Title: Final Fantasy XII

Date: 03.30.2006

Genre: Console RPG

Platform: PlayStation 2

Developer: Square Enix

Publisher: Square Enix

Time for Trouble

Looking back, it seems impossible for anyone to predict the amount of controversy, delays, and drama associated with Final Fantasy XII (hereafter ‘12’), especially given it’s status as Squaresoft’s flagship gaming series for well over a decade. First announced at the Square Millennium Conference along with Final Fantasy X, and XI, it would be another few years before the public actually saw anything specific, at a special event held in Tokyo’s Roppongi Hills. With all the major project players at hand, it seemed as if a release would be pending shortly thereafter. E3 2004 hit and attendees got a chance to play a demo build. After a controversial reception given the dramatic change in combat gameplay, the geometric giant went silent and the world could only guess as to the fate of this constantly belated title. Then things got even worse: Hironobu Sakaguchi, the “father” of Final Fantasy, left Square to form his own company, taking Nobuo Uematsu (the “composer” of Final Fantasy) with him. Hope sank to new lows when gamers learned that the project director, Yasumi Matsuno resigned for health related reasons.

Just when an all-out cancellation seemed the next logical announcement, July 2005 arrived and with it, the Square-Enix Party. It was at this pivotal convention that the RPG giant unleashed a gauntlet of good news: XII was not cancelled but instead, pending release on March 16, 2006; XII had a theme song (now a pre-requisite for the series), XII had received a new director, and XII had matured in design over the years. Those in attendance were able to play a brand new demo which North American gamers would later received (slightly edited) bundled as a promotional item along with Dragon Quest VIII in November. It was fever pitch and now only a matter of time before the inevitable: the day Final Fantasy XII would finally release and end the litany of setbacks associated with it once and for all.

In the weeks leading up to “D-Day”, XII received some impressive acclaim, such as a rare perfect score by the Japanese gaming publication, Weekly Famitsu. While the magazine’s reviews were as emaciated as ever (offering no real whatsoever into the score), it was quite clear that something was aloof for this radically altered Fantasy to earn such a coveted tally. With the game receiving high marks from competing periodicals as well, it was obvious that XII was a force to be reckoned with.

The Ideal

During the development process of Final Fantasy X, Square employees made it known that they wished to do away with random battles, a de-facto “staple” of most every RPG and perhaps-to many gamers-the single most aggravating element of play. While the bastard Final Fantasy XI (or as it really exists, simply “Final Fantasy Online”) managed to forgo the invisible encounters, it seemed unrealistic that the Playstation 2 could ever handle a game as multimedia mad as a Final Fantasy and have enough power to process monsters in real time. Yet amazingly, XII features just that: it is by far the most beautiful game in the entire series with stunning graphics, state-of-the-art CG movies, loads of voice acting and cut scenes, a lengthy quest, and yet…no random encounters.

Combat Crisis

As mentioned earlier, if there could be one single element of XII’s design that has provoked the greatest controversy, it would be the combat engine. Essentially a simplified version of the “hands off/AI-based” fighting in MMORPGs (like FFXI), many players found it impossible to accept a game system that refused to include a structured, turn-based system of input. In a sense, you a truly a “guide” for character input during battle, with the computer handling all of the actual attacking, defending, and, if the opponent’s proximity is close enough, movement as well. As revolting as this idea might sound to some, consider that previous Final Fantasy installments offered the exact same properties, if not even more restricted; aside from choosing options from a menu and confirming, the computer always controlled everything else-nobody should be kidding themselves into thinking that they ever had total control over anything.

Battle Basics

While wandering around in a field or dungeon, you will see monsters. To initiate combat, push the “Circle” button to open a command window, choose to “Fight”, then select the target(s). Watch as a target line draws itself and connects with the selected foe, then move your character in close and wait for them to attack once an ATB-esque wait gauge fills to completion. Use of items and magic occurs in the same fashion. An important element to note is that in Active Mode-the ideal play experience-all of this occurs in real time which means that monsters can-and will-attack you while mulling over what to do. If your have the AI set, party members will automatically attack according to the pre-set "instructions" when their gauges fill.

If things get too tough (and they will), it is possible to flee from battle, however given the nature of combat, that hardly means you are off the hook. As FFXI players may know all too well, enraged monsters will trail after your party hoping to slay whomever they can before you run out of their reach. While opponents that deal melee attacks prove less of a problem, those with long range and/or magical capabilities can quite easily defeat a party in crisis even when things seem safe. The best advice is to plan adequately for fights: avoid battles in heavily concentrated enemy territory if your party is low on health and/or restorative items. Don’t bite off more than you can chew as monsters are not all of the same level of difficulty even if they are all in the same area.

Gambit Goodness

In light of your only having “passively” direct control over a single character yet journeying in a party of many individuals, XII introduces the Gambit system, essentially customizable Artificial Intelligence dictation for those members of your party not immediately controlled by the player. While the game allows you to turn off the use of Gambits, the otherwise smooth and dynamic flow of battle changes to a more amalgamated mess when artificially stunted by the manual input of each party member’s command. Nonetheless, those who prefer to control everything and anything can still have their cake and eat it too. For those who can move on and accept change, the Gambit System ensures that combat remains fun and freeform throughout the game, never a chore fostered by button mashing and passive interest.

