Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age

 PC
User Score
8.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 311 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 253 out of 311
  2. Mixed: 26 out of 311
  3. Negative: 32 out of 311

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  1. Glenn_SM
    Dec 24, 2022
    10
    Um dos melhores Final Fantasy da franquia. O sistema de Gambit traz uma perspectiva mais dinâmica no sistema de combate em turnos sem perder a essência da franquia.
  2. Kaecilius17
    Jan 26, 2022
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Esse jogo ficou simplesmente incrível nessa versão, o update gráfico notável, teve algumas mudanças em questão as Jobs, porém, um jogo espetacular! Enredo e jogabilidade única!… Expand
  3. aecsuter
    Aug 18, 2022
    9
    O melhor FF que joguei até hoje!

    Prós: - Graficos bem superiores ao X/X-2 e ficou muito melhor para o PC, apesar de ser bom lembrar que é um jogo orginalmente de PS2. - Batalhas em Tempo real no que pra mim é o auge do ATB - Variedade grande de monstros - Variedade imensa de mapas - Sidequests bem interessantes e imersivas - História envolvente e bem madura - Sistema de Gambits    O melhor FF que joguei até hoje!

    Prós:
    - Graficos bem superiores ao X/X-2 e ficou muito melhor para o PC, apesar de ser bom lembrar que é um jogo orginalmente de PS2.
    - Batalhas em Tempo real no que pra mim é o auge do ATB
    - Variedade grande de monstros
    - Variedade imensa de mapas
    - Sidequests bem interessantes e imersivas
    - História envolvente e bem madura
    - Sistema de Gambits
    - CGS e cutscenes muito bonitas
    - Sistema de Evolução (Licenses) muito bom.
    - Summons muito legais, apesar de praticamente inuteis em batalha se focou nas sidequests
    - Side-boss incriveis, um mais forte que o outro

    Contras:
    - Dificuldade da história principal é extremamente baixa se faz tudo que o jogo oferece.
    - Preço salgadissimo mesmo em promoção.    … Expand
  4. LastResource
    Jan 14, 2023
    10
    worth it and glad to play this game again. so much memories and nostalgia within this twelveth game in the series.
  5. Naked_Snakee
    Apr 6, 2023
    10
    Just text (crutch) to save the game to the list. Such things. Maybe I'll do a review later.
  6. DeWyntr
    Jun 27, 2023
    8
    Perhaps one of my favorite entries into the franchise, Final Fantasy XII marks what, in my opinion, is the best middle ground to date between the turn-based entries and the new, modern action combat iterations of the games.

    For the relatively simple and trope-laden plot that XII holds, it is enchanting in it's execution, with break out roles by an amazing cast of voice actors and    Perhaps one of my favorite entries into the franchise, Final Fantasy XII marks what, in my opinion, is the best middle ground to date between the turn-based entries and the new, modern action combat iterations of the games.

    For the relatively simple and trope-laden plot that XII holds, it is enchanting in it's execution, with break out roles by an amazing cast of voice actors and actresses, commanding presences to be found on screen, and a surprisingly grounded narrative. The game play itself was divisive at the time, and remains so to this day, a combination of turn-based and free movement combat; it really was an innovation for the first time in the series XI not withstanding.

    The Gambit System allowed players to not need to micromanage every viable moment of battle and instead program their allies' priorities and considerations in combat by allowing the purchase of actions and parameters for them to take given certain conditions being met. While complicated on paper, this seamlessly integrated itself as a rather intuitive and easy to understand system which provided that core, strategy element to encounters in a live combat setting.

    The Hunts felt meaningful, the quests interesting, the story engaging enough to keep interest while light enough so as not to bore you entirely with political discourse of lore-dumping where it wasn't needed. FFXII does show it's age now, of course. There are a few quality of life advancements the series has made in the more recent entries, such as saving the game in-menu as opposed to dedicated, physical checkpoints, these I feel are easy enough to adapt to.

