FINAL FANTASY XII THE ZODIAC AGE

Edit: Update to my review. Still a thumbs up but the port did, in fact, end up shitting the bed for me after 3 straight days of game play, at 30 hours in, I enter Eruyt Village and I get the error "Broken game data. Please restore or repair game data." I went into game properties on Steam and verified the data. One file was unverifiable. It patched the data all on its own and now it's playable again. That's strike one, I guess. I think if I can't finish the game without any further issues, I might change to a thumbs down. For the port, not the game. I will say, when I googled the problem, this does seem to be a common issue with FF ports.

I loved this game when I first played it at 15, when the game first released and I still love it now. I don't think turn-based rpg game play has ever been as perfect as this game made it. Gambits are an amazing mechanic. While the story isn't my favorite out of all the Final Fantasies, I still don't think it's a bad one. It's just very politics driven and that's always going to be polarizing. I do, however, think the cast of characters is still a strong one. I don't have much to say about the Zodiac system. It's not what I first played with but I don't think the difference is enough for me really complain about. And the game runs perfectly fine for me. Not sure why it's shitting the bed for others.

My only real complaint is: WHY, WHY, WHY does the volume control not affect the "nice" cut scenes?? Or reflect on the Home screen? Please, my ears are bleeding.

The game worked fine for me. Couldn't point out a bug if i wanted to, even though some folks say they had troubles. Xbox controller functions work just fine. Great Final Fantasy game to go back and replay.

Great game, but plagued with frequent crashing issues and compatibility issues.

One of the most underrated games of the franchise, and with numerous upgrades from the original PS2 release. It was the franchise's first crack at real-time combat, and it works better than you might expect. The gambit system also appeals to my latent autism. Pick it up on sale and you won't be disappointed. Plays great on Steam Deck so far as well, if that is something that appeals to you.

Fun Game, Good Story. Combat is a bit dated the 2X or 4X times speed is a necessity or the battles simple battles drag out way to long. But overall the game is fun. The main story is a bit on the easy side but this is balanced by more difficult side quest and hunts and optional bosses. The option to play New Game Plus mode another good aspect as it allows for people who wish to skip the grind and enjoy the game.

I recently decided that, since I constantly want to replay each individual Final Fantasy game but never seem to think I have time, I’m going to dedicate 2025 to replaying all of the Final Fantasy games in one go. So, this is the first installment of my Final Fantasy retrospective.

I kicked this project off with the most logical game in the series to start with: Final Fantasy XII.

The first (and only) time I’ve played this one was fifteen-ish years ago on the original PS2 hardware. You might think that would make me a prime candidate to compare the Steam/Zodiac Age version with the OG release… but years of obliterating my braincells with mind-altering substances has left me with very few memories of my first playthrough. Seriously, I didn’t remember the second half of the game at all. Basically, this was like playing a brand-new game.

What I do remember from my time with it before was that I liked it. That still holds true after this playthrough. Sure, the story veers into ridiculousness by the end of the game and few of the characters hold a special place in my heart… Nothing has changed about that. But the world of Ivalice is fucking awesome, as always. And the Star-Wars-y tone of the story works better than one might expect. Most importantly, however, this game succeeds in what is arguably the most important aspect that any game can hope to succeed in: it’s a lot of fun to play.

Unlike the offline games that bookend this one (X and XIII), exploration is not only possible but encouraged. Instead of being linear like those others, this is as open-world as one could reasonably expect a Final Fantasy game from this generation to be. The maps are huge and they’re full of hidden areas, secret treasures, and elite monsters.

Thankfully, I still loved the battle system in this one. It’s much different than any other Final Fantasy. And even though this one could most easily be compared to the online games in the series, it’s not really like those, either. Autobattle is the focus of this one so, by the time the player opens up all of the options available to them, it’s more akin to an idle or automation game. The player sets the possible actions of the characters with things called “gambits” (essentially, “if-then” statements) and, if the player did it right, the party gets to work whooping everything’s ass without direct input from the player. Of course, if your gambits are poorly planned, the player gets to sit back and watch their party get their shit pushed in. This might not sound like a lot of fun when I explain it like that but I super-promise that it is.

The fact that it’s still fun is partly due to the quality-of-life improvements that have been made since the original release. (I guess I do remember some stuff about my first playthrough, after all...) The game now autosaves every time the player crosses over a threshold into a new zone. Plus, thanks to a fast-forward feature, the game now runs in double time, so backtracking isn’t as painful as it once was. (And there is an option in the settings to double that speed so that the game runs at quadruple time. I didn’t play like that because of my slow reaction time but the option is available for more sober players.)

