This is a game I will fight you for. I find it undeniably better than its predecessor, and I really wish the following games would take more from the things this game did so right. But then, not enough people think following Matsuno’s vision is the optimal course of action, which is pretty obvious to me…
FINAL FANTASY XII
Here we are. Let me get this out of the way – there is no numbered FF higher. This is my favorite numbered FF. There can be no other, as there are no words that I can use to express HOW MUCH I ADORE THIS GAME!!!!!!!!
Still not as much as Balthier love Fran SHUT UP YOU STUPID BALTHIER/ASHE SHIPPERS!!!!!
But I’ll try. First of all, I love the art style. Akihiko Yoshida gives us really beautiful character designs, and I love how most of his brushwork is still visible in the 3D models. I love how he uses mostly browns while still utilizing very vivid colors, making the whole game look like some really old painting. The same is true for the locations. Everything just seems to fit so well together. Too bad the FMVs didn’t really capture that, but hey, you can’t have everything
Plus, Yoshida gave us two really sexy Cids in this game (Cid Bunansa still wins out though).
On that note, I think the world in this game is amazing, not only because of how it looks. It is big with tons of nooks and crannies to explore. I love how varied the locales are and how the monsters really seem like an organic part of it. Ivalice really feels alive. I know a lot of people complained that you don’t get to travel the whole world, but IMO, that only makes it all seem bigger, that that huge swath of land you just explored is actually part of something even bigger.
See, you even get a lense flare effect.
Now for the controversial opinion: I love the story and characters. Seriously. After the forced drama and over-the-top characters from FFX, seeing a cast that is subdued and more human in a very subtle way is extremely refreshing. The absolutely stellar voice-acting really helps make the characters feel alive, their emotional reactions natural and believable, and even though the dialogue (amazingly translated as it is) is spread out pretty far between the long journeys you have to make, you can tell the characters make very natural progressions. What I’m saying is, the character development may not be so evident (or in your face) as in previous games in the series, but I feel the end effect is that much more powerful thanks to that. The main theme is freedom, and the message is that revenge can’t solve anything if you want true peace. I always like to bring up how Vaan is actually crucial to the story, because without his decision to ignore the Occuria and forget about avenging Reks, Ashe would become a crazy dictator, but that’s a rant for another day. Bottom line, I really love how mature this story is and wish it was appreciated more than it is.
Larsa quite possibly still remains my favorite FF character.
Another controversial opinion, though arguably less so – the battle system is also amazing. “But the game plays itself,” you may say. And I say “only if you set it up so”. There is a huge amount of strategy involved in the gambit system and I absolutely love how flexible you must be to really get by (arguably, this is probably the most challenging FF). If you can set it up so that the game plays itself, you have my utmost respect, because that is quite a feat (though still achievable). You want a game that plays itself? Just add another I to the number
You really need to stay on your toes otherwise.
You really can’t go wrong with the music in FF. Seriously, even the most hated FFs are always praised for their music, and this one is no different. The soundtrack has a very similar feel to the FFT series and Vagrant Story, thanks to Hitoshi Sakimoto. Though the melodies stand out less, there’s a swooping, movie-like quality to it, which I really love. It’s definitely one of my favorite FF soundtracks. Oh, and it has an awesome remix of Battle on the Big Bridge.
Overall, I can’t say I can recommend this to anyone. I realize people come into FF expecting specific things that I guess X delivers on better. But FFXII showed me how an FF can be and it turned out to be something I always wanted without being aware of that. I loved the mature tone and subtle story-telling, and I really wish more games delivered in that regard.