    The Zodiac and License Board systems are perhaps the biggest point of contention for me, as it is incredibly possible to build your characters poorly despite what they may usually come equipped with as far as narrative goes. With Fran, one of the titles main cast, being by far one of the worst options for Archery/Ranged in the game, despite her being clearly cast as such by the story. This level of customization and lacking in balance truly doesn't hold too great an effect however, and only comes into play within the games optional, higher-tier content endgame of which there are only a few.

    This specific title formulated my love for the series of Final Fantasy into something much deeper and meaningful, I don't think it's perfect, far from it. However if I were to recommend any Final Fantasy game to anyone, it would be this one.    … Expand
  7. Irorieh
    Dec 14, 2021
    9
    A near perfect remaster of the original. It's rare that a remaster adds elements that change a game as much as TZA did, and doesn't wind up damaging the gameplay, but TZA does. While the changes originally come from the Japanese exclusive Zodiac Job System, which released in Japan back in 2007, the revamp never made it's way oversees, meaning the system is brand new to fans of the originalA near perfect remaster of the original. It's rare that a remaster adds elements that change a game as much as TZA did, and doesn't wind up damaging the gameplay, but TZA does. While the changes originally come from the Japanese exclusive Zodiac Job System, which released in Japan back in 2007, the revamp never made it's way oversees, meaning the system is brand new to fans of the original in the west.
    While the game allows players to relive the same story as the original, the new elements add for a degree of specialisation, and character diversity that was sorely lacking in the original release. Now there is a need to think about how you want your characters to grow, experiment with different equipment and "jobs" (think "class"), and approach party building in a way that plays into individual strengths, rather than just building a team of OP everymen, dumping all your top level gear on them and calling it a day.
    Graphically its a massive upgrade from the PS2, little surprise, but it allows the world (which tbf had been impressive by PS2 standards) to really pop.    … Expand
  8. doproyee
    Feb 19, 2021
    9
    very attractive characters, still good graphics and nice details. enjoyable.
  9. regalrealm
    Mar 11, 2021
    10
    This game is extremely fun, once you've played it, you'll remember it after many years, it's replay value is very high.
  10. KyrenDuNord
    Apr 4, 2020
    9
    An almost perfect J-RPG with many quality of life improvements. The combat system is easily the best part about the game. For some reason, I'm heavily drawn to the semi-realtime nature of the combat and it's extremely engaging to play - though I understand this might not be everyone's cup of tea. The story itself is interesting and memorable. Overall, a must-play if you're into J-RPGs.
  11. SolidSovereign
    Nov 24, 2019
    10
    Final fantasy. Plainly put is art. I'm rarely disappointed with any direction they take and this was a fresh take on the combat system, and yet I still found myself fully immersed again.

    9.8/10
  12. innfinnity85
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    Awesome Games in the world!!!!!!! Square enix good developer . Gameplay super
  13. philzlz
    Dec 31, 2018
    6
    Zodiac Age is a remaster of the 2006 released PlayStation 3 game Final Fantasy XII featuring a new job class system. The game takes place in the war torn land of Ivalice, where the kingdom of Dalmasca finds itself between the two fighting empires of Archadia and Rozarria. You control Vaahn and lead a resistance movement to stop the Archadian Empire.

    One of the weaker entries of the    Zodiac Age is a remaster of the 2006 released PlayStation 3 game Final Fantasy XII featuring a new job class system. The game takes place in the war torn land of Ivalice, where the kingdom of Dalmasca finds itself between the two fighting empires of Archadia and Rozarria. You control Vaahn and lead a resistance movement to stop the Archadian Empire.

    One of the weaker entries of the Final Fantasy saga due to its weak story. Combat mechanics don't hold up nowadays, but with the option to speed fighting up it becomes bearable. Towards the end, the game starts to drag and the weak cast of main characters disappoint.

