Final Fantasy XII
Release Dates
March 16, 2006 (Japan)October 2006 (North America)
TBA 2006 (Europe/Australia)
Like previous games of the Final Fantasy series, combat is menu-based. However, unlike the first ten games of the series, it adopts a battle system similar to that of Final Fantasy XI where combat takes place on the same screen as regular exploration, with a seamless transition from exploration to combat mode. Combat unfolds in real time, using a new battle system called active dimension battle. There is also not a different musical score during combat; the track that is played during exploration will be heard throughout the battle as well. The traditional fanfare featured in all Final Fantasy titles reappears after dungeon bosses along with a Congratulations text. The player may assume control of any of the three characters in the battle party at will and issue commands for the characters at any time. So far, distinct battle commands are known: Attack, Magic, Mist Cart, Gambits, and Item. The game also features a system of chain bonuses. If a character kills a particular type of monster multiple times, that character will gain the chance to earn more items after battle.
Chocobos are traditionally featured in all Final Fantasy Titles. In FFXII, whenever a player rents a Chocobo, he/she has a certain amount of time to make his/her travels through the wilderness. When the time is completely depleted, the Chocobo returns to its stall in the city and the player is left on foot. Chocobos now look more war like and savage than in previous Final Fantasy Titles. While on a Chocobo, enemies ignore the player.
Combat
Battles are carried out in much the same way as Final Fantasy XI. Battles are initiated in the field screen by engaging visible wandering enemies. There is no transition to a separate battle screen. Party members can move around freely during battle. The battle menu can be accessed at any time, but after commanding a character to perform an action, there is a wait time before the action is actually performed. Unlike Final Fantasy XI, there is a visible "Wait Time Gauge" which indicates wait time. Wait time varies depending on the action. A regular attack takes a couple of seconds, a powerful spell can take several seconds, and item use is instantaneous. Battle flow is as follows:
- Party engages enemy
- Player brings up the Command Window and selects an action (Attack, Magic, Gambit, Summon etc.)
- When the Wait Time Gauge fills up, the character performs the selected action
- A chosen command can be cancelled by opening the Command Window and choosing another command before the Wait Time Gauge has filled up completely.
There is a common misconception that this system has eliminated "random battles" from the game. However, there are still random battles in the form of surprise ambush attacks from unseen enemies suddenly springing from tall grass, water, sand etc, when the party is near. Enemies can now detect the party through several means, such as sight, sound, and smell. Some enemies are more hostile towards the party than others, and some can even attack other monsters rather than the party. Sometimes the player may even encounter citizens or monster hunters actively fighting, occasionally presenting the party with minor healing.
Three characters can fight simultaneously, sometimes accompanied by a Guest character, which however cannot be controlled as the leader of the group. When current party members get killed, the player is given the chance to reorganize the party in the Menu, substituting active K.O.'d members with other inactive characters. The player is free to switch between characters anytime he/she wishes, too. Guest characters cannot be substituted. Given the game mechanics, characters CANNOT be healed in the menu this time around.
Money is no longer dropped by monsters, much like Final Fantasy VIII. It can be acquired by performing tasks, hunting wanted monsters, or selling acquired treasures, which have no other benefits than to financially profit from (selling these may also unlock rare goods in shops). One notable exception is the item "Telepo Stone", used to instantly transport the party from one place to another, using specific, golden Save Crystals. These, like regular Save Crystals (of blue color), also fully restore the party's HP/MP and Status. MP is also recovered slowly with walking.
Abilities
Learning and using abilities (magic spells, use of equipment, special skills, HP bonuses etc.) is done via the new License system. Each playable character begins with their own License Board, which looks like an oddly shaped chess board. The squares on the board contain various abilities which the character may use. Basically, one character's Board is split into two different parts with no intersection. The upper one contains Magical, Stats-raising and other character-specific abilities, while the bottom one is largely filled with Equipment Licences. Mist Knack abilities are scattered randomly across both Boards. Every single character gets a starting point on each of the two. In order to learn an ability, the character must first spend the required amount of LP (License Points) to permit its use. LP are earned in battle along with the usual experience points. When a square is activated, any empty squares adjacent to it also become available for activation. A square cannot be activated if there are no activated squares adjacent to it. While similar in some ways to Final Fantasy X's Sphere Grid, the License Board allows far more freedom; there are no restrictions on how the player may develop their characters. In practice, the License Board system is simply another in a long line of previous systems where ability points are earned and exchanged for new abilities.Magic
The magic system is divided into five different schools. White magic includes spells that heal the party's HP, cure status ailments and resurrect dead party members. The holy-elemental attack spell Holy is also part of the white magic school. Black magic includes elemental and non-elemental spells that directly damage one or more enemies. Green magic consists of supportive or debilitating spells that alter party members or enemies' statistics. Time magic includes spells that alter the target's speed, or cause damage over time. The fifth and last school of magic, arcane magic, includes dark-elemental attack spells, as well as spells that cause status ailments, drain, and gravity spells which were previously included in the black magic school. Magic spells are bought from shops as in many previous Final Fantasy titles.
