Final Fantasy XII Hands-On
We delve deeply into the world of Ivalice for our preview of the fully voiced and translated Final Fantasy XII.
After a seemingly interminable wait, the latest adventure in the long-running Final Fantasy series is at last poised for its English-language release. Arriving in the wake of the well-received Final Fantasy X and the massively multiplayer Final Fantasy XI, Final Fantasy XII blends seamless real-time combat with the traditional cinematic fanfare and gorgeous lands that fans have come to expect from the franchise. Our time with the North American release version of the game let us more fully explore the game's new "gambit"-based battles, its license board upgrade system, its expansive world, and, of course, its new English translation.
The game opens with the kingdom of Dalmasca, which is wedged geographically between two large empires, being threatened by the advancing Archadeans to the north. The king of Dalmasca sends his armies to press back against the onslaught, only to have those forces--as well as the lady Ashe's husband, Rasler--killed or driven back. The Dalmascan king is then killed while attempting to sign a capitulation treaty, Ashe seemingly commits suicide soon after, and the kingdom is seized by the intruders. Two years later the uneasy peace in the occupied capital of Rabanastre is broken by resistance activity that rolls up a number of unwitting participants, including war orphan Vaan and the legendary sky pirate Balthier and his serious-minded partner, Fran. While we didn't get too deep into the story, there's enough conspiracy and conniving, ambition and nobility, and betrayal and redemption even early on to promise quite an adventurous ride.
The English script and speech fit the game quite nicely, the first because it's deftly written and the second because the voice acting is uniformly very good. Not only is the delivery smooth and natural despite the antiquated English and the heavy political meanderings that some characters dish out, but the actors for each member of the main cast that we've heard so far are solid individually. The deposed princess of Dalmasca, Ashe, has a strong and commanding voice that befits a leader of an underground resistance movement, while main character Vaan sounds both young and eager without squawking and overplaying his part. Balthier's actor, with a slight English accent, relates the infamous sky pirate's cavalier attitude and easy sarcasm particularly well. The speech in Final Fantasy XII seems confined to cutscenes and story sequences and enhances the atmosphere whenever it's used. The atmosphere is one of unrest and political upheaval that fits the contentious world of Ivalice that we first got to know in Final Fantasy Tactics and sets the stage for some larger conflicts.
The key part of any adventure is exploring the world around you, and we got to spend a lot of time tinkering around with Final Fantasy XII's battle system. The game's various areas are divided up into generous zones with loading screens between them, but that's the only loading that happens in a given zone, as all battles are fully real-time and integrated into the world around you. You'll move in a group, with a leader character (usually Vaan, though you can swap leaders whenever you wish) taking point and up to two party members behind you, though you'll sometimes get a "guest" character for a fourth slot. As you roam around, you'll be able to see your enemies wandering around the zone, and if you want to fight them, all you have to do is approach them.
What your character and your party do then is to a large extent determined by gambits. The gambit system is based on artificial intelligence commands that you set for each character (you can even set your own). Gambits consist of two options: a target and an action. For example, if you set a gambit for Balthier that starts with "Foe: party leader's target" and ends with "attack," then Balthier will attack any enemy that you have the leader attack. Likewise, if you set up bunny-eared Fran with a gambit that starts with "Foe: nearest visible" and ends with "fire," upon attacking enemies, Fran will choose her closest target and cast the fire spell on that target. That's fairly straightforward, but you can also set fancy gambits like "Ally: HP < 20%," "cure," which would cast the cure spell on allies whose health is at less than 20 percent. You can set multiple gambits on each character, and since characters prioritize gambits based on their arrangement (they will always try to do the action on top of the list first if the conditions are right), you can create custom gambits for those who will be primary healers, those who will attack first and then heal after battle, those who will use items, and so on.
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- GameSpot Score9.0Editors' Choice
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This chapter in one of the world's most popular role-playing series features an inspired look, boldly redesigned strategic combat, and a long, engaging story.
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