Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Hello, and welcome to my final video of 2025. Today, we will be taking a very long look at what many consider the last true Final Fantasy game — that being Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age.
To begin with, I am not 100% happy with this video. There are some audio errors that I simply do not have the mental energy to fix, and the chapter cards are basic. Watching the final cut back there's also some graphical glitches here and there but I don't want to have to re-render this video and check through it all again. This project has gone on far longer than any I’ve done on a single game. I needed 100 hours just to clear the game, and there was so much to talk about with the troubled development and systems that the script just kept getting longer and longer. So I’m done, and I’m releasing it as is.
We’re going to spend more than three hours discussing the first Final Fantasy to truly break from the mould. It’s a game set in Yasumi Matsuno’s own world of Ivalice, where we are not the hero who saves the world, but rather one of many players in a large game played by empires, kingdoms, and even divinities. We will explore characters like the dashing sky pirate Balthier, the brave knight Basch, and the game’s real protagonist, Princess Ashe.
First, we’ll dive into the drama they’ve become embroiled in as seen from the dual points of view of Vaan and Penelo, before analysing the game’s new Active Dimension Battle system and all the weird and often frustrating mechanics that were experimented with here. Then we’ll go on a monster hunt and try to capture 13 Espers to summon into battle, fighting our way through many interesting and powerful targets until we finally stand toe-to-toe with the most powerful dragon in all of Ivalice — Yiazmat!
This is a game with a lot to love, but just as much that will have you wanting to punch a hole in your monitor and swear off Final Fantasy forever. So let’s dive in and see how — and why — that is.
-------------------------------------------------- Links-----------------------------------------------------
Alex Fraoli
Main
youtube.com/@AlexFraioli
Vods
youtube.com/@hoodedpitohui
Twitch
twitch.tv/hoodedpitohui
-------------------------------------------------- Chapters-----------------------------------------------------
00:00 Start
04:38 2K6
09:47 Final Fantasy XI
19:28 Development
29:57 Setup
01:07:53 Ivalice (world and art direction)
01:27:07 Characters
01:40:17 Gameplay and systems
02:31:04 Monster Hunting
02:56:58 SPOILERS
03:26:08 Conclusion
--------------------------------Super awesome Socials for cool people -------------------------------
Support me on Patreon and help me make this my full time job
patreon.com/Arkham666
All the hottest takes on coca cola are here
https://bsky.app/profile/arkham666.bsky.social
My Facebook page that a few people follow
facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077425298397
Instagram (I sort of use this sometimes)
instagram.com/samblenderart
Tip me a coffee here
ko-fi.com/arkham666
Commissions at artstation
artstation.com/the_rotton_core
Hello, and welcome to my final video of 2025. Today, we will be taking a very long look at what many consider the last true Final Fantasy game — that being Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age.
To begin with, I am not 100% happy with this video. There are some audio errors that I simply do not have the mental energy to fix, and the chapter cards are basic. Watching the final cut back there's also some graphical glitches here and there but I don't want to have to re-render this video and check through it all again. This project has gone on far longer than any I’ve done on a single game. I needed 100 hours just to clear the game, and there was so much to talk about with the troubled development and systems that the script just kept getting longer and longer. So I’m done, and I’m releasing it as is.
We’re going to spend more than three hours discussing the first Final Fantasy to truly break from the mould. It’s a game set in Yasumi Matsuno’s own world of Ivalice, where we are not the hero who saves the world, but rather one of many players in a large game played by empires, kingdoms, and even divinities. We will explore characters like the dashing sky pirate Balthier, the brave knight Basch, and the game’s real protagonist, Princess Ashe.
First, we’ll dive into the drama they’ve become embroiled in as seen from the dual points of view of Vaan and Penelo, before analysing the game’s new Active Dimension Battle system and all the weird and often frustrating mechanics that were experimented with here. Then we’ll go on a monster hunt and try to capture 13 Espers to summon into battle, fighting our way through many interesting and powerful targets until we finally stand toe-to-toe with the most powerful dragon in all of Ivalice — Yiazmat!
This is a game with a lot to love, but just as much that will have you wanting to punch a hole in your monitor and swear off Final Fantasy forever. So let’s dive in and see how — and why — that is.
-------------------------------------------------- Links-----------------------------------------------------
Alex Fraoli
Main
youtube.com/@AlexFraioli
Vods
youtube.com/@hoodedpitohui
Twitch
twitch.tv/hoodedpitohui
-------------------------------------------------- Chapters-----------------------------------------------------
00:00 Start
04:38 2K6
09:47 Final Fantasy XI
19:28 Development
29:57 Setup
01:07:53 Ivalice (world and art direction)
01:27:07 Characters
01:40:17 Gameplay and systems
02:31:04 Monster Hunting
02:56:58 SPOILERS
03:26:08 Conclusion
--------------------------------Super awesome Socials for cool people -------------------------------
Support me on Patreon and help me make this my full time job
patreon.com/Arkham666
All the hottest takes on coca cola are here
https://bsky.app/profile/arkham666.bsky.social
My Facebook page that a few people follow
facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077425298397
Instagram (I sort of use this sometimes)
instagram.com/samblenderart
Tip me a coffee here
ko-fi.com/arkham666
Commissions at artstation
artstation.com/the_rotton_core