    A good PC port of the game with 4k support and 60 fps.    … Expand
  14. RoloBianchi
    Sep 17, 2018
    9
    Recuerdo que fue el primer final fantasy que jugue en ps2 y mi primer juego de rol, la verdad que haberlo vuelto a jugar fue un placer! se han mejorado muchas cosas, tiempos de carga, fps, texturas, graficos, hubiera sido mejor un Remake, pero tampoco es que se vea fatal, a mi me encanto
  15. newjks
    May 12, 2023
    8
    Top world building and side quests in FF franchise, the story is good but the story telling, pacing and presentation are not in ff quality, battle and job system combine with gambits i think is the most fun gameplay i've ever experience in ff.

    The world map also is the best in the whole franchise, you can explore most of the location early if you have the skill and most of the high    Top world building and side quests in FF franchise, the story is good but the story telling, pacing and presentation are not in ff quality, battle and job system combine with gambits i think is the most fun gameplay i've ever experience in ff.

    The world map also is the best in the whole franchise, you can explore most of the location early if you have the skill and most of the high level area has powerful loot out there which makes exploring extremely fun and rewarding.    … Expand
  16. Louis88
    Feb 12, 2018
    10
    FF XII: The Zodiac Age is a revamped and expanded port for the PC of the PS4 title. The Zodiac Age contains many improvements on the original FF XII, the largest being the Zodiac job system. These improvements were unreleased outside of Japan until the release on the PS4.

    The PC port of the game is near perfect, complete with support for 60fps in 4k. The game looks very good and the    FF XII: The Zodiac Age is a revamped and expanded port for the PC of the PS4 title. The Zodiac Age contains many improvements on the original FF XII, the largest being the Zodiac job system. These improvements were unreleased outside of Japan until the release on the PS4.

    The PC port of the game is near perfect, complete with support for 60fps in 4k. The game looks very good and the performance is fantastic. It can be comfortably said that this is one of the best Final Fantasy ports on PC. If you are a fan of the game, or of the series in general, you owe it to yourself to get this definitive version of FF XII.    … Expand
  17. UnrealResults
    Mar 7, 2018
    9
    This game is so good, one of my favorite final fantasy games. I was very happy to see it remastered on the PS4.
  18. Watersson
    Jun 2, 2019
    10
    My dearly beloved game from the PS2 era finally came to PC and I am literally over the moon. As for remaster and a port from PS4 it's incredible. I enjoyed playing every single second of it, just like I did back 2006. Now it's even better, because I have the possibility to play international version. New items, class system - what else one would like to have?
  19. 22446688Bb
    Aug 6, 2019
    10
    Final Fantasy 12 is one of the most beautiful things you can see anyone who likes rpg and this thing is really surprising if you wish to be deeper than you are.
  20. AngrySir
    Jan 28, 2023
    10
    My favorite game of the franchise ported to PC with some improvements to visuals and gameplay options, to some this may not be enough, for me it is.
  21. kuehnau
    Feb 4, 2018
    5
    Final Fantasy XII is out for PC now, with improved visuals, new mechnics, and other options to try and justify charging $40.00 for a 12 year old game that you can get brand-new for $15.00 on Amazon for the PS2.

    I never played this when it first came out. To be honest, I was starting to move away from Square by the end of the PS1 era of their RPGs. And their new ones on the PS2 never    Final Fantasy XII is out for PC now, with improved visuals, new mechnics, and other options to try and justify charging $40.00 for a 12 year old game that you can get brand-new for $15.00 on Amazon for the PS2.

    I never played this when it first came out. To be honest, I was starting to move away from Square by the end of the PS1 era of their RPGs. And their new ones on the PS2 never really grabbed my attention. I grew up with and loved some of their classic games, like Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger, but as the years went on, Square seemed to move further and further away from the kind of game development that caused me to fall in love with them in the first place.

    After seeing some pretty good reviews for Final Fantasy XII online and the reviews on here, I decided to give it a chance and see how it held up. Visually it is a beautiful game and Sqaure did a good job remastering the graphics of the game. For all intents and purposes, their OST for the game is fine too. It's not going to blow anyone's mind, but the music is "good enough".

    That's about all the good stuff I have to say about this game, unfortunately.

    The writing feels half hearted, it's another basic story they have going on, that has been retold since they started doing RPGs in the late 80's and early 90's. Character behavior is weird, a lot of times someone will do something, without really ever being able to justify it.

