When this demo disc showed up as my next game to write about, I had a hard time thinking of a topic. My knowledge of Final Fantasy XII is limited. So instead of writing some comparison to the final release, I tried to get into the shoes of someone who knew nothing about the game. What kind of reaction would they have to this demo included in copies of Dragon Quest VIII?
It’s divided into easy and hard sections. Gambits, a set of instructions your characters follow, are preset and automatically turned on for every party member. Customizing your Gambits is a big part of Final Fantasy XII, but is completely locked off in the demo. Without that element, the game requires little to no player input.
The preset Gambits in the easy section cover offensive and defensive strategies, so the player can virtually do nothing. The harder section requires a little more player interaction. The party needs to be told to target enemies or occasionally cast an extra cure. But even in this harder portion, most of the game plays out on its own.
Based just off this demo, it’s difficult to perceive how much depth Final Fantasy XII would have. Admittedly, it’s also not a great idea to weigh people down with a high level of customization in a brief period of time. But with minimal player input and no higher level customization available, I can’t imagine having a great first impression of Final Fantasy XII.
(Header Image Source: Vyse195)
