Video Game: Final Fantasy XII

The main characters, with Penelo and Vaan

Final Fantasy XII is the twelfth game in the butt-blisteringly popular Final Fantasy RPG series, and the first main game in the series to be set in Ivalice. It's a standalone prequel to Final Fantasy Tactics and takes place in the era of Ivalice that the dream land of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance was created from.The story begins with the defeat of the Kingdom of Dalmasca at the hands of the powerful Archadian Empire, and subsequent occupation. Two years later, an energetic young street thief called Vaan finds himself sucked into the languishing resistance movement led by none other than Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca, princess heir to the Dalmascan throne, thought dead. Ashe is determined to regain her kingdom and take revenge against the Archadians, and the key to this might just be the legendary nethicite once used by her ancestor to unite Ivalice under his rule.The story is also about Basch fon Ronsenberg, a proud knight of Dalmasca thought to have betrayed his king on the eve of Dalmasca's defeat, now imprisoned in a cell far from human contact. It's about a dashing Sky Pirate called Balthier and his frosty Viera co-pilot Fran, who have their eye on the riches they can acquire while tagging along with Ashe. It's about Penelo, Vaan's childhood friend who finds herself yanked into the chain of events thanks to her relationship with Vaan. It's about Archadian nobleman Vayne Solidor and his ruthless campaign of intrigue and reformation, and about his young brother Larsa, who wishes to unravel the web of deceit his brother has woven.Final Fantasy XII is a complicated and detailed game noticeably different in storyline from other Final Fantasy games. Whilst other games focus on individual characters, XII is less about people and more a story of nations and nationalism, of intrigue and deception. It's full of interweaving stories, tactical team-based fighting and well-crafted dialogue. It explores the ideas of freedom, revenge, loyalty, peace and the importance of dreams. It's also a Deconstruction of the "Find powerful McGuffin to Save The World" plot that's been around as long as the genre has, taking a much more sombre look at the pursuit of what is essentially a Weapon Of Mass Destruction and the lengths to which people would go to gain — or regain — power.The game happily ties in old Final Fantasy adversaries, as well: Gilgamesh makes his requisite cameo, as do several of the main antagonists from the earliest iterations of the series, as optional summoned beasts. *

Chaos and his Elementals, Emperor Mateus, Zeromus, and Ex-Death/Exodus.

Still, it's very much a standalone title that can be played without having any previous Square Soft knowledge.It is also the first in the series to go into extreme detail on the nature of items and locations. Expect to find tufts of Phoenix Down and strips of rotten flesh instead of just the items, thorough explanations on the topics of evolutionary biology and monster habitats, a comprehensive history of Ivalice and its tribes and races, and incredible amounts of flavor text in every page of the in-game encyclopedia.For the first time since Final Fantasy II, the player has the option of strategizing around weapon types and character skills almost indefinitely, and to explore the whole world from the very start of the game. The deserts, caves and small settlements around the game's starting town, for example, offer close to ten hours of exploring. And as soon as the characters are able to head south on the map, the player can choose to go north instead, where the entire rest of the continent is ready to be discovered. Although the main storyline's dungeons and boss fights failed to impress the critics, the side quests offer some of the most engaging gameplay in the series' history.Final Fantasy XII is currently one of only five*

The others being IV, VII, X , & XIII

of the main Final Fantasy series to gain a direct sequel, Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wings, a Real Time Strategy title for the Nintendo DS. A manga adaptation of the game was recently released. Some characters (notably Vaan and Penelo) also have cameos in Final Fantasy Tactics A 2 (which also borrows a few tracks of XII's music).