Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age

 PlayStation 4
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 665 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 533 out of 665
  2. Mixed: 65 out of 665
  3. Negative: 67 out of 665
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  1. OwtDaft
    May 10, 2018
    6
    + Final Fantasy XII is a great game but the story and music were not as good as previous games.
    + The hands off approach to combat is actually quite relaxing.
    + The graphics are mostly the same but hold up really well in HD. + Because of the speed up function the game is less of a grind but it makes the game easier. - There isn't enough story between the characters. - The story is    + Final Fantasy XII is a great game but the story and music were not as good as previous games.
    + The hands off approach to combat is actually quite relaxing.
    + The graphics are mostly the same but hold up really well in HD.
    + Because of the speed up function the game is less of a grind but it makes the game easier.
    - There isn't enough story between the characters.
    - The story is largely uninteresting politics which feels distant from you.
    - Your role in the story is largely about been sent form place to place with little in between.
    - This remaster has a new job system which basically just limits you.
    - Before you have chance to grasp the job system you need to make unchangeable job choices.
    - Despite the new job system limitations. I found the game overall easier.
    - Your not given the option of the original job system.
    - I prefer the PS2 version...    … Expand
  2. chad_pattan
    Jul 15, 2017
    7
    Nope...not a 10. Not close to a 10.

    I actually first played this game way back in 2006. Mind you, this is fresh off of thoroughly enjoying the masterpiece (at the time) that was Final Fantasy X. I remember quite clearly being disappointed, as was my friend, at this game. Running into battle felt strange and clunky. I quit at the first quest outside of Rabanastre. Fast forward    Nope...not a 10. Not close to a 10.

    I actually first played this game way back in 2006. Mind you, this is fresh off of thoroughly enjoying the masterpiece (at the time) that was Final Fantasy X. I remember quite clearly being disappointed, as was my friend, at this game. Running into battle felt strange and clunky. I quit at the first quest outside of Rabanastre.

    Fast forward and I'm MUCH older, much more mentally refined, and yearning for RPG goodness on the PS4. So I figured I'd give it a chance, thinking I'd be more patient with it, after watching videos of it online.

    Reality is this: The game plays much smoother than before. It's nowhere near as clunky, nowhere near as boring, and I can't tell you why. There are frustrating parts, but generally it's improved.

    The real problem is with pacing. I got absolutely slaughtered at a part where just a moment prior I felt overpowered. Regular peons were killing my crew. It wasn't levels; my folks were dishing good damage. It's the fact that they were taking way too much damage compared to what my armor said they should be. The limitations of the license system forcing weak armor early on didn't help matters.

    There are also strange Gambit-related issues where you'll have your Gambits set to do a specific set of tasks, and the character will just do the opposite for no reason, forcing you to issue commands directly.

    Lastly is the town event system, where you'll have to foot it LONG distances across town to meet people or run errands. Fortunately there's a button to speed things up, but then your character will walk like they're drunk, running into things.

