Final Fantasy XII Unveiled
It took us a while to put it together, but we've got all the major details, screens, CG shots and tasty wallpaper you can eat on Square Enix' latest RPG blockbuster.
Published: May 7, 2004
New word on an upcoming Final Fantasy title from across seas is something that always gets us American gamers giddy, and in Tokyo last week, Square Enix delivered just that with new revelations of Final Fantasy XII. First, let us begin with the big names that are in charge things around the development studio this time around. Running the whole show is producer and director Yasumi Matsuno, while the FFXII graphics department includes character designer Akihiko Yoshida, art director Hideo Minaba and background director Isamu Kamikokuryou. In addition, the game's music will be co-produced by Nobuo Uematsu and Hitoshi Sakimoto. Early details hint that Sakimoto, known best for his work on Final Fantasy Tactics and Vagrant Story, will be contributing the game's general tracks, while Uematsu will be working to create a single key musical track to the game, which in all likelihood will be the FFXII theme song. Now that you know the gang behind the twelfth installment of the franchise, let's go more in-depth with some of the story elements.
Final Fantasy XII is set in a world known as Ivalice (this should ring a bell for you owners of Final Fantasy Tactics on PlayStation or Tactics Advance on the GBA) where a full-on battle between the Arcadia and Rosaria Empires has been underway for some time now. In the midst of the chaos we meet with a young man by the name of Vaan, whose parents were slain by the Arcadia Empire after their conquest over the kingdom of Dalmasca, Vaan's homeland. Facing similar mourning is a 19 year-old heroine, Ashe, princess of the Dalmasca Kingdom, who has become the heir to the kingdom after the murder of her father by the Empire. While Vaan seeks only to escape from the grasp of the Arcadia Empire, Ashe takes more hands-on action by forming a resistance group against the Empire. Thus, our characters meet.
With a storyline set, Final Fantasy XII proceeds to borrow from Final Fantasy Tactics in the aspect of characters and setting. While we already know the two games contain the same world, we've yet to reveal that the Judges, known as the enforcers of law and order in Tactics Advance, appear in FFXII as the "Knights of Terror," although as protagonists despite what the name might imply (seeing as Vaan and Ashe are rebelling against the Arcadia Empire). Speaking of the game's cast, members of the FFXII development team have confirmed that assorted races, including Bangaas and Vieras (also from FFTA), will speak different languages, and even hold prejudices against rival classes and races. In fact, the overall theme of the game deals very much in castes and classes, something that harkens back to the earlier points in history.
Visually, Final Fantasy XII will once again be wowing gamers with its lifelike in-game graphics and CG scenes (just wait until you catch a glimpse of the renders and art we've got in store), although surprisingly, polygons were limited this time around to make room for the implementation of a new system. Accompanying them will be a newly-added 360-degree camera system (a la Final Fantasy XI), enabling both first person and third person views throughout the game. And although this is more of a gameplay-appropriate topic, we can't help but mention how big a role aircrafts will play in FFXII (although they're graphically stunning as well). Our hero Vaan dreams of being an aspiring air pirate, so it's no surprise that he and his lady friend will be able to control an array of airship vessels throughout their adventure. Perhaps everyone's favorite pilot from FFVII, Cid, will make an appearance here? Time shall tell.
The Final Fantasy games have always been self-contained universes rich with history and their own design aesthetic, but it appears FFXII is culling inspiration from some real-world locations as well. Minaba and Kamikokukuryou have both acknowledged in interviews that areas of Turkey and the Mediterranean region in particular influenced some of the architecture, and while the original idea was to present a sort of towering megalopolis – likely a major factor in setting up the caste system, and a bit of a throwback to Final Fantasy VII's Midgar saucer/slums divide – things have slowly become more organic.
We've given you the gist of what Final Fantasy XII will have in store once it hits Japan in Q3 2004, but as always, we'll make sure you're of the first to know once new details of the game surface. Until then, take the liberty of indulging in these gorgeous new screenshots of the game and some custom wallpapers (careful, they're uncompressed bitmaps and are quite large) we've made to dress up your PC or Mac. Irresistible, aren't they?
::Screenshots::
Wood and stone
Lush jungle
First shot of the combat system
Group butt shot
::CG Stills::
Breathtaking and spire-filled
That's a big army
Chocobos!
