Final Fantasy: Final Fantasy X2 Preview

Yasumi Matsuno (Tactics Ogre,Vagrant Story, Final Fantasy Tactics) is heading up Final Fantasy XII, and in many ways the game is the ultimate realization of the vision he had when he joined Square. Like a pair of his previous Square games, Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, this one takes place in a land called Ivalice. In this version of Ivalice, the world is split into two empires: the draconic Arcadia and the benevolent Rosaria. Recently, the Arcadians have conquered a small country called Dalmasca. This is where we meet the two main characters of the game.

<div></div>The pretty-boy hero of FFXII is Vaan, a 17-year old boy from Dalmasca whose family was killed during the Arcadian invasion. Despite his tragedy, he remains an optimistic dreamer whose deepest wish is to escape Dalmasca and become an air pirate. The young heroine (19), Ashe, is also a victim of the Arcadia Empire. The dethroned princess of Dalmasca, Ashe is the only proper heir to the kingdom. Presumed missing, she's secretly leading an underground resistance against the Arcadians. Unlike Vaan, Ashe's loss has made her bitter and vengeful. Eventually, their paths cross and they go on a grand adventure in their war-torn world. It is rumored that FFXII will not have a romance and the press materials show Ashe wearing a wedding band. If this is true, it's an unusual move for the series but par for the course for Matsuno who has downplayed or skipped romance in his games.

Getting back to Matsuno, the game contains many elements he introduced in Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced. Of course there will be Chocobos, Moogles, and the like, but there will also be Bangaa, Viera, and judges. The Bangaa and Viera are races that debuted in FFTA, while judges were knights that maintained order in that game's version of Ivalice. Unlike the noble judges of FFTA, the judges are your adversaries. "They are judges of terror," says Matsuno. The character depicted in the game's logo is one of these fearsome judges.

Send in the Clones

Matsuno is accompanied by a team that has worked with him on several projects. The roster includes art director Hideo Minaba (FFT), character designer Akihiko Yoshida (Tactics Ogre, Vagrant Story, FFT), and music composer Hitoshi Sakimoto (Tactics Ogre, Vagrant Story, FFT). The team is joined by Isamu Kamikokuryou, who did background graphics for FFVIII and FFX. From the team's makeup, it's easy to see how and why the FFT characteristics permeate this game, but the Star Wars: Episode II look is another matter. <div></div> The team traveled to Turkey to get inspiration for the Ivalice they're building. Kamikokuryou notes, "We saw the blend of different cultures and the blend of different architecture types in the buildings." Matsuno adds, "The European and Arabic cultures blend into a Mediterranean look. It encompasses the story, the look, and everything. Different values exist in this world and we try to convey this in the visuals." Similarly, some of the cities shown in Episode II have a Mediterranean look that resembles the environments of FFXII I was shown.

It doesn't stop there though. Two of the vehicles I saw in the trailer also looked like they were taken from Episode II. A transport carrying hundreds of faceless soldiers looked eerily similar to the transports ferrying the clone army. One of the airships had an uncanny similarity to Boba Fett's Slave I. Matsuno was particularly proud of his airships, saying that the bigger ones in FFXII dwarf the Yamato (from the anime Uchuu Senken Yamato, known as Starblazers in the U.S.).

Playing the Race Card

As expected, Square Enix did not reveal many details on the game's stories. In addition to the "warring empires" background, the creators shared some information on the FFXII's world. As mentioned in the quotes on page one, the mix of cultures, races, and religions in Turkey fascinated the creators. <div></div> Matsuno and company are attempting an allegorical mix in Ivalice. From what I gathered from the trailer, humans are the dominant species in Ivalice, while Bangaa and Viera seem to be a discriminated minority. One of the journalists at the press event asked if the game would have a darker tone like Vagrant Story or a more mainstream feel like other Final Fantasy games. Matsuno equated his new work with the movie Gladiator. The movie had abundant mainstream appeal, but dealt with a grim subject matter. He went on to say that, "It's all dependent on the flavor that you add to it," explaining that the graver themes he has used in the past will not be apparent to most players, but those looking for them will definitely not be disappointed.

A Truer Fantasy

Visually, FFXII should be the finest looking game in the series. The environments look lush and make really interesting use of color that's symbolic in nature. Matsuno explains that, "If you look at the colors, you have the blue sky and the orange of the Earth." While I didn't follow his spectrum of symbolism, the trailer left me feeling that the game is Final Fantasy all grown up. The characters and cities are more realistic than ever. Chocobos -- once the cute and fluffy mascots of the series -- look like totally badass (and believable) steeds of war. Matsuno claims that even Moogles will look tougher; they'll still have their trademark antennae, but will also be sporting large, steel anklets for that kick-ass biker look.