GET TO KNOW THE GAMBIT SYSTEM IN ALL NEW FINAL FANTASY XII THE ZODIAC AGE TRAILER
New Artwork Showcasing the Grand World of Ivalice also Unveiled
SYDNEY, 29TH May 2017 – Square Enix Ltd., have released a new trailer for the upcoming FINAL FANTASY® XII THE ZODIAC AGE that focuses on the game’s Gambit System, the ground-breaking combat system which utilises customisable AI “Gambits” to let player adapt to any situation during battle. Players can also freely develop their characters and skills with the all-new Zodiac Job System, an improved character levelling system that allows each character to battle with two of 12 FINAL FANTASY jobs, allowing a greater level of freedom than before.
In addition to the trailer, a new piece of artwork created by acclaimed environmental artist, Isamu Kamikokuryo, was also unveiled. In contrast to the detailed look at the game’s battle system in the Gambit trailer, the new artwork gives a glimpse in to the rich and breath-taking world of Ivalice, which players can look forward to adventuring through in FINAL FANTASY XII THE ZODIAC AGE.
In FINAL FANTASY XII THE ZODIAC AGE, players are transported to the grand world of Ivalice where magic is commonplace and airships fill the skies. War has engulfed the kingdom of Dalmasca, leaving it in ruin and uncertainty. Princess Ashe, the only surviving heir to the Dalmascan throne, devotes herself to the resistance to liberate her country. Accompanied by Vaan, a young man who lost his family in the war, together these unlikely allies and their companions lead the fight for the freedom of their homeland.
FINAL FANTASY XII THE ZODIAC AGE will be available for the PlayStation®4 on 11th July 2017. For more information, visit: www.finalfantasyxii.com
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Gameplay
Oh and let’s talk more about Ako. Our futuristic Swiss knife will prove more than useful while we rummage through random houses and abandoned buildings. He comes equipped with short range radar, sonar, flashlight and a drill. But as you can imagine, there is a catch here. All of those tools on him require some battery use and once it hits zero……well, let’s just hope you have a photographic memory since you’re forced to find your way back to church without a radar. As you gather more materials, you can unlock better upgrades for Ako such as increased storage size, better radar/sonar and less battery usage. Exploration might seem a bit tedious at the start, you won’t be able to carry everything with you due to small storage space. Multiple return trips to the church will be required. Although, you can cut that down a bit by setting up a tent out on the open and sending it all via the tent deposit box. Yep, a lot of the game revolves around item management but that’s not all. You also have to keep track of the levels of energy, temperature, food, hydration and happiness for yourself and your team. Getting any of those below acceptable means there will be a high chance of hypothermia and illness in the shelter. In that case, you can only hope you’ll have enough antibiotics and medicine for everyone. Not gonna lie, my first adventure lasted for about 5-6 days before I had Jacob face down into the campfire due to exhaustion. It’s not always easy to keep track of everything and keep them all well fed and rested.
Audio
Overall
From here the story is told through a series of flash backs after players are given a brief look at their future with the focus initially spent on introducing the character to the way the world works in Persona 5 and unfortunately for them, your new school as well as most of your fellow classmates are more than willing to remind you of your criminal past. By joining together with other outcasts from society the player learns of a different realm that allows them to tackle the flawed personalities of those who have come into power.
Bleaker in nature than some may recall in the Persona series, there are a number of colorful characters that will be joining you in your battles and these core members are quite a delight. These outcasts all have their own issues and join under the player in an effort to change society for the better. That being said, the fact that Persona 5 remains a game that is told through a calendar means that while early party members are given plenty of time to shine and develop, a few late game party members can suffer a bit in this regard.
That being said, while the core cast of party members is a lovable bunch of outcasts that each have their own charm, the side cast of confidants is perhaps the strongest I’ve seen in a Persona entry so far. These characters won’t come with you into combat but they will provide various bonuses that can be used either in combat or unlock more options in the main world. For example a back-alley doctor will provide you with special medicine while learning new ways to cook can provide needed SP regenerating items during an infiltration mission.
This can be a bit problematic at times if you feel like you want to see everything Persona 5 has to offer in one go but it is quite possible to do so if you take advantage of various benefits from certain Confidants and work towards boosting your social stats by taking part in various activities when available to you. Outside of these social aspects presenting the aforementioned side-stories your party members will gain new abilities that will help make combat a bit easier while other side-characters will provide either passive bonuses or various other bits of assistance to help you on your way.
It is interesting to note that the core dungeons feature a stealth mechanic that is rather easy to learn but can be a bit odd at times. Players will need to keep their threat level to a certain percentage and whenever you are seen by a Shadow, it will increase. Performing sneak attacks to give your party the first turn in battle often lowers the percentage of this meter and since there is a cover system that allows you to avoid being seen and jump out to take down Shadows, this will quickly become second nature.
By taking advantage of the various elemental weaknesses, using various buffs and debuffs, and properly using your skills Persona 5’s combat system takes the best elements of the series and combines them excellently. Even the guns have been brought into the series with players being able to fire off rounds during their turn, though they are limited to a certain number of clips for every dungeon dive. As for demon negotiation players will be happy to learn that this mechanic returns in a satisfying manner with players being able to target specific demons to speak with after knocking them all down. This system allows for players to either extort the enemy for items or money, recruit them into their party, or simply perform an All-Out Attack that will likely eliminate them.
Those who wish to play through the game using the Japanese voice track are able to do so through free DLC but those who simply choose to use the fresh English dub will be more than happy with what Atlus has produced here. The English voice cast handles their characters quite well with the translation work appearing to be rather top notch with only a few hiccups here and there. As for the soundtrack, this title features an amazing OST with a wide variety of tunes to fit every place you explore, whether it is inside of a dungeon or simply traveling through a back-alley. There are even a high number of tracks including English vocals for those who want a bit of a change of pace.