Final Fantasy XII
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| Final Fantasy XII {{#if:{{{image|}}}|<tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center;">{{{image|}}} | |
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| Developer(s) | Square Enix {{#if:{{{publisher|}}}|<tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Publisher(s)<td>{{{publisher|}}} |
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| Genre(s) | Role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single player {{#if:{{{ratings|}}}|<tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Rating(s)<td>{{{ratings|}}} |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 {{#if:{{{media|}}}|<tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Media<td>{{{media|}}} |
Final Fantasy XII (ファイナルファンタジーXII) is a console role-playing game produced by Square Enix for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console. The game was released on March 16, 2006 in Japan. The North American release is on track for release before Thanksgiving [1]. The European, and Australian releases are unknown at this time. On November 15, 2005, a playable demo of the game was shipped with the North American release of Dragon Quest VIII. Though not a direct sequel to any previous Final Fantasy game, Final Fantasy XII features several concepts introduced in the Final Fantasy Tactics series.
Yasumi Matsuno, originally announced as both producer and director, was forced to bow out of both roles due to health concerns. In his place, Hiroyuki Ito and Hiroshi Minagawa took over directorial duties, with Akitoshi Kawazu assuming the role of the executive producer. Matsuno remains credited for "Original Work/Scenario Plot/Supervision". Hitoshi Sakimoto was the music composer for the game, and series veteran Nobuo Uematsu contributed one track (the vocal theme, "Kiss Me Good-Bye", performed by Angela Aki). Renowned violinist Taro Hakase provided the main theme music titled Symphonic Poem "Hope".
On March 16, 2006 the game was reviewed by Famitsu, and became only the sixth game to receive a perfect 40/40 score, as well as the first Final Fantasy game, and the first PlayStation 2 title to do so. It is also the second Yasumi Matsuno title to set a perfect score, the first being Vagrant Story [2].
Contents |
Gameplay
Image:Final Fantasy XII JAP FF12.jpg Like previous games of the Final Fantasy series, combat is menu-based. However, unlike the first ten games of the series, it adopts a battle system similar to that of Final Fantasy XI where combat takes place on the same screen as regular exploration (in a Chrono Trigger fashion), with a seamless transition from exploration to combat mode. Combat unfolds in real time, using a new battle system called active dimension battle. There is also not a different musical score during combat; the track that is played during exploration will be heard throughout the battle as well. The traditional fanfare featured in all Final Fantasy titles reappears after dungeon bosses along with a Congratulations text. The player may assume control of any of the three characters in the battle party at will and issue commands for the characters at any time. So far, distinct battle commands are known: Attack, Magic, Mist Cart, Gambits, and Item. The game also features a system of chain bonuses. If a character kills a particular type of monster multiple times, that character will gain the chance to earn improved (or simply more) items after battle.
Chocobos are traditionally featured in all Final Fantasy Titles. in FFXII, whenever a player rents a Chocobo, he/she has a certain amount of time to make his/her travels through the wilderness. When the time is completely depleted, the Chocobo returns to its stall in the city and the player is left on foot. While on a Chocobo, enemies ignore the player.
Combat
Battles are carried out in much the same way as Final Fantasy XI. Battles are initiated in the field screen by engaging visible wandering enemies. There is no transition to a separate battle screen. Party members can move around freely during battle. The battle menu can be accessed at any time, but after commanding a character to perform an action, there is a wait time before the action is actually performed. Unlike Final Fantasy XI, there is a visible "Wait Time Gauge" which indicates wait time. Wait time varies depending on the action. A regular attack takes a couple of seconds, a powerful spell can take several seconds, and item use is instantaneous. Battle flow is as follows:
- Party engages enemy
- Player brings up the Command Window and selects an action (Attack, Magic, Gambit, Summon etc.)
- When the Wait Time Gauge fills up, the character performs the selected action
- A chosen command can be cancelled by opening the Command Window and choosing another command before the Wait Time Gauge has filled up completely.
There is a common misconception that this system has eliminated "random battles" from the game. However, there are still random battles in the form of surprise ambush attacks from unseen enemies suddenly springing from tall grass, water, sand etc, much like Chrono Trigger when the party is near. Enemies can now detect the party through several means, such as sight, sound, and smell. Some enemies are more hostile towards the party than others, and some can even attack other monsters rather than the party. Sometimes the player may even encounter citizens or monster hunters actively fighting, occasionally presenting the party with minor healing.
