Final Fantasy XII is getting a HD remaster

It joins the long list of Square-Enix titles of old hitting current gen hardware.

Dubbed “The Zodiac Age” it is announced as a PlayStation 4 only title and set to be released next year – I expect that a PC release will follow shortly after the PS4 release but until they announce it PS4 is all we know.

Final Fantasy XII is an oft overlooked entry into the Final Fantasy series and fans (such as myself) have longed for Square-Enix to announce a remastered title. Despite nearly every other entry getting a release it seemed that Final Fantasy XII was set to be overlooked, but thankfully this is now not the case!

The remaster takes form of the Japanese only Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac Job System. It will feature a number of improvements designed to make use of current generation technology whilst also aiming to offer features seen in the other HD and re-releases Square-Enix has released.

These improvements will include:

Visual Improvements

• High-resolution upgrades for backgrounds, character models, and all 2D parts including fonts
• High-resolution upgrades for movie scenes
• Introduction of current generation visual effects

Sound Improvements

• 7.1ch surround support
• High-quality voice audio
• English and Japanese voices (switch between them in the game configuration)
• Original and newly re-recorded BGMs (switch between them in the game configuration)

Usability Improvements

• Shorter load times
• Auto-save functionality added
• Improved speed mode and speed mode operability

High quality voice acting is one that I am exceptionally glad to see, especially since the original game was compressed quite highly to fit on a single DVD, which affected the voice quality a lot more than anything else. The remastered BGM is also something I will be looking forward to extremely, as Final Fantasy 12 had some amazing tracks.

It will be something that really looks amazing, as you can see from the video below.