Final Fantasy XII Final Fantasy XII is the twelfth installment in the main " Final Fantasy " series and is part of the Ivalice Alliance . The game was released on March 16 , 2006 in Japan , October 31 , 2006 in North America , and February 23 , 2007 in Europe and Australia . " Final Fantasy XII " was re - released in Japan as an International Version titled " Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac Job System " , which modifies the game ' s character development system by introducing jobs . It has not been released outside of Asia . A PlayStation 4 HD remaster , titled " Final Fantasy XII : The Zodiac Age " , was announced on June 6 , 2016 . It is based on the International version , and will be released in 2017 . " Final Fantasy XII " spawned a direct sequel , " " , for the Nintendo DS . Gameplay . Like most of the other games in the series , the player characters will level , gain skills , cast magick , use summons , Limit Breaks , and fight monsters , but there are some great differences in the gameplay from the previous games in the series . Character development . To gain levels , the player must defeat enemies in the field to earn Experience Points ( EXP ) . Only alive and active party members receive EXP . If there are multiple active characters in the party , the amount of experience will be divided evenly . Boss battles give no EXP , but do still give License Points ( LP ) used to purchase licenses on the License Board to learn new abilities and become able to equip new types of equipment . Unlike with EXP , even reserve party members receive LP from battles . An individual character ' s ability to use Technicks , Magicks , accessories , Augments , weapons , armor and accessories is governed by licenses . Like the Sphere Grid in " Final Fantasy X " , but less linear , the player has control over each character ' s individual development . In the " Zodiac Job System " version what abilities a character can learn and what equipment they can use is dictated by their job . Once the player chooses a job for a character , it cannot be changed . Magick . To use magick the player must buy the individual spells from a Magick Shop or a merchant ( or find them from treasures in the " Zodiac Job System " version ) , and purchase the corresponding skill on the License Board . The use of magick requires MP ( Mist Points ) , which can be restored through movement , the use of an item — such as an Ether — or by activating a Save Crystal . Effect Capacity dictates how many magick spells and other special abilities can be executed simultaneously ; all of the most powerful magicks use all of the effect capacity , meaning when the player casts the game ' s most powerful magicks other actions are queued until the spell animation has finished . Summons / Espers . Summons , called Espers , are obtained through finding and defeating them , unlocking their license on the board . There are thirteen Espers , five found through the storyline , and the other eight lurking in hidden areas . Each Esper can be purchased on the License Board after the player has defeated them . Only one character can purchase any specific Esper , and that Esper is linked to that character , removing its license from the other characters ' License Boards . When the character summons the Esper , it replaces the other two party members . The Esper will briefly remain and fight as long as the summoner remains conscious . Once the time is up , the Esper will unleash a special attack , given that the requirements for it are met , and disappear . The summon uses up a full segment of the MP bar for each rank the Esper has . For example the Esper Belias is a Rank I Summon and will use up one segment of the MP bar , while Zodiark , a Rank III Esper , will use up all three segments . In the " Zodiac Job System " version Espers have a small role in further governing what skills characters can learn by opening new paths in the License Board . The MP bar system has been dropped and using Quickenings and summoning Espers uses a different gauge . The Espers are controllable in the " Zodiac Job System " version , and the player can unleash their special attack at will . Quickenings / Concurrences . The Limit Breaks in " Final Fantasy XII " are known as Mist Quickenings in the English version , and Mist Knacks in the Japanese version . Each Quickening is available on the License Board for purchase by any character . Once a character has purchased a Quickening , that space is removed from all other characters ' boards . Each character can purchase up to three Quickenings . There are eighteen Quickenings on the board . When a character uses a Quickening , one segment of their MP is used up . Upon purchasing the second Quickening the character ' s MP bar doubles and is segmented in two , and after a third segment is added it triples the available base MP . Each Quickening takes 50 LP to learn regardless of its rank . Quickenings can be used during battle as long as the character has enough MP and is not incapacitated by status ailments . Quickenings can be chained : when used , all active party members who have learned Quickenings of their own will join in on the chain as long as they are not KO ' d , under X - Zone , or afflicted with either Stop , Stone , Disable , Confusion , , or Berserk . During the chain , the player can randomly get the Mist Charge command which restores the party member ' s MP . The chain - building is restricted by the time limit and luck , as the available Quickenings are drawn up randomly . Normal Quickening