Three characters can fight simultaneously, sometimes accompanied by a Guest character, which however cannot be controlled as the leader of the group. When current party members get killed, the player is given the chance to reorganize the party in the Menu, substituting active K.O.'d members with other inactive characters. The player is free to switch between characters anytime he/she wishes, too. Guest characters cannot be substituted. Given the game mechanics, characters can NOT be healed in the menu this time around.
Money is no longer dropped by monsters, much like Final Fantasy VIII. It can be acquired by performing tasks, hunting wanted monsters, or selling acquired treasures, which have no other benefits than to financially profit from (selling these may also unlock rare goods in shops). One notable exception is the item "Telepo Stone", used to instantly transport the party from one place to another, using specific, golden Save Crystals. These, like regular Save Crystals (of blue color), also fully restore the party's HP/MP and Status. MP is also recovered slowly with walking.
Abilities
Image:FFXII License Board.png Learning and using abilities (magic spells, use of equipment, special skills, HP bonuses etc.) is done via the new License system. Each playable character begins with their own License Board, which looks like an oddly shaped chess board. The squares on the board contain various abilities which the character may use. Basically, one character's Board is split into two different parts with no intersection. The upper one contains Magical, Stats-raising and other character-specific abilities, while the bottom one is largely filled with Equipment Licences. Mist Knack abilities are scattered randomly across both Boards. Every single character gets a starting point on each of the two. In order to learn an ability, the character must first spend the required amount of LP (License Points) to permit its use. LP are earned in battle along with the usual experience points. When a square is activated, any empty squares adjacent to it also become available for activation. A square cannot be activated if there are no activated squares adjacent to it. While similar in some ways to Final Fantasy X's Sphere Grid, the License Board allows far more freedom; there are no restrictions on how the player may develop their characters. In practice, the License Board system is simply another in a long line of previous systems where ability points are earned and exchanged for new abilities.
Magic
The magic system is divided into five different schools. White magic includes spells that heal the party's HP, cure bad status ailments and resurrect dead party members. The holy-elemental attack spell Holy is also part of the white magic school. Black magic includes elemental and non-elemental spells that directly damage one or more enemies. Green magic consists of supportive or debilitating spells that alter party members or enemies' statistics. Time magic includes spells that alter the target's speed, or cause damage over time. The fifth and last school of magic, arcane magic, includes dark-elemental attack spells, as well as spells that cause status ailments, drain, and gravity spells which were previously included in the black magic school. Magic spells are bought from shops as in many previous Final Fantasy titles.
Weapons
The playable characters can equip any kind of weapon after they acquire the corresponding ability on the License Board. Depending on what category a weapon falls into (i.e. sword, two-handed staff), the game may use a different method to calculate the damage that weapon deals. The amount of damage inflicted by a bo staff, for example, is dependent on the strength of the enemy's magic defense, whereas other weapons may damage the enemy in accordance with the enemy's physical defense. Guns are actually two handed weapons, requiring the player to equip different purchased ammo types (not leaving opportunity to hold a shield), which ultimately defines the weapon's power. Same goes for bows, the player may acquire stronger and stronger arrow types over time. Ammo is otherwise unlimited.
Gambit System
The Gambit System is a new type of AI which works similar to an easier version of programming language. Using a set of pre-programmed commands, a player is able to set specific reactions to battle for each character. Each Gambit consists of two component variables: a target, and an action. For example, the game initially gives players two commands for use in their Gambit instructions. One reads, "Leader's enemy: Attack" and the other reads "Party member [HP less than 70%]: Cure". The Gambits are listed in order of priority, and changing their order in the list will cause the character to act differently. If the first command is "Leader's enemy: Attack" and the second is "Party member [HP less than 70%]: Cure", the character will attack with the party leader as long as they are engaged in battle. Once the party leader's target has been eliminated or the leader disengages from battle, the second command will come into play. If any party member is below 70% health, the character with the aforementioned Gambit will cast Cure on them. Different battle procedures would follow if the two commands were switched around, as the character will cease their attack and cast Cure on any party member with less than 70% health, and then resume attacking once all party members are at 70% health or more. There will be many different Gambits in the game to facilitate choosing any specific target, friend or foe, and then performing any action on it. Each character has a maximum of twelve available Gambit slots, which must be unlocked one at a time on the License board. Gambits are most often bought in Gambit shops, but they can also be found in chests.
