Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings
is a real-time strategy video game co-developed by Think & Feel and Square Enix, and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo DS in 2007 in Japan and North America, and 2008 in PAL territories. A standalone sequel to Final Fantasy XII, the game is the debut project of the Ivalice Alliance, a group of games set in the titular fictional universe. Revenant Wings follows protagonists Vaan and Penelo as they become sky pirates and end up involved in a conflict surrounding the floating continent of Lemurés. The gameplay features the player controlling groups of summoned monsters to complete different mission objectives.
Production on Revenant Wings began with the intent of creating an original and accessible Final Fantasy title for the platform. Its connection to Ivalice was added after the success of Final Fantasy XII. Staff included director and co-writer Motomu Toriyama, and artists Isamu Kamikokuryo and Ryoma Itō. The gameplay drew inspiration from Warcraft and Age of Empires. Original music was composed by Kenichiro Fukui, with most of the musical score using arrangements of the Final Fantasy XII soundtrack by Hitoshi Sakimoto.
The game was announced in September 2006, with its place in the Ivalice Alliance confirmed later that year. The international version was adjusted to have increased difficulty and additional content. The game sold over one million copies worldwide, and was positively received by game journalists. Many praised its graphics and presentation as some of the best on the platform. The story saw mixed reactions, with many noting its tonal shift from Final Fantasy XII. The gameplay was mostly praised, but issues with its stylus-based controls and artificial intelligence were noted.
Gameplay
Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings is a real-time strategy video game in which the player takes control of squads controlled by commanders, completing missions on maps often tied to the in-game story. After a point, the player is given access to an airship which can navigate to different areas of the world, although only a few can be accessed at a time. Upon landing, the player can then select missions. On the ship after a certain point, an area appears that houses a shops for equipment and materials, and a "artificer" who can craft new items and equipment from resources collected during missions.Combat zones are viewed from a fixed overhead perspective with 3D graphics, and characters animated as 2D sprites. During combat, the player controls units using the Nintendo DS touchscreen and D-pad, selecting units or moving the camera to observe other map areas or direct units to different positions. The unit and map screens can be switched between the top and bottom screen depending on what functions are needed.
Alongside main story quests, the party can engage in option side quests posted on an in-game bulletin board; missions in general have a range of objectives such as clearing a field of enemies or gaining a specific item. Units are set up in a menu before combat, arranged in loadouts called decks allocated to up to five unit leaders, and assigned specific abilities; with their loadout not being changeable once the mission has begun. Some leader units focus on attacking, and some on support abilities. Upon completing a level, leader units will gain an experience level, and areas can be returned to for repeated battles.
Summoned monsters−dubbed Espers in-game−act as the main fighting force in combat, with the party unlocking them using crystals called auracite earned during missions. The Espers are based on established Final Fantasy summons, such as Shiva and Ifrit, Espers featured in Final Fantasy XII, and recurring creatures such as the chocobo. Summons are handled using the Ring of Pacts, a menu allowing summons to be selected and called using dedicated gates within the map. These gates can also be used to raise an Esper's level using a resource dubbed AP. Espers are split into ranks, with these ranks determining their strengths and abilities, with only one of any type appearing in each rank. Depending on their rank, Espers will cost more to summon. Unit strengths are influenced by a rock-paper-scissors affinity system: melee is strong against ranged, ranged against flying, and flying against melee. Both allied and enemy units also have elemental strengths and weaknesses, with initial assignments to leader units being determined by elemental affinity.
Some combat mechanics are carried over from Final Fantasy XII and adapted into the game's combat system. Each unit's artificial intelligence can be given a command instruction called a Gambit, which prioritizes the use of a particular ability or magic command depending on combat conditions. Only one Gambit can be active at once, with other abilities needing manual activation. Leader units can learn special abilities dubbed Quickenings.
