Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age | Review

Today I share with you my thoughts on Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age for the Nintendo Switch. This game stole my heart but I didn't immediately warm up to it. However seeing the unique vision and risk the developers took in making this show it to be the under loved classic that it truly is. Have you played FFXII?
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#FFXII #ZodiacAge #NintendoSwitch #JRPG

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age, have you played it?

[@ffxiikd1426]

played the original on ps2 when it released and i loved it, played it for like 172 hour :3

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

Oh heck yes! I love those days when we absolutely got our money's worth with each game haha. I wish I had given this a shot back then, but head over heels for Zodiac Age!

[@Nocap69]

@@HallowedBeThyGame play the original 223 hours didn’t finish it too young, beat it on PS4 290 hours completed 100% only use guides after pretty much doing almost everything. Couldn’t find hasteaga or the omega mark xii without help, same thing with finding all the beasts they have some invisible animals invisible weapons, too hard to find etc but yes 100% was crazy

[@Nocap69]

also, apparently, there was a second game released only on Nintendo, DS Final Fantasy 12 feathered wings are some crazy stuff they need to put it on PS4/ps5

[@jaxxh6529]

the judges, are also characters in yes, that began with the game boy advance. final fantasy tactics advance. check the ivalice alliance. 12 and 12-2 nintendo ds play in the same world as tactics advance and tactics advance 2: groimwar of the rift.

[@bowzofoshu6695]

This is my favorite final fantasy game of all time. I agree with people who say the game plays itself, but only to a certain extent. It's more like the better you get at the game, the less you're actually playing it. You manage the game more than play it, and I think that's what makes it so fascinating.

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

An ultra unique experience, but a really amazing one!

[@Ytinasniiable]

Honestly I completely agree, but I'd also say that many jrpgs get that way as you reach endgame, most non boss encounters just turn into mashing attack and the occasional spell targeting a weakness

[@BROOKLYNBORN1994]

It’s like xeonblade .. no one complains about that

[@Puntonghua]

This is my favourite game 😁

[@guillermosanchez1224]

I remember playing this without any walkthrough and its the one of the best time I've ever had.

[@TearsofaLunarian]

I never understood the Penelo-hate. She is the bridge between Dalmasca and Archadia due to her unlikely friendship with Larsa. It's not the friendship between Larsa and Vaan or Larsa and Ashe. It's Penelo. And at the final fight when Larsa absorbs Vayne's blades and collapses to his knees, it's Penelo who puts her hands on his shoulders in comfort. And at the ending cutscene it's Penelo writing to Larsa. People might meme that she has even less reason to be around than Vaan etc., but I'd argue she's more relevant to the plot than Vaan is, largely thanks to her connection to Larsa.

[@mrskye08]

I couldn't imagine ff12 without vaan and penelo. Tbh, if no kids on the team, basch ashe and balthier would be too serious and unappealing. Worse, it might be impossible for them to stick together. Ashe hates basch to the grave at the start, and balthier will probably not care if the gang just split up after freeing basch. Also having 6 characters made me feel good having 2 equal groups, unlike ff7-9 where we can't change party leaders, and it's hard to grind characters equally.

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

Vaan and Penelo get hated on way too much.

[@KayderimGameplays]

I'm not sure this "basch was supposed to be the main character" rumor is even real, there is a tweet from Matsuno himself in 2010 saying that he was unaware of this rumor and said it was probrably a lie. What i heard was that the main character was supposed to be called Aqua, and he would be big and buff, but square enix changed his apparence duo to feedback about Vagrand Story, saying the game didn't sell well because the main character was too old or something, and then they changed Aqua's apparence and it became Vaan. And Vaan's japanese voice actor was hired around early 2002 when the game was launched in 2006, so Matsuno had plenty of time to adjust the story if he had a problem with it

[@giannicolamatteo8155]

It was a journey when i played it on ps2, litterally if you did not grind the game turned into an odysse, like trying to get through the jungle and through the mountains youd end up lost with no healing items, only one party memeber left, silenced, slowed, blind, with a sliver of health desparetly looking for a save crystel , and if you died, due to the size of the map, all your progress was set back to your previous save. Had a small dark Souls feeling to it of frustration and satisfaction

[@LameDadRetroGamer]

I have always had a love hate relationship with this one. Glad to see the re-release helped with the pacing because good night the original could drag on. The judges are still awesome. Great review as always my friend

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

Thanks so much! Yeah I highly recommend giving this another go with The Zodiac Age. it was a entirely different ball game. I fell head over heals for it.