    This is NOT a bad game, don't take a 7 as indicating such. That's a great score. But put it this way: I got this game for $27 at Best Buy thanks to a rewards certificate. I couldn't justify paying any more than $30 for the same game they sold over a decade ago with some prettier graphics.    … Expand
  3. SaviorGaming
    Dec 6, 2017
    5
    Look I won't lie, I hated this game for PS2. I didn't like the story, I didn't like the battle system and I didn't like the characters except Balthier. I picked it up for the PS4 because honestly with age comes wisdom. All these years later I have to admit. I hate the story, the battle system is boring and I still only like Balthier. That being said the battle system while boring worksLook I won't lie, I hated this game for PS2. I didn't like the story, I didn't like the battle system and I didn't like the characters except Balthier. I picked it up for the PS4 because honestly with age comes wisdom. All these years later I have to admit. I hate the story, the battle system is boring and I still only like Balthier. That being said the battle system while boring works great. The game also looks great and the music is nice.… Expand
  4. Reed618
    Jul 15, 2017
    6
    I'm a long time fan and I've played every main entry and several of the spinoffs. This is the game i'm most bitter about though. It was the first (non-online) main entry after sakaguchi left and that really shows in the story.
    This time there's no real main character and with the exception of Basch and Balthier the cast doesn't have much personality. Instead the main focus is on the    I'm a long time fan and I've played every main entry and several of the spinoffs. This is the game i'm most bitter about though. It was the first (non-online) main entry after sakaguchi left and that really shows in the story.
    This time there's no real main character and with the exception of Basch and Balthier the cast doesn't have much personality. Instead the main focus is on the events of the kingdom of Ivalice. The story is much more political and scenes which advance the story are few and far between. You can go quite a few hours without any further motivation to continue your quest.
    The combat system is probably one of the best parts of the game, I preferred the traditional turn based approach but final fantasy has always taken risks in introducing new gameplay elements and I appreciate that.
    One of the biggest issues is how dull the environments are. Several areas are just copy and paste. You'll find the same features being reused frequently and so most places lack any real character. This can make the game drag quite a bit.
    Finally, the main villain is very forgettable. He certainly won't top any lists of fan favorite enemies in the series. The ending is quite enjoyable but it didn't really make my 60 hours feel worthwhile.
    I'm sure many missed out on this game during it's original release. It came out towards the end of the ps2's lifecycle after all. So i'm sure that many (myself included) were tempted by a second chance to play it but I couldn't recommend it. It's very long and it hasn't aged well. If you're already a fan then i'm sure you'll enjoy the re release but for most new players it'll likely disappoint them. I'd recommend checking out one of the older releases in the series or picking up 15. Final fantasy 2 and 12 are pretty much the only ones I'd say are a waste of time.    … Expand
  5. visiblelight7
    Jan 1, 2018
    6
    This is probably the last entry to the series that looks and feels like a final fantasy game. It earned 6/10 for respecting all the basic elements that make it feel and sound like a final fantasy game without selling out(including all the visuals, great music and lore). To be honest, this game is also the turning point after which the series no longer respected it's core fans and reallyThis is probably the last entry to the series that looks and feels like a final fantasy game. It earned 6/10 for respecting all the basic elements that make it feel and sound like a final fantasy game without selling out(including all the visuals, great music and lore). To be honest, this game is also the turning point after which the series no longer respected it's core fans and really started to emphasize making good looking games at the expense of great fleshed out stories with interesting arcs and plots. After playing this game for 20 hours and appreciating it for it's gameplay, I can honestly say that the story is exceptionally weak and a disappointment. What SquareEnix failed to respect and acknowledge is that unless you emphasize story-telling above all other aspects of making a game, then you completely miss the mark at making a captivating RPG game that fans will love(fact: FF12 was glanced over by fans and is rarely even mentioned. It is very convenient of SquareEnix to say that the end of PS2's lifecycle was the cause but gamers will recognize an epic game. This game was definitely bland). Great graphics and great gameplay seems to be all developers are interested in these days and this game shows that they think they can omit a great story. Unfortunately, the game had so much potential from the cosmetic side but eventually after repeatedly grinding through monsters and dungeons back to back I was always let down with very meaningless and uninteresting cut-scenes FOR A VERY VERY BASIC UNINTERESTING STORY. If the story was as good as FF7 or FF8, then I would've given this game an 9/10. But story is the most important aspect of an RPG so it scores a 6/10 for me.

    Overall:
    --------------------------------------------
    -Very basic game. Don't buy this if you play RPGs for a great story. FF15 was bad and this game is better than that....but really not by too much.

    -You'll enjoy the first few hours due to the success at recapturing the atmosphere and artistic environments of Final Fantasy series.

    -The combat system strikes the perfect balance of new-gen and old-gen without turning into an twitch-action-button masher like FF15 has.

    Conclusion
    ------------------------------
    R.I.P Final Fantasy. It's a shame. Everything after FF12 is absolute crap.

