Final Fantasy XII has some new features on Switch and Xbox One

We finally have some new information on the upcoming Switch and Xbox One ports of Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, with some nice surprises. It will be released on April 30, and come with some added features and functionality not found in previous ports. In addition, the Switch and Xbox One ports of Final Fantasy X/X-2 will release on April 16.

Final Fantasy XII followed the adventures of Vaan, as he becomes embroiled in a resistance group against the occupying Archadian Empire. Unlike most other entries in the Final Fantasy series, the player only directly controlled one character, with the other two party members on autopilot. Your teammates tactics are able to be tweaked their tactics to a certain extent with the Gambit system.

In later versions of the game, players assign each character “license boards”, which resemble the Job systems of other Final Fantasy games, and can increase their stats and unlock new abilities. It was certainly an innovative, if drastically different, combat system for a Final Fantasy game. Whilst it has its fans, it also had some issues, which these latest releases are seeking to address.

In the Switch and Xbox One ports, players will be able to totally re-spec their characters license boards at will by talking to Montblanc in the city of Rabanastre. Like many JRPGs, Final Fantasy XII is not a very short game, and allowing players to re-allocate license points gives them more freedom to experiment with new builds, and not worry that they are potentially ruining their playthrough by making bad choices when developing their characters.

Other improvements include being able to save up to three different Gambit configurations, which can be swapped on the fly for different types of encounters. It makes going to the menu to alter Gambits a lot less of a hassle, and makes it easy to prepare for different types of encounters.

An improved New Game+ feature will also be added, allowing players to start their game from level 90 and retain  “some items like weapons, magic, and gils obtained during previous playthroughs.” Additionally, Final Fantasy XII will run at 60 frames per second on the Xbox One X, unlike the 30 frames per second experience on other consoles.  There is no word if any of these added features will be retroactively patched into the PS4 or Steam ports.

All in all, it is pretty great news that Final Fantasy XII’s Switch and Xbox One versions will be more than simple ports of an existing version of the game, like the Final Fantasy IX port was. Hopefully these new, much needed features will become available for existing versions of the game. Even if not, it sounds like these upcoming ports will be the best versions of an already amazing game yet.