The dream of FINAL FANTASY on Xbox finally came true this generation. But whether you've torn through FINAL FANTASY XV and Kingdom Hearts 3, devoured the likes of Nier: Automata and Valkyria Chronicles 4, or are totally new to JRPGs, you're in for a treat. One of the best FINAL FANTASY games ever is coming to Xbox One - looking and playing better than ever in FINAL FANTASY XII The Zodiac Age.
FINAL FANTASY XII originally came along as a strong follow-up to other PS2 titans like FINAL FANTASY VII and X, but was underrated in its time. Its story, characters, and gameplay stand shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the best in the series. One of the first major changes you'll notice over other JRPGs is that the world is almost entirely seamless. There's no stylized overworld, so you travel from place to place at eye level like you might in a shooter game. And FFXII finally did away with pesky random encounters, being the first single-player FINAL FANTASY to let you see all of your enemies ahead of time and pick your battles.
It's also got the Gambit system, which allows you to program your party members with commands to execute automatically based on the situation. For instance, you can tell your dedicated healer to cast life magic on anyone in the party that drops below a certain amount of health. It's a really useful feature that removes some of the turn-to-turn micromanagement common to JRPGs. And The Zodiac Age on Xbox One expands on it by giving you three separate slots to store instructions that you can switch between, so you can set up different Gambits for typical encounters, as opposed to boss fights or other special situations that require a bit of a different approach.
That's not the only gameplay improvement making this the best version of FINAL FANTASY XII ever released. It also brings the addition of The Zodiac Job System, which are archetypes you can assign to each character similar to traditional RPG classes. This means you have to commit each character to a specific role a bit more, but in return, you'll find they can unlock Licenses and Gambits that assist them with finding a focused role in your party. And if you feel the need to change things up, The Zodiac Age adds the ability to reset a character's Job and Licenses simply by speaking to a certain NPC.
On top of all that, this adventure comes packed with minigames, monster hunts, and a brand new Trial Mode that lets you test your skills against 100 consecutive battles and prove your true mastery over the battle system. There's also a new speed mode that lets you quickly navigate the overworld so you can get right to the action.
Of course, The Zodiac Age is also a full remaster with Full HD resolution, improved textures, sharper audio, and new background music. FINAL FANTASY XII has never looked and sounded this good. If you're playing on an Xbox One X, you can even enjoy a silky smooth 60 fps framerate. This living classic might be 13 years and two console generations old, but you wouldn't be able to guess that from looking at it today on the latest hardware.
Beyond all the touch-ups and added features, FINAL FANTASY XII The Zodiac Age has it where it really counts - it's FINAL FANTASY in top form, bringing along all that this entails. You can expect lively, memorable characters with complex backstories and motivations, beautiful environments and cinematics, a massive bestiary of challenging enemies, and a rousing tale of brave heroes taking on what might seem like insurmountable odds. There's a reason this series has so much longevity with RPG fans, and FINAL FANTASY XII is one of the best in its ranks.
FINAL FANTASY XII The Zodiac Age is available now on Xbox One, and checkout our best Xbox One accessories roundup to play it with.
