The legendary director behindFinal Fantasy 12recently addressed a long-standing rumor about the disgraced knight-turned-party member Basch fon Ronsenburg. Released for the PlayStation 2 in 2006,Final Fantasy 12marked a shift in the long-running JRPG franchise by introducing an open-world setting, real-time battles, and a revolutionary “gambit” system that allowed players to program their AI-controlled squadmates to perform certain actions in response to particular situations. Its story takes place in Ivalice, a medieval-style world divided into warring kingdoms that has since served as the setting tonumerousFinal Fantasyspin-offs.It is here that players were introduced toFinal Fantasy 12’s party of rebellious heroes, including the fallen knight Basch. A former captain of Dalmasca’s Order of Knights, Basch was framed for the murder of King Raminas and sentenced to death before being rescued by Vaan and his band of sky pirates. ThehonorableFinal FantasyheroBasch joins this group in its efforts to overthrow the oppressive Archadian Empire, proving to be a valuable ally thanks to his powerful swordsmanship and experience. He would prove popular enough to return in 2007’sFinal Fantasy 12: Revenant Wingsand have his backstory further fleshed out in theFinal Fantasy 12manga adaptation.RELATED:Final Fantasy 16 Map Compared to FF10 and 12There has even been a rumor that Basch was originally meant to be the main character ofFinal Fantasy 12, and that Square Enix had decided to instead put the spotlight on the teenage Vaan and Penelo to attract a younger audience. This rumor would persist for many years afterFinal Fantasy 12’s release, but director Yasumi Matsuno recently took to Twitter to state that it isn’t true in response to a discussion from fans regarding who would beFinal Fantasy’s oldest protagonist.
The rumors of Basch being the originalmain protagonist ofFinal Fantasy 12stem from the game’s long and troubled development cycle, which saw it release two years behind schedule and Yasumi Matsuno resigning partway through due to both health reasons and creative differences with Square Enix. He would go on to develop games like 2009’sMadWorldas a freelancer before joining Level-5 in 2011 and helping withCrimson Shroud. Matsuno eventually returned toFinal Fantasyto work on additional content forFinal Fantasy 14- including a raid that saw players return to Ivalice.
The recent discourse surroundingFinal Fantasy 12comes right beforeFinal Fantasy 16- a new installment thatbares many similarities toFF 12. Having an older protagonist out to avenge his fallen kingdom is one such similarity - though unlikeFinal Fantasy16’s time-shifting Clive, Basch was never meant to take up the starring role inFinal Fantasy 12as Yasumi Matsuno has just confirmed.
Final Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Ageis available on PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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