Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age is a high-definition remaster of Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac Job System, an expanded version of the 2006 role-playing game that Square Enix developed and published for the PlayStation 2. Square Enix released The Zodiac Age for the PlayStation 4 in July 2017, and a Windows version followed on Steam on February 1, 2018. Versions for the Nintendo Switch and Xbox One arrived on April 30, 2019.

The story unfolds in Ivalice, where the Archadian and Rozarrian empires are locked in war. The small kingdom of Dalmasca lies between them and has been conquered by Archadia. Princess Ashe, heir to the Dalmascan throne, joins the resistance to free her country, and she crosses paths with Vaan, a young orphan from the city of Rabanastre who dreams of becoming a sky pirate. Together with a group of allies, they stand against the Archadian Empire.

Players explore an open world and control the camera freely, and enemies are visible in the field rather than appearing through random encounters. Battles play out in real time through the Active Dimension Battle system, and the gambit system lets players program how each party member reacts to set conditions. Characters gain abilities and equipment through licenses on a License Board, can summon creatures called Espers, and can chain together special attacks known as Quickenings. Hunting side quests task the player with tracking down increasingly tough monsters.

The Zodiac Age builds on the International Zodiac Job System release, which replaced the single License Board with twelve boards, each tied to a Zodiac sign and a job. That version also lets players control guest characters and summons, speed up the game, and try a Trial Mode with 100 maps of monster hunts. The remaster adds trophy support, a remastered soundtrack with some new tracks, and improved technical performance. The Windows version supports higher resolutions and 60 frames-per-second rendering, offers a choice of three versions of the soundtrack, and opens the post-game modes right away.

Development on the original game began in December 2000, with Yasumi Matsuno providing the original concept and plot and Hiroyuki Ito and Hiroshi Minagawa later directing. The Zodiac Age was largely developed by Virtuos, which had previously worked on Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster for Square Enix. The remaster received favorable reviews, won Best Remaster at Game Informer’s Best of 2017 Awards, and shipped over one million copies worldwide on the PlayStation 4 by October 2017.