The Air of Hope that had surrounded H.R.H. Princess Ashe's wedding was now quite lost: Dalmasca had been set adrift, at the Mercy of History's restless Tides.
Beaten: 4-5 times. Got halfway through at least twice more. Most recently beaten in 2016.
Versions played: Playstation 2 (original), Playstation 2 (International Zodiac Job System), Playstation 4 (The Zodiac Age), Switch (The Zodiac Age)
Final Fantasy XII is my favorite game of all time, and has been for many years. The only game that's come even close to usurping this title is Final Fantasy XIV, where I play a Viera half the time. I run a very large fansite to this game. I really love it.
I say this up front to make it clear how heavy my bias is. There are things I dislike about the game — the third act is an absolute mess, for instance, and a number of characters aren't properly developed. But at the end of the day, if I had to pick one game to define me from this series, it's FFXII.
I was enthralled with it from my first playthrough. This was in 2007, in my college dorm, on a used PS2 and my roommate's tiny TV. I really can't say how I felt about it at the time, other than that I wanted to play it more than I wanted to go to class. For various reasons, though, I didn't pick it back up until 2009, again on a terribly small TV with another used PS2. That was when FFXII cemented itself as my favorite, even though I'd played other games in the series I'd loved.
And really, it's all because of the gameplay.
I love the gambit system. It's my favorite AI system in any game, period. Having the power to freely order my characters around with a predetermined list was nothing short of a godsend. And this was back on the original version, before the (excellent) revisions in the Zodiac editions. This is, honestly, what I had wanted from the Tactics games I'd also loved: the freedom to hone in on the nitty-gritty details of how the game itself played.
And yeah, some people don't care for it, or argue that it plays itself. To a limited degree, it does, but you can't go very long in the game without revising your gambits if you take on any of the optional content.
Because boy is there optional content. I didn't do all of it until my run in PS4 release of The Zodiac Age, in part because I was motivated by the platinum (which I got) and in part because I had a really comprehensive guidebook for that edition. I'd dabbled in a lot of the optional content before, I'd done most of the hunts, but I hadn't gotten every summon and fought every monster and explored every map. When I finally did, I honestly had the time of my life.
I love, love, love this game. I don't know how many ways I can say it.
Favorite character
Ashe wins here by a landslide. From the first playthrough, I was immediately drawn to Ashe: a princess who wants nothing but to protect her people, even if it means dabbling in dangerous magic. Ashe's journey over the course of the game is nothing short of wonderful.
Balthier is also the standout here. The dashing leading man caught my attention right away, and I wanted nothing more than to see what he was going to get up to. Who doesn't love a sky pirate?
And Larsa wins the award for Best Guest Character In The Series. Between his life-saving potions and fantastic character development, Larsa is one I've always been very fond of.
Favorite music
This is actually quite difficult, because while I love the FFXII soundtrack, it's deliberately a lot more atmospheric than a lot of the other soundtracks in the series. I don't really go to the FFXII soundtrack for songs I'm going to be humming along to all day, but rather for good background noise while I'm working on something. Honestly, it really suits the game and the way combat flows from exploration, but it makes it hard to pick standout tracks.
Favorite location
This section on these pages was mostly so I could talk about FFXII. Because exploration is so key to the experience of playing the game, I love so, so, so many of the environments.
If I really had to pick I'd probably go with Archadia as a whole, because I adore going through the beaches of the Phon Coast through the Tchita Uplands and later to the Cerobi Steppe. But I could easily say Dalmasca, because I adore exploring the Sandsea, the Tomb of Raithwall, the bits of Zertinan you get to delve into...
Gameplay thoughts
Because this is my favorite game, which I have already written about extensively, I will be brief here. What I love most about FFXII is how unique it is. Nothing before or since has ever really played like it. The gambit system is nothing short of revolutionary, and the fact that it wasn't the basis for a dozen more games baffles me every day.
But it's the little things, too. I love the license board — both original and Zodiac. The original one is a good starting point that the Zodiac ones take and make far more interesting. Frankly, for those players who want a challenge, I honestly recommend only taking one job in The Zodiac Age. You only got one per character in the IZJS edition, and depending on what you picked, it could be so much more difficult. Seriously, try playing without a white mage.
And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the extensive Hunt system. It dovetails perfectly with the game's focus on exploration, and really sends you to every corner of the world to discover what secrets you can.
Further reading
