#v: FFXII

[stingslikeabee]

@5judgements​ found the dancer . chapter 5

An evening to celebrate and honor the passing of another year of the Archadian Emperor, Gramis Gana Solidor, was an occasion that no citizen or imperial guest wished to miss. With the emperor’s health declining over the recent months, there was an additional care to ensure that the commemorations would be remembered by those in attendance, regardless of their ties to the actual ruling house of Archadia.

Judge magisters, the superior officers among their troops, the head scientists from Draklor, diplomats from allied nations, members of the Senate, military personnel serving as liaisons to occupied territories, the capital’s very own elite - everyone received an invitation for a ball held within palace grounds, which again served a double purpose as propaganda and suggestion of intent for those keen on threatening Archadia. Although there was no actual display of power from their best among military ranks such as the tournament held months before, security was impossibly high and Emperor Gramis decided to make an appearance, health concerns notwithstanding.

Melissa was there, among those graced with an invitation - something only possible thanks to the backing and meddling of the Marquis of Ondore, of course. For all intents and purposes, her season was supposed to have ended a few weeks before, when she was even transported to the Sky City with the 8th Fleet, a personal courtesy given the woman’s non-official diplomatic status in the city. However, the dancer returned a couple of days later with news of an extension - for a full year, with an exclusive contract with the local opera house.

While initially her role had seemed to be one to foster curiosity and goodwill for Bhujerba, Melissa explained that her craft had indeed drawn the curiosity of many from the Empire - enough to secure sizeable revenue for the venue promoters who sought to retain her as a fixed attraction. The Marquis signed off on such dealings, evidence of his continued support of the fragile but sincere collaboration of the Sky City and Archades. 

Behind the scenes, however, the intentions of the Ondore administration were very different - Melissa had met with him at their homeland, and explained the status of her assignment in a way to highlight that she needed time - only on the very eve of the meeting had she been successful in breaching Ghis’ final layer of armor and ensnaring him. The delay did not please the Marquis, but the account of her travel instigated him to continue with the charade - and Melissa was able to return with the fanfarre her created persona required, even if deep down she had no intention of following through with the Resistance plans anymore.

The Bhujerban had decided to use the time to find an alternative - anything that could help her country, but not at the cost of her beloved magistrate’s life.

The renewed season, the possibility of meeting Ghis frequently, the life in the capital to which she had been growing used to - all these things filled Melissa with excitement for the evening of the ball, Drace being immensely helpful with recommendations for a good seamstress as well as getting the woman in touch with those who could not only secure her an apartment but also a decent one (after all, a hotel was no longer suitable for the Bhujerban considering her long-term presence). Zargabaath had also provided counsel and the last weeks had been used to finalize her move into a new place, decorated to her preferences (with everything she had brought from the Sky City after her meeting with Ondore).

The only thing missing was speaking with Ghis - since they said their goodbyes at the Bhujerban aerodrome, she had not seen him again. Presumably too busy with the Marquis, and then dispatched elsewhere when she returned to Archades. Melissa was itching to share the good news with him - and to talk about what it represented for both of them; Ghis had hinted at a relationship before - would he still be amenable to it if they both lived in the same city? It seemed like a silly thing to fret over with war on the horizon, but her heart could yearn for nothing else.

However, his colleagues within the magister circle told her to not send word - both Drace and Zargabaath suggested doing so personally at the ball, which Ghis would be sure to attend (as well as all of them). Besides, Melissa’s fresh anxiety in relation to the oldest judge did not escape the trained eye of his peers - despite the dancer never outright gossiping about her trip with Ghis to the Sky City, she had alluded to certain events - Drace immediately understood.

So that brought the dancer to the night at the palace, for once dressed like an Archadian (it was the Emperor’s birthday, after all). Her dress was one of shimmering fabric mimicking the colors of the sunset, with crossed straps around the neck that turned into billowing twin capes trailing after her steps while leaving most of Melissa’s back bare. The front of the dress had no embroidery save for the right side of the waist, where crystals had been sewn into a delicate flower pattern, decorating a small section there where some skin was visible in a tasteful manner (but considerably less if one compared to her usual attire).

