Final Fantasy XII

Did You Know?

• A special Final Fantasy XII package released in Japan on March 16, 2006, included a PlayStation 2 console, the game, a DualShock controller, and a vertical console stand.
• Suntory produced a limited-edition Final Fantasy XII Potion drink containing royal jelly, chamomile, sage, thyme, and marjoram.
• A spin-off action role-playing game called Fortress, developed by Grin, was cancelled after six months of development.

Plot

Final Fantasy XII takes place in Ivalice during an age of widespread magic and airships powered by magicite, a magic-rich mineral. Ivalice comprises three continents: Ordalia, Valendia, and Kerwon. The Rozarrian Empire occupies Ordalia's inland plains, while Archadia rules Valendia. Dalmasca, a small kingdom on the Galtean Peninsula of Ordalia, is caught between the two empires and has been subjugated by Archadia two years before the game begins. The six main playable characters are Vaan, an orphan of Rabanastre who dreams of becoming a sky pirate; Ashe, the determined princess of Dalmasca who lost her father and husband in the Archadian invasion; Basch, a disgraced knight charged with treason for slaying the king; Balthier, a gentlemanly sky pirate who pilots the airship Strahl; Fran, Balthier's partner and a Viera exile knowledgeable in legends and myths; and Penelo, Vaan's childhood friend who accompanies him to keep an eye on him.

Development

Development began in December 2000, led by Final Fantasy Tactics director Yasumi Matsuno and Final Fantasy IX director Hiroyuki Ito. Matsuno provided the original concept and plot but left a year before release due to health concerns. The team was restructured, with Ito and Hiroshi Minagawa as directors and Akitoshi Kawazu as executive producer. Series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi was disappointed by Matsuno's departure and did not play beyond the introduction. The desire to eliminate random encounters drove the Active Dimension Battle system, allowing seamless movement between battle and exploration. The gambit system was conceived early to facilitate this change; battle system designer Hiroshi Tomomatsu noted it evolved from a complex formula to a more flexible form. Ito drew inspiration for gambits from American football plays, where each team member has a specific role based on conditions. The license system was a natural extension of Archadia's rigid society, epitomized by its Judges. Early ideas dropped due to constraints included a two-player mode and the ability to recruit non-player characters for mob hunts. Technical limitations of the console caused delays.

Reception

Final Fantasy XII received universal acclaim according to Metacritic. It was the sixth game to earn a perfect score from Famitsu and the second Yasumi Matsuno game to do so after Vagrant Story. Critics praised its graphics, scenarios, game system, and freshness to the series. Seamless transitions between full motion video and in-game engine were highlighted, and IGN voted it number one for Best Art Style. Newtype USA named it Game of the Month for November 2006, calling it the best RPG released for any Sony platform. GameSpot lauded the gambit and license systems as innovative but criticized them as too complicated for newer players, and noted tedious travel. GameSpot praised the voice cast as excellent. IGN praised the storyline, artistic direction, and depth of character, and countered criticism that gambits let the game play itself, stating they do not function without a player. IGN wrote that the soundtrack was one of the series' weaker ones. Executive producer Akitoshi Kawazu was pleased by the Famitsu rating but felt the game was not perfect, expressing regret over the storyline due to creative differences between the PlayOnline and Final Fantasy Tactics development team members.