Weapons
The playable characters can equip any kind of weapon after they acquire the corresponding ability on the License Board. Depending on what category a weapon falls into (i.e. sword, two-handed staff), the game may use a different method to calculate the damage that weapon deals. The amount of damage inflicted by a bo staff, for example, is dependent on the strength of the enemy's magic defense, whereas other weapons may damage the enemy in accordance with the enemy's physical defense. Guns are actually two handed weapons, requiring the player to equip different purchased ammo types (not leaving opportunity to hold a shield), which ultimately defines the weapon's power. Same goes for bows, the player may acquire stronger and stronger arrow types over time. Ammo is otherwise unlimited.
Gambit System
The Gambit System is a new type of AI which works similar to an easier version of programming language. Using a set of pre-programmed commands, a player is able to set specific reactions to battle for each character. Each Gambit consists of two component variables: a target, and an action. For example, the game initially gives players two commands for use in their Gambit instructions. One reads, "Leader's enemy: Attack" and the other reads "Party member [HP less than 70%]: Cure". The Gambits are listed in order of priority, and changing their order in the list will cause the character to act differently. If the first command is "Leader's enemy: Attack" and the second is "Party member [HP less than 70%]: Cure", the character will attack with the party leader as long as they are engaged in battle. Once the party leader's target has been eliminated or the leader disengages from battle, the second command will come into play. If any party member is below 70% health, the character with the aforementioned Gambit will cast Cure on them. Different battle procedures would follow if the two commands were switched around, as the character will cease their attack and cast Cure on any party member with less than 70% health, and then resume attacking once all party members are at 70% health or more. There will be many different Gambits in the game to facilitate choosing any specific target, friend or foe, and then performing any action on it. Each character has a maximum of twelve available Gambit slots, which must be unlocked one at a time on the License board. Gambits are most often bought in Gambit shops, but they can also be found in chests.
Mist Cart
The Mist Cart command is short for "Mist Cartridge". In a nod to Final Fantasy IX, a mysterious phenomenon known as "Mist" exists in the story, and it is the key to two special abilities in the game: Summon magic and "Mist Knacks".
Summoning magic appears once more with creatures known as Espers (as in Final Fantasy VI although the name may change during translation). In order to acquire an Esper, the creature must first be defeated in battle. Afterward, one character must sign a pact with the Esper, and that character will be the only one who may summon it. Similar to Final Fantasy X, summon spells become active participants in battle, replacing the rest of the party for a set time; unlike Final Fantasy X, the summoner remains an active member in the fight, instead of standing back to command the Esper from afar. While the Esper is present, the Summon command in the menu becomes the Dismiss command, which the player can use to send the Esper away at any time. The Esper will remain in the party for a limited time, indicated by a row of spheres that gradually disappear over the course of a minute or two. If the Esper survives until the time limit reaches zero and is not dismissed by the player, it will perform a very powerful special attack before leaving the party. The player can use curative magic and items to aid the Esper. Espers are controlled by A.I. and cannot be controlled by the player.
Like the last several installments in the series, Final Fantasy XII introduces a new Limit Break system: Mist Knacks. Some of the Mist Knacks are:
- Vaan: (Reddosupairaru; Red Spiral)
- Ashe:(Hokuto Kotsusaizan; Bone Shattering Slash of the North Star)
- Balthier: (Ryakudatsu no Conpasu; Compass of Thievery)
- Fran: (Ranmeihassasshou; Chaotic Splitting Deadly Palm)
- Basch: (Yami to Ankouku no Shougeki; Impact of Absolute Darkness)
- Penelo: (Seisatsu Yodatsu; Power Over Life & Death)
The game also features an extended Clan report, a summarization of the player's progress so far, including detailed descriptions of enemies defeated, A catalogue of Wanted monsters defeated, and other more or less interesting information.