Honestly, it was really cool to look back at this one because, while there have been some improvements made to bring it up to speed with modern games, a lot of the features in the game were there in the original version. The fast travel, map system, and hunts all feel right at home with the modern crop of RPGs. There are some features missing (like accessing the fast travel menu from anywhere or pinning the details of a hunt to the HUD) but it was a little unbelievable to see how close Square Enix was to making a game that was up to today’s standards in 2006. What I’m trying to say is that, in terms of gameplay, this game might hold up the best out of all the classic Final Fantasy games.

If you don’t mind that this is one of the weaker games in terms of story, then it is absolutely worth a playthrough. After playing it again, I’m still comfortable with this one falling into my top five favorite Final Fantasy games. Just know that what you’re getting with this one is totally unlike what you’ll get with other early games in the series. But, if you’re looking for another JRPG with modern sensibilities to play but haven’t played this one, give it a shot. You might be pleasantly surprised like I was.

muy divertido, el sistema de combate y esta muy bien balanceado todo, el diseño de la dificultad es perfecta

I'd say 40-50 of these hours were afk leveling. I think this has to have the most beautiful art of any of the final fantasy games. I would love to see more games in this art style

Story

I think the story was a little basic but still enjoyable and timeless. There were so many main characters I felt like a few of them didn't get the development they deserved, but the moments that they did have were well done and fun to watch!

Gameplay

I had a lot of fun with the gameplay of this one. I liked setting up character gambits, it's kind of like if - then statements. If the enemy is weak to fire, then this character will auto use fire spells. It's nice and casual type of gameplay. But also not without strategy for some of the tougher bosses.

My only real complaint is the low drop rates for good armor and weapons, which makes 100%-ing the game VERY tedious. I gave up on it myself. But it was fun while it lasted!

Probably my least favorite of the FF series but it runs well on PC and is still better than a lot of modern JRPG's (I'm looking at you Metaphor Refantazio).

Overall: 7/10

Well, wow~ Not as good as I remembered, beating 1/2 of this game when I was a teenager, but still a good game and lots of fun in the early-mid game while getting stronger & learning the combat systems. The story is more grounded and based in politics, though the magic & "destiny" side of the story are done well I think. I really appreciate the story stuck with its guns and didn't go off the rails like I felt Final Fantasy Tactics did, in the last 1/3 of that game, emphasizing a demon/fantastical villain. The final foes of this game being a human and having reasonable motivations was refreshing.

However, the combat of this game & character progression broke down for me in the late mid-game and late game, after getting to Giruvegan about. The combat became dull and boring once I unlocked all the License Boards for each character and programmed my gambits to respond to almost any scenario, that I just watched the game play itself basically :\ In some parts, its cool to see your characters destroy the enemies effortlessly following your instructions, but it needed some more input & variation in strategy options for players like me to stay interested in the combat. It just became a slog and I was finding myself looking forward to the end of the game, and not wanting to do any more sidequests. I did 40 or so of the Hunts and didn't do any of the Rare Game hunts, as I was already burnt out from this game at this point. At ~90 hours into the game, I just rushed through Pharos and the Bahamut to finish the story. That's not a feeling I've had in any other Final Fantasy game, other than maybe FFX though I had more fun with that game's combat than this one, at the end.

The music is top-notch though and really has some great tracks. I love the variation in styles & themes for the areas and the best tracks just slap. I do think the fight & boss music could have used more tracks, as other Final Fantasy games usually have unique boss music especially.

The art style & environmental design are pretty awesome to look at and I appreciated the variety of areas. I love the character designs of the main cast & side characters/villains.

I do wish the main cast had much more dialogue with each other and got to know each other & bond, like other FF games. The last cinematics and story while going through Bahamut seemed to bond the cast more than 80% of the game and felt very weird. They really dropped the ball with the writing & pacing of developing the main cast to actually care about each other & get to know each other.

Overall, I would recommend it to RPG fans but caution to not push yourself to do sidequests you don't find interesting. I think the game is good but not great, especially when compared to the incredible FF7 & FF8 in my opinion.

's good.

the story and stuff for all ff games is what ever but i like the combat in this one the most

Gameplay wise it may take a while to set in for someone but it is so fun when it does . The bootleg Star Wars plot was meh tbh but those Judges have that aura lmao.

The graphics and the ability to speed run and the option to start on new game plus for those of us that have already played and beat this back on the ps I love it.

my favourite game out of the entire franchise.
with the QoL updates that TZA introduces, this game is straight up a masterpiece.

I cannot get this game to work. It continues to freeze in a cutscene an hour into the game and I cannot fix it. I want to play this game but it appears to be faulty.

I played the original on PS2 and it still remains my favorite FF game of all time. I hated the Zodiac job system but that did very little to detract from how much i enjoyed playing this game again after so many years. It looks good and ran perfectly with no issues and i can't overstate how happy i was to see this they put in the effort to both overhaul and port the game right.