The slit for the right side of her legs offered ample movement - and combining with the soft fabric used for the outfit, there was a lot of freedom for her to walk as if wearing one of her own adored costumes. Her long, dark hair was styled with a half braid, the only Bhujerban concession being the jewelry added to her tresses, earrings and arms; nothing else on Melissa hailed from the Sky City, and if not for the choice of vibrant colors, she could perhaps be confused with one of the local ladies in attendance.

With a glass in hand, Melissa walked around the main room, looking for familiar faces - one in particular, which she had failed to locate despite the assurances of the other magisters that he would be there. It was a most curious feeling the dancer experienced then - almost like stage fright, but of an extremely personal nature; the woman felt hot and cold simultaneously, and longed to see Ghis’ face while at the same time hoping he would share her enthusiasm for the news. There was hardly anything she could do but wait more - but the weeks without contact had turned her into someone almost desperate for his presence, and, more importantly, his approval.

An assassin turned soft - if only Ondore knew how well his own agent had lied to him.

[stingslikeabee]

@5judgements

[mostfuckableffvillain]

I would love to hear why

[swoodthis]

WHY must my two favorite Final Fantasy games be 5 and 12, the games everyone else hates?!

[stingslikeabee]

@5judgements

“And how will you have me? Gloves on?”

Shadow and Bone season 2 episode 8 “No Funerals” (2023) dir. Mairzee Almas

[jadagul]

I knew that Gilgamesh showed up in FFXII, and was still surprised when Gilgamesh showed up in FFXII.

(And of course he's hanging out on a bridge. Goddammit.)

[disillusionedjudge]

((tag drop 3

[machiroads]

sitting here with my head in my hands trying to pic only one WIP title when they all intrigue me😭 I'm sorry FFXII steampunk au, I have to know what's up with When the Battle's Lost and Won

I WILL GIVE YOU BOTH AS A BONUS FREEBIE

When the Battle's Lost and Won is the next installment in the Nine Lives Extended Universe and it's effectively a post-final battle post-mortem. I've been picking away at it since I finished 9L (like. a year and a half ago now) and every week a chunk of it is like "oh well this isn't going to be canon anymore" but oh well ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯ WRITING CANON-ADJACENT FICS IS FUN.

It's intended to be 4 parts (Moon > Sun > Cloud > Stars) and I SINCERELY HOPE I DON'T HAVE TO CHANGE THAT.

Here's an excerpt that probably? won't have to get deleted

The FFXII Steampunk AU is a bit of a redundant title, as FFXII's Ivalice is inherently kind of steampunk (or at least steampunk fantasy). It's a fic with a demographic of approximately two people, and it still lives in my Active folder because I inadvertently bamboozled three other very talented people into collaborating on it and then just. Didn't do anything with it for uhhhhh a solid year now. Oops.

It's a big damn adventure fantasy, featuring Spy/Bard!Mic, Airship Pilot!Shirakumo, Viera!Midnight, and Time Mage!Zawa (and the two mist-touched kids who follow him around). There's legitimately probably like. 20k of it written and I really should just put some of it up for funzies but I have a mental block against posting things that I can't commit to finishing in good faith because I have a pathological need to be reliable. Maybe some day. Not right now.

It was originally supposed to be just a loosely connected series of vignettes but those vignettes keep getting longer and longer :V

Here's a chapter transition of all time (spice warning)

[stingslikeabee]

@5judgements

“In my dreams I am kissing your mouth and you’re whispering ‘where have you been?’ I say, ‘I’ve been lost but I’m here now. You’re the only person who has ever been able to find me.’”

[stingslikeabee]

ghis has sought her out with some semblance of a plan. not one concocted by his own imagination, of course, but sewn together by his desire and drace's own prowess in this field of knowledge. really without her aid he would be about as useful as a fish on land, flopping around in desperation. but all is well, at the moment, where the magistrate has invited her into his less than humble abode for a quiet night of conversation. rare are the moments as of late where he is able to call the capitol city, home. the magister's days are fairly limited to the skies he patrols well beyond archades' borders. in these moments though, where ghis can simply be, he does readily choose to spend them with her.

'you are stunning,' he compliments immediately, the man starstruck for a moment. this happens often, around melissa.

unscripted asks . always accepting

The inner rooms of the home belonging to one of the judge magisters of Archadia was a precious location for intel. One could find out much about their living conditions, food preferences and even details about a schedule that would be undisclosed otherwise. It was easier to get a trained officer to be unguarded at their own residences and to justify the casual investigation of the place under the excuses of being lost within such imponent surroundings.