    Vaan, one of the main characters is basically an orphan and lives off the streets, stealing from people and working odd jobs for friends. At some point he gets it into his head to break into the royal palace, bypass a ton of security and steal "something" from the palace. He doesn't even know what it is he's looking for, he's just looking for something, anything to steal. It makes no sense.

    Speaking of characters, none of them are likeable in any capacity. For me, they were all just kind of there. All of them have about as much character and depth as a puddle of rain water and show about as much. They are just talking heads, there to drive the narrative forward, unfortunately they fail to grab my attention in any sort of meaningful way.

    It's nice that Sqaure introduced a system to play the game, without having to worry much about the actual mechnics, they have a normal, easy and hardmode you can start off with. And easy mode, (new game plus) starts you off with characters all at level 90. This would actually be more impressive if Final Fantasy XII were a game you could enjoy just for the narrative, but it's not. Starting off in new game plus is just going to make the game that much more boring.

    XII has a basic concept of a leveling system in place, which has been a standard since Final Fantasy 1. The issue is they keep fouling it up by trying to get fancy or "unique" with how it's all handled. Their job system is like a poor mix of Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy X and it's completely garbage. What's the point of even having a job system if you are going to lock players into one or two roles?

    The combat is just a mess. It's like a mix of the classic Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy 10 and Final Fantasy Online. All the fights are bascially "live", but still has a weird turned base feeling to it. Other party members will run around and do whatever based on their "gambit" system. You can also command each party member, but to be completely honest, the whole thing is such a mess, it's so chaotic, it's just easier and less frustrating to let the computer do what it wants to do.

    I'm pushing to play the game right now, just so I can justify the money spent on this title, but there's no way I could recommend it to anyone, especially at the current asking price.    … Expand
  22. Saawatts
    Oct 4, 2019
    4
    Had to give this game up after 16h, as I was having no fun and it hits all my pet peeves. The "plot" so far is just your characters getting dragged from place to place for contrived reasons with no real agency or greater story. The characters so far are extremely underbaked--I have no connection with any of them, no clue why they're sticking together, and the character with the mostHad to give this game up after 16h, as I was having no fun and it hits all my pet peeves. The "plot" so far is just your characters getting dragged from place to place for contrived reasons with no real agency or greater story. The characters so far are extremely underbaked--I have no connection with any of them, no clue why they're sticking together, and the character with the most screentime is extremely obnoxious with no reason to be in the plot. I have 0 investment in the story, the characters, or any of the proper name places the game constantly references but hasn't sold me on. If I take a few days off, I can barely remember what I was supposed to be doing because none of it matters.

    Combat itself is far too easy and the gambit system, which could be amazing in a more challenging game, just emphasizes how pointlessly easy the fights are. With just one or two commands on each character (attack the nearest enemy, casters heal anyone who gets low), I can stomp through everything--including bosses. So gameplay involves running around a map and then drinking tea during fights. Even the hardmode optional enemies, which are extremely rare, might only require a single pause to use items. I just accidentally fought a boss without doing the sidequest to weaken it and...AFK killed it in 15 seconds with no risk. The progression system gives you nothing to look forward to by itself--the upgrades are either passives or proficiency for spells and weapons you don't have yet. Passives don't matter one bit when I've no sense of challenge and for all I know, I might get those spells/weapons in 40 hours. So the game's constant grinding feels pointless and unrewarding, as I've no stake in the rewards or the characters themselves and can sleepwalk through the gameplay.

    Out of combat, the world consists of hugs maps that you run around looking for enemies, sidequests, and treasure chests. I regret the time I've spent exploring--combat is soporific, sidequests are extremely rare, and treasure chests are almost all pointless. Overwhelmingly you get pointless items you don't care about or money, which you acquire easily and have nothing important to spend on so it becomes meaningless.

