodiac Age remaster no longer exists, which simulated a successful system in the original PS2.

The bottom line is that the new edition offers all kinds of improvements that not only make the old PS2 original prettier, but also playfully more attractive. If you missed Final Fantasy 12 at the time and like JRPGs, you won't go wrong.

Innovations in PC version

Square Enix has expanded the PC version of Final Fantasy 12 with additional graphics settings. For example, we can now experience the adventure in 60 frames per second . However, if you select 30 frames and activated V-Sync at the same time, you will encounter an annoying bug. Among other things, it allows cutscenes to be played at twice the speed, while the sound continues at normal tempo.

In addition to this error, we did not notice any problems with the PC version. The control with mouse and keyboard is quick after a short familiarization phase. We can also reassign all buttons . The PC version also supports gamepad control.

In addition, "New Game +" (you start at level 90) and "New Game-" (you stay permanently at level 1) are now available from the start, in the console version you had to unlock them first. And if you are in a particular hurry, you can immediately maximize Gil and license points with a button in the menu.

A much larger world, a much more complex plot, a large cast of lively and vibrant characters, a new combat system ... It certainly scared some, scared a few and captivated the majority, as it anticipated its time Today we have been able to remember that feeling of fresh air enjoying Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age, with a good handful of novelties and a great face wash. Let's fight for Dalmasca once again, now in HD .

The incredible world of Ivalice welcomes us with some visual section that shines with its own light because of its extraordinary artistic facet, and that they have taken remastering with pleasure, to tell us an old story: the war between Arcadia and Rozaria. We will suffer from minute one with a land trapped between the fronts, Dalmasca, and with all its citizens. This is not the story of a hero ... it is the story of six heroes. It is the story of a nation . It is the story of freedom.

In the skin of Vaan, the loyal Basche, Princess Ashe, the duo Balthier and Fran and Penelo, the brave sextet we will embody, we will also gradually discover the improvements that this delivery has incorporated. For starters, the sonic surname The Zodiac Age is already a novelty in itself , although it is not so much for our Japanese brothers. Final Fantasy XII came out in 2006 in Japan, but it didn't take long to see an improved version of the game, which unfortunately has not reached us so far to the rest of the mortals. It included a new work system that makes our lives easier, allowing us to choose between 12 trades for our characters, at a rate of two per head. The works are visually associated with the 12 signs of the zodiac, and hence this name (how thin they spin these japs!) Although besides being a good omen for the game, it has no more weight than that. These 12 works open the 12 different license boards, making everything much more varied, orderly and organized. This makes it possible to make Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age a better game, more varied and with more customization , creating our team of characters to taste able to scare the Empire itself.

Another novelty that we certainly miss in the original game is the possibility of pressing the L1 to double and quadruple the speed . Goodbye to the soporific walks through the huge scenarios that we will kick throughout our adventure ... and also goodbye to the tedious loading screens, since this theme has been streamlined including the option of automatic saving that will avoid us more than one scare. The icing on the cake is undoubtedly the option to activate the overprinted map on the screen to guide us as we move. As you can see, dynamism has been one of the priorities in this renewed Final Fantasy XII.

Because of the enormous game, there will be occasions when we need a break, and surely the new Challenge mode will enchant more than one with its charms. Using the characters that we have developed in the game, we can face up to 100 levels defeating increasingly powerful enemies, which will test our team, our gambits and our strategy. In addition, the objects and treasures we obtain in this way can be used in the main story, and that is always a cause for celebration.

These news have not been enough for you? Wait to see the graphic section of the game . All a display of beauty in really improved cinematics, and a more than passable in-game face wash that is appreciated, since the game has aged really well having been well anticipated to its time (and therefore misunderstood in the past by some). Certainly, do not expect it to be worthy of the capacity of the current console , but once accustomed to the somewhat old graphics, we will enjoy it without a doubt.

But if there is a novelty that we must underline is the sound section ... which shows the love, care and passion with which this Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age has been made. Without doubt the original soundtrack is one of the most acclaimed in the saga, and the most recognizable despite not having the great Nobuo Uematsu (except in the song of credits). Therefore, it is wonderful to hear it rewritten by an orchestra, which gives it more majesty and intensity, (putting goosebumps on a servant). Also the sound in general has received the improvement of 7.1. and high definition, and the possibility of hearing voices in English or Japanese opens up.

