This entry is regarding the most recent gaming releases from Square Enix regarding their renowned Final Fantasy series. The following will look at my experiences playing Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII and Bravely Default as well as give a history of my personal experiences discovering and enjoying the series.
Firstly a bit of background before I dive in. I discovered the Final Fantasy series in the midst of high school when a friend and I rented the Final Fantasy Anthology for Playstation 1 containing ports of the Super Nintendo games Final Fantasy IV and V. We were both taken by the experiencing having never played anything particularly role-playing or fantasy-esque before and despite its simplistic visuals the gameplay was intriguing and the characters and story even more so. We played for nearly a day and from there both proceeded to re-rent the games and play through - neither of us actually managing to finish either IV or V. Despite this the appeal of the game's fantasy world settings, monsters, magic, heroes, villains and everything else in between stuck in my head.
Now, only several years after its actual release as was when it usually took (and still does take) me to update my technology I received my Playstation 2. At this stage I had already experienced and enjoyed parts of Final Fantasy X's greatness with the same friend I had first played the series with. Finally, it was my turn to dive into what at the time was a technical and gaming masterpiece. Final Fantasy X was the latest and greatest namesake in the series. However, upon purchase of my console I was given the opportunity to select 2 games from a range to come included. I was only interested in Final Fantasy X, however, having briefly come across it in a magazine I also selected a title called Kingdom Hearts. At the time I think I was unaware of the connection that Kingdom Hearts held to the Final Fantasy series - unbeknownst to me the game was its own fantasy piece which combined the worlds and ideas of Final Fantasy and Disney. I was quick to get into this new game, having already witnessed the key moments in Final Fantasy X at my friends house. Kingdom Hearts on the other hand offered me something fresh. it wasn't long before I realised the connection and became engrossed. Throughout Kingdom Hearts I encountered several Final Fantasy heroes as well as a major villain and quickly became curious. I wanted to see what other stories the series had to offer seeing as I had enjoyed both IV and X which truly were generations apart.
I was to luck out eventually and discover copies of the Anthology (IV and V) as well as VI and VII at my local markets which I got for barely $50. I also managed to score VIII in-store from K-mart. At this point I had access to over half of the available series. To this day I have not managed/found time to fully complete V, VI or VII however with the re-release of IV on Nintendo DS I eventually completed it and VII was a given from the start, it was arguably one of the most interesting games in the series, I don't think anything in entertainment stole me away from it as I played it from start to finish.
At one point about the only Final Fantasy I had been unable to acquire was IX. I had gotten my fill of Final Fantasy I & II through the Game Boy Advance update Dawn of Souls and at this stage Final Fantasy III was as of yet unreleased in english (not to be confused with the US snes release of III which was actually VI). I can't recall exact dates all that well. Let's say we're about somewhere between 2007-2009. I did eventually get my copy of IX online for just over $100 and it was worth every dollar. Let's face it - I had gotten to play every other game in the series very cost effectively. As it turned out nine would become my favourite. It took everything that made the series great and threw it all together in one extremely effective, creative, charming, action packed experience.
I would go on to play the other games in the series promptly as they were released, eventually getting to play III on the Nintendo DS. I bypassed XI entirely due to it being a pay-to-play (subscription based) MMORPG (online game) and this did not tie in with my fancy despite the Final Fantasy namesake (but more on this with my XIV discussion). XII came out towards the end of the PS2 era and was a nice change of pace with its new battlesystem - however it left little impression on me, nor did the first PS3 release of XIII which despite playing through and completing like the others before it I didn't feel as accomplished - something was missing that made the others so great - or maybe I was just getting older. However, I still very much enjoyed the Kingdom Hearts games that I was following - Kingdom Hearts II being the last Final Fantasy centric game I had enjoyed in a long time. With the release of Final Fantasy Dissidia and Dissidia 012 my passion for the series was restored somewhat (the games being a fighting game featuring heroes and villains from every single numbered title). But something was missing - the series had changed from when I had first become enchanted by it...
University, adulthood, all of that stuff really forces a person to drag their mind out of fantasy - but that's no reason we can't still enjoy it. Although, I was starting to look at Final Fantasy more as products rather than the unique fantasy adventures I once had. In saying that it had me acknowledge that change was necessary in order for something to grow, to appeal to audiences new and old - and it is this that prompts me to look at the latest and greatest that Square Enix has to offer in the timeless epic that is the Final Fantasy series. Without further ado let's take a look at Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII and Bravely Default (don't let the name fool you).
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn
A Realm Reborn was big for me in a number of ways. Firstly, I had never so much as played an MMORPG save for briefly maybe a browser game devoid of any real social element. As mentioned before I had never and still have not to this day experienced Final Fantasy XI due to it being an online game. I have always enjoyed playing games at my own pace and leisure and from what I could see these online games demanded more than what I was used to giving. It didn't help that I lacked the social motivation - of course, no one else I knew played it either. The only people I knew that played anything like that played World of Warcraft or Runescape.
