4/5 ★ – RyGuy456's review of Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age.

This is a good game, that I liked, and sometimes really liked but I never really loved. I will be up front and admit that I think part of that is because I rushed through the latter half of the game due to wanting to beat the game before Final Fantasy 16 comes out in a couple of weeks. I do plan to come back and replay the game sometime when I have some more time to really sit down and explore a lot more of the side content than I did this time. Getting that out of the way, I do appreciate the games unique combat system and it's approach to a big vast open world to explore even if the world feels empty sometimes. The characters are likeable, yet sadly none of them feel particularly fleshed out. I enjoyed each of the main cast and a lot of the supported characters, but I never really feel like I got to know them like I have in most other Final fantasy games. The game's story features lots of political intrigue which is interesting, but you just have to make sure that you are paying attention because the game does not hold your hand with what is happening. The combat is vaguely reminiscent of MMOs, and as a fan of Final Fantasy 11 and Final Fantasy 14 I figured I would be pretty familiar with it but it definitely took some adjusting. The gambit system is unique and fun, and it's obvious how it went on to inspire one of my all-time favorite games, Dragon Age Origins. There was one very frustrating aspect to the game though and that was a random difficulty spike that occurred around 75% of the way through. I was going through the game without too much trouble, and then at a certain point all of a sudden everywhere I was supposed to go the monsters were way higher level than me and were able to wreck my team. I had to go and grind for a bit, and while I am a JRPG fan and I do enjoy grinding, I don't enjoy when a story's momentum is killed and I have to go grind to continue it. Overall it is a likable game, and I think it's one that I'll like even more when I replay it properly. But I just would recommend that you take your time when you play this game because rushing through it leads to a sometimes frustrating experience.