Do you still want more news? Now we can finally make several characters use magic at the same time, we will also control the espers and the relays in the battle and the reward system has been improved, both the chests and the objects in the fights.

Everything is appreciated, but we have not managed to remove that feeling that already invaded us when we played it 10 years ago. FFXII is clearly a game that dreams of being online, but it remained enclosed within the walls of the local game, and it certainly became strong there, settling the new dynamics of the next titles of the saga: more dynamism, more fluidity, more depth and more customization, something that was lost with the first six titles of the saga.

Final Fantasy XII arrived in 2007 leaving us with a mature maturity of the saga. His know-how, his strong script, which gave us a richer and better narrated context. Its combat system at that time new and its magnitude. Its duration, of more than 50 hours of dungeons, stages, kinematics and adventures . Its evolution towards a much richer world, made it quickly considered one of the best in the genre. The most welcome Gambits (macros or action scripts for AI during the battles) opened up a new range of possibilities that made us plunge fully into this rich world of Ivalice. No doubt this remastering, with its graphic and playable improvements, makes it worthwhile to enjoy the Zodiac Age in all its splendor. Prepare for war, Dalmasca is waiting for you.

But let's take a step back to the year two thousand, when Yasumi Matsuno, the mastermind behind Ivalice, and Hiroyuki Ito started working on what would become the title with the longest development time in video game history. Since then, and for the next six years, things within the team changed a lot, starting from the abandonment of Matsuno himself, and led Square to publish a title as much for the times as it was divisive for the fans, who experienced what was a Final Fantasy that for the first time, really, had little to do with the other Final Fantasy.

The story of Vaan, Ashe, Penelo, Basch, Balthier and Fran is different from the others, and it is clear from the beginning: the themes around which it revolves are more political than amorous, and yet, as usual, having growth of the protagonists and their relationships at the center of the whole aspect is that of the war romance rather than the pink one. On the other hand, although not for the whole production, the concept is still Matsuno's. Already from the very first lines in Rabanastre it can be understood that the discontinuity with the past is evident, and it is in (almost) everything that matters: we have talked about the main themes of the narrative, but what we usually refer to, talking about Final Fantasy XII, is the fact that it is a game almost entirely in real time, in which the fights are therefore not confined to an instance but occupying a space and time shared within the game world. In short, a modern stuff and, for the year in which it came out, decidedly avant-garde.

The first to pay the price of this small revolution is obviously the chance encounter: in a world where the enemies are always in sight there is no longer the anguish of meeting the random enemy every three steps, and if this seems The norm was certainly not so almost fifteen years ago, and certainly not for a Final Fantasy, so much so that even the thirteenth chapter has taken a step back returning to the instantiated combat. The technological challenge to bring such a different and complex world to PlayStation 2 has been unlikely, but has allowed Ito to be able to do things never seen before like the Gambit, which exploited this dynamic nature in an original and profound way. The Gambit is that series of indications that allow you to automate almost everything related to combat: you set up situations that activate specific triggers (such as "if the allies are below 50% of life then use Curaga"), they try in battle, they are modified again according to the type of collision and they are tried again until everything is perfectly automated. Soon you will learn, or remember, how much everything that revolves around this system is central to the economics of the game.

From the point of view of the evolution of the character, it can be said that we remain in perfect continuity with Final Fantasy X, with the Licenses replacing the spheres. This edition also offers the Zodiac Age variant, which in fact limits the licenses that the characters can take to two jobs, adding a certain strategy to the evolution of the characters and that job system taste that, at least if you ask me , it never hurts.

In short, between the areas in real time and the Gambit, playing Final Fantasy XII was for the times a small look at what the future would have been, as well as an almost definitive greeting of the saga to the classic way of interpreting the JRPG: the series has no never had particular fear in renewing from chapter to chapter and experimenting with new solutions, but with the twelfth game the natural evolution of the mechanics was far exceeded, going right into the field of revolution, exactly like the one the storyline of the game is about. This being so different and innovative allows him, much better than other (often more appreciated) chapters to be still current and enjoyable: playing Final Fantasy XII today has less effect, for example, than playing Final Fantasy X, of which you he may perhaps appreciate better writing and more characterized characters, but whose mechanics are more dated being in fact the last of the "classic" Final Fantasy.

