FINAL FANTASY XII for PlayStation 2 system
Set within the land of Ivalice during an age when magic was commonplace and airships plied the skies, crowding out the heavens.

Final Fantasy XII introduced several innovations to the series: battles occur without a transition to a separate screen; a “gambit” system automatically controls the actions of characters; and a “license” system determines which abilities and equipment are used by characters. Final Fantasy XII also includes elements from previous games in the series, such as summoned monsters, Chocobos, and airships. The game received universally high scores, and earned numerous “Game of the Year” awards in various categories from noted video game publications. The sequel, Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, was released for the Nintendo DS on April 26, 2007 in Japan and was released in North America on November 20, 2007.

Characters
The six main playable characters in Final Fantasy XII are Vaan, an energetic orphan of Rabanastre who dreams of becoming a sky pirate; Ashe, a determined princess of Dalmasca who lost her husband in the Archadian invasion; Basch, a disgraced knight of Dalmasca charged with treason for slaying the king; Balthier, a gentlemanly sky pirate who pilots his airship, the Strahl; Fran, Balthier’s partner and a Viera exile whose knowledge extends to legends and myths; and Penelo, Vaan’s childhood friend who accompanies him in journeys to keep an eye over him.

The Archadian Empire is ruled by House Solidor, headed by Emperor Gramis. The family also consists of two siblings, Vayne and Larsa, the former a militaristic genius and the latter a charismatic seeker of peace. Judge Magisters, upholders of Archadian law, protect House Solidor and execute every command and order issued by the ruling family. The technological marvels of airships and synthetic nethicite—a form of magicite that absorbs Mist—are thanks to Dr. Cid, a prominent researcher from Archadia. The Resistance against Archadia includes Dalmascan knight Vossler, an ally of Basch; Marquis Halim Ondore IV, the game’s narrator and ruler of the skycity Bhujerba; Reddas, a sky pirate based in the port at Balfonheim; and the Rozarrian Empire, of which Al-Cid Margrace is a prince of the ruling family. The mythos of Final Fantasy XII revolves around a character known as Dynast-King Raithwall, the man who once united Ivalice to create the Galtean Alliance.

Basch was initially meant to be the main character of the story, but the focus was eventually shifted to Vaan and Penelo when the two characters were created later in development. The development team explained that their previous game, Vagrant Story, which featured a “strong man in his prime” as the protagonist had been unsuccessful and unpopular; the change regarding Final Fantasy XII from a “big and tough” protagonist to a more effeminate one was thus decided after targeting demographics were considered. With the casting of dorama actor Kouhei Takeda for the voice acting and motion capture, Vaan nevertheless became a little less feminine and more “active, upbeat bright and positive” than planned. Comments were made about the similarity between main character designer and background design supervisor Akihiko Yoshida’s creations and those of Tetsuya Nomura, another Square Enix character designer. Yoshida feels this connection is sparked by the style of color used by both artists, which involves a color consistency between the characters and the environments. The designers stated that non-human characters and races feature a prominent role in the game, which was influenced by an interest in history among the developers.

Setting
Final Fantasy XII is set within the land of Ivalice during an age when “magic was commonplace” and “airships plied the skies, crowding out the heavens”. At this time, magicite, a magic-rich mineral, is commonly used in magic spells and in powering airships—a popular form of transportation in Ivalice. Ivalice is divided into three continents: Ordalia, Valendia, and Kerwon. Ordalia is located in the western part of Ivalice. The Rozarrian Empire makes its home in the vast inland plains of this continent as the eastern portion of it is largely desert or “jagd”—lawless lands so rich in Mist (the ethereal manifestation of magicite) that airships cannot fly over them. Valendia is the home of Imperial Archadia, where vast and lush plains dot the landscape. Central to the story is Dalmasca, a small kingdom between the two continents and Empires. Located in the middle of the Galtean Peninsula of Ordalia, Dalmasca is surrounded by an expanse of desert. The temperate climate of Dalmasca differs from the cold environs of Kerwon and the lush plains of Valendia and Ordalia. During this time, Ivalice is beset by the pending war between the forces of Rozarria and Archadia. Caught between the two powerful Empires, Dalmasca and a number of smaller nations have already been subjugated by Archadia two years before the game begins.

According to the game developers, design inspiration came from a mix of medieval Mediterranean countries as demonstrated by the architectural styles found throughout Ivalice along with many of the races populating the region. The art team visited Turkey, which influenced the game’s Mediterranean-style setting. The developers also used styles and deco from other sources including areas in India and New York City. Of note is the use of Sanskrit in the city of Bhujerba. Phrases such as “Svagatam” (welcome) and titles like “Parijanah” (Guide) are lifted directly from Sanskrit. Hideo Minaba, a developer and co-art director with Isamu Kamikokuryō, mentions that the team tried to bring out Arabic culture in the design of the game. War is a predominant theme of the game and the developers confirmed that the cutscene battles are influenced by Ancient Rome. When asked to comment on the fan observation of Star Wars influence, Minaba assured that although he was a fan of the Star Wars series, it was not necessarily an influence to the game’s designs.

Reception
Final Fantasy XII sold more than 1,764,000 copies in its first week in Japan, almost equaling the sales of Final Fantasy X in its first week. The total number of copies sold stood at 2,150,671 after five weeks of release. A Square Enix conference report stated that Final Fantasy XII sold more than 2.38 million copies in Japan in the two weeks since its March 16, 2006 release. By November 6, 2006—one week after its release—Final Fantasy XII had shipped approximately 1.5 million copies in North America. On the seventh anniversary of the PlayStation 2 in the U.S. (October 2007), Final Fantasy XII was listed as the tenth best selling game for the PS2.

Development
Developers: Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix
Distributors: Ubisoft Entertainment
Original Concept: Yasumi Matsuno
Executive Producer: Akitoshi Kawazu
Director: Hiroshi Minagawa
Design Director: Hiroyuki Itō
Scenario Writer: Daisuke Watanabe
Composer: Hitoshi Sakimoto
Image Illustrator & Logo Designer: Yoshitaka Amano
Character Design: Akihiko Yoshida

Release Dates
Japan: March 16, 2006
NA: October 31, 2006
PAL: February 23, 2007
INT: August 9, 2007

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