When this game was first released I just didn't like the look of it. Not exactly sure if it was the graphics or the world in general but it just didn't look interesting. However I added it to my backlog and figured I'd give it a chance eventually assuming it would be a pleasant surprise seeing as it has mostly glowing reviews. I must just be a fundamentally different type of person to most gamers because after finally playing this game I found it to be uninspired, bland, and a total waste of an interesting world.

I feel like what makes FF games so good is the character development, and not just that but interplay between characters. Seeing the bonds that form between party members as their faults and flaws begin to show instantly adheres you to characters. I felt this was an element that was totally lacking in this game. In my opinion FF12 totally failed it's characters in almost every way and with better writing there could have been some really good stuff here instead of carboard cutout characters and vague evil baddies who all wear similar helmets so it's hard to tell them apart.

We never really get to see what is driving any of the characters besides the initial information given at the start of the game. We hardly ever see any backstory as to how a character became who they are-- for example Fran's backstory choosing to leave her people is like 20+ hours into the game and is barely referenced before or after. How did she wind up with Balthier? We never find out. Everything is just surface level. I feel like this game is essentially a really interesting novel but where 9 out of every 10 pages has been torn out, but making sure to leave in all the main story beats. It's hollow, missing all the world building, character development, and backstory of everything important. So many questions unanswered.

This issue with characterization is made worse by the license system where you can assign any job to any character. This just makes the characters feel more like malleable putty with no personality. Characters like Auron from FFX for example are defined by their skillset, he's a man of few words, a walker not a talker, and he carries a massive sword and plays the big bruiser role. It all fits. This is elementary stuff man, I don't get how they dropped the ball so badly in this department.

Another thing is that no one except Balthier really has any personality, they are all just drab and uninspired. There is no optimistic happy go lucky character, there is no silent bad ass, no obnoxious overly confident character, no den mother figure, just a bunch of vaguely neutral characters who never seem to show much emotion or personality at all.

The combat is fine and fun to tinker around with at first, but once you get to a certain point you have essentially automated the gameplay. The decision to make a combat system where the end goal is automation is an odd one, because once achieved you don't even have to play the game, you just run from one mob to the next and watch them die. Excluding bosses I don't think I had to touch my controller more than a couple of times in the last 10 hours of gameplay when in combat... Fun, fun.

This is the first FF game that I have actively disliked and that was really disappointing to me. Had high hopes for this one.