Final Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Age - Tchita Uplands and Sochen Cave Palace Gameplay

@darksynced: FF 12's leveling system was more like a table top game than a videogame and it didn't translate over as well as most would like. However, IZJS version (what the remaster is based off from) is a lot more streamlined and works better.

Squareenix wanted to shed off their old image because they thought that in order to keep making money, they needed to developer more "western style" games. Now, this works when you know what you are doing but can turn bad really fast when you don't. Starting with 10 and 12 (11 and 14 are MMORPGS and are a different issue) they made two games that followed more western type approaches. More linear hand holding and less "figure it the hell out yourself" meant that they designed their games with more hallways. Now, for 10 and 12 this wasnt so bad as you could go back and explore and perform the game at your own pace. 13 and 15 however... 13 starts with a hallway which you can't go back and explore places with and ends with a meh open world and 15 starts with a meh open world and ends with a hallway you can't go at with your own pace.

Because of these design choices a majority of their energy was put into those aspects. And because final fantasy has became synonymous with "new system each game" (which I hate) they have to push out a leveling system that is different enough. So we get these weird leveling systems.

I wish final fantasy would take the combat system of XII (no battle sscreens) + gambit system (so I can control how my party acts) + a simple and intuitive growth system (like material or FF 9's crystals) and just keep refining the process and making it better instead of scrapping it and starting over each game.