If you’ve been waiting to play Final Fantasy XII in delicious HD, today is the day! The Zodiac Age remaster has released (only) on PS4, with no word from Square Enix about Xbox, PC, or Switch. We’ve seen plenty of Final Fantasy releases recently on other platforms, so it could be a matter of time, but there’s nothing official yet.
The remaster is more than just visuals, it also introduces gameplay changes -and my personal favorite – 3X speed. I played through the Final Fantasy VII PC-on-PS4 port and fell in love with 3X speed. It allowed me to whiz through grinding and travel, beating the game in just over 20 hours. To compare, I’ve spent about 60 or more with my PS1 (Vita) version of Final Fantasy IX and the slow combat is killing me (I’ve still yet to beat it).
The other huge addition is the “brand-new Zodiac Job System, which overhauls the original License Board system and gives players the ability to develop two of 12 jobs for each character.” Auto-save and shortened loading times are also listed among the new features.
For those who want to go all-out: “The FINAL FANTASY XII THE ZODIAC AGECollector’s Edition is available exclusively on the Square Enix Online Store for $199.99 and features an exclusive Judge Magisters Mini Bust Set (Exclusive to Collector’s Edition. Will not be sold separately.), exclusive steelbook, selection of soundtrack music, Art Card set, and original in-game soundtrack music option DLC, in addition to the base game.”
FFXII: The Zodiac Age is currently sitting at an 87 on Metacritic, with an 8.5 User Score. Gamespot gave it a 9, Polygon an 8.5, and Kotaku’s Jason Schreier said:
“This second time around, Final Fantasy XII has surprised me. I can credit some of my improved regard for the game to this remastered version’s visual polish and convenient fast-forward button. I credit more of it to the game’s innate quality. It holds up. It works well. It functions like no Final Fantasy before it or since. And it is interesting in its world and its characters. That’s why, while blazing through the deserts of Dalmasca with my party set up to automatically annihilate any enemy in sight, I’m still having such a good time.”
I’m happy to see these games carried forward. Old fans can run through nostalgia lane while new fans can discover a classic without hurting their eyes on SD blur.
Also, put 3X speed in every game.