attacks only damage the target enemy , but the player can create a specific combination of Quickenings to open a Concurrence , which deals heavy damage to the target and all targets nearby . In the " International Zodiac Job System " version , Quickening no longer uses MP , but has a gauge that functions closer to how Limit Breaks work in other games in the series . This meter can be filled up slowly by participating in battle , or fully by using a Elixir / Megalixir , or activating a Save Crystal . Each job has four Quickening licenses costing 50 , 75 , 100 , and 125 LP . Once three Quickening licenses have been activated , the remaining one will disappear from the board of that character . Battle . " Final Fantasy XII " uses a battle system called Active Dimension Battle ( ADB ) . The way the battle system operates is similar to the one in " Final Fantasy XI " as there are no random encounters . Monsters move freely across the land and battles are conducted on the field map without transition . Enemies rarely surprise the party , although flying creatures attack from a higher elevation , and other creatures will spring out of the water or ground to attack . Docile monsters can become hostile if the party provokes them , such as by casting magick in their vicinity , or if the player attacks other creatures of the same genus . Combat can be controlled manually or programmed via the use of gambits . The gambit system is slightly similar to the Macro system in " Final Fantasy XI ; " the player can create a list of commands and dependencies to be carried out automatically by the characters to simplify the combat system . All commands relate to the character itself , the character ' s allies , or the enemies on screen . Player can choose between Wait mode ( default ) and Active . In the Wait mode time freezes when the player is choosing the commands , but only one action can be executed at a time . If the game config is set on Active , multiple actions can be executed simultaneously , as long as the Effect Capacity is not saturated . The player controls one character at the time , called the party leader , but the player can change party leader at any time . If the party leader is KO ' d or otherwise incapacitated , the game prompts the player to choose another leader . The player can have up to three party members at any one time , and the rest are kept in the reserve party . Similar to " Final Fantasy X , " reserve members can be swapped in any time , unless the character is currently being targeted by an attack or spell , or if the character is performing an action . " Final Fantasy XII " allows the player to swap fallen allies , meaning the player will only get a Game Over once all party members in both active and reserve parties are dead . Because battles take place on the fields , the Escape command works differently than in most other games in the series ; to escape the player must run away , which can be aided by holding the to stop all character actions ( although using this feature makes the characters unable to evade enemy attacks ) . Some enemies stop pursuing the player characters once they have moved far enough away , but some are more persistent and can only be thrown off by zoning out . Boss battles take place in closed arenas and cannot be escaped from . Battle Chain . A Battle Chain is initiated when a party defeats two or more of the same type of enemy in a row . The Battle Chain Level will increase as a party continues to consecutively defeat enemies of the same type . As the Chain Level increases with each battle , enemies will begin to drop rarer and multiples of items , and with higher levels , activate healing and buffs on the player ' s party . If the player kills an enemy of a different type , enters a settlement ( any area where only Vaan is controllable ) or touches a Save Crystal , the chain will break and the Chain Level is reset to 0 . Traps . Traps are littered across the landscape and when stepped on deal damage and / or inflict the party with status ailments . Traps are normally invisible , but appear as glowing red circles if a party member is under Libra . Traps can be avoided by using Float or the Steel Poleyns accessory that makes the party invulnerable against traps . Some traps benefit the party by granting positive status effects and / or healing the party ' s HP . Treasures . Unlike in other single - player games in the series , the treasures in " Final Fantasy XII " are most often randomly spawning containing random treasures . The treasures can be re - spawned by zoning two zones out . Treasures can contain gil , gambits , equipment or items , and there is a small chance of receiving rare treasure with the Diamond Armlet equipped . The game ' s regular version also has so called " forbidden chests " that , when claimed , prevent the player from obtaining the game ' s ultimate spear , the Zodiac Spear , in Necrohol of Nabudis . This feature was removed in the " International " version . Weather and terrain . The area ' s weather and terrain affect the accuracy of ranged weapons and the damage dealt by elemental attacks . In stormy weather crossbows ' and bows ' accuracy is reduced , and , for example , in rainy weather Lightning damage is boosted while Fire damage is reduced . While terrain is mostly fixed , apart from the Giza Plains that shifts between dry and wet season , weather is often random , depending on what possible weather effects are available for the area . Synopsis . Setting . The map of Ivalice does not cover the entire world . It shows the