    SquareEnix. The key to your success is finding a genius who can write an epic story with fleshed-out characters and intertwined story plots. But obviously you think that video games in 2017 don't even need a story because you decided it was a great idea to remove 95% of the story form Final Fantasy 15 and include them in a separate movie instead. Whoever is making these design decisions is an incredibly terrible manager with no knack at managing a video game's success.    … Expand
  6. huiboy
    Oct 9, 2018
    6
    The game obviously has a lot of depth, a vast world and long story but it is obviously catered towards hardcore FF or JRPG fans with its infamous grind and subpar story-telling.

    Even at 2X speed, the game is too slow and over many days, it eventually broke down patience. IMO games shouldn't feel like a chore. Don't get me wrong, i appreciate the slow grind that gives you time to feel    The game obviously has a lot of depth, a vast world and long story but it is obviously catered towards hardcore FF or JRPG fans with its infamous grind and subpar story-telling.

    Even at 2X speed, the game is too slow and over many days, it eventually broke down patience. IMO games shouldn't feel like a chore. Don't get me wrong, i appreciate the slow grind that gives you time to feel invested into a game with all its characters, soundtrack and story, but then you also gotta take a step back and realize if the end product is worth the work. For me even if the endgame is mind-blowing, it would not be worth the hours i spend doing tedious grinds at the beginning.

    The cut-scenes are plentiful and eventually becomes mental with how often you're just sitting there watching a mediocre movie. The animation is outdated and story is just not that good compared to anime and other games like Uncharted 4 which has incredible acting and a thrilling story. The main problem with the story is that it felt disconnected with the world you played in. Whereas Uncharted feels like you are taking part in the heist, escape or missions, in FF Zodiac Age, you are running around with a pixel character and repeating tedious fights to level up and move to the next stage to watch MORE okay cut-scenes. The game-play doesn't add to the story, nor do the cinematic add to the game-play, so you might as well be playing another game or just watching a great anime.

    I have more to say, but its been far too long. Just don't waste money on this game unless you're already a FF fan and look forward to a boring grind to possibly get some feeling of achievement after you beaten the game and grasped the full story.    … Expand
  7. smahlt
    Feb 4, 2020
    5
    Preface by saying I never played the PS2 version

    Once you get over the interesting license, gear, and combat system, this game **** drags. The story is not interesting, the characters are not interesting, and the voice acting sucks. I'm near the end but it's becoming a struggle to continue. Without the built-in speedhack, this game would be 100% unplayable.
  8. somedude14
    Oct 18, 2017
    5
    Very obvious that majority of development time went into tuning the game world to be the easiest to date, while also providing players the ability to have two classes per character (instead of International Zodiac Job System's one) which makes it even easier by increasing the power ceiling. They essentially took the IZJS version which was made easier than the Vanilla version due to theVery obvious that majority of development time went into tuning the game world to be the easiest to date, while also providing players the ability to have two classes per character (instead of International Zodiac Job System's one) which makes it even easier by increasing the power ceiling. They essentially took the IZJS version which was made easier than the Vanilla version due to the limitations they imposed on players to make it easier to "pick up and play" (Vanilla had one license board so every character could be every class by the end if you wished, but required careful planning early on to not hamstring yourself, or a lot of grinding for LP afterwards if you did), made it easier, and then made it easier.

    Very important to stress how diluted the difficulty in this game is compared to both previous versions. Definitely not "closer to the feel of a classic Final Fantasy title."

    Visuals did get an upgrade. Aside from the resolution bump (which has already been seen), there is bump mapping on the PS2 textures (yes, these are the exact same textures from the previous versions), improved draw distance, proper shadowing (no longer blobs!) and the lighting engine clearly got updated as well. There is now HD character portraits and fonts, the latter of which is the sole reason I bought this game. The font in the PS2 versions on modern displays is simply an eyesore that cannot be ignored.

    The soundtrack got reorchestrated, however the original soundtrack is preferrable to my ears, it was high definition audio and already available in surround, the money and time would have been better spent further improving the visuals.