A classic game for me, this game offers some non-linear character/side quest progression unlike previous installments. The Job system feels unique compared to previous installments as well. I enjoyed the weak mode challenge and having to think outside the box. The game allows you to be stupid busted if you want to, or you can opt for a more natural progress. Its one of the few Final Fantasy games that has flexibility in the approach to playing it. Great music and atmosphere. I liked the character cast.

Classic game I beat it on playstation zodiac age is different in character development. Its one of those games where if you do the side quest there is almost always something new

A wonderful experiment of a game brought to HD with the features of the International Zodiac Job. A version of Final fantasy 12 that brought much needed variety to character progression and some quality of life features.

Overall a fun experience for those who played the original game, though the more RNG aspects of the FFXII experience may bring some issues for newcomers.

Played it for an hour, saved several times at save points. On the next day, the game could not find any saves to load. It seems this bug is around since the beginning and was not addressed. The workarounds are not feasible. Please test if the game is saving, if you buy it.

Melhor Final Fantasy que já joguei.
Destaco o mundo aberto e a livre exploração dele. Diferente de outros títulos, aqui existem poucos corredores. Os ambientes - vastos e extremamente distintos uns dos outros - são todos conectados.

A história é cativante e tradicional: o bem contra o mal, trazendo discussões e reflexões sobre temas de poder, autoridade e vingança. Para mim, ela serve seu propósito de background para que tenhamos interesse em prosseguir e descobrir o que acontecerá.

Muitos gostam de Final Fantasy pela parte da exploração e de encontrar os equipamentos mais valiosos e poderosos, que exigem grinding, farming e muuuuitas horas até o RNG jogar ao seu favor. Aqui não é diferente. As melhores armas e os melhores equipamentos não estão nas lojas. Se você não explorar e ir além do objetivo principal, vai deixar muita coisa pra trás, e a tendência é que os inimigos fiquem cada vez mais difíceis.

Muita gente não curtiu a mecânica de batalha desse FF, o que é compreensível, mas eu achei que é um sistema adequado, funciona e escala super bem para as batalhas mais desafiadoras do endgame, em que é preciso ter tática e pensar rápido (ou garantir que seus gambits estão bem estruturados!).

10/10 esse game. Que venha o próximo FF.

Love the combat system

One of the best Battle system created in any FFXII game, played this game so many times more than I can count, but I always come back for the gameplay. Gambits are genius and one of best and most QOL + theory crafting system ever added on a FF.

This is the game where Final Fantasy started leaving the JRPG style to go to an action-adventure style, ruining the series, in my humble opinion. They experimented with this crappy direction of gameplay, making it all seem repetitive and boring.

Gambits are incredible, you don’t even have to use them but if you want, you can turn his game into a AFK auto rpg. Theory crafting builds that work in any scenario is just so amazing. 9/10

Game isn't working. Just shows white screen.

I have spent the last half hour trying to get this to run like a game should. Every single time, I am met with pushback. From not playing well with controllers to massive screen tear on the game. I've googled it, I've tried like 5 fixes. I'm over it. Uninstalled. Wasted money. Just play it on console.

Having played the Final Fantasy series for nearly 30 years I still rank this as the second best (behind only Final Fantasy VI). The battle system is the most addicting being a blend of Final Fantasy XI and the ATB of Final Fantasy VII. It is a huge world with lots of areas to explore, a great story that is more political than usual Final Fantasy and a fantastic group of characters. The freedom to explore the game world is something I wish we would see more of in the series since. Highly recommended for fans of JRPGs and Final Fantasy!

Starts slow but also I discovered the double speed feature. Def does not get as much attention as it should.

I first bought this game all the way back when it came out on console. That one wasn't 'zodiac' edition but just FF 12. I even bought the walk through guide. Anyway, I bought the game on pc just with the Autumn sale of 2024 and with mods giving me a bit of an edge and just the fun of playing it on pc, the game is just as good as I remember.

I was never quite able to finish it, because I got stuck and back then, I didn't think there was any reminder about what you were supposed to do. Especially since a couple of months had passed since I played it back then. This was before I had steady access to the internet and the guides that came with it.

Now, the big question. Should you buy it? Yes. But ONLY during a sale. Even though I have fond memories of this game, It's an outrage that they're asking 50€ of a game this old. I still have my old playstation and the original game discs too.

That said, while I think the game is worth buying (only during sale) I would still strongly suggest looking up gameplay videos and reviews. I think it's aged well, but it doesn't compare to certain other video games.

This game's plot is literally star wars, also, the gameplay feels like a single player party-based MMO, with some QoL stuff like 2x/4x speed and a 'built-in macro' in the form of gambits, where you 'program' the characters to do actions automatically, actually quite interesting, though I felt it lacked some challenge, most of the game I just normal attack blitz anything that stands in my path and they just get destroyed.

