Update: Square Enix NA has confirmed a Western release for The Zodiac Age, and helpfully provided an English translation for its new features: remastered visuals, true 7.1 surround sound, remastered soundtrack (you can switch to the old version if you prefer), a wave-based 'trial' mode, shorter loading times and autosave functionality.
Original: The rumoured Final Fantasy 12 remaster has been confirmed. Final Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Age will hit Japanese PS4s sometime in 2017. Yes, I said PS4, but bear with me. Steam currently holds a larger collection of Final Fantasy games than exists on any console, and Final Fantasy 10 Remastered was announced for Steam just a week before it went live. I feel safe getting excited for this one.
There's good reason to think it won't be confined to Japan either: all the screenshots are in English, including the subtitles. And where's the risk in bringing it West when all the localisation work is done?
Enthusiasts will be pleased to hear that this version will use the International Zodiac Job System for levelling. Characters are assigned permanent roles within the party, dramatically changing their skill progression. Contrary to its name, the IZJS version of FF12 was released only in Asia, although there was an unofficial English patch.
PC players are spoiled by emulators of course—you can already play Final Fantasy 12 in 4K if you have the discs to hand. The artwork scales remarkably, let down only by the blurry interface. Is that enough to make you buy The Zodiac Age?
