As mentioned in our previous post; Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age has been a pleasant surprise. I had originally played it on the Playstation 2 back when it launched. It was unfortunately not my cup of tea. At the time, I felt as if the game had made too many changes. From the combat, to the setting, to the heavily political storyline, to the license system. It just didn’t feel like MY Final Fantasy.

That opinion has since changed. For one reason or another, I had declared on my stream that 2024 would be the “Year of JRPGS”. We started with Skies of Arcadia, moved to Secret of Mana, and are now playing Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age. It is the first time I’ve touched the game since launch and let me tell you; I am glad that I did. The game is phenomenal. The story is layered, the characters nuanced, and the language mature. I love it.

But you know what else I love? I love the fact that this is the first Final Fantasy game that has ever frightened me. I’m not talking about the feeling you get when fighting a boss with no health potions and down three characters. I’m talking about legitimate fear.

Allow me to explain.

The Horror of Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age

So there I am, nearly twelve hours into the game when I stumble across a mysterious tunnel in the middle of an open field. Without thinking, I decide to explore the tunnel. I mean, what could go wrong? I had some decent equipment and I have been handling most enemies without problem.

My average level was 16 when I entered the “Zertinan Caverns”. Immediately upon entering the caverns we notice a trio of green horses with horrible tentacles protruding from their necks. Their design was disturbing but for some reason that escapes me, I decided to step forward.

Big mistake.

For you see, these horses, called Mallicants, were not the same as the goombas on the surface of which I had been destroying with relative ease. No. These horses were almost doubled my level! According to the wiki page, Mallicants averaged between levels 37 and 38.

Guess who didn’t realize that until it was too late?

Correct. This guy.

I noticed almost immediately that the Mallicants were taking little damage from my attacks. This sent me into a full blown panic and, for whatever reason I cannot fathom, I decided to retreat…

FURTHER into the cavern. The exit was right behind me but instead I ran deeper into the caves! I watched in absolute horror as these Mallicants teleported behind me. Kicking me, blasting me with status ailments, and obliterating me with lightning magic. One by one my party fell to their onslaught until, with only Penelo remaining in my party, I escaped into the next room.

Free from the horses, I took a moment to revive and heal my party as well as compose myself. I figured that this had been a player error. That if I had just attacked the Mallicants one at a time, I would have handled the situation much better. With that in mind, I decided to push even DEEPER into the cave system.

I mean, why wouldn’t I? Despite the fact that I was severely under-leveled, I just could not help myself to the idea that the Caverns would contain some awesome loot.

I raced through the next room without much problem. I avoided the Mallicants with ease and stepped into the third chamber of the Zertinan Cavern only to be greeted with an underground sand storm. Confused, I ventured deeper into the storm only to lay witness to a horrifying cut-scene. From the dust emerged a gigantic being with massive claws, huge wings, and a jackal-like face. Purple lightning erupted from its body and it’s at that moment when I realized I had encountered an Esper – a super powerful magical being of which I was not prepared for.

With my tail tucked between my legs, I ran out of that chamber as fast as I could. Unfortunately for me, the Mallicants who had chased me prior were waiting for my return! Once again, I found myself running for my life. My party members falling, one by one, as I pushed towards the exit.

Wounded and dying, I was able to push my way through the cavern and back to the field from which I came. You can watch the entire exchange below.

Eldritch Horse of Doom

I escaped the Mallicants by the skin of my death. Now, you would think, “Surely, he’s learned his lesson.”

Well. You’d be wrong. Whereas most people would stick to locations best suited to their current level, I continued to push myself into dangerous situations in hopes of finding that sweet, sweet loot.

This desire would lead me to the absolute nightmare that is the Necrohol of Nabudis. While this dungeon did contain some fantastic armor and loot, it also contained some of the worse monsters in the game.

Admittedly, my first attempt failed spectacularly. My second attempt, however, was a lot more promising. Armed with better weapons and more patience, I took down every enemy one or two at a time until I finally made it to the final floor of the dungeon. After clearing the floor of enemies, I noticed a strange purple shimmer emanating from the center of the room.

This purple shimmer became a horse. A Mallicant-like horse comprised of purple and blue flames.

Ha! I thought. If I could take down the dungeon’s other enemies, I surely could take this guy down as well!

Then I targeted him.

HELVINEK: LEVEL 49, HP 9,999

I hit the Helvinek with my strongest weapon. did about 1,200 damage.

It’s health still read 9,999.

Oh no.

OH NO, NO, NO!

I ran. I ran as fast as my characters could towards the closest exit. All I had to do was leave the chamber and I’d be safe. Like the Mallicants before it, the Helvinek chased me relentlessly but, just when all hope seemed lost, I made it to the next chamber!

I breathed a sigh of relief and took a moment to heal my party. We had survived and now it was only a few chambers away from the dungeon’s back exit. We were in the clear.

That’s when the Helvinek re-appeared before me.

To my horror, I realized that this enemy was not your average eldritch horse demon. No. Like Resident Evil 3’s Nemesis, the Helvinek could FOLLOW ME INTO OTHER ROOMS!

We ran. We ran as if our lives depended upon it. I could NOT die down here. Not after spending all this time collecting all this loot.

The Helvinek kept up with us. To my horror, I watched as, once again, my party fell to its onslaught. Flashbacks to the caverns riddled my mind as bullets would riddle a body. I couldn’t die here. Not like this!

One character remaining. Less than 1,000 hit points remaining and we made it out of the dungeon. To my relief, the Helvinek did not pursue us into the forest beyond. We were safe.

The Horrors Explained

It isn’t uncommon for gamers to encounter an area that is well beyond their current level. In fact, many open-world-games boast this feature. They allow players to explore the map at their own peril. Two games that immediately come to mind are Elden Ring and Mad Max – both allowing players to go to territories that are far beyond their current capabilities. However, with the appropriate planning and preparation, players can make it out of these territories alive. Barely, but still, alive.

There is a risk-and-reward system in place for games like these. Do you venture into forbidden territory in hopes of scoring a magnificent weapon or a devastating spell?

You could sneak your way through these areas, kiting enemies one by one until you make it to the chest containing you precious loot. Or you can just run in at full speed, screaming as you do, past the enemies toward in hopes of avoiding them just long enough to find the treasure.

Either way, you now find yourself in a dangerous situation. Just because you got to the treasure does not mean you can make it back out alive. And with Final Fantasy XII’s autosave system (saving every time you venture into a new room) – there is a strong possibility that you can end up stuck in a dungeon and forced to revert to the last manual save done outside the temple, thus losing all the loot found within.

That, my friends, is the horror of which I speak. The knowledge that all your hard work, all your planning, could be for naught. One wrong move, one wrong enemy spawn and BAM! You’re stuck. You have the loot but can you make it out alive?

This is exactly what happened to me the first time I entered the Necrohol. I got stuck without any revival items and my healer was dead. For about half an hour I attempted my escape only to die over, and over, and over again. Finally, I had to concede and reload my last save losing about an hour’s worth of work.

I’ve always described horror as “Characters stuck in a situation that they cannot control.” and that is where I found myself. I was stuck. I was nervous and afraid of losing all my progress.

It’s a different kind of horror than what you experience during Resident Evil or Silent Hill. It’s not the ever lingering sense of dread that these games build up but instead the fear of being trapped in, as I said, a situation you cannot control.

And it is this reason I am adding Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age to our list. The fact that this bright and colorful game can inflict such dread throughout my playthrough is proof that horror can exist in the most unexpected places.