The Marquis would have been overjoyed if he knew of such invitations and plans from judge Ghis - but these were never properly communicated back to the Sky City. By the time Melissa was invited to such occasions, the dancer lacked the old enthusiasm to see the man dead or held accountable by the crimes perpetrated by the empire he served. In the most unexpected twists of the fate, the Gods had seen fit to have an undercover agent turning sincere in her pretend act.

The smile when returning the invitation by writing to Ghis' aide, the careful planning into her appearance for the evening (with the right amount of jewelry, perfume and colorful fabric enveloping her body) and even the way her hand pressed into the magistrate's open compliment - none of them were rehearsed or performed with a hidden agenda in mind. At some point, surely, the leader of Bhujerba would send another missive with ciphered wording inquiring about Melissa's advances and success with the judge that had warranted a prolonged stay in imperial lands - but it was not a concern for that evening.

Perhaps, for once, Melissa shared the same lack of regard of her host for the future day - the man had stepped out of his trademark armor and opened his home (and possibly his heart) to the Bhujerban in a fashion that had no connection to his duties as a man of the law. There was no planning for the next morning, just the eagerness to profit from the rare occasion of the two of them being free and in the same city.

Once Melissa was taken further inside, the attentive servant who had been in charge of closing the doors disappeared. The first drawing room to where the dancer was steered to was very much Archadian - overflowing with the opulence and material comforts expected of someone of his station and family background. And yet, Ghis had eyes only for her, uncaring for the appearances presented. His home was often empty and impersonal - Melissa was being granted an unique chance not only to see it, but to find its owner there too, dressed as a man rather than a tool of the Empire.

"It pleases me to hear that, Jarvis," the Bhujerban mentioned in a low, intimate tone once she was lead to a comfortable couch. It lacked the exuberant covers of these at her home, but it offered more than enough room for Ghis to take a seat close to her, perhaps closer than the proper etiquette would mandate. Right hand raising to touch his face tenderly, Melissa allowed herself the boldness of those born closer to the stars in the floating island, smiling at the man before inching closer for a kiss that was as sweet as it was scandalous if the servants returned to that room.

"I dressed for your gaze alone, after all," the dancer murmured upon parting from that brief caress over the judge's lips, however lingering within his personal space, "And while I would be delighted to hear about your travels and everything that is novel about our vast world, I would also be more than happy to let you take my outfit apart. I have cleared my morning schedule following your invitation - I hope you have no intentions of seeing me leave until well after sunrise."

[autopotion]

*These are not official groupings, just mine.

EARLY (1987-1993)

Mainline games released: I, II, III, IV, V.

Other notable releases: the Legend series, Mystic Quest

Established the formula & series mainstays--job classes, summons, chocobos & moogles, etc.

These games were relatively simple at first, but soon became trailblazers for epic storytelling in RPGs--especially IV (or initially II in North America).

Pixel guys.

Mostly known by their many (many, many) remasters and remakes.

Modern audiences might find their stories rote and their gameplay unnecessarily difficult, but they still enjoy a tiny, vocal fanbase.

GOLDEN (1994-2001)

Mainline games released: VI**, VII, VIII, IX, X.

Other notable releases: Tactics, Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon, Anthology, Chronicles

With the formula established & with the more powerful hardware of fifth- (and later sixth-) generation consoles, FF pushed boundaries and graphical limitations to produce their most ambitious games (and marketing campaigns) yet. You might say they succeeded, for better or worse; Final Fantasy VII is generally considered to be the very first AAA video game.

The era that the majority of the FF fanbase on the Internet is most nostalgic for, a fact that might inspire either your own misty-eyed recollection of the good ol' days, or an overwhelming desire to snap the rose-tinted glasses. Or both.

Saw the first of many (many, many) ports across different systems--in part to give English-speaking audiences access to the early games they missed, but also as blatant cash-grabs.

Modern audiences who have no nostalgia for this era often voice that they find stylized 3D polygons much more difficult to acclimate to than the pixel guys.

**FFVI could arguably fall under the early era. If I'd made this poll fifteen years ago, when the division of fans between VI and VII was much more stark, that's where I would have put it. However, this poll is also about how modern audiences tend to think about their favorite FF games, and FFVI enjoys a nostalgic fanbase on par with those of the other games of the golden era. Search for it on any "best FF games of all time" list and you'll see what I mean.