Love how this game looks, it's even more astonishing with "The Zodiac Age Remastered" mod.

Sadly, I can't set the lenguage to english :S

An absolute credit to world building. I mean really nothing is as astounding in its play-through. I'm talking from the fantastical plants, animals, creatures, races, magicks, characters, organizations, nations, cities, politics, deities, gods, it just doesn't stop for all the random fleshing out. Details that breathes life into its atmosphere in a way I wish I could constantly see. Cities that are appropriately filled with a ton of citizens, not only with something unique to say to the player, but often words that will change depending on where you're at in the game. Beautiful details, I really can't praise them enough, because it is on the backs of them that I think you can get lost in the idea of the game

Intro too long, proves a hurdle to many.

Music is exceptional, real labor of love their as well.

Combat systems are fun. Gambit systems that you modify overtime are novel, as is the line diagram turn based combat broken up by real time in-between animation. Truly puzzling why something similar hasn't been stolen for a different game.

4x speed mode makes mob clear a dream and playtime of the remake a reasonable and fun pastime.

My only problems are the voice recordings sound like they were recorded from an old phone/3ds and the plot is slightly weird at times, goated aside from that

I love the Final Fantasy games, I was thrilled to learn a while ago you could play them on PC now, and I've been stocking my library with my favourites :) The story, and the game play, are as always engaging and fun.

Incrivel como um jogo de PS2 é tão completo, com classes, mapas, monstros e hunts bem desenvolvidos, o sistema de Gambits até hoje é um dos melhores sistema de gerenciamento de IA no mundo dos jogos. Ainda mais jogando com o mod "Horizontal Progress" que melhora a qualidade de vida.

I know people love ff 8 and 10 and 7(for nostalgia) but 12 is one of my favorites and is great for story and game play. I've played all of the ff games, but i keep coming back to this one lol

remastered version. This is legit beautiful with the HD visuals as well as the new music. The toggle speed controls are great for replay value, (e.g. ...so as to not go through the sandsea without speeding up and having fun with the chainstacking multipliers)

Game mechanics from the PS2 era that still work well today. Zodiac Age, with its job system and a story for its genre finally made more mature than its predecessors, is definitely one of my top 3 in the series.

A few changes have been made compared to the first "International" Japanese version, which unfortunately makes the experience too easy. We are invited to choose comfort rather than the jobistic constraint of role-playing. The original use of summons isn't crazy either. Would'nt have minded to put some features on/off in the options. But mods can be used to change all that, so...

Despite this, the system of gambits is very free and can be really rich at the same time. I spent many hours making different builds, and it was a lot of fun. It's almost unbelievable that this episode and its level design, apart from a few exceptions, was conceived for release in 2006. Ivalice is a well done, huge and beautiful world.

I really don't care what the characters look like or what they're like... I loved this game. For me, clearly a must-play for j-rpg fans.

I got the metal box edition back on ps2, with the guide. I remember one summer grinding for hours trying to take down some of the marks. Love being able to go back, and get to change jobs! Love it! The 4x speed is a life saver for gil grinding!

Best combat Final Fantasy game in the series IMO. Absolutely love it, been playing since Ps2

Best FF game to ever grace the earth. Just do yourself a favor and mod the grind out.

This is a very solid entry in the ff series, with fun characters and an interesting story. It does involve a lot of grinding, however, but at least there's a speed up button. I used it very frequently because the world is MASSIVE.

Best final fantasy game ever. Hours of fun and great story line.

The PC version is the best remastered version of this game.
-60FPS, Unlike RE4 2004 the 60fps dont break the AI behavior
-You can respec like in the Switch version
-The cloths animations been patched unlike some other versions

love ff game tbh, i personally always enjoyed 12s fighting system.

Loved it on PS2 and love it now. This game got me into Final Fantasy and has an AMAZING story. I Cant find and Negatives to this Classic other than a 60 fps cap but who need more than that for an rpg?

FFXII is the last Final Fantasy game in the series that I actually enjoyed, and still enjoy playing. The story is much more down-to-earth than others before, and after, which is a nice change. The characters are interesting, and a couple of them are among my favorites in the series. The gambit system allows you to create a wonderful flow for the gameplay. It nearly eliminates the need for navigating menus during combat, which is extremely refreshing for long time fans of the series. If you're low on health, or if one of your characters gets affected by status, you know what you need to do, and you can program your characters to do it, instead of having to press the same buttons over an over. It creates an instant link between what you're thinking, and what's happening in the game, and you can just fly through each beautifully designed area, and become totally immersed in the world. The gambit system also grows in complexity as the game goes on, especially with optional boss fights. The developers were very creative with new abilities and statuses, that haven't appeared in any other FF game. There's action, sky pirates, revenge, giants, true love, all the makings of an excellent adventure story.

better gameplay than any previous FF titles despite what everyone said about the gambit system