    I've heard this game gets really good later on, that the story takes off and end-game optional quest combat is the highlight of the game. Maybe that's true. But the 16h I've spent have been about as fun as a loading screen. Maybe some people could power through, but the burden should never be on the player to suffer through a horrible slog for several full work shifts in case the game maybe gets good later.    … Expand
  23. rxgamer
    Mar 19, 2018
    4
    One of the most offensive PC ports I've seen. No in-game settings menu. Everything is hyper fast and dialog isn't in sync with cut scenes. Refunded.
  24. Gorem
    Apr 12, 2018
    1
    See, I have issues when I see a game with many positive "critic" reviews simply because I know many companies and people pay these "critics" money to write fake positive reviews of games. FFXII ZA to me feels like they have ruined what used to be a good game.

    I've played FFXII many many many times over on the PS2, and its always been a great experience (cept for the overly large zones,    See, I have issues when I see a game with many positive "critic" reviews simply because I know many companies and people pay these "critics" money to write fake positive reviews of games. FFXII ZA to me feels like they have ruined what used to be a good game.

    I've played FFXII many many many times over on the PS2, and its always been a great experience (cept for the overly large zones, games worlds are way to huge could cut out half of the walking and it would improve the game so much). And the game always had this aroma of difficulty.

    Then ZA comes out, ports it, and ruins it. ZA has made the game way to easy. Better chests? Higher damage cap? Stuff the game didn't need. They made you hit harder against everything, gave "jobs" that made you hit harder EARLIER while not buffing the health of any boss? Some zones have walking trash mobs that pose more threat then the bosses of the area because the bosses are now so easy to beat.

    Game also takes four hours (and that's if you are rushing) to even get started, this was also not fixed with the port. The game itself prior to the port is not top score worthy. ZA is even less worthy of a top score. Anyone giving it a top score is either fanboying or a paid fake critic. The Ports made the game too easy, and too over the top with forced licence board changes.    … Expand
  25. ultraviper
    Apr 2, 2022
    6
    Not a terrible game. It was fine. but I wouldn't recommend it to others. The gameplay is basically auto-battles where you have to program your own team's AI using rudimentary if-then statements which this game calls "gambits." Between the auto-attacking, the long walks through generic landscapes between plot points, and the sparse story, it sometimes feels more like a MMO than a singleNot a terrible game. It was fine. but I wouldn't recommend it to others. The gameplay is basically auto-battles where you have to program your own team's AI using rudimentary if-then statements which this game calls "gambits." Between the auto-attacking, the long walks through generic landscapes between plot points, and the sparse story, it sometimes feels more like a MMO than a single player Final Fantasy game. Most of the playable characters in your group might as well have been NPCs with as little backstory and character development they have. Sometimes NPCs do join your group temporarily, that have more backstory and development than the actual characters do. There are 6 main characters in total, and 4 of them could be removed without affecting the story a single bit.… Expand
  26. Ratingss
    Sep 29, 2021
    0
    On PC the game can run at whatever framerate you wish, but the game wasnt meant for that so the audio is always out of sync, other than that its a fine port that supports modern resolutions and has a speed up option because even the developers realize how boring the game is.
    The combat system is an abomination and completely ruins the game, its the same old turn based stuff but you can    On PC the game can run at whatever framerate you wish, but the game wasnt meant for that so the audio is always out of sync, other than that its a fine port that supports modern resolutions and has a speed up option because even the developers realize how boring the game is.
    The combat system is an abomination and completely ruins the game, its the same old turn based stuff but you can pointlessly move around while you wait for your action bar to fill up. To add insult to that you dont even need to select your actions, the game can literally play itself, and the amount of mandatory grinding is insane.
    Playing this is a completely joyless experience, only meant for the dullest of people.    … Expand
  27. delaware80
    Feb 28, 2022
    6
    FF XII ZA is a nice FF game: great battle system, interesting characters and a good balance between gameplay and cut scenes. But FF 13-1 (more cinematic drama and better gameplay), FF 15 (more interesting side quests and better gameplay), FF VII Remake Intergrade have been more engaging.
  28. Kirin789
    Nov 15, 2021
    0
    Square-enix took a brave path with this game. Amazing remaster with the new job system.
  29. shw079
    Feb 15, 2022
    6
    Many people seem to like this game but for me I like X much more. The things I dislike the most are the obscure trading system and running back and forth on the map without instant transportation. The story feels weak and is not my liking either.
  30. Crimson9
    Dec 12, 2022
    6
    FFXII is a very strange game. I started playing the Final Fantasy's all recently, and FF 12 was the first that didnt really catch my attention and keep me interested the entire way through. The game design seems is very different, but some changes from FFX need to be appreciated. The world is far less linear, and the gambit system is truly exceptional. Moving away from a turn based combatFFXII is a very strange game. I started playing the Final Fantasy's all recently, and FF 12 was the first that didnt really catch my attention and keep me interested the entire way through. The game design seems is very different, but some changes from FFX need to be appreciated. The world is far less linear, and the gambit system is truly exceptional. Moving away from a turn based combat system was a brave decision, but with introductions like gambit systems, it almost seems worth it.