COMPILATION (2002-2008)

Mainline games released: XI, XII.

Other notable releases: Crystal Chronicles, X-2, Compilation of FFVII (Before Crisis, Crisis Core, Dirge of Cerberus, etc.), FFXII: Revenant Wings, the Tactics Advance series & the War of the Lions remake of the original Tactics, the DS remakes of III & IV, the first Dissidia. (Also of note, though not directly beneath the FF umbrella, was the introduction of Kingdom Hearts.)

The era of sequels, remakes, remasters, crossovers, and extended universes, shepherded by the Square Enix merger. Only two mainline games were released in this period, and the one that was not an MMO was an entry in the newly-formed "Ivalice Alliance" (contrary to the desires of one of XII's principal developers, Yasumi Matsuno, who left the project before it was finished).

While of course we've seen plenty of sequels & remakes since, this era went all-in on expanding Final Fantasy to the behemoth it is now. FFVII, its golden child, was showered with prequels and sequels. Crossovers were all the rage. Even games that were not strictly "Final Fantasy" games were retroactively roped into one of the existing canon masses, i.e. Vagrant Story into the Ivalice Alliance.

This was also the boom of handhelds, like the PSP and the beloved DS. Mainline games were saved for the heavyweight home consoles, while other titles were dispersed across the smaller systems.

Very few "new" worlds with no preexisting ties to the other games (outside of the shared banner of Final Fantasy) were created in this time, XI and Crystal Chronicles being the few exceptions.

If you enjoyed seeing the games you loved from the 90s getting more content, this era was a delight. If you'd rather the original entries were left alone, it was a painful sign of things to come.

EXPERIMENTAL (2009-2015)

Mainline games released: XIII, XIV (twice)

Other notable releases: XIII-2 & Lightning Returns, Type-0 (also a member of XIII's Fabula Nova Crystallis series), Dissidia 012, the Theatrhythm series, the first expansion for XIV (Heavensward), Record Keeper, Brave Exvius

FF's darkest era. XIII was the first time FF tried something new since XI--brand new world, female protagonist, fresh spin on the old ATB formula--and it fell just short of catastrophic. XIII and its sequels were not well-received (though whether this negative backlash was "deserved" is another story). The game that would later become XV was originally intended to be Versus XIII, an entry in Fabula Nova Crystallis. Between XIII's poor reception and Versus XIII's fraught development, this didn't happen.

The initial release of XIV, on the other hand, was catastrophic. It was so bad that the entire thing had to be rebooted.

The good news is XIV's reboot, A Realm Reborn, did so well that XIV is widely considered one of the best MMOs of all time. The reboot is also one of the earliest examples of video game "rehabilitation," in that a dramatic change or update to the original game transforms a negative experience into a positive one, and thus scrapes back the good will of the player. (No Man's Sky is a non-FF example.)

The virulent criticism of XIII has softened over the years, and it enjoys a small, dedicated fanbase.

You started to see FF dip into mobile games at this point, too.

MODERN (2016-2023)

Mainline games released: XV, XVI

Other notable releases: World of Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, Dissidia NT, Dissidia Opera Omnia, Final Fantasy VII Remake, the pixel remasters of I-VI, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Reunion, Crisis Core: Reunion, a slew of expansions for XIV

The long-anticipated release of XV heralded a new age (as well as a movie and an anime). In contrast to XIII, XV was very popular, and put FF back on the map. People loved the boys' road trip.

XIV is still going strong. I don't play MMOs but I'm happy for them.

The remakes & remasters are back, and looking more realistic than ever (if you're into that sort of thing). Look at how many individual pores you can see on your old favorites' faces! The most successful of these is the Final Fantasy VII Remake, which is not a remake as much as it's a conversation with the original game, a move that both drew in a new audience and softened (some of) the diehard og-VII fans who disliked the rest of the Compilation.

Stranger of Paradise is an odd duck attempting to evoke the uncanny valley weirdness of the PS3 era. YMMV on if it worked.

The modern FF games step further out of the boundaries of what an FF game is, dropping ATB combat in favor of real-time action that's all the rage these days. In a first, XVI doesn't have any party members. For the folks who've grown tired of ATB and crave the fast-paced action of the modern day, XVI was a hit (though, I've heard, it failed to deliver on the story).