That's one mean chocobo…
::Wallpapers::
-Horizontal-
Sky Fleet
[ 800x600 | 640x480 ]
Vaan
[ 800x600 | 640x480 ]
Ashe
[ 800x600 | 640x480 ]
-Vertical-
(Images should be centered, not stretched on desktop)
The FFXII Logo
[ 1600x1200 | 1024x768 | 800x600 ]
Airship Brigade
[ 1600x1200 | 1024x768 | 800x600 ]
Awe-inspiring cityscape
[ 1600x1200 | 1024x768 | 800x600 ]
Vaan & Ashe
[ 1600x1200 | 1024x768 | 800x600 ]
Final Fantasy XII is set in a world known as Ivalice (this should ring a bell for you owners of Final Fantasy Tactics on PlayStation or Tactics Advance on the GBA) where a full-on battle between the Arcadia and Rosaria Empires has been underway for some time now. In the midst of the chaos we meet with a young man by the name of Vaan, whose parents were slain by the Arcadia Empire after their conquest over the kingdom of Dalmasca, Vaan's homeland. Facing similar mourning is a 19 year-old heroine, Ashe, princess of the Dalmasca Kingdom, who has become the heir to the kingdom after the murder of her father by the Empire. While Vaan seeks only to escape from the grasp of the Arcadia Empire, Ashe takes more hands-on action by forming a resistance group against the Empire. Thus, our characters meet.
With a storyline set, Final Fantasy XII proceeds to borrow from Final Fantasy Tactics in the aspect of characters and setting. While we already know the two games contain the same world, we've yet to reveal that the Judges, known as the enforcers of law and order in Tactics Advance, appear in FFXII as the "Knights of Terror," although as protagonists despite what the name might imply (seeing as Vaan and Ashe are rebelling against the Arcadia Empire). Speaking of the game's cast, members of the FFXII development team have confirmed that assorted races, including Bangaas and Vieras (also from FFTA), will speak different languages, and even hold prejudices against rival classes and races. In fact, the overall theme of the game deals very much in castes and classes, something that harkens back to the earlier points in history.
Visually, Final Fantasy XII will once again be wowing gamers with its lifelike in-game graphics and CG scenes (just wait until you catch a glimpse of the renders and art we've got in store), although surprisingly, polygons were limited this time around to make room for the implementation of a new system. Accompanying them will be a newly-added 360-degree camera system (a la Final Fantasy XI), enabling both first person and third person views throughout the game. And although this is more of a gameplay-appropriate topic, we can't help but mention how big a role aircrafts will play in FFXII (although they're graphically stunning as well). Our hero Vaan dreams of being an aspiring air pirate, so it's no surprise that he and his lady friend will be able to control an array of airship vessels throughout their adventure. Perhaps everyone's favorite pilot from FFVII, Cid, will make an appearance here? Time shall tell.
The Final Fantasy games have always been self-contained universes rich with history and their own design aesthetic, but it appears FFXII is culling inspiration from some real-world locations as well. Minaba and Kamikokukuryou have both acknowledged in interviews that areas of Turkey and the Mediterranean region in particular influenced some of the architecture, and while the original idea was to present a sort of towering megalopolis – likely a major factor in setting up the caste system, and a bit of a throwback to Final Fantasy VII's Midgar saucer/slums divide – things have slowly become more organic.
We've given you the gist of what Final Fantasy XII will have in store once it hits Japan in Q3 2004, but as always, we'll make sure you're of the first to know once new details of the game surface. Until then, take the liberty of indulging in these gorgeous new screenshots of the game and some custom wallpapers (careful, they're uncompressed bitmaps and are quite large) we've made to dress up your PC or Mac. Irresistible, aren't they?
::Screenshots::
Wood and stone
Lush jungle
First shot of the combat system
Group butt shot
::CG Stills::
Breathtaking and spire-filled
That's a big army
Chocobos!
That's one mean chocobo…
::Wallpapers::
-Horizontal-
Sky Fleet
[ 800x600 | 640x480 ]
Vaan
[ 800x600 | 640x480 ]
Ashe
[ 800x600 | 640x480 ]
-Vertical-
(Images should be centered, not stretched on desktop)
The FFXII Logo
[ 1600x1200 | 1024x768 | 800x600 ]
Airship Brigade
[ 1600x1200 | 1024x768 | 800x600 ]
Awe-inspiring cityscape
[ 1600x1200 | 1024x768 | 800x600 ]
Vaan & Ashe
[ 1600x1200 | 1024x768 | 800x600 ]