Synopsis
Setting and characters
Revenant Wings is set in the world of Ivalice, taking place a year after the events of Final Fantasy XII and featuring locations and terminology from that game. A new location is Lemurés, a floating landmass hidden from the surface world which has become the stuff of legends. Its isolation and origins are tied to Feolthanos, a god whose influence continues through pieces of auracite. Due to the destruction of an artifact called the Sun-Cryst in Final Fantasy XII, Lemurés becomes accessible to the surface world. Living in isolation on Lemurés are the Aegyl, a people similar to Ivalice's Humes with wings on their backs; while powerful and wise, they lack curiosity and dreams. A recurring faction are the Espers or Yarhi, summoned monsters tied to Ivalice's past. While similar in appearance to earlier versions, the Espers are born in a different way to those in Final Fantasy XII.The main characters are Vaan and Penelo, key characters in the events of Final Fantasy XII who have become the leaders of a band of sky pirates. When they arrive on Lemurés, they are joined by Llyud, an Aegyl resident of Lemurés who is ostracized due to his curiosity. The group are later joined by Balthier and his partner Fran, veteran sky pirates who were Vaan's allies during the events of Final Fantasy XII. Two further major characters from Final Fantasy XII, Ashelia "Ashe" B'nargin Dalmasca and Basch fon Ronsenburg, also appear; Ashe now rules as queen of Dalmasca, and Basch guards the new Arcadian emperor Larsa Solidor as a Judge.
Plot
Heading out from their home in Dalmasca's capital of Rabanastre, Vaan and Penelo are pursuing Balthier and Fran, who are searching for a treasure called the Cache of Glabados. Upon retrieving the Cache, a pair of crystals, the temple collapses and Vaan loses his airship. Returned to Rabanastre, Vaan and Penelo then witness a derelict airship landing outside the city. Sneaking on board with a group of friends, Vaan and Penelo are transported by the ship to Lemurés, home of the Aegyl. While exploring they run into Llyud, who reveals that the Aegyl are at war with sky pirate bands commanded by a figure dubbed the Judge of Wings. The Judge of Wings seeks the three auralith, powerful shards of auracite that keep Lemurés airborne. While Vaan and Penelo attempt to help the Aegyl, the Judge of Wings destroys the first auralith, granting the party a vision of Balthier's death at the Judge's hands. The Aegyl also begin acting more aggressively.During their search for information on the Judge, the party discovers the second auralith's location, but when they reach it the Judge summons the esper Bahamut and damages their airship before fleeing. While on the island, the party run into another adventurer, Velis, who is seeking his lover Mydia. The group eventually find Velis is an esper, forcing them to destroy him, and that Mydia is the Judge of Wings; a third crystal that formed part of the Cache of Glabados is empowering her. After repairing their ship, the party recruit Fran and find Balthier, but after they drive off the Judge he destroys the second auralith, which transports the party to an illusory realm. While within the realm, the party learn that Lemurés was created by Feolthanos in rebellion against the Occuria, god-like beings who controlled Ivalice. He isolated the Aegyl, but the auraliths required the anima of the Aegyl to function, which has gradually drained them of their spirits and turned their dead into Espers.
Escaping with the party, Vaan recruits Balthier, who reveals he knew of Lemurés's history and that the Judge of Wings is now an anima-drained puppet of Feolthanos who is harvesting anima for am unknown purpose. As the party head to confront Feolthanos, they are joined by allied forces from the surface led by Ashe and Basch. As the auraliths were destroyed, the Aegyl's restored anima has driven them into a frenzy and they have begun attacking Ivalice. After defeating the Judge of Wings, Myria's freed anima guides them to Feolthanos, revealed to be an Aegyl who attained immortality by merging with the final auralith and now seeks to destroy Ivalice. The party destroy Feolthanos and the last auralith, dispelling the Espers and causing Lemurés to fall from the sky. The now-pacified Aegyl leave with Llyud to find a new home, and the party goes their separate ways.