[@JohnSmith-ch9sm]

I had the same experience. I thought it was going to be so-so. And it turns out to be my favorite FF. I was REALLY surprised by that. I like it because the whole thing seemed grounded in "reality", and involved a much more relatable plot and threats. Vaan was/is annoying, but not game-breakingly so. I do find it "funny" how your party make-up was vastly different than mine. But that's the beauty of this game.

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

I’m so happy I gave this game a fair shot. It’s honestly one of my favorites as well. Would like to see more from the gambit system in the future. Thanks for sharing!

[@JohnSmith-ch9sm]

@@HallowedBeThyGame Yeah, being able to run around and test out gambits was actually a lot of fun. The speed increase made it work, though. Without it... the grind would have been real.

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

@@JohnSmith-ch9sm oh for sure haha. I gotta hand it to anyone who beat this game on ps2 lol 😂

[@JohnSmith-ch9sm]

@@HallowedBeThyGame I probably wouldn't have liked it, honestly. I might have wanted to like it, but the slow loads, and long runs would have killed it for me.

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

@@JohnSmith-ch9sm yeah I’m afraid I’d have been the same way. That increased gameplay speed was legit and made farming a breeze for sure.

[@shane1489]

Just getting in TZA but I played the original to exhaustion way back. I loved this game and think it was the last great FF to come out.

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

Hope ya have an awesome time with it. Took my heart by storm!

[@Bigbabyj30]

I’m glad to see someone else loves this game as much or maybe more than myself. I had to do normal, weak and overpowered LP of this game. Great review

[@SaintPanache]

Played the original back in the day and really enjoyed it. I loved the fact that it was set in Ivalice which brought me right back to the legendary FF : Tactics.

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

Gosh it is such an incredibly realized world. I love it!

[@dragonlord1313]

Yeah I beat the original PS2 version and I'm maxed out all stats got all the weapons everything I got 100% complete on everything

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

That’s an insanely cool accomplishment!

[@macabidz]

Great review. I beat the game twice and was planning on playing it again because the story is just so interesting and amazing. Hope they give us another update in the game where you can choose to have all bosses have 5 or 10 level higher than yours. That would be fun

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

Thanks for watching! Gosh I love the updates they’ve done so far but no joke that would be excellent to have! Would make a fresh save playthrough even more fantastic.

[@orion1204]

Great review. I’ve only played the OG which I put many hours into. This version looks like a nice mix of old school FF with some quality of life aspects for modern times.

[@jasonx5292]

I picked it up last year for the switch because size of the dungeons sounded super fun but i just couldn't get into the combat system. But after listening to your review I'm going to give the game another try.

[@trigunner6968]

How many Final Fantasys have we played that a main protagonist is not crucial to the main story, more like an everyman thrown into a political turmoil? Other than XII, NONE. This makes FFXII very interesting coz the main protagonist is Us. We uncover the world & the story of XII thru Vaan, and I think that's what make this game unique and standout from the rest of the FF's entries. It's this Variety why I love the FF franchise.

[@robertlittle2968]

This game cray cray most underrated final fantasy of all time

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

Without question thee most underrated Final Fantasy

[@gordobrigadainviernoel8216]

10 will always be my favorite but I enjoy 12 somewhat. I did everything on 12 for ps2. Haven't done much for zodiac age yet. Gonna take a look at it again.

[@Incredible1s]

Great in depth review brother. Never played FF12 but man your breakdown and the way you articulate every aspect of the game is amazing. Also I'm glad to learn about what happened behind the scenes as well.

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

That's great man, so happy you enjoyed. Thanks so much for wathcing and I hope you have an excellent weekend my friend!

[@Incredible1s]

@@HallowedBeThyGame always and same to you brother.

[@JohnSmith-ch9sm]

Honestly it is worth playing. Surprisingly so.

[@MrAnimeFan4Eva]

As my first final fantasy I appreciated vaan as the gateway character to explain how the world works/is also they gave him an arc about his brother so I don't understand why people dislike them. Balthier what can I say easier my favorite character cool and educated on most situations with valuable input on most diplomatic moves being made or subtling testing ashe with the ring on what she's willing to give to win the war. This was a blast of a game I'm glad I got started. someone magnificent.

[@Ety04]

I am totally biased as this is my favorite game of all time :D But I did start with the PS2 version and enjoyed it. However, just like you, my first impression was negative and it stuck for some time before I decided to give it another chance. Walking through the giant areas at normal speed didn't disturb me at all; it was delight after delight! I guess I was more patient back then :D I think in TZA you can adjust the settings to make the speed button x2 instead of x4. Great video!