The endless conversation about whether FF ought to be evolving this far outside of its "formula" (whatever one believes that to be) might feel tired to the average FF fan. But, going forward, it's worth talking about the ways in which FF has neglected to evolve, or even gone backwards: such as the dev team of XV stating that the inclusion of women would cause their core bros to act unnaturally, thus why there are no female party members in the game, or the dev team of XVI deliberately not including a diverse cast because their fantasy game is inspired by medieval Europe.

Tell me which era you voted for in the tags, and what your personal favorite FF game is!

[lyssafreyguy]

context:

wanna own all the main properties and earn a shitton of cash and use it to upgrade combat etc before i move on to the main story

this mechanic is based entirely in real time when payments are being collected but progress pauses whenever you're in your office or in the pause menu

if you stand still literally anywhere Kiryu will have a little eternal monologue about what you should be doing to progress the main story and i have no clue if that pauses paymen collections or not. no i don't wanna be told it's okay.

all this means that i'm either running around zoned out in the overworld (but i'd have to constantly outrun enemies and avoid getting into street fights which sucks) or i'm passing time by going to bars and arcades and the bowling alley etc aka i've been playing WAY WAY MORE pool and darts and karaoke and the disco and the Japan Catfight Club then i ever would've expected and there's only so much of any of any of those things that i genuinely wanna do

in conclusion: Forced Corner Time In a Spot On the Map That Enemies Can't Get Into For Kiryu. but it's okay he's got his bodyguard buddy keeping him company.

Real Estate Royal update

[sarasa-cat]

Finally have time to think about fandom stuff and add *at least* fanfic writing back into my life. Graphics edits/VP and Moodboards or fanart would also be great, time allowing.

The problem with not doing something for a long while is forgetting how to start because nothing is easting my brain at the moment.

Realizing that what I really need to do is to re-develop my habit of READING FANFIC because that was often what sparked my desire to write fanfic.

Not certain what I will return to, and how multi-fandom I will be in output. Possibilities:

1. I have FOUR different Thedas timelines for DAO-DA2-DAI that are of interest.

2. Need to get back to playing CP2077, mostly interested in VP/graphics/moodboards/visual stuff but I have quite a few short story ideas for my Corpo V.

3. So. Much. FFVII. Fanfic in draft-state from ages ago. (Vincent, Lucrecia, and so forth).

4. A bunch of Witcher Fanfic that is an extension of the Netflix series, fully outlined from a couple of years ago (?) but just sitting there, waiting.

5. Stardew Valley?! Yeah. Idk. I just vibe with it and it created an unexpected desire to write fanfic or to make moodboards or both. But then I found a fanfic that scratched the exact itch I wanted to see scratched which left me feeling "okay, so, now what do I write? (more of the same? idk...)" but then a very _strange_ idea hit me and I need to think it through. So there is all of that, perhaps? tbd.

6. Finish, re-edit, or tidy-and-move-to-AO3 various ooooollllddd old old fanfic, mostly for FFXII but some for DA that is currently hard for fannish readers to find because it is squirreled away in strange locations, mostly locations that are pre-AO3 but not entirely.

7. Something else I have forgotten? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[penroseparticle]

Hiiieeeeeeee. I heard you like v-games.

3. Favorite boss?

15. Hardest game you’ve ever played?

19. A game that you wish you could play for the first time again.

25. Favorite environment in a game?

40. Best game cover art.

I went back in my inbox and there are some asks I haven't answered, clearing things out. So throwback meme!

3. Favorite Boss:

I'm partial to Facade from Link's Awakening. I think he's simple, he's memorable. He comes at a part of the game where you learn a very big revelation. The music for The Face Shrine is stunning, and really does something interesting considering the Ballad of the Wind Fish isn't a part of the song despite being part of the other dungeons' music. I like that Facade isn't an enemy you can fight with a sword. I like that his name means edifice, and he's the floor aka part of the building, but also mask, and he's a face. I like that he comes when you have to decide between dream or reality.

Can you tell I did a Zelda deep dive a bit ago?

15. Hardest Game You've Ever Played?

This is a tough and interesting question- what's a hard game, after all. Do I play hard games? I don't know if that's something I do. I like fiddly or intricate games. But I'm not sure I play hard games- I get frustrated easily. I guess I do play hard games, but they have to onboard you really really well. You have to feel like it's hard but achievable right? Like you're struggling but you could succeed.