The novelties brought by the Zodiac Age edition on Switch and Xbox One, the same in substance of the PS4 version, then make the gaming experience even more rewarding and help a lot to buffer the different game settings of more than ten years ago . Sure, there are new licenses, the ability to reset them, new gambits and the New Game Plus with two different modes, but the one that really changes the way you play a Final Fantasy is the Speed Mode, which allows you to speed up the game of two or four times. Now, it seems like a trifle, but how many times maybe the only thing that stopped you from taking up a role-playing game of this size was the lack of time to bring all the characters to the maximum, farm or grind equipment for the last, complicated quest? Here, in doing so, and by combining this warp speed with a system like the Gambit that automates these phases, you can spend more time in the decisive and topical clashes, deriving the grinding (or the palm-to-palm exploration of the areas) to a truly secondary activity that it will take a quarter of the time compared to what really matters.

Worth seeing, Final Fantasy XII is always pleasant, thanks to the excellent recovery work of the remaster, even if it always remains a game of almost two generations ago, so calibrate your expectations on this too. If you ask me, his death is playing it on Switch (personally I find it a perfect platform for this kind of recovery, also because the smaller display helps to notice the shortcomings), but it must also be said that for Xbox One it is a debut absolute, and above all on Xbox One X (and only there), you can play it at 60fps. Not that they are essential, but they are there. In short, as you do, you do well.

MODUS OPERANDI
I played Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age on Switch both in docked and portable mode noting any substantial difference, except that portability is a significant added value in this type of production.

It's been a long time since the last decent game in the Final Fantasy series. Of course, Square Enix has provided many versions of this chicken laying golden eggs, but since the memorable, launching series on PS2, Final Fantasy X has n't had any revolutions - until now. Just before the end of the existence of PS2 we were endowed with a little thing, which was definitely worth the wait.

Usually, each part of FF took place elsewhere. In FFXII, things happen in a world that was previously used in FF Tactics and FF Tactics Advance , but apart from the name Ivalice and fairy-tale creatures like: bangii, seeqi and moogle nothing more connects it with the one presented earlier. In addition, this part presents events in a slightly different way. The appearance of the character and the environment, as well as numerous archaizations in the language of the characters make the game lean more towards fantasy than science fiction.

The political situation in Ivalice has been described in detail: the Archadia Empire is gradually conquering new territories. It is also very cruel and does not show respect to the conquered areas. He wants to face Rozalia's empire and resistance formed from the inhabitants of smaller countries. Unfortunately, the battlefield would then become Dalmasca - a small state between Archadia and Rozalia. From this country sets off a small group of people who want to more or less protect them from this fate: a small thief, his girlfriend, pirate, magician banished from his village, stripped of honor, once a great general and former princess of this state (by the way Square Enix likes to cast characters of dubious reputation. Other characters will join them, but you won't have direct control over them, and after a while they will leave your team.

I mentioned the end of life for PS2 also for a reason. Square Enix apparently also sees it this way, because it woven into the game a lot of threads and details referring to the part closing the life of the first PlayStation - FFIX. A thief, a princess without a kingdom, her faithful soldier and a power-hungry person conquering neighboring kingdoms - unfortunately, the plot does not spark new.

Fortunately, an aspect has brought freshness to the game. Yes, I'm going to the point - fight. In this part, Square presented fans a completely new system. We've already had active time battle or turn-based fights, but they all took place on an isolated battlefield. Here, we will not meet such a thing - all fights take place where normal exploration. Now you can see your opponents and you can avoid them if you don't want to face them.

This solution also forced the designers to create a space other than before. Often, before you squeezed through narrow corridors, paths or small rooms, but now you had to use larger, more spacious boards that could contain all monsters. However, these areas are not able to contain such giant monsters, which were often seen in previous parts, so the enemies here are much more modest, less impressive. Omega, which appears here, is three times smaller than that of FFX or FFVII.