    Square-Enix has also included the option for a 2x turbo in addition to 4x (4x was already seen in IZJS), this is where I had it sitting most of the game. Unfortunately Zodiac Age is still locked to a 30fps cap, and in some areas it doesn't even maintain 30, it is clearly still running on an unaltered version of the PS2 engine in that regard. Very disappointing that they didn't recode it to hit 60fps, but also bewildering that it can't even maintain 30fps (not even on my Pro). I have seen it argued that since it does to 2x or 4x it does in fact support 60fps and 120fps, but that's not how it works. It's simply 30fps display being fastforwarded 2x or 4x.

    The other additions that may be new to most players are not new to those that played IZJS. Mainly the ability to control Espers, change gambits of guest characters, the removal of the damage limit, the inclusion of a Trial mode, and new game plus modes (a strong mode and a weak mode).

    What's missing, from my perspective, are the options to play Final Fantasy XII with the improved visuals and sound, but with the older rulesets. If Zelda 1, a 1986 NES title, can have two world states programmed onto its cartridge (after you beat it once, you get a Second Quest mode which was entirely different), Zodiac Age could have at least had the IZJS ruleset as an option, though due to storage capacity these days and how little it would have took to include these other rulesets (it's just copy-pasting information that already existed to work with the updated [not overhauled] assets and code), they could have included an option for the Vanilla ruleset as well. This would have made this an all-in-one package for those who truly became hooked, you would have three wildly different ways to play the exact same game.

    In my eyes, the Vanilla ruleset will always be the best. It's what the game was built for the ground-up to be, everything since has been figuring out how to recycle the same idea, and losing something in the process.

    Despite the significant dilution of the formula here, the game still holds up today. It clearly starts falling apart once you get to Old Archades, but the original game director, Yasumi Matsuno, walked out at some point during the games development. It seems like this is where it would have occurred, as there is such a shift in pacing and tone, it's like the staff lost direction or the new head took it in a new direction to hurry it out the door. It would have been nice if SE had put some efforts into more finely tuning this final section of the game.

    At the current price point of $65CDN, this is clearly a gouge. It's a $30-$40CDN digital-esque title at best. I did buy because I needed to scratch the itch, and I needed that improved font (my aging eyes), but this is most definitely a gouge.

    5/10 where it sits. 7/10 if it were $30CDN because that's a better content:price ratio, though the difficulty definitely still keeps this from realizing the same potential as the Vanilla release. If $30CDN as it is but with the other rulesets (Vanilla and IZJS) worked in, would've been an easy 10/10.

    Still enjoyable, but more in spite of SE's efforts to dilute the property, not because of something they did here. If only the Vanilla release had HD font, I could have ignored this.    … Expand
  9. mrend55
    Jun 12, 2019
    5
    Final fantasy xii is a good game that I had lots of fun playing, the big issue now is that there is literally no point buying the ps4 version as the switch and xbox one versions have extra features that square enix did not even bother to release for ps4, pretty sure they can patch it or release it as dlc or something but nope, instead we get ripped off.
  10. Ed16
    May 7, 2020
    5
    Though I understand how massive and qualitative the game is, it turned out to be not an interesting one for me. Key factors of every RPG: battle system, the progression system, and the storyline of this game didn't hook me at all for reasons I've listed below. If I have to define this game in terms of one adjective, I will say: "boring". But, first, let's start with the things that I doThough I understand how massive and qualitative the game is, it turned out to be not an interesting one for me. Key factors of every RPG: battle system, the progression system, and the storyline of this game didn't hook me at all for reasons I've listed below. If I have to define this game in terms of one adjective, I will say: "boring". But, first, let's start with the things that I do like:

    Pros:

    - The world of this game feels diverse, rich, natural, and busy. Nicely delivered atmosphere. Feels somehow similar to world and atmosphere of star wars films, which is a good thing. Nice picture to look at.
    - Graphics is ok, though the fact that all main character faces look quite similar to each other, like they are all brothers and sisters. :) But, that's ok for the game which was developed 15 years ago.
    - The Gambit system for coding behavior of non-controllable characters seems very interesting, cool, and new. I like it, why I never met other games that offer such a wonderful opportunity? It's brilliant!
    - The soundtrack is great, though I haven't played so much time, about 10 hours or so.
    - You can speed up a game any time u want.

