It all began with this single image.
As mentioned in a descriptive (yet dated) preview, FFXII brings the player back to the world of Ivalice, made famous from the Final Fantasy Tactics titles. The game will not feature any of the original stories or characters (purists can hope for cameos), but is a completely new adventure with locations never seen before. A world at war is no setting to be taken lightly, and the story features extreme conflicts with the Archadian Empire and Kingdom of Dalmasca. Not wanting to give too much away at this point, I would like to call attention to the stunning cast of characters who fill varying duties in the tumultuous political and military upheaval – Vaan, Ashe, Penelo, Balthier, Fran….just to name a few. Given the complexity of the story, each character will hopefully play a major role as opposed to being relegated to a back seat position for story filler.
When these characters have words and start to throw down, FFXII has done away with the traditional random, turn-based battle system. This seems tired and clunky to most newer gamers, despite traditional role-players trying to keep the dream alive anyone after a killer old-school experience can check out Dragon Quest VIII}. In the updated battle system, your party will roam an open environment and engage visible enemies – or avoid them entirely. The maps and videos seen so far give an impression of MMORPG style combat, which as we all know is getting more and more popular on a daily basis. Given a choice of characters, there is an option to control how the entire party will fight and aid allies. Essentially it allows any action to be performed on any enemy or ally, at any time. This is brand new to any Final Fantasy title, and it known as the Gambit system.
Wow. Just wow.
Some games so far have utilised a similar system; notably Kingdom Hearts II and Tales of Symphonia. FFXII will give more control and specific commands, rather than vague options of what might happen in battle. The entire battle field is clear, which even provides rather cool targeting arcs that show which ally or enemy a character is performing an action on. As per usual in Final Fantasy, there will be Active or Wait options. Active will keep the battle flowing even as options and commands are being selected, so time is of the essence. Wait pauses the action to give the player time to make careful decisions about how to approach the situation. All in all, the new combat system looks extremely promising and it will be very refreshing to see such a radical system in a Final Fantasy title.
No RPG is complete without some form of leveling up, and FFXII gives yet another new take on the concept with the License Board. Somewhat similar to the Sphere Grid in FFX, players move around the board unlocking squares of a giant checkered board. Each square contains a license, essentially an upgrade which may include new magic, increased player statistics and extra abilities. Every time a square is unlocked, it then gives access to the surrounding squares and their inherent bonuses. This is shaping up to be a far less linear approach to leveling than the Sphere Grid, and will literally allow the player to develop and customise each character right down to the smallest detail.
Is there anything cooler than a Chocobo Knight?
Once again, Square are set to amaze the gaming community by providing stellar graphics – both in game and through rendered cutscenes. While we stand on the brink of the next generation some may find the technical prowess not as outstanding, but this game has been in development for many years, and it shows. You can check out many screens through the Media Panel, and FFXII is indeed looking to have among the best, if not the absolute best, graphics on the PS2 console. There really isn’t much else to say about this – it’s Final Fantasy. Always stunning.
FFXII features an original score, composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto and co-produced by series veteran and legend Nobuo Uematsu. Uematsu will also be contributing an original theme song, Kiss Me Goodbye, performed by rising star Angela Aki. It is a testament to this song, and Aki’s talent, that after hearing it I personally sought out more of Aki’s work, discovered and subsequently purchased her newest album direct from Japan. This is coming from a guy who spent hundreds of dollars on Final Fantasy music from a HMV store in Tokyo – but the point remains valid. As is to be expected, with the supreme talents of Uematsu and now Angela Aki at the helm, FFXII is going to be yet another amazing musical experience.
Final Fantasy XII is released on October 31st in the United States, and early 2007 for PAL regions. All impressions thus far are extremely positive, and PALGN will have all the specific details of the PAL release (and any bonus content) as soon as it is released. Watch this space for the full review of the most anticipated Final Fantasy game ever made. Now that is no small achievement.
An opinion that actually means something.
There's no way I could miss it, being such a big FF fan!
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