However despite this in the past week I finally bit the bullet and purchased Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn for PS3 (part of the reason I decided to - it was available on a console I owned). After a long patch install I got to playing the game and it all worked smoothly without any trouble.
Do I like the game? Yes. Do I think it is great? Not so much.
Allow me to clarify. Many of my assumptions and suspicions about online gaming were confirmed true. And this all comes down to personal preference - the level of interaction and involvement are a bit demanding for my tastes. While it is easy enough to play through the game solo for the most part and experience the story XIV has to offer players must join parties to complete several of the main dungeons in order to progress. While joining a party is no arduous task, for those unversed in online gaming communication may prove difficult. This only comes from me being a 'noob' (assuming people still use the term). I got the sense that everyone I was thrown into a party with had a lot more experience playing online games then I did. There was little room for exploring and learning - everyone had a job to do, and if you didn't know what that job was then your party would quickly fall apart in more than one way. Obviously this could be avoided by playing with a group of friends, however, yet again, sadly no one I know plays the game - I seem to be the only one in my social circle that still devotes time to such ventures.
Despite this I had managed to advance quickly in the game and enjoy my experience. In a week's time without failure I reached the seventh instanced raid dungeon (party-online play) in the story as a Level 33 Gladiator. As well as this I had explored the game's crafting system which despite being enjoyable only acts as a side feature in the game. I have attained around level 10 and in some cases level 15 and 19 with each of the crafting jobs. Despite this it has not helped me advance in the plot or the game at all and only served as a creative distraction or rest from the main game.
At this stage - after a staggering defeat in the seventh raid dungeon I'm at a road-block. I need to up my game, level-up or just get on with life. I'm eager to see the conclusion to XIV's story and likely will persist. The game has its appeal in that it certainly has a Final Fantasy feel to it - being familiar music, magic, creatures and the most massive Final Fantasy world I have experienced thus far. The setting of the world and its history is very well developed - while characterisation may be lacking, the idea is that players project themselves into the world and play as they choose. Being able to design a character from a series of different races and a considerable number of features if quite exciting if you've not much experience doing the same in other games.
Many of my mixed feelings towards the game come from it being online and social focused - however, again perhaps it is simply the lack of my real world friends in game to enjoy it with that causes my enjoyment to suffer. However, if I were to imagine it as an offline Final Fantasy played virtually the same without online components would I find it anymore enjoyable or any less? Unlikely.
6/10 - if you're going solo.
8/10 - if you've got buddies to enjoy the experience.
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
Straight up, I enjoyed my experience playing Lightning Returns completely. Unlike XIV and Bravely Default with which I am currently in the progress of playing I have fully completed the story of Lightning Returns and played the game to point I've acquired the Platinum Trophy (PS3 100% completion). Despite the lack of an engrossing story or characters Lightning Returns has an intriguing setting in which (spoiler alert?) time has reached a total halt after the events of XIII-2. Essentially everyone in the world of XIII-2 is immortal, unless murdered or met by sickness. In addition, everyone had lived the past 500 years. Though an intriguing concept, the game probably doesn't do enough to elaborate.
However, in most cases, story hasn't been good in since Final Fantasy X (at least in my opinion) XII, XIII didn't leave much of an impression on me; XIII-2 was better but not by much. Again, this is all personal taste and opinion. I enjoyed playing XIII-2 a lot; more than I enjoyed XIII. Lightning Returns exceeded this yet again. It was enjoyable having access to the entire world from the start of the game - something I always liked about X-2 which I haven't discussed - but I'll leave aside with simply the fact that I enjoyed it very much - maybe more so than many of the other Final Fantasies.
Lightning Returns Pros
-whole world access
-fast, fun combat
-time limit (similar to Valkyrie Profile)
-character customisation
Although I've never been a customisation aficionado in any game - it's always nice to have some variety of choice as to how your character looks. I unconsciously pick my favourites and stick with them through a game without tinkering around too much. In this case the titular character Lightning has a range of outfits, about 100 or so which offer different abilities and must be organised strategically to change between in battle. It's nice instead of staring at the same dull avatar for an entire game.
The timelimit will induce mixed feelings - while some might feel pressured, others excited, some irritated - the time limit is easily overcome to the point some may find it redundant. However, depending on how players choose to play, they can stick to it and aim for a challenging experience or use Lightning's ability to freeze time (which is easily replenished) and extend it almost indefinitely. Despite this, the time still serves as a crucial element and is ever present in completing missions and the overall story so doesn't miss its mark (the world ends in 13 days).
On top of this I mentioned the combat. I won't analyse it in depth as you can read all that elsewhere - all I will say is that it is nice to see Square Enix toying with different ideas. Despite Final Fantasies ups and downs over the years, the fact of the matter is the creators are clearly not afraid to try new ideas - and that is what Final Fantasy needs - innovation. Every miss is another step closer to hit. In terms of XIV and XIII the creators are trying to branch out and appeal to modern audiences in a competitive global, economic entertainment arena. I don't doubt that Final Fantasy is a series worth sticking with that will surprise everyone once as it did during its era of Snes and PS1 titles with the technological, gameplay and storytelling innovations it offered.
