Square Enix
Final Fantasy XII

The components used to evaluate a "Final Fantasy" are well-known and familiar: storyline, characters, graphics, settings, battle system, enhancement mechanics, and side quests. The sum of the evaluations of individual parameters provides the final product's rating. Although "Final Fantasy VIII," for purely sentimental reasons, will always remain my favorite chapter, it never gave me the sensation of attention to detail down to the minutest particulars, bordering on perfection that is perceived right from the initial cutscene of this "Final Fantasy XII" from 2006, which I bought partly as a game and partly as a gamble after years of total gaming abstinence.

The setting of the events narrated in "FFXII" is Ivalice, a world drawn in hues neither too retro nor futuristic, where, alongside floating continents and ancient ruins inhabited by immortal beings, cities and natural locations of the most varied types can be found, all scenically plausible and depicted with a care for details that is almost obsessive, thanks also to absolutely superb graphics. In this perfect setting unfolds a plot centered on the dualism between the thirst for vengeance and the desire for justice, which will set fathers against sons and brothers against brothers, until it resolves in a happy ending, though very few characters from the start remain by the finale.

To elevate an already excellent storyline is a cast of characters of absolute depth, superbly voiced, foremost among them Ashe, a charming and combative princess fallen from grace and the true protagonist of the story, with her mission and the challenging dilemmas and questions she will have to face to reclaim her lost kingdom. There’s also Balthier, a charismatic treasure hunter who is much more altruistic and emotionally involved in the game’s events than his ironic and detached demeanor might suggest. Even the more marginal characters are full of personality and stories to tell: from Reddas, who sacrifices his life to prevent tragedies he himself had been responsible for, to the young stubborn and idealistic Prince Larsa, who tries until the end to find a peaceful solution to the conflicts of Ivalice, and to the vainglorious Judge Ghis, a victim of superficiality that costs him his life just when he seemed destined to become the game’s main antagonist.

Even though it’s worthy of a cinematic blockbuster, a video game cannot live on storyline alone, and here too "Final Fantasy XII" shows no weaknesses: the character enhancement system is easy to learn and allows for multiple diverse customizations, and the real-time battle system with predefined actions settable for each character stimulates the player's acumen and strategic abilities, proving decidedly more adrenaline-pumping and engaging than the sometimes annoying random encounters that characterized previous FFs. The real added value of "Final Fantasy XII" is that it is an extremely long-lasting and especially stimulating game, pushing you to continually improve and defeat optional increasingly powerful enemies to reach the rank of Pantheon of Ambrosia, the seal of the total completion of the work, the achievement of which becomes a veritable point of honor and a source of absolute satisfaction and pride once the objective is achieved; a crucial incentive that, for instance, is missing in my beloved "FFVIII".

While it borders on perfection, "Final Fantasy XII" is not without flaws: the soundtrack is at times familiar and still less appealing compared to previous chapters, the Chocobo, the well-known totemic animal of FF, plays an entirely marginal role, as do the legendary summons, as flashy and stylistically and conceptually perfect (each associated with a different zodiac sign and a pleasant novelty compared to the usual Shiva, Ifrit, and Bahamut) although entirely useless if not even harmful in battle, and above all, obtaining some of the most powerful weapons and equipment relies on a single factor (luck), and in its absence, becomes a frustrating endeavor bordering on human endurance. However, these are overall marginal flaws and of a purely stylistic nature compared to the merits of a simply superb video game: much less "sentimental" than VIII, more mature than IX, less intricate and confusing than X, and simply a great Final Fantasy that restores luster to a saga bogged down by countless non-essential sub-games and, even worse, stomach-turning Disney variants (did someone say Kingdom Hearts?). But, polemics aside, heartfelt congratulations to Square Enix for this "Final Fantasy XII," while waiting, maybe in a couple of years, to snatch a PS3 at a bargain price and enjoy the thirteenth chapter in peace.