Finishing up the last few side quests and monster hunts in 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Final Fantasy 16 has me looking back on my relationship with the acclaimed RPG series, and exactly what entries the latest draws inspiration from. It has flashes of Final Fantasy 4, 9, 12, and even Tactics spread throughout its lif💝eblood, all of which I’ve been itching to revisit in recent weeks. Given I haven’t touched it for the better part of a decade now, I settled on Final Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Age, a valiant swansong for the PS2 that redefined the franchise in ways we once considered divisive.
Acting as the first main entry since 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Final Fantasy 10 and previously carrying the honour of longest development cycle in gaming history (oh how things have changed), 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Final Fantasy 12 has aged beautifully thanks to its painterly aesthetic and narrative drenched in political intrigue that is basically just anime Star Wars. A ragteam group of sky pirates, misfits, cute bunny girls, and princesses team up to take down an evil Empire by any means necessary. Cue a bunch of compelling twists and turns across a gorgeous world filled with memorable locations and bold cultures that only Iv🍨alice could provide, and a realm players who played the likes of Vagrant Story and FF: Tactics will immediately recognise. Returning to it warms my heart, and makes me appreciate it far more than I ever could as a kid.
Part of this is because I didn’t give the game a chance in my youth. A common criticism towards Final Fantasy 12 is how, thanks to its complicated Gambit System, you can essentially trick it into playing itself with enough time and understanding. Its combat took clear inspiration from MMORPGs with its mixtu📖re of real-time and turn-based components, with gambits allowing you to assign automatic commands to yourself and allies which would be activated after meeting certain parameters. If anyone’s health drops below a certain point you can make a member of your party cast Cure, while automatic attacks can be delivered whenever specific moves aren’t required. It’s basically coding in your own gameplay, which with the right combos can definitely break the game. But for most players, it definitely won’t.
Fail to grind sufficiently or take advantage of gambits, and Final Fantasy 12 is bound to kick your ass. It did mine, which is why I wrote it off for so long before completing it after an extended absence. Now I’m back, and sinking into its world more than ever. Ivalice is surprisingly open, and you’re♓ allowed to roam free from the city of Rabanastre and into the surrounding deserts very early on. Many areas are filled with overpowered monsters or huge quests you aren’t ready for, but the fact Final Fantasy 12 trusts you to figure that out on your own terms is quite commendable.
Every location is bustling with life and filled with unique characters to talk to, all of which complement the world building and help explore a class divide that cements precisely 🧜what Vaan and company are fighting for. Everything about it shines,ဣ and possesses a fantastic maturity that even Final Fantasy 16 isn’t quite able to match. It isn’t brooding or gothic to justify its political sophistication, and finds plenty of time for light-hearted fun amidst the hardships.
Don’t get me started on the characters either, which somehow manages to be equal parts eccentric and constrained in their designs and personalities. Who expected a scantily-clad bunny girl to hide so much depth, or the Han Solo-inspired sky pirate by her side to be far more than a pretty face? Final F🍃antasy 12 might take liberal inspiration from Star Wars with its story beats and characters, but takes it so much further than one would expect. Years later it proudly sits alongside other series’ greats while teasing a tonal identity I’d love to see revisited.
Clas🔜sic fantasy is blended effortlessly with flashes of futuristic technology and a vibe that changes depending on exactly where in Ivalice you tend to be. Serious thought has been put into things, and I can’t help but appreciate that the narrative thre💫ad being unwoven here is a smaller tale in a much wider world. I can’t wait to dig a little deeper into things as my revisit continues and see how this misunderstood gem compares to masterpieces of the modern era.