    Cons:

    - My main concern is the battle system. Most fights are boring. During them, u feeling like an observer rather than an active participant. The game plays itself :) This comes with a close connection with the progression system of melee characters, which has not any melee specific abilities, like "Bravery" from FF7 or smth. U cannot induce non-magic "fighting" abilities, u cannot jump, u cannot dodge... all you can do as a melee fighter is select a target and auto-attack, rarely use ultimates. Boring.
    - Character progression abilities lack fantasy. At first, they gave me an ability which allows me to wear a level 1 hat, then an ability which allows me to wear a level 2 hat, then an ability to wear level 3 hat...guess what happens next...Yea, you guessed that right.
    Most of the progression abilities seem like they are sucked out of the finger. Though mages and healers get their spells and things are not so bad with them, what about fighters? You give them an ability to arm a level N kitchen knife? Boring.
    - If you haven't got rich English (or Japanese) vocabulary in most cases it will be hard to understand for you, what characters are talking about during a cut-scenes. And it will be hard to dive deep into the nuances of the storyline. Only in general terms. It's like a reading of an English novel.
    I hadn't got such a problem in FF7 Remake or FF10. Boring...
    - To load the game, u have to go to the title screen, though u can get there from the pause menu.
    - The camera behaves sometimes weird when the character is near the walls.
    - Characters do not change suits, it's kinda weird to look at mage character which is dressed as a knight.    … Expand
  11. mynameiscalled
    Nov 13, 2021
    6
    I played this game originally on a PS2 years ago. Didn't quite finish it, so I picked the Zodiac Age version up to tick the game off of my unfinished games list. This review is more of an overall review of FF XII, not the "Zodiac Age" part.

    Am a huge FF fan. The FF XII left me wanting more though... The story - a classic Final Fantasy, but the characters weren't really that    I played this game originally on a PS2 years ago. Didn't quite finish it, so I picked the Zodiac Age version up to tick the game off of my unfinished games list. This review is more of an overall review of FF XII, not the "Zodiac Age" part.

    Am a huge FF fan. The FF XII left me wanting more though...

    The story - a classic Final Fantasy, but the characters weren't really that interesting sadly - the main bloke, Vaan - I didnt really feel a connection to the character. You can obviously focus on playing anybody else as your go-to guy (or a girl) but for me, nobody really held much interest.

    I was also not a big Gambit & License system fan. It just seems like overcomplicating the mechanics - not making them harder, but making it a chore system that really doesn't need that much tinkering (Had to buy a bazillion gambits, just the vendor click-and-buy everything was such a chore on it's own)

    I did enjoy my time in the game once it got going though. I put roughly 45hours into the game - doing some random side questing and just exploring around. By the time I got to the end I was a bit too overpowered. I basically did all the end battles on a gambits ON auto battle. My team was Vaan 65; Basch 50 & Penelo 50. Felt really underwhelming, but can't blame the game for this - I think my gambits and team just ended up working perfectly.

    It's a solid game, but since the FF bar is pretty high, I felt it didn't deliver the great Final Fantasy experience I was after. Probably not gonna tackle the New Game+ in the future.    … Expand
  12. legitreview
    Mar 4, 2021
    6
    As always, came here to restore the truth about the game. The score it got on metacritic from professional reviewers and users is way too high, ppl are clearly not obbjectiv about the quality of this game.

    Graphics : 10/10 For the game age, they are pretty solid. Nothing to complain about. The remaster is also great, i didn't encounter any bug or glitch. Framerates are smooth.    As always, came here to restore the truth about the game. The score it got on metacritic from professional reviewers and users is way too high, ppl are clearly not obbjectiv about the quality of this game.

    Graphics : 10/10

    For the game age, they are pretty solid. Nothing to complain about. The remaster is also great, i didn't encounter any bug or glitch. Framerates are smooth.

    Musics : 7/10

    Good enough but you won't remember any of them.

