While this may sound like an oxymoron, part of what makes Final Fantasy XII so notable is that it's the most realistic Final Fantasy yet. Despite being populated by a number of imaginary races, the world of Ivalice feels like a genuine place. Within it, large tracts of land separate the many cities, and the distance between them requires an actual journey through the wilderness, one that's filled with many monsters, winding pathways, and lots of opportunity for exploration.

The cities themselves appear rather genuine as well. Packed full of various citizens and travelers, the cities help to give the impression of a world that's actually alive. They're even laid out like real cities, with major population centers separated into numerous districts, including a shopping district, a bazaar, and even a ghetto. And though magic exists within Ivalice, it's such a common occurrence that it's not very exciting. Though just as damaging as it's been in past Final Fantasy games, the simple casting of a magic spell within combat isn't nearly as elaborate of a display as it used to be.

However, don't be fooled into thinking this is a bad thing, as the realistic approach substantially adds to Final Fantasy XII. The main cast doesn't consist of tired stereotypes, rather, both protagonists and antagonists alike feel like genuine people, complete with the motivations and actions of each side being not just understandable, but reasonable. Because of this, it's often hard to guess the direction the story will take, yet the progression and events of the plot generally make sense. Of course, the game isn't completely free of cliches. Certain events towards the end of the game seem to occur just to speed the adventure along toward its conclusion, but as a whole, Final Fantasy XII's tale ranks among the most practical of the Final Fantasy series.

Aiding in both the believability of the world and the pacing of the gameplay, unseen foes no longer assault the party at infrequent intervals. With the random encounters of past Final Fantasy's out of the equation, enemies now visibly roam the dungeons and overworld. Merely being able to see your enemies allows players a better understanding of when battles will occur, and even affords them some control over its frequency.

XII takes things one step further with the integration of battle and exploration into the same engine. In other words, battles occur in the exact same area the enemy is encountered in. Unlike previous Final Fantasy entries, there's no pause in waiting for the game to load up the battle system. A foe can be manually targeted through the Command Menu, brought up with a simple tap of the X button, or players can set their characters to automatically handle the situation by creating a series of Gambits. As players progress throughout the game, more Gambits and actions become available.

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