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

Thank you so much! That’s so cool you got into it right from the start with the PS2. This game took my heart by storm. Absolutely an incredible entry and definitely worthy of anyone’s favorite game of all time.

[@davidtyler6708]

The sound and voice acting is MUCH more improved compared to the original. The original sounded liked it was recorded in a basement. I know that it had to be compressed in the original.

[@stevenokeefe2681]

I played the original on the PS2. It was a good grind and a good game. I got SO overpowered early on, with every character getting the same license board and points. The Zodiac Age is a much better complimentary mechanic in the job system. My question is, what do you think of the Espers in the game? Especially how they relate to the license board?

[@Draaven]

This was the FF that got me into playing more of the FF series, I loved the game, I played it to the very end on the PS2. I'm planning on playing the Zodiac version at some point too.

[@FinalBossXL]

Great review dude, exactly how I've always felt about this game, especially the Gambits. There's a lot of strategy for the whole party with Gambits, always found it fun. Great story and very diverse world, and yes those Judges are super cool. Same thoughts about Vaan and Basch too lol. For fun I used to setup my party all wielding Deathbringer swords, all three people just run around spamming attacks for insta kills, was hilarious. I've actually only played the original on my PS2 each time. That's interesting the new job system, I'll have to try it and compare sometime. Subbed (Thought I already was lol)

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

Thanks so much for watching! I really want to play the original for the very same reasons. But I had a blast with Zodiac Age, I’d love to hear your thoughts comparing the two! Also Tysm for subbing, and no worries 🤣

[@ffxiikd1426]

Awesome you did a review for my favorite FF game :D. great review 😎👍

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

Gosh this game took me by storm. Absolutely love it, and an incredible favorite to have!

[@wonder2002]

I like the remaster, but a full remake would be amazing!

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

That would legit own.

[@ghostbehindasolidshock1955]

I just purchased this on PS4 and I'm loving it. Harder start compared to the PS2 version. It's good to know that each character can have more than one job on the license system which I didn't know before. I assumed each character can only have one job, so I am relieved I was wrong to think this.

[@deadWu]

Hello, long time fan of FFXII. Came here just to say nice review and giving my 2 cents on Vaan and Penelo: two street kids that apparently are not well inserted in the story but in reality they are there to make their part, as the embodiment of the people of Dalmasca itself, the very people who is oppressed who struggles with everyday life, so far away from politics, scheming and machinations of great leaders and warriors. Supposedly, That's how Fran and Balthiers started out together, so I really don't understand why the hate.

[@AFriendRemembers]

Great review - i loved the original but I'd say besides the quality of life the thing it didn't do was restrict your choices. It was too easy to overpower every character into a massive tank - whereas the job system restrictions in the zodiac age makes you think. Initially I was hesitant on this - originally once you'd set your jobs no option to change was allowed which sucks - but the update with the switch to make it free to respec afterwards makes it the best compromise of all the versions for me by far

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

Yeah I completely agree, I was genuinely shocked they allow the player to do that. But I think it was the best of both worlds. Thanks so much for watching and I really think any fan of JRPGs needs to give this game a go. It is fantastic!

[@robertdeffenbaugh9004]

Vaan is a way more interesting character than Basch so I’m glad Vaan is the leader he’s the Luke Skywalker of Final Fantasy 12.

[@ricardorivher8623]

FF9 and FF12 are my favorite in the series, very underated

[@SEGAblocks]

As you know I own the original but still on my backlog. Wow I didn’t know they made that many improvements for the new gen versions. Me likey the MMO style. The ability to speed up hunts and other in game missions is a huge upgrade! I’ll def be checking this out in the future! Thanks so much for your thoughts man!

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

I still need to pick up the original just to have it in the collection. But yeah this was such a treat to play. You'll have to let me know if you check it out! So happy you enjoyed my gaming ramblings haha

[@SEGAblocks]

@@HallowedBeThyGame will do :) Thanks again for your thoughts !

[@Coreisus]

People who think 12 plays itself are the same people who think its impossible to beat

[@wesleyleigh4063]

dude! I had no idea you could refund jobs! man, I want to play it again 😓

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

Yeah I think they actually added it with a patch after its release. Totally worth revisiting. Enjoy!

[@antitrop]

Being able to respec is cool, but after I spent 30+ minutes spending all the LP again (1 tile by 1 tile) I didn't do it again.

[@meldephizero2670]

After watching this I want to play :) I got stuck on the original and tried to go back but I was lost. Nice video :)

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

Oh I could totally see getting list easily if you stepped away. Luckily I wanna say in zodiac age it does have map indicators to help. But my mind is blanking legitimately 😬 Thanks so much for watching and if you start it again definitely let me know!