    Fight System : 4/10

    Totally bad, it's auto mode 95% of the time. If you don't run away any fights and if you set your gambits properly (the option to make your character behaving depending of what is happening), you won't need to touch your gamepad during fights, even against bosses... You don't need magics, you don't need eons (invocations), you don't need to use objects (most of the time). Well the game doesn't need you at all. There is no strategy involved... well, the worst fight system i saw in a J-RPG...

    Story : 5/10

    Nothing impressive, it is a standard story that we have seen multiple times in video games, movies and books. It's just good enough to make you continue to play the game till the end.

    Characters : 4/10

    Their design is good but there is almost no development for them. Psychologically, there is nothing. Also there is no connexion between them despite they are having an adventure together but still, they rarely talk together and it seems like there is no bond between them. Like a bunch of ppl forced to be together to save the world. Really really bad when you compare them to the previous Final Fantasy games.

    World : 7/10

    Great world BUT places to visit are way too big without any reasons, just to increase the game lengh... Most of the time you will be wandering in the world being a spectator of automated fights. It's a chance that the game has an option to move x2 or x4 faster... I don't know how the players who had played it on PS2 did to accept to loose so much time doing nothing...

    Well, overall it's an average (+) game and a really bad Final Fantasy... Good enough to go through it but not good enough to come back or to consider it as a classic. If you have other games to play, play them, FFXII is not worth your time.    … Expand
  13. SOLIDSNAKEN64
    May 28, 2020
    7
    I never got a chance to play FF12 on PS2, so this is my first playthough on PS4. The remastered graphics look great for a PS2 game and it definitely has that look from that generations, which is not a bad thing. I enjoyed the story even though it could be hard to follow at times, only because the kings English everyone uses. The story made more since as i finished it and started a newI never got a chance to play FF12 on PS2, so this is my first playthough on PS4. The remastered graphics look great for a PS2 game and it definitely has that look from that generations, which is not a bad thing. I enjoyed the story even though it could be hard to follow at times, only because the kings English everyone uses. The story made more since as i finished it and started a new game+ and watched the intro again, I think i was lost on who people were when i first watched the intro. I really enjoyed the characters and felt they grew close together through their adventure. I like the skill tree/licenses mechanic of unlocking new skills and having to unlock new licenses in order to equip better gear. The Gambit system made this game much faster to play as you can set what you want everyone in your party to focus on when attacking and not really have to do much since its all automated, which adds a different kind of strategy then im used to. I would really like to see square do a full on remake like they did with FF7 and integrate the battle mechanics they implemented in FF7R. The option to be able to set the game speed really made things better because with out that feature it would of been a slog, you move around like you have cement boots. I like the side hunts you can do, i dont like that i have to get the hunt from the board go find the patron who will give me the details, then go find the monster to hunt, then return to patron to receive my reward. way to much back n forth. All in all was worth playing at the 50 hours i put into the game i had a fun time.… Expand
  14. Jeff_gamer000
    Apr 1, 2022
    5
    The game is okay for switch players. :) if you getting lost or something just walking around the map.
  15. Killerpummkin
    Aug 10, 2023
    6
    I didn't like the combat system and the leveling system. The Ost is beautiful, but that is all.

Awards & Rankings

16
#16 Best PS4 Game of 2017
48
#48 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2017
31
#31 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 75 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 71 out of 75
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 75
  3. Negative: 0 out of 75
  1. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Feb 8, 2018
    80
    For new players, this isn’t the best the series has to offer but it holds its own. If FFXV’s modern magical setting didn’t appeal, this might be the antidote. [October 2017, p72]
  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Sep 29, 2017
    100
    An excellent remaster of one of the most underestimated episodes of the series released at the dawn of old-gen consoles. Veterans will appreciate the number of new features and newcomers can taste this great Japanese RPG with beautiful visuals. [Issue#277]
  3. CD-Action
    Sep 25, 2017
    85
    FFXII never became the masterpiece it was supposed to be, but it has enough marks of a masterpiece to be worth your time, especially that the remaster was done expertly. [09/2017, p.62]
See all critic reviews »