It’s been 5 years since we’ve received a new chapter in the Final Fantasy series. FFXII has been worth the wait.
FFXII breaks from tradition by taking place in the previously established setting of Ivalice, the world featured in the Final Fantasy Tactics series. In this game you’ll take control of a motley band seeking to free the land of Dalmasca from the conquering Archadian Empire. Our band of heroes is about as diverse as you’d expect from the series, ranging from a young thief who dreams of becoming a sky pirate, to an honorable Dalmascan captain accused of murdering his king. The story is both intriguing and well executed and will very likely keep you enthralled for the full 50 or so hours it takes to complete it.
COMBAT:. FFXII takes perhaps the biggest departure from previous combat systems in the series by removing random battle encounters altogether. Instead it merges battle with exploration in semi real time combat that is somewhat reminiscent of an MMO. To go with the new combat system is the intuitive and powerful “Gambit” system through which you can program the behavior of your teammates with parameters such as making them use a potion on an ally if they fall below 70% health. .
REPLAY VALUE:.
The game offers a wide array of side quests for you to undergo as you progress through the adventure. Numerous bounty hunts, hidden spheres, weapons, petty quests, FFXII has a lot of all of them. However, it has its share of issues as well. Even though there are a lot of them it doesn't help that a lot are simply fetch quests. A lot will simply require you to go to X point, kill a monster there, and then return for a reward
BOTTOM LINE: This is the type RPG, fans have been waiting for. So stop reading this review and go play it