[@tazmanceltic]

Playing on the switch now, great review. It's unfortunate about the issues in the background , game development should not make anyone Ill.

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

Thanks and I’m so glad you enjoyed the review. Have fun with it and you’re so right, no one should sacrifice their health for their job.

[@tazmanceltic]

@@HallowedBeThyGame thank you man , you have a great approach and I appreciate the love of the franchise. Crunch is a brutal thing ..

[@persona2bestpersona891]

one of my fave games of all times

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

It’s a great one to have as one of your all time favorites, you have excellent taste!

[@omaro6194]

The inclusion of gameplay is very much appreciated 😊

[@FelixS.]

Best PS2 Final Fantasy with XI being a close second best.

[@paulhenri5902]

My favorite game of all time 😌 I can't stand 2x/4x speed, I love normal speed of the game 😆

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

You’re a purest and that’s awesome, I mean when I think about it why rush through greatness?

[@paulhenri5902]

@@HallowedBeThyGame Right? But the option is there for people who like to rush a little bit 😂

[@jmwlife2k]

You’ve motivated me to dust it off and give it another shot for sure. The offline mmo comments and the gambit system sounds amazing to me. I have a few more chapter 4s left in octopath, then I’m gonna knock out 12, then 10 and 10-2 on switch. And maybe OT2 after. I did order final fantasy 16 also so ps5, hopefully the new graphics don’t break my brain too much 😂

[@fireraign77]

Thats a great review of a super looking game 😁💖 Although I haven't played it, i know a few characters from other FF games. Vaan and Judge Magister Gabranth were in Dissidia FF Duodecim. And also, didja know Balthier had a small cameo in Final Fantasy Tactics The War of the Lions? He belted out one of the best cameo dialogues in that one 😁💖👍FFT is also based in the land of Ivalice. I believe this game needs a fair chance to be played once again by people who have viewed it a tad narrowly. They do not know what they're missing. Thanks again for an awesome review, Ren 😁💖👍 Wish you success in your every endeavour.

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

Wow that’s so incredible to know! I have got to try Dissidia. How awesome of a series. I hear great things about it but I keep forgetting to commit to it. I need to see what platforms I can pick it up on. I love the world of Ivalice and need to get more into Tactics and Vagrant Story. Such an incredibly well realized world. Thank you so much for sharing this and as always it’s incredible to hear your extensive knowledge on these games!

[@fireraign77]

@@HallowedBeThyGame Oh, Dissidia is lovely (Ive played it and Tactics on the PSP earlier), Dissidia 012 Duodecim has extra characters like Laguna, Gilgamesh, Lightning....and yes, Vaan too. Don't think its a normal FF game....this game is a one-on-one fighter...a unique change of pace. Also, just seen the different locations of Ivalice (FF XII), its superb 😁👍 Whomever said that there's only desert must play this game longer 😅 Final Fantasy Tactics & Vagrant Story are real gems too 💎 Thanks so much for this valuable info about such a great, yet unfairly criticized and overshadowed game 😁💖👍You totally rock, Ren 😎👍

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

I just looked up footage of Dissidia! OMG I have to try and pick this up. Thanks so much for putting this on my radar. I am for sure down for this and I love this unique gameplay style in the genre. I always regretted never playing Persona 4 Arena at the time of its release on my 360. I I love Ivalice and I'm so happy you enjoyed this. It means a lot to be able to share my passion with everyone and I learn so much from incredible friends like you!

[@Faustustopheles]

Coincidentally we just got this on switch today at our local store!

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

Score! Hope you enjoy!

[@Cabull64]

You reviewed this so well. So well spoken

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

Well thank you so much, so glad you enjoyed!

[@Agumon5]

As others have already stated, definitely love hate relationship with this game. It does a fantastic job at world building, but the music style, combat, just really wasn't my thing. I never finished the game, but I always remember my 30 or so hours pretty fondly.

[@interlinkedMedia]

Have started this game 5 times.

[@RexZShadow]

I got this game for free from a friend of my parents. At first he lend it to me along with the thicc stragety guide book. Then after awhile he just said i could keep it because he got ps3. I actually didn't play much of it until few years later. I only beat it by doing an auto farming trick with some slimes that infinitely respawn if you kill them with petrify and stuff. Left game on over night 3 party member at lvl 99 repeat and then finish the game XD.

[@bigbro88]

I have it on switch i payed €19 . So i'm not complaining ! I'm happy. But is not EASY game never played it i'm 20 Hours in An got my ass handed on a Silver plate. Balls to the wall!

