As printed in The Northern Light newspaper
Nov. 14, 2006
After 12 volumes (not counting sequels, side stories or spinoffs), the Final Fantasy series continues to be the high standard that all RPGs aspire to. “Final Fantasy XII,” like all the central Final Fantasy games, is a stand-alone story unrelated to all the rest. Common story themes, game mechanics, general names and creatures tie them together somewhat, but what really makes a Final Fantasy game is its epic story. The small kingdom of Dalmasca, caught between two large warring kingdoms, is soon overtaken by Archadia. Dalmasca’s king is seen being assassinated by its own captain of the knights and its princess is said to have killed herself. Two years later, players start as an idealistic young man named Vaan, who wants to restore Dalmasca’s dignity and get out from under the Archadian Empire, while also looking for the traitor who killed his brother at the same time as the king. The epic story expands from there.
“Final Fantasy XII” has one of the most straightforward and compelling stories since VI (III when it came out in America, not to be confused with the upcoming III for Nintendo DS), with fallen kingdoms and conquering empires being more relatable than the near-undecipherable world of VIII. Along with the more grounded plot, deep and complex characters with excellent voice acting make it an ensemble cast without an already-defined main character, also going back to the strengths of VI. Parties can contain up to three characters, who can be swapped at any time. So if a character dies in battle, another one can immediately fill the vacant slot. This provides a good incentive to develop and use all the characters, and keep them at similar levels.
Combat is no longer random battles, but a refined MMO-style that’s completely customizable based on personal preference – it can be turn based or active time, with direct control of the whole party or the use of gambits. Gambits are the most interesting new feature in XII, allowing for characters to have individualized responses to a variety of specific situations, meaning players can custom-program the artificial intelligence of their party members. Playing with gambits is also very MMO-like, as the other party members will act on their own alongside the player’s character. But, unlike massively multiplayer online games, players can regain direct control of a party member at any time, for those times when a complex strategy is needed. Battles are fast and smooth, and random battles are not missed at all.
What doesn’t work as well is the new license board used to improve characters’ skills.
Some of the Final Fantasy games use a job-class system (which is always excellent), but others use more confusing systems like the materia, junction system or sphere grid systems. The license board allows any character to potentially use any skill as long as they hold the correct license and that ability has been purchased. Besides essentially adding an extra step to gaining abilities, the board layout requires some abilities to be purchased before others, but many times the skills are unrelated to the skill that character is trying to learn and license points are just wasted. If enough license points are acquired throughout the game, every ability could be open to every character. While it’s good to give players a lot of freedom in what types of skills their characters devolop, it ends up taking away from the characters’ individuality during battles by making their skills generically interchangeable. Of course, that wouldn’t even be a concern in any other RPG, but “Final Fantasy XII” gives its characters so much personallity during the story aspect that it’s a shame to see that lost during battles.
It’s a minor gripe, though, in a masterpiece of a game.
“Final Fantasy XII” ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Square Enix
For PlayStation 2
Release date: Oct. 31, 2006
Genres: RPG
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