area once under the control of the Dynast King Raithwall , but now mostly under the control of the Archadia n and Rozarrian Empire s . On the map are the sovereign nation states of Dalmasca , Archadia , Bhujerba and the area once controlled by the Kingdom of Nabradia including Nalbina Fortress . Ancient temples remain from ages past , like the Stilshrine of Miriam , Mt Bur - Omisace and the Tomb of Raithwall , as well as villages of indigenous people like the garif and the viera . Between the civilized locations are the zones populated by monsters that vary in terrain even within the same area . The Archadian and Rozarrian Empires compete in terms of military and political influence . The Archadian Empire is governed by the ruling family House Solidor , with an Imperial Senate , but the Senate has little power . This has caused the Archadian Judges to serve the Emperor directly . The Judge Magisters command the Archadian Army , Archadian Imperial Fleets , Archadian Security and Police as well as the Archadian Intelligence . Judge Magisters are feared and respected for their passion for the Empire and the defense of House Solidor . The small kingdoms of Dalmasca and Nabradia between the two empires thus find their existence endangered . Bhujerba is a skycity that pledges neutrality , built on a sky continent made airborne by the magicite in its soil . Characters . " Final Fantasy XII " has a cast of six main characters that , once formed , never changes . Three guest characters ( not including Hunt - allies ) join the party during the story , and the player plays a different character during the prologue . According to the developers , there is no main character , as the game is " about numerous people , not just one person " . Story . Princess Ashe of the kingdom of Dalmasca married Prince Rasler of the neighboring kingdom of Nabradia to strengthen both kingdoms against Imperial oppression of the mighty Empires Archadia and Rozarria . When Archadia invaded Nabradia Rasler led the Dalmascan troops to war and was killed . King Raminas was ready to sign a peace treaty , but was murdered in a conspiracy concocted by Vayne Carudas Solidor — the heir to the throne of Archadia — and Judge Gabranth . After Ashe was announced to have committed suicide the kingdom became an occupied state to Archadia . Two years later a street thief Vaan infiltrates the royal palace . He joins two sky pirates as a Dalmascan Resistance faction attacks the palace to remove the new Consul from power : Vayne . The trio is captured and during their imprisonment runs into the alleged king - slayer and notorious traitor Basch fon Ronsenburg , though he swears he was framed . As the party heads to save Vaan ' s friend Penelo from a gang of bounty hunters they discover a potential ally in Vayne ' s younger brother , Larsa , and learn that Vayne is plotting behind the Emperor ' s back to his own ends . They find Princess Ashe alive and save her from the Empire , and Vaan , Penelo , Balthier , Fran and Basch join her on her quest to win back Dalmasca ' s sovereignty . During their travels they learn that the Empire is after the magickal stones of unimaginable power known as nethicite . They learn the pieces of deifacted nethicite were granted to mankind by the shadowy immortals who deem themselves the Gods of Ivalice : Occuria . A rogue Occurian has lent its support to Archadia to overthrow the rest of the Occuria ' s rule , who have backed the descendants of Dynast - King Raithwall , and who now want Ashe to be their new Dynast - King . During the ensuing political turmoil Vayne becomes Emperor and Ashe ' s uncle of the supposedly neutral Skycity of Bhujerba assembles a Resistance army to free Ivalice in a response to Vayne ' s bid for world domination . Ashe must decide whether to wield the power granted to her by the " Gods " to free her kingdom , or whether to put faith in mankind being able to govern themselves free from Occuria ' s manipulations . Ashe puts her faith in the allegiance she has wrought with Larsa who has instilled in her the belief the nations of Ivalice can co - exist peacefully . She casts aside the power the Occuria are offering , and sets out to kill Vayne and Venat as the war erupts in the air space above her homeland . As Larsa inherits the throne from the fallen Vayne and proposes peace , Ashe is recognized as the rightful ruler of Dalmasca , and peace returns to Ivalice . Themes . The prominent theme in " Final Fantasy XII " is coping in the face of loss of family . Vaan lost his parents , and then his brother Reks in the war between Dalmasca and Archadia at the hands of Gabranth , thus giving Vaan an animosity towards the Archadian Empire . Like Vaan , Penelo lost her family to the war leading her to fear the Empire . Her view slowly changes as her friendship with Larsa develops , a member of the Empire ' s ruling family . Ashe lost her husband , father , and kingdom to the Archadian Empire , and avenging them is her main motivation . Ashe ' s quest for revenge is used by the Occuria , who send a false apparition of her late husband Rasler to spur her thirst for revenge to use her to achieve their own ends . Ashe learns that exacting revenge is not something Rasler would have wanted her to do , and it will not bring him or her father back . The theme of freedom is strong in " Final Fantasy XII " . Basch is physically imprisoned and breaks free with the party ' s help , but later comments the past can bind a man as strong as chains . Multiple characters seek to escape their past , only to find they