I might say Desktop Dungeons. Simple concept, really intricate execution, technically not hard at all, but the Tower of Ga'antalet is still not cleared on Vicious on my save file, and I followed that game from Alpha to Beta to release to Rerelease with better graphics. My account is like a decade old. Maybe I'm dumb. Or maybe I just need to drill in and practice, because I've cleared almost everything else.

19. A game that you wish you could play for the first time again.

Final Fantasy Tactics. It's my first major game. Introduced my love of turn based strategy. Great story, rich execution. Broken as hell and glitchy, but in a fun way. Tons of side content but plenty of room to be expanded. I wish I could go through it the first time all over again, not knowing what was next, what was important, how to play correctly. The struggle was fun. I remember getting creamed on Dorter Trade City, like every new player. I remember thinking the Desert Map was crazy. I remember not playing the game for like 3 weeks when I got to the rooftop with Rafa because it was IMPOSSIBLE (Ok maybe some bits of the game aren't that great. Fix Rafa's AI so that's not a roulette ok thx).

Favorite Game. Excellent content. Gonna play it again right now probably.

25. Favorite Environment in a Game?

God I really, REALLY like the setting in FFXII, but particularly I like the Rainy Season Giza Plains. I just have such fond memories of that area, and the Wild Hunts are fun. It's early, it's accessible, its somehow new and exciting because it introduced weather as something that you have to care about. I like Phon Coast too but it's a bit too sparkly, and I also like the Salikawoods too. Just a great game for environments imo.

40. Best Game Cover Art

Ask me this in 5 minutes and my answer will change. I think it would be really funny to say Triangle Strategy (Hello most generic cover art and name of all time. Great game, but TERRIBLE marketing). I think today I'm going to go with Celeste- because it's nostalgic for me. It's cute.

[mostfuckableffvillain]

[mister-e-muss]

Alright. Time for another Backlog Report. May ‘24

As always, thoughts are below.

Etrian Mystery Dungeon

Being completely honest, I didn’t quite know what to expect with this one. While I know that Mystery Dungeon is a larger series than its iconic crossovers with Pokémon, I wasn’t sure how the formula would work when melded to a different series, especially one as anti-roguelike as Etrian Odyssey.

I enjoyed how the game played out as a shrunken-down version of EO’s team and character building. I liked the idea of locking a dungeon’s layout. IMO, that was a nice way to find a middle ground between EO’s mapping and MD’s random generation.

In a word, I liked it. Do I think it’s a good game? Sure. Do I think it’s a great game? Unfortunately not.

The narrative is painfully sparse. While Etrian Odyssey is known for its sparse narratives, I was hoping for something more along the lines of Etrian Odyssey Untold. It seems perfectly fine for most of it, but the ending feels distinctly undercooked, with the main antagonist not having even a single word of dialogue.

While I locked the combat, it doesn’t feel as deep as could be. For that matter, having the FOE’s require status ailments for any damage to be down just feels like an extra bit of restriction. I don’t like it when customizable games like this have a built-in wrong answer.

The soundtrack is also a mixed bag. This game does have my favorite rendition of The End of Raging Waves, many of the tracks are either unfitting, loop too often, or both. (EO2’s FOE theme was not meant to be an exploration track dammit!)

I enjoyed this game as a whole. But solid gold, it is not.

Final Fantasy XII; The Zodiac Age

To start with, who talks about this game?

No, really, who talks about this game? Who wakes up in the morning, offers their daily prayers to the Ashelia B’nargin Dalmasca shrine kept in the closet, and walks out the door thinking “Oh boy, I cannot wait to spend another day telling people about my favorite game of all time: Final Fantasy XII.” (You can’t hear me through the post, but I’m laughing rn because that is a sentence that has never been said.)

FfXII is in a weird place in the series. It isn’t as foundational to the series as the first four, nor as widely popular as VI, VII, and X. It doesn’t quite generate the same vitriol from disappointed fans as XIII, XV, and to a lesser extent, II and VIII. (Btw, playing VIII, and it is just fine.) Even it’s immediate precursor XI is of more value as an object of curiosity in a “What would a FF MMO look like before they made XIV good?” Hell, even when discussing the more overlooked hidden gems among the series, it still has less fans than IX and V. The most people seem to think about this game, myself included before I actually played it, is “Well I know there’s a X, and XIII is supposed to be the Worst Game Evar, so logically there has to be two more in between there.” For that matter, I think the reason why XIII has so many design choices it does, is because XII is also so very much XII.