Shortly after the adventure begins and you gain additional party members, Gambits first appear. Some hours later, you gain access to the actual Gambit “Setup” system offshoot. Each character begins with two “slots” which the player can use to specify exactly what they want the computer controlled party members to do. You can, for example, have someone use the Cure magic spell (if they have learned it) on any character whose HP drops below a certain percentage. The catch is, however, that the customization options are very limited at first, similar to the manner in which Final Fantasy X initially allowed only one method of increasing a character’s Overdrive Gauge during combat. Unlike FFX where you would simply learn additional ways to fill the bar by mindless fighting, XII sees the additional customization options scattered throughout the quest, hidden in various treasure “boxes”. Usually the “upgrades” can be found in a logical progression such that as your characters advance in power and ability, the game will already have “ideal” Gambit upgrades in appropriate upcoming areas.

Lust for Licenses and a Chaste Challenge

With each new Final Fantasy comes a new gameplay gimmick that serves to mix things up and prevent the adventure from feeling too close to the previous. XII introduces the License Point system, an innovative skill building service that combines elements of Final Fantasy IX’s item-based character growth and Final Fantasy X popular Sphere Board. While characters level up in a traditional manner (via Experience Points earned from defeating monsters), they also receive License Points which are used to “purchase” new abilities, attacks, magic, Gambit Slots, (etc) from a sub-screen of the main menu. Different abilities have different point requirements, meaning that players will find themselves stalking monsters at all hours in an attempt to create the ideal character. Because of the fluid combat however, this is far less of a hassle than were gamers forced to deal with constant combat loading and a systematic input selection process. Even better, this system allows for incredible customization as players can build the character they wish to without worrying about a pre-determined “path” like so many other games opt for. Tied into this process is the dynamic of “unlocking” the ability to use more powerful equipment, thus ensuring that you can not simply horde Gil (the series’ monetary currency), waltz into a shop and leave with high power offensive gear that all but eliminates any and all challenge to be had.

And what a challenge there is…many gamers have no doubt lamented over the exponentially decreasing difficulty in this genre as time passes. Whereas they use to be just plain unforgiving in the earlier day of gaming, in 2006 it is not uncommon to play through an entire RPG without facing obliteration even once. This absence of difficulty all but ensures that players rarely-if ever-need to plan ahead, or need to think period. Just plow through each area until reaching the next one. Obviously the manner in which equipment upgrades worked heavily factored into this matter. XII on the other hand, is hardly something you can breeze through. While not as bad as an MMORPG, even Leveling Up your character takes a lot of time; do not expect to jump from Level 2 to Level 10 in a span of a few meager hours. You must work for your payoffs and that adds a tremendous sense of accomplishment in the end.

Those gamers sick and tired of pathetic boss monsters that offer little to no challenge whatsoever will be absolutely thrilled to know that XII is a real piece of work. Bosses can do so much, really: deal incredible amounts of damage, use special attacks that all but obliterate your party, at times even call reinforcements all while possessing a startling amount of Hit Points ensuring that even bouts of “power leveling” may prove useless. Instead of regulating the difficulty to far-off hidden bosses that only the most adamant players ever see, Square opted to make each and every major opponent a fight-something that could not be more welcome in a game like this. Suffice to say that players will be facing major setbacks in progress if they don’t adequately set up their Gambit AI.

Town Traveler and Dreamy Dungeons

With the exception of Final Fantasy VIII’s lost city of Esthar or the towns and cities contained in Final Fantasy XI, nothing much can prepare one for the impressive size and scope of the town environments in XII. Spanning multiple screens and simply sprawling, it is possible to spend hours talking with all the various NPCs littered about, shopping, scoping out new Clan Conquests, or simply marveling at how amazing the view is. When approaching a NPC whom you can speak with, a small “happy face” icon appears along with the character’s name. During longer conversation, an option to view a “Log” appears, allowing you to scroll back to earlier points in the discourse should you wish to recount important details. So large, detailed, and complex are the environments that they must actually be broken up into segments for the PS2 to handle such a load.

While XII takes place in the established world of Ivalice (setting of the two Final Fantasy Tactics games) seeing the various lifeform races and overall settings in true 3-D is an experience like no other. So many competing game companies have tried relentlessly to create this kind of virtual world yet, aside from online based societies, it seems impossible to list any that achieved this kind of success. At times you may question just how Square managed to pull off such feats in hardware that the industry claims is outdated and ancient.

Dungeons are simply magnificent: there is no other way to put it. Time and time again game companies craft boring looking environments with little-to-no excitement in them, however every area in XII is not only marvelous to look at, but entertaining to explore. Many players will be shocked by the sheer size of these locations as well, for they span multiple screens and can take quite some time to explore. While field locations tend to be more simplistic, the actual dungeons themselves are ornate looking regions with an astonishing sense of grandeur, detail, and scope. In a very real sense, it is like Vagrant Story or Final Fantasy Tactics but even more epic.

Page 2