must face it sooner or later . Fran leaves the woods to gain her freedom of the viera ' s traditionally restrictive lifestyle , but in doing so is permanently cut off from her family . Balthier escapes an unbearable situation with his father by renouncing his identity , only to find he must confront his father ' s madness to move on . Vaan tries to obtain his freedom through becoming a sky pirate to explore the world as he pleases , but realizes it ' s his attempt to evade his problems . Ashe wishes to reclaim her throne and kingdom , and be free from the Empire ' s rule once and for all , but first has to overcome her hatred for the Empire and the role it played in robbing her of her loved ones and the downfall of the Dalmascan kingdom . Like with much of the games set in Ivalice , " Final Fantasy XII " has deconstructive elements regarding religion and theism on the social and human condition . The gods of Ivalice are revealed to be mere living beings , and even the truths of Raithwall are shown to be their machinations to enact their own plans . Although Man is shown to be allowed his own fate , free from the gods — as depicted with Archadia — should mankind undertake one of evil with this freedom it leads to tyranny and dominance over others . Kiltia is shown as a religion in modest balance and order . The nethicite alludes to the crystals , a recurring motif in the " Final Fantasy " series where crystals are the embodiment of divine and magical power . In " Final Fantasy XII " Archadia , an enemy Empire , steals pieces of deifacted nethicite from the kingdoms of the world to gain power . The same story arc has been used in the series numerous times , although " Final Fantasy XII " subverts the theme in that being " chosen " to wield the power of the crystal is something the player party must fight against : Dr Cid and his machinations , as well as the influence of the Occuria . When Ashe becomes chosen to wield the power of the nethicite by the Occuria , she ultimately rejects it . Development . Developed from 2001 to 2006 , " Final Fantasy XII " cost approximately 4 billion Japanese yen ( 35 million USD ) to produce with a crew of more than one hundred people . Yasumi Matsuno , originally announced as both producer and director , bowed out of both roles midway . The official reason given for his departure was health concerns . On February 25 , 2010 , Matsuno spoke out on his departure from the " Final Fantasy XII " project on his Twitter page , stating that while he had been sick , he had nevertheless let down the Square Enix staff , shareholders , and fans who had been looking forward to the game . In Matsuno ' s place , Hiroyuki Ito and Hiroshi Minagawa took over directorial duties , with Akitoshi Kawazu assuming the role of the executive producer . Matsuno remains credited for " Original Work / Scenario Plot / Supervision " . Hitoshi Sakimoto composed the game ' s music while Nobuo Uematsu contributed a single composition — the vocal theme , " Kiss Me Good - Bye " , performed by Angela Aki . Renowned violinist Taro Hakase provided performances for " Symphonic Poem " Hope " , which served as a promotional theme along with " Kiss Me Good - Bye " . The executive producer , Akitoshi Kawazu , has said in an interview that back in 2000 when " Final Fantasy X " , " Final Fantasy XI " and " Final Fantasy XII " were announced as being in the planning stages , " Final Fantasy X " was announced as an offline game while the games " Final Fantasy XI " onwards would be online games . During the development of " Final Fantasy XII " that changed , but , just from the early planning stages the team intended " Final Fantasy XII " to be a different experience from " Final Fantasy X " . In early stages of development the main character was to be " big and tough " , but as development continued and targeting demographics were considered , he became more youthful . With the casting of voice actor Kohei Takeda , who also did motion capture for the part , he became less so and more " active , upbeat , bright and positive " . Hiroyuki Ito was in charge of creating the battle system and his motivation for the gambit system was to create a " single - player online game " where the player would have independently acting party members who would still act the way the player wanted them to . The gambit system works on the same basic programming algorithms used for the monsters in the SNES " Final Fantasy " games . The driving design philosophy behind the game was to have players exploring a world . The same way that walking around a town there are people standing around , the developers wanted there to be the same experience when going through a desert with monsters roaming about . Since that was the type of gameplay the developers wanted to provide to the players , a real - time battle system that got rid of random encounters was chosen . " Final Fantasy XII " was initially planned to have a job system but the idea was scrapped when the developers thought it might be too confusing to players , so the idea was condensed into a License Board system . However , players did not respond to the License Board system as anticipated , and the team returned to their previous idea of using a job system in the " Zodiac Job System " version . One intended theme for the gameplay was to add a feeling of finality and destiny , where the player may or may not end up with the best results . This is reflected with the random treasure chests , as well as perhaps the fact that the game ' s ultimate weapon is easily missed . The developers