Here is an example of a typical Gambit list used during the game:
Priority Target Action 1 Party Member [KO'd] Cast Life 2 Party Member [HP less than 30%] Cast Cura 3 Party Member [Darkness] Use Eye Drops 4 Party Member [Slow] Cast Esuna 5 Party Member [Poison] Use Antidote 6 Yourself Cast Protect 7 Yourself Cast Haste 8 Yourself [MP less than 10%] Use Ether 9 Undead Enemy Use Phoenix Down 10 Flying Enemy Cast Gravity 11 Enemy [Weak vs. Fire] Cast Fira 12 Leader's Enemy Attack
This Gambit setting makes keeping all party members alive and in good fighting condition the highest priority; reviving fallen characters, keeping the party's HP at a safe level, and removing status ailments. The second priority is the character supporting themself with Protect and Haste spells and MP replenishment. The final priority is attacking enemies. Giving undead and flying enemies special priority over all others ensures that the character will always treat them differently than "normal" enemies. If this character encounters a flying enemy which is also undead, they will treat them as undead, as the Undead Enemy Gambit is given a higher priority than the Flying Enemy Gambit. By giving attacking enemies the lowest priority, this character will cease attacking in the midst of battle the instant any other parameter arises and they will not resume attacking until that parameter has been rectified. Note that there is no specific qualifier following "Yourself" in the Protect and Haste Gambits. Therefore this character will cast Protect and Haste on themself the instant their Protect and Haste status wears off.
Mist Cart
The Mist Cart command is short for "Mist Cartridge". In a nod to Final Fantasy IX, a mysterious phenomenon known as "Mist" exists in the story, and it is the key to two special abilities in the game: Summon magic and "Mist Knacks".
Summon Magic
- Summoning magic appears once more with creatures known as Espers (as in Final Fantasy VI although the name may change during translation). In order to acquire an Esper, the creature must first be defeated in battle. Afterward, one character must sign a pact with the Esper, and that character will be the only one who may summon it. Unlike any previous Final Fantasy, summon spells cause only two members of the battle party to withdraw from the battlefield and the Esper replaces them to fight concurrently with the summoner. While the Esper is present, the Summon command in the menu becomes the Dismiss command, which the player can use to send the Esper away at any time. The Esper will remain in the party for a limited time, indicated by a row of spheres that gradually disappear over the course of a minute or two. If the Esper survives until the time limit reaches zero and is not dismissed by the player, it will perform a very powerful special attack before leaving the party. The player can use curative magic and items to aid the Esper. Espers are controlled by A.I. and cannot be controlled by the player.
Espers
- See List of Final Fantasy XII espers for more detailed information.
Name Title Zodiac Sign Element LP Level Adrammelech Furious Emperor Capricorn Thunder 25 1 Belias Devil Aries Fire 10 1 Chaos King of Reincarnation Taurus Wind 90 3 Exodus Tree of Judgment Libra Magic 50 2 Famfrit Dark Cloud Aquarius Water 90 3 Hashmalim Regulator Leo Earth 50 2 Mateus Corrupt Empress Pisces Ice 25 1 Queklain Impure King Scorpio Poison 50 2 Shumihaza Betrayer Sagittarius Soul 50 2 Ultima Holy Angel Virgo Light 90 3 Zalera Angel of Death Gemini Death 25 1 Zeromus Convicted Tyrant Cancer Gravity 50 2 Zodiac King of Commandment Serpentarius Dark 200 3
- While these have patently replaced all of the traditional Final Fantasy summons, Final Fantasy XII features several airships bearing familiar names, including Alexander, Shiva, Ifrit, Carbuncle, Valefor, Leviathan, Catoblepas, Remora, and Atomos.