    Almost. The reality is that while designing your gambits is great, the actual combat becomes uninvolved. The entire game, from traversal to quests to combat, generally feels like an MMORPG that has no other players in it. Additionally, I personally feel like the level design, characters, and plot all declined here. Its the first game without director Sakaguchi, and you can feel his loss.    … Expand
  31. nightocelot
    Jul 25, 2023
    0
    For me FF12 feels like the game of the empty corridors and characters who don't care for each other, like really all interior levels are a set of soulless empty squares with enemies in it.

    The towns look great at the first glance, but then you realise that you cannot do anything there: no sidequests, no minigames, no puzzles to solve, no optional characters to obtain, thus loose all    For me FF12 feels like the game of the empty corridors and characters who don't care for each other, like really all interior levels are a set of soulless empty squares with enemies in it.

    The towns look great at the first glance, but then you realise that you cannot do anything there: no sidequests, no minigames, no puzzles to solve, no optional characters to obtain, thus loose all interest quickly. Same goes for open areas, they look promising first but really don't hold any secrets to uncover so exploration soon feels unrewarding.

    I really liked design of characters (except Penelo) but their stories are never to be discovered on a deep personal level (like in prior FFs with cleverly placed sidequests, intermission dialogues and personal interaction cutscenes that don't touch big main storyline), and so you cannot fully connect to them.

    Apart from that the whole plot is a political sci fi drama observed by your "don't know what I'm doing here" main protagonist Vaan. Idea that your hero is a random chap who got accidentally caught up in big political game is OK, but at some point he needed to get special purpose or attachment to more significant characters. I can easily see all royalty related characters waving goodbyes to Vaan and Penelo and the end of the game: "Thank you for your service guys, it's highly unlikely We'll ever see each other again, bye!"
    And yes, often story reminds you a Star Wars fan fiction.

    There will not be any love stories, challenging friendships, characters origins to be discovered, double agents, characters development and plot twists - yes, all these are cliches that will nevertheless thrill us for as long as storytelling exists.
    People and their destinies evoke emotions, not solely kingdoms fighting each other for power.

    Balthier and Fran's introduction (basically Han Solo and sexy Chewbaka) was pretty cool and I expected these two charming rogues-lovers to amuse me with their moraly ambiguos behavior and witty arguments for the rest of the game but that was it, couple of good scenes and basta.

    No random accounters was a big step forward in the genre, gets high five here.

    Fighting system is ok, gambits though not nessesary to use until you get deeper into the game are themselves no fun and really rob you of combat diversity, disencouraging you from using different abilities, support magic etc. That's the biggest dealbreaker - because of battle speed you're forced to build these boring gambits and then just watch how they are being executed in battle without your active participation. And of course as enemies change on your way you have to constantly optimize gambits - wich is so tiresome. I prefere to do my decisions on the spot, not thoroughly thinking in advance "Ok what else would I do if...?"

    Licence Board is confusing, it's easy to spend all your points for nothing good till you learn what it's for.
    Idea that in order to equip some advanced gear you need to get a permission in Licence Board first is irritating.
    Job System again does detaches you from characters, depriving them of unique characteristics that match theit backstory and personas.
    Job Synergy is unnessesary headache.
    And it's easy to constantly forget that chain attacks work only on killing enemies of one type.

