Before playing FFXII I didn't quite understand why it was so overlooked and underdiscussed in Final Fantasy circles, especially considering the fact that it released to widespread critical acclaim and success upon release. Now that I've gone through it I get it: it's something of an odd man out and an outlier within the Final Fantasy franchise, as its more down-to-earth tonal qualities and emphasis on lore, politics and worldbuilding over character-focused writing make it the polar opposite of what many people think of when they think Final Fantasy.
My favorite being FFVIII (which has a similar "outlier" status and parked in the exact same extreme as XII, if not in the complete opposite direction) I completely understand its "cult classic" status, and there's certainly a lot to appreciate here if you want a JRPG with storytelling that more directly reflects real-life historical conflicts and politics. It personally didn't hit the mark for me, although there's a lot about it that I appreciate – particularly how much I realize that FFXIV took from XII, and in turn re-introduced a bit of Final Fantasy's trademark flair, charm and whimsy to make it a little more palatable and recognizable as a Final Fantasy game.
The plotline being frequently compared to Star Wars is not without basis, nor is the critique of Vaan as a protagonist that doesn't really "fit" – to me Balthier's constant referring to himself as a protagonist felt like a tongue-in-cheek allusion to the fact that Vaan and Penelo were arbitrary additions to the story to appeal to the series' traditional core demographic. Really, Fran and Balthier were the only characters I managed to truly get invested in and regard with the same living, breathing quality one expects out of a Final Fantasy game, as most of the rest of the main cast felt more like tools by which the game explores its lore and plot.
Some of the best gameplay in the series, though – again, like FFVIII it prioritizes player freedom and customization above all else (between the Gambits, Job System, License Board and equipment optimization you could likely spend hours optimizing a single character) which fits in neatly with the game's open-world nature and heavy emphasis on sidequests.
My favorite being FFVIII (which has a similar "outlier" status and parked in the exact same extreme as XII, if not in the complete opposite direction) I completely understand its "cult classic" status, and there's certainly a lot to appreciate here if you want a JRPG with storytelling that more directly reflects real-life historical conflicts and politics. It personally didn't hit the mark for me, although there's a lot about it that I appreciate – particularly how much I realize that FFXIV took from XII, and in turn re-introduced a bit of Final Fantasy's trademark flair, charm and whimsy to make it a little more palatable and recognizable as a Final Fantasy game.
The plotline being frequently compared to Star Wars is not without basis, nor is the critique of Vaan as a protagonist that doesn't really "fit" – to me Balthier's constant referring to himself as a protagonist felt like a tongue-in-cheek allusion to the fact that Vaan and Penelo were arbitrary additions to the story to appeal to the series' traditional core demographic. Really, Fran and Balthier were the only characters I managed to truly get invested in and regard with the same living, breathing quality one expects out of a Final Fantasy game, as most of the rest of the main cast felt more like tools by which the game explores its lore and plot.
Some of the best gameplay in the series, though – again, like FFVIII it prioritizes player freedom and customization above all else (between the Gambits, Job System, License Board and equipment optimization you could likely spend hours optimizing a single character) which fits in neatly with the game's open-world nature and heavy emphasis on sidequests.
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averypaledog
2 years ago