Mist Knacks
- Like the last several installments in the series, Final Fantasy XII introduces a new Limit Break system: Mist Knacks. Some of the Mist Knacks are:
- Vaan: レッドスパイラル (Reddosupairaru; Red Spiral)
- Ashe: 北斗骨砕斬 (Hokuto Kotsusaizan; Bone Shattering Slash of the North Star)
- Balthier: 略奪のコンパス (Ryakudatsu no Conpasu; Compass of Thievery)
- Fran: 乱命割殺掌 (Ranmeihassasshou; Chaotic Splitting Deadly Palm)
- Basch: 闇と暗黒の衝撃 (Yami to Ankouku no Shougeki; Impact of Absolute Darkness)
- Penelo: 生殺与奪 (Seisatsu Yodatsu; Power Over Life & Death)
- Characters learn Mist Knacks by progressing to specific squares on the License Board, usually at the edges or corners. Upon activation, the corresponding square will disappear from the License Boards of all five of the other characters. Each character can learn a total of three Mist Knacks. When a character learns their initial level 1 Mist Knack, it requires a full 100% MP bar to use it. Upon learning their level 2 Mist Knack, the character's MP bar is divided into two sections, and it requires only 50% of the bar to use the level 1 Mist Knack, and a full bar to use the level 2. When level 3 three is learned, the MP bar is divided into three. Now level 1 will require one third of the bar, level 2 requires two thirds, and the level 3 Mist Knack requires the full bar. The name Mist Knack and all other names given for the Limit Breaks apply only to the Japanese version of the game; it may be renamed in the English version.
The game also features an extended Clan report, a summarization of the player's progress so far, including detailed descriptions of enemies defeated, A catalogue of Wanted monsters defeated, and other more or less interesting information. The section is reminiscent of the Encyclopediae featured in Vagrant Story.
Story
- See also: List of Final Fantasy XII characters
Final Fantasy XII takes place mostly in the kingdom of Dalmasca, a small city-state in the world of Ivalice. A neutral party in the past wars between its neighboring kingdoms of Archadia and Rosaria, Dalmasca was ultimately conquered by Archadia and reduced to the status of an occupied state under Archadian rule. Vaan, a street urchin living in the Dalmascan capital of Rabanastre, joins the underground Dalmascan resistance movement and participates in an assault on the royal castle, now occupied by Archadian troops. His involvement in the attack eventually brings him face to face with Ashe, the deposed princess of Dalmasca and the leader of the resistance faction.
Other major characters include Balthier, a sky pirate struggling to remain neutral in the conflict between Archadia and Dalmasca; his companion Fran, a Viera warrior; Penelo, a street performer in Rabanastre and Vaan's best friend; Basch, a former general of Dalmasca turned traitor during the conflict between Archadia and Rosaria; Reks, Vaan's older brother and formerly a soldier of the Dalmascan army under Basch's command; Larsa Solidor (known as Ramon when traveling incognito among the common folk), a young prince who has a mysterious connection with Nethicite, a rare counterpart of Magicite (the substance from which all magical energy is derived); and Vayne Solidor, the royal heir of Archadia, regent of Dalmasca, the Judges' commanding lord, and Larsa's elder brother.
Archadian Judge Masters, leaders of the Judges who first appeared in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, are featured prominently in the story. They are the supreme enforcers of Archadian law, and number five total: Gabranth, Ghis, Drace, Zargabaath, and Bergan. In addition, all of the races available in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (Bangaa, Viera, Moogle, Nu Mou, and Hume) appear in Final Fantasy XII, joined by a new race, the pig-like Seeq.
Credits
Voice cast
| Character | Japanese | English |
|---|---|---|
| Vaan | Kouhei Takeda (武田航平) | |
| Ashe | Mie Sonozaki (園崎未恵) | Kari Wahlgren [3] |
| Fran | Rica Fukami (深見梨加) | |
| Balthier | Hiroaki Hirata (平田広明) | |
| Penelo | Yuna Mikuni (三国由奈) | |
| Basch | Rikiya Koyama (小山力也) | |
| Judge Gabranth | Akio Otsuka (大塚明夫) | |
| Larsa | Yuka Imai (今井由香) | |
| Vayne | Nobuo Tobita (飛田展男) |
Only one English language voice actor has been announced as of April 11, 2006. Square Enix is currently working on localizing the game for the U.S. Noted translator Alexander O. Smith has been confirmed to be involved with the English North American localization of the script.
