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5 mobile games to fill that Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age hole

It's a bit of a Gambit

5 mobile games to fill that Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age hole
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| Final Fantasy XII

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age hit shops this week, providing a comprehensive remaster of one of the most ambitious - and divisive - franchise iterations yet.

We'd love to recommend that you go and check it out, but there could be a bit of an issue with that: it's only available on PS4 right now.

With that in mind, we thought we'd provide some alternative mobile picks that approximate certain elements of Final Fantasy XII. And get this - we've only picked one Final Fantasy game.

Final Fantasy IX

Final Fantasy IX is the closest mobile-ready game in the series to XII, chronologically speaking, so it's an obvious place to start. Fortunately, it's also a brilliant RPG in its own right and arguably the best mobile FF port yet.

Okay, so the whimsical art style and traditional turn-based battle system aren't all that similar to Final Fantasy XII. But IX's world is far more open to free exploration than many subsequent entries - a trait it shares with XII.

Chaos Rings III

The Chaos Rings series is Square Enix's mobile-focused JRPG franchise. This third iteration is a bit of a departure from the others with a slightly brighter tone and a clear nod to MMORPGs in the way it encourages you to roam through fields whomping monsters.

Because of that, it shares something with Final Fantasy XII - which also has you roaming through fields whomping monsters. The colourful-but realistically-proportioned art style isn't a million miles away, either.

Knights of the Old Republic

All the Square Enix games on this list differ from Final Fantasy XII in one vital area - they give you rigid turn-based battles and separate them from the game world.

In that sense, Final Fantasy XII arguably has more in common with a classic Western RPG like Knights of the Old Republic. Both have battles taking place semi-automatically within the main game world, but allow you to pause and step in to micro-manage your party when necessary.

Monster Hunter Freedom Unite

Of course, the quintessential free-roaming monster bashing series is Monster Hunter. It's all about spending hours in statty menus tooling yourself up, then setting out as a small party into open areas to slay lumbering beasts.

Just like in Final Fantasy XII, part of the thrill with Monster Hunter Freedom Unite's battles comes from figuring out the best way to tackle a beastie who's seemingly beyond your party's capabilities.

Order & Chaos Online 2: Redemption

Many have noted over the years how Final Fantasy XII feels quite a lot like an MMORPG, particularly in terms of its free-roaming exploration and battle system. It would probably be wise, then, to include one of the more ambitious mobile MMORPGs of recent times in Order & Chaos Online 2: Redemption.

Gameloft does its best World of Warcraft impression here, creating a colourful and surprisingly rich fantasy adventure for your mobile device.

Jon Mundy
Jon Mundy
Jon is a consummate expert in adventure, action, and sports games. Which is just as well, as in real life he's timid, lazy, and unfit. It's amazing how these things even themselves out.