    When FF12 first came out on PS2 I beat it and exhaled Oh Gosh finally it has ended, felt like a lot of work has been put in it and that deservse a big respect, but eventually I got unamusing and forgetable experience. But ever since I was bewildered cause everyone loves it so much and it got highest rankings from Metacritic and Famitsu.
    Massive respect to all FF12 fans though, maybe be one day I give it another shot and will discover the same joy you guys did, Cheers!    … Expand
  32. YannySp101
    May 7, 2021
    9
    Normally, I wasn't planning on playing Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, but it went up for sale and I couldn't pass on it. In the end, I'm glad I decided to play this game because otherwise I'd miss out on a very interesting experience.
    Final Fantasy XII's story, while not as exciting as in most of the other Final Fantasy games, is still intriguing and well written.
    Same goes for the    Normally, I wasn't planning on playing Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, but it went up for sale and I couldn't pass on it. In the end, I'm glad I decided to play this game because otherwise I'd miss out on a very interesting experience.
    Final Fantasy XII's story, while not as exciting as in most of the other Final Fantasy games, is still intriguing and well written.
    Same goes for the gameplay; it's innovative because it makes you feel like playing an offline MMO game instead of a typical turn based JRPG. The gambit system is basically programming an AI, it's genius and I love it! The license boards add extra layers of character customization and optimization, giving you the opportunity to build each character differently. Overall, the combat system is extremely fun, the customization/optimization is fantastic and the mechanics work perfectly!
    The characters are good overall; Vaan is an underwhelming protagonist but the rest of the main characters impressed me, particularly Balthier, Basch and Ashe.
    The world of Final Fantasy XII is arguably the best in the series in my opinion; there are some spectacular places that you can explore in the game.
    Also, the music is great, the visuals hold up well and the CGI cutscenes are stunning.
    Now, although Final Fantasy XII excels in most areas, the story feels a bit boring at times and some dungeons get tedious after a while.

    Pros:
    + Decent story
    + Addictive gameplay
    + Unique mechanics
    + Nice characters
    + Beautiful world

    Cons:
    - Inconsistent narrative
    - Some dungeons are overwhelming and tiring

    Narrative: 6/10
    Gameplay: 9/10
    Content: 8/10
    Characters: 7/10
    Music: 8/10
    Graphics/Audio: ?/10

    Final Rating: 8.5/10
    - Really Great -
    Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age is a very unique and rewarding RPG.
    If you're a fan of J/RPGs but you haven't played the original version of Final Fantasy XII before, you should definitely give Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age a try, as it's arguably one of most enjoyable games in the series, despite not being one of the most engaging ones.

    Do I recommend it?:
    Yes, even to those who don't play JRPGs at all.    … Expand
  33. Spered
    Feb 28, 2023
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The last of the FF I played, after the XII I was unable to continue.
    FF12 is not one of the best FF but it's a good game, too bad that the series has changed completely.

    - Very anonymous characters, this is the biggest flaw of the game. Secondary characters that you will forget after a few weeks, especially the judges. The main ones are remembered, but not for their history or their character, simply because they are used for so many hours.

    - Protagonist who is not the protagonist. It is not an objective defect but a subjective one. It may be nice that the protagonist is a simple inhabitant (like us) and that he finds himself involved in certain events with "famous" characters. Obviously in this way the protagonist loses his place of protagonist and becomes a secondary one, while the main ones become the protagonists, especially true in the case of Balthier, the true protagonist of the story. It's just not something I appreciate, but it's not necessarily a bad thing.

    - The game world is amazing, especially Rabanastre, I still remember the first time I saw her on PS2, really amazing.
    Great disappointment instead for Arcadia, linear and not very explorable.

    - The combat system will seem awful at first, but after you get the hang of it and get used to it, I can assure you that it will become nice. Sure, I still prefer the good old turn-based system.

    - The story is very original, but it is also one of the most boring.

