Final Fantasy XII

Written by Adam Woolcott  on November 21, 2005

Hands-On Preview: Oh, the Dragon Quest game that's included with the demo is pretty good too.

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It's been a long time coming Ц 2 years now since the game was first introduced Ц but finally, we've got our hands on Final Fantasy XII. Unfortunately, it's not the full version; after all, the game isn't going to officially arrive until 2006...hopefully anyway, seeing the game has missed numerous release windows as it is. But Square Enix has heard the cries of a frustrated fanbase eager for this first 'normal' Final Fantasy game since 2001...if you could really call this radical departure normal. Using the fantastic Dragon Quest VIII as bait, Square has packed in a demo version of this highly anticipated game as a measure of goodwill, making up for these seemingly endless delays and giving fans a taste of what will be perhaps the last major PlayStation 2 release before the console gives way to the PlayStation 3...though it might not even come out until after the PS3 is on shelves. Short but sweet, this Final Fantasy XII demo doesn't bother explaining the plot or characters, but instead targets the most controversial aspect of the game Ц the completely revamped, real-time (sorta) battle system. If the demo is any indication of the final product, all the worrying shall be for naught, as this Final PS2 Fantasy should send the franchise into the next generation with a serious bang.

The FFXII demo contains a pair of 'missions' designed to demonstrate both versions of the new Active Dimension Battle engine. The first stage, known as 'wait mode', places you onto a sandy beach on the Phon Coast, where Vaan, Basch, and Penelo do battle with a simple objective Ц defeat three Sleipnirs (basically horses) to draw out the boss of the stage, a huge dinosaur known as Rockeater. As such you run around the coast and battle the enemies, or just head straight to your objective, though that's not much fun. It's here you see just how much the game borrows its combat engine from Final Fantasy XI Ц enemies wander the screen, and you can either attack them or avoid them, though some enemies will attack you on sight without your provocation; some enemies will even battle themselves so you can stand by and watch them beat each other up and slip in for the kill at the last second. There's no switch to a battle menu or a change in music Ц you just fight. This is where the 'wait mode' kicks in; when you press either X or Square to pull up the battle menu, the game will pause, letting you navigate the menus, to target an enemy, use an item, or cast a spell. If you want, you can also order your other party members to do what you desire, though most likely you'll just stick to the default Gambit (or A.I tendencies) Ц in the case of the demo, your friends are pretty smart and capable. If you see fit, it's also easy to switch your character using the d-pad Ц I recommend you do because you then can see how each one handles, since they all have unique skills and magic abilities.

When you engage an enemy, a target line will pop up on the screen, and a reverse ATB of sorts will kick on. This is why the battles aren't truly real-time; after you input a command aside from using an item, you have to wait for your active time bar to fill up to execute the attack. While it charges you can run around the map, though you never break the target. Usually, once you target an enemy, your other party members will as well, unless you order something else or break the attack by pressing R2. On the other hand, enemies have a target line of their own, so you can tell who's being attacked. It's not always one-on-one battles, as other enemies wandering the map may get involved, causing double the chaos. This is where I saw how smart the Gambit was Ц playing as Vaan and running low on HP, I saw Penelo automatically stop what she was doing and then cast Cura, which then healed the entire party. Pretty darn smart. Speaking of magic, it's split into a whole bunch of sections; white, black, green, blue, and time Ц though Blue Magic wasn't available to try out. Like FFXI, MP regenerates over time, so if you're low it's easy to just stop and rest in a safe place until it refills.

You might want to keep your MP as high as possible however, as it's the only way to access the cool summons. Known as Espers (Final Fantasy VI fans surely know this word), both Vaan and Ashe can each call a unique monster in this demo Ц as long as they have all of their MP available. Like Final Fantasy X, once you summon an Esper, they remain in your party until it either dies or you dismiss it. Unlike Final Fantasy X, however, you retain control of the summoner and can still attack with them instead of simply issuing orders, though summoning reduces their MP to a big fat zero, making it the sort of thing you only do in a worst-case scenario. Each summon has a devastating Overdrive-style attack that can decimate even the biggest of enemies, though I didn't quite figure out what triggers it Ц it just happened in the middle of a battle. In Final Fantasy tradition, these Espers enter the battlefield in stunning fashion, perhaps even more impressive than the Aeons of FFX. Though only two are playable in this trial, there definitely will be more floating around the retail version.

The other mission puts Ashe, Balthier, and Fran into a dark dungeon, with a goal of defeating a huge Adamantoise, who holds a key to the door hiding the real boss. Unlike the Phon Coast stage, this mission is done in 'active mode' for a big more quick thinking. In active mode, there is no pause when you access menus; it's all done on the fly. However that's the only really difference between them, but it does change the game drastically. There's no time to sort through items or spells, unless you want to get whooped by enemies crawling around the dungeon; and there's a whole lot of those. It definitely makes the action more intense, but most likely new players will use wait mode until they become confident enough to tackle active when the game finally ships. When you play this mission, you'll see how many characters mirror another; Vaan and Ashe have similar abilites, from the Esper summoning to use of melee weapons, & Fran and Penelo are Fanger-class fighters with high-level healing abilities. Balthier and Basch are a bit different however, as Balthier uses a trusty shotgun and Basch is more of a swordsman. The 'apparent' 7th character, Ramon, is nowhere to be seen...but then I don't think it's 100% known that he's a playable character anyhow.

This Final Fantasy XII demo definitely shows off a battle system that's really enjoyable; even though it's shifted away from many FF traditions (there's not even Victory Fanfare after you win a fight, though after clearing each stage you'll hear the familiar theme), the roots of Final Fantasy exist. It's still turn-based, but done in a style that gives you more control over your characters Ц even if you can only technically control one at a time. It will be a change that some won't be able to handle, but those ready for the first true shift in Final Fantasy's core mechanics will find a system set up to ease you into such changes. While both scenarios can be completed in 30 minutes, there's a lot of replay, as you learn more and more about the new battle system playing the missions a few times through. It might be a small taste of what Final Fantasy XII will be, but it's highly satisfying considering all the delays and secrecy surrounding the game. There's been some worrying about whether or not this demo is an indication that FFXII will borrow the same mission-based structure of Final Fantasy X-2, but most likely it was designed this way simply for demonstration purposes and the game will feel more traditional in this respect. After all, the FFX demo had 2 'missions' of sorts and that meant nothing.