Development
Revenant Wings was co-developed by Final Fantasy series developer Square Enix, and Japanese studio Think & Feel. The development staff included multiple series veterans including Motomu Toriyama as director and co-writer, and Akitoshi Kawazu as executive producer. Yasuhito Watanabe and Eisuke Yokoyama of Think & Feel co-produced, and Takanari Ishiyama co-directed and co-wrote with Toriyama. Describing the initial development goals, Toriyama said the team wanted to create an original Final Fantasy title for the Nintendo DS that would be a beginner-friendly entry point and take advantage of its controls. Yokoyama stated that the game was a standalone title in its early production, with its combat system being designed first. After Final Fantasy XII was released and proved popular, the game was incorporated by Toriyama's team into its world. Square Enix partnered with Think & Feel due to their work on Monster Summoner, an RTS for the Game Boy Advance. While Square Enix handled story and graphics, Think & Feel were in charge of data management. Most of the staff were unrelated to the teams that designed earlier Ivalice titles.While the story was set after Final Fantasy XII and featured the same cast, Yokoyama said it should be considered as a standalone series title. Toriyama found creating a story within the pre-existing restrictions of the Ivalice setting fun, and after getting approval for the sky pirate theme and using the original cast, the team had "free reign" while still being overseen by the Final Fantasy XII team. Compared to Final Fantasy XII, which had a politics-focused narrative and main characters from noble or royal backgrounds, Revenant Wings was written as a more light-hearted adventure told from the perspective of Ivalice's common folk. Also in contrast to Final Fantasy XII, Vaan and Penelo were made the centre of the story and cast, and minor characters were given substantial supporting roles. For Penelo specifically, the team included a scene with her dancing, which had been in early materials for Final Fantasy XII but not shown in-game. Commenting on comparisons made between Final Fantasy XII and the Star Wars movies, Toriyama described Revenant Wings as being similar to Episode III – Revenge of the Sith in how it revealed a part of Ivalice's unseen history. The in-game violence was kept low so the game could have a broad appeal.
For the gameplay design, Yokoyama drew inspiration from Warcraft and Age of Empires, which he had played and enjoyed as a student. As the RTS genre was not popular in Japan, Yokoyama wanted Revenant Wings to include the enjoyment of the genre while being accessible. The team also played both Final Fantasy XII as a reference point, and popular DS titles to see what had made them resonate with players. Toriyama described the game's design as making use of the DS's touchscreen controls to create a combat system which blended real-time strategy with the command-based elements of Final Fantasy XII. An airship with a freely-explorable world map was in place from the start of development, features that Toriyama was eager to include. Bringing the original gameplay of Final Fantasy XII over directly was considered, but the team opted to focus on player accessibility. Through to late development and during testing the team considered implementing a form of multiplayer, but dropped the idea due to time and technical limitations so the game could be released as a polished single-player title.
The art team included Toshitaka Matsuda as art director, Isamu Kamikokuryo supervising, and Ryoma Itō as character designer. Speaking about his role, Itō said he "traded secrets" with Final Fantasy XII character designer Akihiko Yoshida before redesigning the cast for Revenant Wings. He also drew from his work on Tactics Advance, where his redesigns met with approval by its producer Yasumi Matsuno. He was pleased to work on more minor characters from Final Fantasy XII as they were brought back in a larger role. Talking about Penelo's redesign, Toriyama said that a more "feminine" image was being emphasised compared to her "sporty" fashion from Final Fantasy XII. Sprite-based graphics were chosen over 3D polygons both to have large moving crowds within the DS's technical limitations, and to portray a "warmth and handcrafted feel". The in-game sprites for summons needed to be redesigned in places to remain appealing on the DS hardware, such as the Salamander summon changing from a lizard to a wild boar. Kamikokuryo designed the player's airship, and the game's logo art. The CGI movies were directed by Eiji Fujii, who had previously worked on Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. Toriyama described the movies as being created using "proprietary technology", using both DS screens and needing individual rendering. The high quality was "a matter of cramming as much as possible" onto the DS game card.