A new fighting system has also appeared. During the game you control the movements of the leader. Approaching the opponent you choose the attack that the captain is to use, then switch to another hero, choose his attack and do the same with the third. When the attacks are carried out, you repeat the action. A lot of work, right? That is why something like gambity was created. Thanks to them, you are able to program the behavior of heroes, for example with "foe: nearest visible ---> attack" will cause the hero to attack as soon as he notices an opponent, while "ally: any ---> rise" will cause the character to immediately after his companion's death he will revive him. Over time, more comprehensive gambits appear that take advantage of your opponents' weaknesses or your own. You arrange them in order of priority. What will be more important to you? A quick attack and immediate death of the opponent, or maybe healing will take priority for the wounded characters and the attack will come to the background? The correct arrangement of gambits will determine the outcome of many difficult battles. Often, one small mistake can lead to the rapid death of the entire team. This does not mean that you cannot interfere with them during the fight. Then you can also give commands that have priority over the previously set gambits. Of course, no one forbids you to personally select attacks for each hero in turn, but in the heat of battle you can not keep up with issuing commands, you get lost and the result will be a foregone conclusion.

Unfortunately, it must be said that this system has its shortcomings. There are no gambits that could improve entertainment, but there are a lot of unnecessary ones that you can not use even once throughout the game.

Of the familiar combat elements, you must definitely mention attacks. Standard names appearing from the very beginning of FF, such as Fira, Curaga or Esuna give the feeling that, despite all these changes, we are still playing this well-known game. There are also monsters here that can be summoned to fight at your side (how else). Now they are called Espery and another surprise: they have completely new names. The ones we know well: Ifrit, Shiva or Bahamut have now been assigned to imperial aircraft.

This part also includes a new character development system called the License Board. It's a bit similar to the Sphere Grid from FFX, but it's just a semblance. Maybe you know it, maybe not, but sphere grid was used to develop the character by increasing their statistics (strength, speed, etc.) and from time to time added new skills, while the License Board only allows the use of some weapon or technique that previously need to buy. You buy an item and then you buy a license to use it to be able to use it. Statistics are increased here by leveling up. And here is another surprise. Fans, especially die-hard fans, who usually don't let any boss pass, are accustomed to raising statistics to level 255, and in this part developers have limited this number to just 99.

The licenses of each character look almost identical. They differ only in quickening and espers - they are in the same places on each table, but only one character can have them and when one character buys a quickening or espper, then this field disappears from the license tables of the other characters. The same licenses inexorably lead to the fact that all characters can have the same skills. It's up to you to decide what each character will do. The negative aspect is that it can result in a lack of distinction among characters, but the positive aspect is that it gives virtually unlimited possibilities for assigning classes. Everyone can be anyone without any special training. And a very large number of weapons will support you in this separation of classes, because what if not the weapon best reflects the class of the hero.

It is necessary to mention here how to get money. Square was very thoughtful and changed the fact that every monster he encounters has a lot of money on him. Here we collect some items typical for these monsters like their horns or skin. Then we sell these items and that's what we get money for. But this is not the end! Store owners collect the things we sell and make them weapons, armor, or something else. Only in this way can we get the most valuable and strongest items in the game.

Although the developers squeezed practically everything that could be pulled out of this black box with Final Fantasy X , they did not give up now and thanks to the change in the presentation of the world and the way the camera is managed, this part looks even more beautiful.

As for the sound, it must be admitted that the refreshed original track sounds wonderful and the tear in the eye turns. Also, the actors who voiced the characters from the game did a great job, and those who chose them for these roles hit extremely accurately. The voices sound very natural and perfectly match the characters they serve. As for the subtitles, unfortunately in several places they do not completely reflect what was said, but these are only isolated cases that can be counted practically on the fingers of one hand. At this point I will add so much that during the game it is worth having the subtitles turned on, because the characters use a bit archaic language in the game and it is often difficult to know what's going on.

The game has its weaknesses, but hey, which is not? The creators of FFXII did a great job of transferring successful features from previous parts to this one, and new products breathed freshness. They proved that the first part is not always the best one, and that even the twelfth one can surprise you with something new and unexpected.

Bartosz "Mr Error" Weselak

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