While Lightning Returns is by no means a great success as I and many others have already noted it borrows ideas from all over the place to create a fun and eclectic title. Elements of Final Fantasy as a whole, Final Fantasy X-2 costumes, Valkyrie Profile's time constraints and other themes, Final Fantasy XIII's battle system greatly improved and exploration similar to an MMORPG all bode well for future Final Fantasy titles offering new ideas and exciting combinations of old ones. While it may not offer the same satisfaction or experience as a main numbered Final Fantasy title, what Lightning Returns offers is a sharp and sweet experience for fans of the Final Fantasy XIII saga and veteran players looking for something new.
8/10 - gameplay is strong, and the story does close the Final Fantasy saga quite nicely, however the concept offered what I consider missed opportunities.
Bravely Default
Despite its namesake Bravely Default plays like a classic Final Fantasy with some modern inclusions. Let's start with what makes it a Final Fantasy despite the brand name - then we'll discuss reasons for the changes and additions. Firstly, the job system is directly derived from Final Fantasy III and V as well as others that have included job or class change systems. They're all there Knight, Monk, Black Mage, White Mage, Thief - all the classics from the very first Final Fantasy. That said there are some new jobs as well - that aside, everything from the music, crystals, airships, the spells, items all screams Final Fantasy. So why the name change?
Either in an attempt to appeal to a new audience through the title Bravely Default or a means of recapturing fans of the Final Fantasy classics by differentiating from the changing nature of newer Final Fantasies - BD is what it is. Even visually it seems to be based on the DS remakes of III and IV. The game actually reminded me of IX in terms of presentation in a lot of ways.
I'll be brief with this one - Bravely Default is everything that once made Final Fantasy good. So for those that feel alienated or unsure about the changing nature of recent Final Fantasies - BD is the solution. The classic tale of crystals, warriors of light, empires, fantasy and magic has never felt more like a Final Fantasy here, despite the recent XIV containing all the same elements - the difference is in the characters and story. While both have solid settings, BD does what no Final Fantasy has succeeded at in a long time - it manages to have enjoyable and entertaining characters. Firstly, humour, honest to God humour is something I can't recall in Final Fantasy since IX - although arguably Final Fantasy X is hilarious (but I don't think it's trying to be) and Final Fantasy X-2 is campy at best. BD has vibrancy, enthusiasm, personality and flavour to its characters - they're likeable for the first time in a long time. A lot of these events take place in quicktime events called party chat (very similar to a system featured in the Tales of... JRPG series). Through both the plot and these events we get an insight into the characters, their unique personalities and a taste of companionship that just wasn't there in previous entries of the series, and it is refreshing.
Keeping in mind I am only in Chapter 2 of the game (towards the end - and have completed every available side-quest so far). Despite this I am thoroughly enjoying it. Thanks to many new features, battling is swift, efficient and requires a new degree of strategy through the use of the abilities Bravery and Default. This offers just enough new to refresh the classic Final Fantasy battle formula without making too drastic of a change. The job system is a welcome return and it is nice to see the character's costumes are reflected in each event scene. Another nice feature is the village system in which you assign villagers which you can collect quickly by a online update (takes no longer than a quick flick of the Wi-fi switch and selecting an option on your menu) and have them give you early or easy access to items that you may not come across until later in the game. (Thus why I'm only on chapter 2 - I've been letting the game finish rebuilding the village before I move on).
Ultimately, BD is the answer to anyone looking for an authentic old school Final Fantasy experience but may not appeal to those that like a more high powered visual experience - despite this, for what it is the game looks gorgeous and can easily be called charming.
10/10 - great update of a proven formula, very promising, bodes well - proves that classic ideas can still stand strong in this day's competitive gaming market.
...to conclude...
Congratulations if you read this far. I based my opinions around how I felt as a veteran Final Fantasy player having played almost every game in the series and completing most of them - story-wise from start to finish. Of course, a lot is based on my personal opinion - I try to find the good side in every game I play, and I'm very open to new ideas and experiences. My only area of alienation seems to be the online gaming side of things - however, I'll see how I'm feeling once I'm level 50 through the Praetorium, the Crystal Tower and Bahamut's Binding Coil in XIV.
All in all, every other veteran of online gaming or Final Fantasy will have their own feelings, values and attitudes towards the series that will either conflict, reinforce or provide an entirely different view compared to mine. What I want to end on and whole-heartedly believe is that the future of Final Fantasy will have something for everyone and that for anyone new to the RPG (role-playing) genre or series there are worlds of enjoyment to be explored and something for everyone. Regards, Craigjthompson
No comments:
Post a Comment