Crew
- Executive Producer: Akitoshi Kawazu
- Original Concept/Scenario/Plot/Supervisor: Yasumi Matsuno
- Directors: Hiroyuki Ito, Hiroshi Minagawa
- Chief Programmer: Takashi Katano
- Art Direction: Hideo Minaba, Isamu Kamikokuryou
- Character Design: Akihiko Yoshida
- Battle Design: Kazutoyo Maehiro
- Event Direction: Jun Akiyama
- Movie Director: Eiji Fujii
- Supervisor: Taku Murata
- Composer: Hitoshi Sakimoto & Nobuo Uematsu
- Theme Song Composer + Producer : Nobuo Uematsu
- Theme Song Vocalist: Angela Aki
Music
Image:OST FF12.jpg Template:Main The soundtrack of the game was composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto. Vocals were performed by Angela Aki for the theme song, Kiss Me Good-Bye. The soundtrack is due for release on the 31st of May, 2006 in Japan with a price of ¥ 3,990 bearing the catalog number, SVWC-7351~4. The CD consists of 4 CD's with more than 100 tracks. The soundtrack also includes some tracks which are not included in the game, only used in promotional stages. The CD will be stored in a DVD styled box, complete with printed images on each CD. The box also includes a 28 page booklet.
The CD single for Aki's single for the game, Kiss Me Good-Bye, was released on the 15th of March, 2006 with a price of ¥ 1,223 bearing the catalog number ESCL-2810. A limited edition was also released with a price of ¥ 1,500 bearing the catalog number ESCL-2808 featuring a DVD containing the Kiss Me Good-Bye video clip.
Merchandise
Sony Computer Entertainment Japan have released a special Final Fantasy XII package, which includes the following:
- PlayStation 2 game system, model: SCPH-75000 FF
- Final Fantasy XII game
- Standard DualShock controller
- Vertical console stand
The special edition package was released alongside the game on March 16, 2006.
Renowned Japanese third-party manufacturer Hori also released Final Fantasy XII memory cards on the same day as the game's release. The memory card is a standard 8MB card, coloured white and will have its own case priced ¥ 3,660. Stickers of various Final Fantasy XII characters are included.
Suntory Limited have also been commercializing "Final Fantasy Potion" - a drink containing royal jelly and herbs. The drinks became commercially available on March 7, 2006 in Japan and come in 120ml bottles with a retail price of ¥ 191. Suntory also released a Final Fantasy XII Premium Box priced at ¥ 600, each containing a 100ml bottle with a decorative cork and 3 Final Fantasy XII collectors cards. There are a total of six corks and twenty-seven cards to collect. Click here to view the TV-ad of the drink.
Game peripheral maker Logicool has also released a special edition Final Fantasy XII controller alongside the title on March 16th. This white cordless controller comes stamped with the Final Fantasy XII logo and includes a convenient LCD cleaner.
| Image:Ps12.jpg | Image:Ff12memorycard.PNG | Image:Potiondrinkff12.jpg | Image:FFXIController.jpg |
Sales information
According to Media Create, Final Fantasy XII sold 1,764,266 copies on its release week in Japan, [4], breaking the 2,000,000 copies on the following week. [5]
Trivia
- Final Fantasy XII has references to final bosses from the previous games, in the form of summons. These include Chaos, the final boss to Final Fantasy; Zeromus, the final boss to Final Fantasy IV, and Exdeath, the final boss to Final Fantasy V.
- Final Fantasy XII contains a battle featuring Gilgamesh, a character seen previously in many other games in the series. The battle features his theme "Battle on the Big Bridge" from Final Fantasy V.
References
- {{cite web
|year=August 1, 2005 |url=http://www.square-enix.com/na/company/press/2005/08012005/ |title=SQUARE ENIX TO SHIP FINAL FANTASY® XII IN JAPAN MARCH 16, 2006 |accessdate=December 13 |accessyear=2005
}}
External links
- Final Fantasy Wiki category list for Final Fantasy XII
- Official Japanese Final Fantasy XII Site
- Final Fantasy XII US
- FFXII.com
- FinalFantasy12.org Japan
- Final Fantasy 12 NET Japan
- Final Fantasy XII Europe
Template:- Template:Final Fantasy XII Template:Final Fantasy serieses:Final Fantasy XII fr:Final Fantasy XII it:Final Fantasy XII ja:ファイナルファンタジーXII pt:Final Fantasy XII sv:Final Fantasy XII th:ไฟนอลแฟนตาซี XII zh:最终幻想XII