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 scheduled for October 31,2006 *. 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 midway through production 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 new composition — the vocal theme, "Kiss Me Good-Bye", performed by Angela Aki. Renowned violinist Taro Hakase provided performances for Symphonic Poem "Hope", which served as a promotional theme along with "Kiss Me Good-Bye".
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 *.
Square Enix officially confirmed that the game will be available in North America on October 31, 2006. The game will be available in two versions — the standalone game (with an MSRP of $49.99) and a "Collector's Edition" for an additional $10. This edition includes the game packaged in a steel case along with a variety of trailers and featurettes about the Final Fantasy series.*
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. Chocobos now look more war like and savage than in previous Final Fantasy Titles. While on a Chocobo, enemies ignore the player.
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 Encyclopedias featured in Vagrant Story.
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, 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.
A maximum of three party members can fight simultaneously, and they are sometimes accompanied by a special Guest character which temporarily joins the party. Guest characters cannot be designated as the party leader or controlled by the player in any way. When current party members get knocked out, 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 at any time. The player can also limit their party to two or one characters if they wish. Guest characters cannot be substituted. Given the game mechanics, characters cannot 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.
Here is an example of a typical Gambit list used during the game:
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 next 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.
| 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 |
| Exdeath | Tree of Judgement | 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 practically replaced all of the traditional Final Fantasy summons, it may be noted that many of these Espers have origins in the two installments of the Final Fantasy Tactics series, as either Zodiac Braves (in Final Fantasy Tactics) or Totema (in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance). Final Fantasy XII does however feature several airships bearing familiar names, including Alexander, Shiva, Ifrit, Carbuncle, Valefor, Leviathan, Catoblepas, Remora, and Atomos. It is also noted that 3 of the new Espers are the final bosses for I, IV, and V, Chaos, Zeromus, and Exdeath, respectively.
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.
Each character can also string together their Mist Knacks into one combo, dealing in heavy damage. However, the more combos they pull off, the faster the timer will decrease which makes it difficult to perform more combo attacks. Also, you must need 7 or more hits to make a finishing move visible.
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, an item shopkeeper 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, consul 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.
Hume: the majority population in Ivalice. The individuals of this race vary in intelligence, culture and appearance. There are other anthropoid races in Ivaliace, but the ones that are more intelligent prefer not to show themselves to Humes. Less intelligent Humes are considered laborers and slaves.
Viera: tall, slender creatures with long ears and long hair who lost their homeland to war 450 years ago. They live among the Humes since then. The most beautiful of all the races in Ivalice, they live up to three times the average lifespan of a Hume. They have excellent eyesight and can see as far as 10 km. Their long ears also give them superb hearing abilities and can sense difference in footsteps. There are two types of Viera. Rava Viera have brown skin and Veena Viera have white skin.
Bangaa: this race with their long-droppy ears evolved from reptiles. They have similar intelligence and lifestyles as Humes, enabling the two to co-exist fairly comfortably. Calling them "Lizard Man" or "Lizard People" is considered very offensive. Lizardmen are related to the Bangaa but are less-intelligent and generally become thugs. Though they are only able to use lower level magic, the hard scales covering their body gives them the best defense of all the races in Ivalice. They also control a Bangaa-specific magic spells. Bangaas have a slow reproductive cycle but can live up to twice as the average Hume lifespan.
There are four different kinds of Bangaa. Banga-Faas have dark bronze skin and are very athletic. Faas may mean "soldier" in the Bangaa language. Bangaa-Ruga have yellowish brown skin, shorter ears, gentler than the other Bangaa types, and are monks and instructors. The Faas and Rugas are the law-makers of the Bangaa society. Bangaa-Bista have copper skin. Bangaa-Sanga have dark grey skin. The Bista and Sanga have a more laid-back lifestyle.
Moogles: cute, fluffy bear-like creatures with bat-wings and a pom-pom sprouting from an antenna at the top of their heads. They stand at about 2-3 feet. Not to underestimate their cuddly appearance, the moogles are the most intelligent and nimble of the all the races in Ivalice. They were known for their talent in engineering and invention. They have even mastered the Ultimate Technology known as Etoria. The moogles were first airship builders. Moogle-technology was used in the wars between the races of Ivalice in history. The moogles have their own capital at the center of the city tailored for smaller moogles. Not all moogles become engineers. Some become knights and mages.
Seeq: evolved from pigs, the Seeq have low intelligence but are very fast, making them excellent fighters, as well as mercenaries and guards. They have excellent offense and defense qualities. Barbarous and immoral, most become thieves. The Seeq loves gold and other jewelry which they use to decorate their bodies.
Nu Mou: stout, dog-like creatures with long floppy ears, the Nu Mou play a minor role in Final Fantasy XII.
Garif: a bird-like warrior race living south of Giza Plains who have connections to the legends of the Nethicite.
Ultan-Yensa: a violent race that dwells in the Sand Sea. Dressed in clothes similar to that of desert-faring people, they called themselves the Kings of the Sand Sea. Their appearance comes across as shrivelled feline faces. Proud and arrogant, the Ultan-Yensa detests outsiders.
Only 4 English language voice actors have been announced as of July 18, 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. Smith had also previously worked on the localization for Vagrant Story.
The first English language trailer was shown at E3 in May of 2006. Most of the main characters were shown with their English voices, though only those English cast members listed above have been officially announced.
The vast majority of the game's soundtrack was composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto. English and Japanese vocals for "Kiss Me Good-Bye" were by Angela Aki. The soundtrack was released 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 CDs with 100 tracks. The soundtrack also includes some tracks which are not included in the game, only used in promotions. The soundtrack is stored in DVD-style packaging, complete with printed images on each disk. 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 and featuring a DVD containing the "Kiss Me Good-Bye" music video.
Sony Computer Entertainment Japan have released a special Final Fantasy XII package, which includes the following:
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 such ingredients as royal jelly, chamomile, sage, thyme, and marjoram. The drink has a unique taste; it is very sweet, but at the same time possesses a bitter herbal aftertaste.
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 (the Japanese version of Logitech) 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.
Book publishers Studio BentStuff will also be releasing two ULTIMANIA books — Final Fantasy XII Battle Ultimania and the Final Fantasy XII Scenario Ultimania on June 16, 2006. The Battle Ultimania provides a complete analysis of the new battle system, explanations of all the licenses attainable, every item, every monster and a hand catalogue with all conditions. The Scenario Ultimania on the other hand provides a walkthrough chart of the main scenarios in the game, profiles on all of the characters and areas of the world, along with walkthroughs of all the sub-events and a full map marked with all hidden items. As a bonus, both the books also include separate interviews with the developers of the game.
Square Enix has stated that Final Fantasy XII will be available both as a stand-alone game and also as part of a collector's edition package *. Features of the Collector's Edition DVD include:
2006 computer and video games | Final Fantasy XII | PlayStation 2 games
Final Fantasy XII | Final Fantasy XII | Final Fantasy XII | ファイナルファンタジーXII | Final Fantasy XII | Final Fantasy XII | ไฟนอลแฟนตาซี XII | 太空戰士XII | 最终幻想XII
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