    - The best part of the game are the challenges, Battles with espers, wanted, bosses and the 100 floors. In addition to these challenges, there are various nice things, such as rare monsters (but some are badly thought out, not so much because they are strong, but because you necessarily need a guide to make them appear).    … Expand
  34. ReviewsAreBS
    Feb 15, 2023
    7
    The combat system is extremely innovative and encourages you to write your own combat ‘program’. With a clever choice of gambits, you can essentially make the game play itself (with the exception of harder bosses). This remaster adds a fast-forward ability, so you can skip all the tedious backtracking and grind that the original had.

    And fooling around with the job system probably    The combat system is extremely innovative and encourages you to write your own combat ‘program’. With a clever choice of gambits, you can essentially make the game play itself (with the exception of harder bosses). This remaster adds a fast-forward ability, so you can skip all the tedious backtracking and grind that the original had.

    And fooling around with the job system probably added about 10 hours to my playtime. It’s great fun to challenge yourself to use all 12 jobs.

    Main negatives are the plain level design and cliched plot. Without them, the game would’ve been 9/10.    … Expand
  35. cyberlboss
    Jul 2, 2023
    10
    If you can, give it a try once its on sale. This is one of the best RPG to get into, even these days XII holds well.

    The battle system is very dynamic with and without the gambits active (i know, SHOCKING how people tend to criticize that "the AI plays for you" instead of just toggle the option OFF and play like a standard turn-based combat if you want to your choices to be precise as    If you can, give it a try once its on sale. This is one of the best RPG to get into, even these days XII holds well.

    The battle system is very dynamic with and without the gambits active (i know, SHOCKING how people tend to criticize that "the AI plays for you" instead of just toggle the option OFF and play like a standard turn-based combat if you want to your choices to be precise as such). Lots of classes, weapons, armors, magicks and builds to make.

    The graphics on the ps2 versions was beautiful and pretty much the best you could get for that time; in the remaster its... fine, the art design in almost everything looks stunning, but what can hold you back if you are more into the modern ultra-realistic type of graphics its the character models, they look too animesque, but since i don't go for that, it doesn't bother me at all.

    The story, not get into spoilers, reads like if you ask for a star wars fan to recite the main conflicts in the original and prequel trilogy's to a fan-fic writer; it will be too serious for some people sometimes, and it won't get your attention unless you open up to endure the politics of the world.

    And its a big BIG world that seems so alive and interconnected in an amazing way that we don't see as much these days. Every enemy, every boss, heck, even non-hostile NPC's seems believable where they spawn live, with the weather conditions of the region, like when you visit an area that its completely dry, the mobs that will spawn there will be more desert type creatures that can live in those environment; if you come back later in the game to these same region when the rain season start, all the human npcs won't be there anymore and the enemies that you'll encounter will be stronger and amphibious-like creatures that can live in that conditions. And also if you spend more time inside those regions, the rain can get heavy, turning into a thunderstorm, and you will encounter something really bad.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

34
#34 Best PC Game of 2018
76
#76 Most Discussed PC Game of 2018
98
#98 Most Shared PC Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. Cubed3
    Sep 24, 2018
    60
    Final Fantasy XII is a good game that broke a lot of ground upon release, as an RPG, as a work of fantasy, and as a Final Fantasy entry. With that said, The Zodiac Age feels like a bare-minimum up-port, with little besides the textures being improved. Fans of the original adventure will probably love it, and fans of the series who never played it should give it a try, but on its own two legs in the present day, it doesn't offer much that other RPGs don't do while looking and feeling much better in today's technological landscape.
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  2. Worth Playing
    May 29, 2018
    85
    Overall, The Zodiac Age is a game that genre fans will absolutely love.
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  3. DarkStation
    Mar 21, 2018
    80
    The remaster might have some flaws that could have been prevented with just a little bit of effort. Despite that, Final Fantasy XII is still solid and just as fun as we remember it. Some aspects might be a bit too easy now, but perhaps the New Game Minus mode will encourage players to challenge themselves for a new kind of experience. All in all, I didn't regret playing the game again, but I also feel that there could have been a little bit more love put into it.
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