Looking at the game as a whole, I think it’s easy to see why this one slipped so hard under the radar. Final Fantasy XII is not a game that presents itself all that well. That’s not to say it looks bad or plays bad. If anything the world design is gorgeous. But it is a game that takes a while to reveal the true appeal.

Truthfully, this was one of my first purchases for the switch, alongside Fire Emblem Three Houses and Digimon Story CyberSleuth. (Incidentally, CyberSleuth is a really really good monster catcher game and you should go play it.) Over two years and 60 hours, I explored the world of Ivalice.

The gambits are a great bit of customization. They involve you in the decision-making and let you fine tune a party that functions well enough to tear through superbosses. But it takes until the third hour at least for you to get enough to really start playing around with the system, and even then, it sometimes isn’t as refined as you’d like it to be. Multiple times I wished I could add a second condition to a certain action. Sometimes when playing, I jokingly thought to myself “Man, this gambit system is groundbreaking. Now if only it could be included in a game where combat was fun in its own right.” Why hello there Unicorn Overlord :D!

Playing this game, it felt like I was in conversation with it. One where I wanted it to be something that it wasn’t.

“Do you want to play a game where the main fun of combat doesn’t come from combat itself but by refining your strategies and party-comp?”

“That sounds vague and abstract, but I’m willing to work with it.”

“How about an upgrade/skill tree style of system that restricts you from using equipment until you unlock the very specific ability to use it, and all of the would-be stat boosts are also abstract and don’t actually change your numbers?”

“That just sounds like the Sphere Grid from X, but worse in every conceivable way. Will I receive weapons that don’t benefit any of my party members’ jobs?”

“You’re guaranteed to.”

“Shit.”

“Okay, how about a political drama set in a diverse and expansive world, with a really cool magic-science aesthetic and a culture that isn’t just Europe-but-fancy?”

“That actually sounds pretty cool. You’re going to tie in this grand overarching narrative with individual character arcs that flesh out both person and world right?”

“. . . Kind of. Think less ‘Characters driving plot’ and more along the lines of ‘Plot happens to characters.’”

Briefly touching on the characters: I like most of them, but I wish there was more actually between them. Vaan makes a friendship comment to Ashe in the very late game at it feels almost completely undeserved because These People Don’t Interact. As for Vaan himself, I talked briefly with a mutual of mine about it, and I repeat here. I don’t hate Vaan. I just wish he had more going for him as a protagonist. I kept waiting for him to be an interesting or engaging character and he only had around three moments of substance in the whole game. He has a very undercooked revenge story that lasts for barely 5 hours with sidequests, and beyond that his main job in the party is to Not Know Things, and be wowed by all the pretty sights. There’s an argument to be made about how X did something similar with Tidus, but the key difference there is that Tidus is actually engaging of a character, with a character arc that lasts the whole game, and whose ignorance is used to provide the player and the party extra perspective, even coming to challenge the status quo.

The soundtrack is also not my favorite. Not that it has many bad tracks, just not many that really stick. I still hold that FFIV has one of the best soundtracks in the series. Both this game and Etrian Mystery Dungeon suffer from a common problem with the soundtrack, and it’s an unfortunate side effect of how these games are designed. Seemless integration of combat into exploration also means that there’s very little dedicated combat music, so you’d better enjoy listening to those world themes because they aren’t going anywhere.

For all that FFXII does that doesn’t jell with me completely, I should have hated this game. Either that or forgotten about it like everyone else. Honestly, if I had a wider selection of games in my early Switch library, I might have done just that. And yet for all my grievances with this game, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it. I loved exploring the world of Ivalice. Even when I finished this game, I’m not entirely sure I was ready to say goodbye to it. However I also really really wanted to start on Harvestella, so off to the very short and underwhelming final dungeon I went.

If you enjoy Xenoblade as a series, I feel like you owe it to yourself to try out Final Fantasy XII. It might not be anyone’s favorite game of all time, but it is worth the time spent.