did not intend players to unlock every license for every character , but plan different paths for each . In retrospect these ideas did not end up working as planned , as many players kept trying at the same treasures until they got the item they wanted , and many players unlocked all licenses in order , essentially making the player characters clones of each other . Some of these ideas were rectified in the " Zodiac Job System " version . Almost an entire year before the North American release , the game ' s playable demo was included along with the North American release of " Dragon Quest VIII . " Changes to the game ' s North American version include the addition of widescreen 16 : 9 support , and additional scenes and content that were left out of the Japanese version , due to rating issues . Akitoshi Kawazu , the game ' s executive producer , has later admitted he thought the game is not perfect . The team received fan feedback after the game was released in Japan , and there were players who felt the story wasn ' t up to the series ' standards . Kawazu said it is because of the way the games are made , the story itself is decided early on and the process of getting that realized makes it difficult to change along the way . Kawazu noted there are things he personally would have liked to change , but , practically speaking , they couldn ' t . Many players have compared the story of " Final Fantasy XII " to that of " Star Wars " , but that wasn ' t a conscious decision during development . The goal was to create an easy - to - understand plot one could grasp immediately . The logo of " Final Fantasy XII " features Judge Gabranth in blue and purple , with a peach - colored brushstroke on the right . During the time Amano created the logo illustration there was a bit of a distance between his office and the Square Enix office , and he drew up another piece while the Square representative was on the way to pick up the pieces ; the one drawn within that hour was the one that ended up being chosen . Amano used Japanese - style ink that was kind of like watercolor , leaving brush marks that led to the the touch and style of that particular piece . Amano has described the forward - thinking brush effect as something that can only come about spontaneously , and said that logos don ' t necessarily come about following the request . Localization . From the dialogue to the flavor text to the menus , everything was translated by two people : Alexander O . Smith and Joseph Reeder . Smith had previously worked on the localization for " Vagrant Story " as well as several other " Final Fantasy " installments , including " Final Fantasy X " . The voice overs were directed by Jack Fletcher , who had previously directed the voice overs for other " Final Fantasy " games . The game about halfway complete when the localization process started in earnest , taking two years to complete . By the time localization started the original director Matsuno was already out of the picture and thus has no influence on the localization . Smith was tasked with writing the script around the lip movements animated for the Japanese version , but the game would still have the same audio file length restriction that had been a problem with " Final Fantasy X " , where the audio files must be the same length in both Japanese and English . However , the English voice work is smoother in " Final Fantasy XII " because Smith was prepared for this being an issue , and had the Japanese developers add couple seconds of blank sound to every scene to allow for some wiggle room . The voice script was slightly smaller than the one in " Final Fantasy X " , but the non - voiced was large . Writing the voiced script took 9 months and was still only 10 % of the total text ; translating the rest of the game took 5 months . Because the game was still in active development , new text kept arriving during the work , but because the English version had as much time to be translated as the Japanese script had time to be written , the localized version could be polished . Dialogue was translated first as it requires more time to get right , and helps set the tone for the world . The movie and scenario dialogue tends to be completed first in the Japanese version due to recording schedules , and similarly needs to be done first in the English for recording . The recording proceeded during the middle of the project , after which the translators returned to finish the rest of the text . While the medieval tone comes from the original game , the localizers could decide on the specific accents the characters would use and voice models were used to guide the writing : Vaan was Leonardo DiCaprio from the " Titanic " , Balthier was Aragorn from the " Lord of the Rings " and Fran was the Icelandic singer Bjork . While everyone in the Japanese version speaks with unaccented , standard Japanese , the translators have explained that it doesn ' t make sense in the context of a global story to use the same accent of English everywhere . Since the Japanese text lacked specific accents , the localizers had to derive them from the Ivalician mannerisms and culture . Thus the viera became Icelandic to give their speech an alien quality . To avoid stereotypical Indian accents for Bhujerba , a Sri Lankan accent was chosen . Following the " rule of " Star Wars " " the Empire is British and the rebels American . While Japanese games are often comfortable breaking immersion to deliver in - game information , this aspect was to be " Westernized " . For example , in one place