Final Fantasy XII was a marvel when it was first released on PS2 in 2006. However, it also had a challenging development cycle for its lead developers, including game director Yasumi Matsuno.
While the true extent of how challenging game development is is not widely known, a common rumor about Final Fantasy XII’s early production that has stuck fans is that protagonist Vaan is not the originally planned hero of FFXII.
On Twitter, the game director took time to respond to a fan’s comment about Bacsh fon Ronsenburg — a disgraced knight and eventual team member in FFXII — as the original protagonist of FFXII. game. This comment comes from a thread about Clive, the hero of Final Fantasy XVIwho will become the oldest protagonist in the FF game.
In the simplest terms, Matsuno denied that Basch was the original Final Fantasy XII hero in early production, writing, “That rumor is a fabrication. Thank you.”
That rumor is a made-up story.
Thank.— (@YasumiMatsuno) April 18, 2023
An age-old rumor
According to long-rumored rumors, Final Fantasy XII’s original purpose was a dark fantasy story in the style of wandering story or Strategy in Final Fantasy on PS1, directed by Matsuno.
Rumors have been circulating for nearly 20 years that Final Fantasy XII’s original vision has changed to be more accessible to all players, with Vaan, an aggressive sugar rat with a striking Tidus resemblance, introduced as the core protagonist.
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What makes this particular rumor about the game stick with fans for so many years is that Vaan wasn’t very well received upon release. While a richer cast of characters is popular, including Balthier, Fran, Basch, and Ashe, Vaan’s place in the core story seems to be seen as more of a perspective character than a protagonist in the story. bigger plot.
That said, Vaan ended up being his own throughout the game, and he even starred in an FFXII spinoff game on the Nintendo DS called The Last Fatansy XII: Wings of Vengeance. Fans have also grown to love him more over the years, thanks to mission memes where Vaan had to shout in the streets, “I’m Captain Basch fon Ronsenburg of Dalmasca!” or “Don’t listen to Ondore’s lies.”
Don’t listen to Ondore’s lies!
I’m Captain Basch fon Ronsenburg of Dalmasca! pic.twitter.com/gYDXso2J8S– Victor Hunter (@victorehunter) April 9, 2022
IN IGN’s original review for FFXII, former editor Jeremy Dunham gave the game a score of 9.5 and stated, “Final Fantasy XII is a great RPG. It beat all the competition on PS2 this year, and is one of the most elite role-playing games of all time ever made for the system.”
In the years since its release, publisher Square-Enix has re-released FFXII as Final Fantasy XII: Age of the Zodiac. Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age is out now on PS4, Xbox One, PC and Nintendo Switch.
Alessandro Fillari is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram @afillari.