[@blitzball4lyfe823]

I just saw it on sale on my wish list and have been contemplating getting it! From what I saw, the gameplay looks somewhat like Xenoblade Chronicles 3.

[@bigbro88]

@@blitzball4lyfe823 it's a good game ,for me it's the first final fantasy ! And i enjoy it! ALOT... 😂

[@danielramsey6141]

Rexx’s character should’ve been more involved. From the very onset, he actually had more potential in the story than his brother due to the fact that HE WAS IN THE WAR himself! Him getting injured by Basch only adds to that layer of relevance. They say losing Vaan would mean would lose his audience perspective. But I think that’s wrong. They don’t know how to accurately exposit info about the world since they have a Narrator! And sadly it’s only made clearer that the execution for 12 was ruined when FF13 rolls around.

[@isaacjoseph6017]

Bought the original in 2006 and let me tell you. Time consuming is an understatement

[@GabrielShakkori]

Fantastic video and so glad I found your channel! Subbed and bell is on

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

Awesome, glad you enjoyed! Thank you!

[@GabrielShakkori]

@@HallowedBeThyGame of course my friend I actually found you by watching DJ Peach Cobbler

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

@@GabrielShakkori Oh wow that's wild! Very cool!

[@robertlittle2968]

Those who hallow my game become hallow themselves

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

Glad you enjoyed! Love this game 🤘

[@JamesZeroSix]

The OG version was good. Its just the IZJS version is like playing with mods, A++

[@jamesmckee329]

Still my fav ff game

[@nikolapetrovic4814]

I really like the game but the only thing that really irritates me and not just in this game but in JRPGs in general is that your characters stay the same no matter what you equip on them. I want visible gear progression.

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

Yea I've always appreciated visual upgrades too

[@tercelinatobias7827]

hey, i already got belias and im in mt bur omisace now and i have no 2nd job yet.. and doesn't appear on my board,, 1 job until the end? omg

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

Yeah you should be able to now. I think you have to unlock the node for it 1st on your 1st license board.

[@tercelinatobias7827]

@@HallowedBeThyGame i have no node yet i seach all over the board

[@tercelinatobias7827]

i have no node for 2nd job.. only my game has a bug why? i have already finish 15 hunts and i realize i have many lp and until now 1 job only

[@ryno_8848]

I love this game mostly because it reminds me of xenoblade and Kotor

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

That’s a good comparison

[@Usernamehear]

So if van and panelo where added then the game was only going to have a crew of 4?

[@lyinginertia]

great review!

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

So glad you enjoyed!

[@gullpayne]

Great review

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

Well gosh, I appreciate your kind words.

[@GymLeaderJack]

Boost speed to 1.25× you're welcome

[@tercelinatobias7827]

why my game has no 2nd job? i have belias .. knight for vaan and ready for samurai as the 2nd. i have no node for 2nd job until now.. only my game has a bug why? i have already finish 15 hunts and i realize i have many lp and until now 1 job only im on stilshrine of miriam right now.. until the end 1 job only?

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

No I’m sure it isn’t bugged. It’s pretty confusing at first. I’d recommend looking up a map of whatever job you’ve picked and locate where it’s at. It may not show until you’re near it.

[@tercelinatobias7827]

@@HallowedBeThyGame Now i know.. the ff 12 zodiac job system is only 1 job on ps2 but the zodiac age system release only on ps4 has a 2 job on 1 character.. wtf after all of dis i got shocked i thought it was the same zodiac age and zodiac job system... Only 1 job only on zodiac job system on ps2. omg!!!

[@lizbra6289]

​@@tercelinatobias7827I know this late but the original PS2 version of Final Fantasy 12 never had the Zodiac Job system. The Zodiac Job systems is a new thing with the remaster of 12 on other games systems like the Switch.

[@ptrexy9761]

To me, ffxii just have one problem. Some things you really need some sort of guide to get

[@alexstkw]

Awesome 👍👍👍

[@chikato7106]

Disagree on fast travel, that's just lazy gaming. Also the characters were there the whole time, it's a misconception that they were late additions. They made the game as intended and had to dial features back as all games do.

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

Fast travel being lazy game design is one of the generic criticisms of gaming these days.

[@712toaster]

12 is just a case of 9 2.0 logistically while also being an mmo project redesigned last minute as a package, fortunately the repackage team was a lover of ff and it’s core and the idea of ivalice. Unfortunately this system of; engine design, game design, give the weebs the tools and no time to create their work, sale. While we eventually get the mechanics and design in the next large title, prematurely launching and then being cleaned up over years by the weebs team again. Cough cough ff14