in Rabanastre where Vaan encounters a chocobo vendor , the Japanese had the vendor explain the yellow birds are chocobos that can be ridden . As Vaan , a street - wise orphan , would know what a chocobo is , the English version instead has the vendor lamenting that some guy rode off on one of his chocobos without paying , to deliver the same information more fluidly . Other differences include the Victorian - styled bestiary that reads more like a biology text book in Japanese , and using metered verse with an unusual rhyme scheme for the speech of the godlike Occurians . The voice recording was done in Los Angeles under the direction of Jack Fletcher in eight weeks . Smith and Reeder sent descriptions to Fletcher who did casting and voice direction , and sent the translators options fro which they picked from . The development team had a final check and veto power , but never disagreed with the translators ' choices . The localization team argued for nine to ten weeks to finish and ended up recording from morning to eve with many nighttime sessions . The translators did not want to use the " go - to anime voice actors " , especially for the Judges who wear masks and thus didn ' t need the voice actors to be able to match the lip animations . Stage actors were auditioned for the parts , many of whom had never done voice acting before . The localization team valued great character actors , like John DiMaggio , and have actual young actors as the voices for kids , like Larsa , rather than use adult women for the child parts as is common in Japan . The voice recording for " Final Fantasy XII " has been compared to doing a play or a film script , being different from a regular JRPG voice recording . Ivalice was to be a classical sort of world with Shakespearean and Greek influences , and the cut scenes were both relationship - and action - oriented , and key to the story . As with almost all games , the script wasn ' t released ahead of time and all the actors knew were the character names and a few lines of description . Fletcher as the voice director guided the actors in the game world in filling in backstory and setting and helped make the localization from Japanese to English . In games and often in regular animation , actors record individually . The team had dialogue already recorded the other actors could follow , never did a " cast record . " The English voice work for " Final Fantasy XII " has been highly acclaimed and both Smith and Reeder identify it as the highpoint of their careers , with Fletcher naming it his favorite game he ' s worked on due to the story and the characters . Releases . Original . In North America , the game was available in two versions — the standalone game with a suggested retail price of $ 49 . 99 and a " Collector ' s Edition " for an additional $ 10 . The Collector ' s Edition is an exclusive title offered only by GameStop or EB Games . This edition includes the original game packaged in a steelbook case , along with a special bonus disc , which contains " Final Fantasy XII " developer interviews , an art gallery , four U . S . and Japanese trailers , and a " History of " Final Fantasy " " featurette , which gives brief chronicles on all released and upcoming " Final Fantasy " games . " International Zodiac Job System " . " Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac Job System " was released on August 9 , 2007 in Japan as part of both " Final Fantasy " 20th anniversary and Ivalice Alliance campaigns . It is the first game where Hiroyuki Ito has been credited as both producer and director . Ito didn ' t want the game to get an " International " title , for how different the game was going to be from the other International versions of " Final Fantasy " games , published previously ; Ito wanted to call the game " Final Fantasy XII Annex " . However , they ended up going with " Zodiac Job System " . " Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac Job System " was made by a small group of programmers , with only five main people working on it toward the end of the project . The small team brought on some limitations on what could be achieved , as Ito would have wanted bigger changes to the game than what could be done with the resources he had available . The game includes a new take on the License Board system , with twelve boards instead of one , each corresponding to a different zodiac sign and job . The number of jobs was set at twelve as " Final Fantasy XII " is the twelfth main installment to the series , and because there are twelve zodiac signs , a recurring theme in Ivalice games . The game already had fifteen different types of weapons in place , and the jobs were planned around the idea of what kind of weapon would belong to what kind of job . The Active Dimension Battle ( ADB ) system was tweaked ; guests and espers were made fully controllable , while pressing the activates a Turbo mode , greatly increasing the game ' s speed . The game features English voices and the widescreen 16 : 9 ratio support of the North American version , as well as a bonus disc based on the one initially released with the North American version . A new mode allows the player to hunt monsters and Espers in several series of small maps , to gain items and gil . Below is a list of the new features : Also , unlike " Final Fantasy X - 2 International " , which supported old " Final Fantasy X - 2 " save files , " Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac Job System " does not support save files from the regular " Final Fantasy XII " . " Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac Job System " has only been released in Japanese , but there is a fan project that translates it to English using the English data of the official US release . It requires both the original " Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac Job System " game and the original US release . Translation for other languages can be done using official European releases instead of the US release . During the concert in Pittsburgh in August 2015 , conductor Arnie Roth mentioned a " Final Fantasy XII " " remake " was in development , yet no such game had officially been announced by Square Enix . The next day , Roth redacted the " remake " part of his statement , apologizing for the error . A remaster of the game , based on the International Zodiac Job System version , was announced on June 6 , 2016 for all major regions . " Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age " . " Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age " , the PlayStation 4 port was announced on June 6 , 2016 . This version is based on the " International Zodiac Job System " version . It will have remastered graphics with high resolution textures and lighting effects . The auto - save function will be implemented , and support up to 7 . 1 ch surrounded stereo mode . The original people responsible for the localization return for the English version , Alexander O . Smith and Joseph Reeder . The original game ' s directors Yasumi Matsuno and Akitoshi Kawazu are not involved in " Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age " , but are given progress reports as needed , although the core the team that worked on the original have returned to work on the remake . On September 16 , 2016 , Square Enix released a trailer featuring story events and gameplay at the Tokyo Game Show . When " Final Fantasy X / X - 2 HD Remaster " came out and became successful , the developers of " Final Fantasy XII " thought they should bring their game back as well , and the core members of the original development team were brought together even if it was difficult to find the time as everyone was on different projects . When the original " Final Fantasy XII " was created , it was made relatively high spec with the idea to create an HD version of it sometime in the future . Reception . " Final Fantasy XII " sold more than 1 , 764 , 000 copies in its first week in Japan , and the total number of copies sold was over 2 , 150 , 000 after five weeks of release . In North America , " Final Fantasy XII " shipped approximately 1 . 5 million copies in its first week . As of March 2007 , the game has shipped over 5 . 2 million copies worldwide and is the fourth best - selling PlayStation 2 game of 2006 . " Final Fantasy XII " is the first game in the series to get a perfect score from " Famitsu Weekly " magazine . It was named best PlayStation 2 game by numerous video game publications and websites , including GameSpot , GameSpy , and IGN . Both " Edge Magazine " and " Famitsu " awarded it Game of the Year 2006 . " Final Fantasy XII " also received nominations in the categories " Game of the Year " , " Best Role - Playing Game " , " Best Story " , " Best Art Direction " , " Best Character Design " , and " Best Original Score " from awarding bodies , such as the Interactive Achievement Awards , Game Developers Choice Awards , BAFTA Video Games Awards , Spike Video Game Awards , Golden Joystick Awards , and the Satellite Awards . The game was awarded the " Double Platinum Prize " at the PlayStation Awards 2006 , which was held on 25 July 2006 . At the Japan Game Awards 2006 held on 22 September 2006 , Ito accepted the " Grand Award " and " Award for Excellence " for " Final Fantasy XII " . He thanked the development team and playerbase , and said that the team was grateful for the awards as they could not possibly think about the game ' s reception during its creation . In July 2007 , " Edge Magazine " placed " Final Fantasy XII " 8th in their list " EDGE ’ S TOP 100 GAMES OF ALL TIME " . It was the highest ranking " Final Fantasy " game , and the only one to appear in the top 10 . In March 2009 , " Edge Magazine " placed the game 25th in their list " The 100 Best Games To Play Today " . As with their former list , " Final Fantasy XII " was the highest ranking " Final Fantasy " game . In the 2009 issue of the " Guinness World Records Gamer ' s Edition " , the game placed 8th in the list " The Top 50 Games of All Time " . It was the highest ranking " Final Fantasy " game , and the only one to appear in the top 10 . The list was decided on by " a crack team of industry experts " , and games were ranked on their initial impact , lasting legacy , and how fun they were to play . Manga . The story of " Final Fantasy XII " has been released as a manga in Japan . The manga version expands on the storyline seen in the game and adds new events and characters . Allusions . " Final Fantasy XII " contains many references to the games developed by the same team , or based on the same world . For instance , a moogle named Montblanc runs a clan in " Final Fantasy XII " , and previously appeared as a main character in " Final Fantasy Tactics Advance " . Similarly , the player can acquire the Riskbreaker clan rank , a reference to the game " Vagrant Story " . The names of the Archadian airships are taken from previous summons from the series , while all of the Resistance airships are named for previously appeared characters . The only airship with an original name is the party ' s airship , the " Strahl " .