Quantcast
Channel: final fantasy – Rice Digital

Our Final Fantasy predictions came true!

0
0

We aren’t quite done with June just yet, but already we’ve seen some huge announcements regarding the future of Final Fantasy — and what I can confirm with absolute certainty is that we as Final Fantasy fans are eating very well!

Back in late May, I wrote a piece on what my predictions were for this combination of Final Fantasy Anniversaries and it’s definitely time for me to cash in because I was pretty damn close on more than I expected!

Final Fantasy XVI

Final Fantasy XVI 

I think this was probably the most guaranteed out of all of the games I originally included on my predictions list; we all knew the game was coming, Yoshi-P had mentioned numerous times that they were ready to show something, and it was approaching 2 years since its original reveal trailer. I was right on what the trailers showed us as well: footage that gave us a clearer look at what the gameplay was going to be like, more story info, and more characters, so I would say we definitely took a win on the FF XVI prediction. 

An area where I wasn’t as accurate though, was the release period; this one hurts, as well, because I even gave it my stamp of approval. I originally said that we would see FF XVI in Q2 (April, May, June) and I suppose if the game was to come out in June, then I would still be right, but when Square says “Summer 2023”, we’re more than likely looking at an August release window.

Crisis Core: Reunion

I’ll be completely honest, this wasn’t even on my radar, and here’s why: I was convinced that with the upcoming parts of Final Fantasy VII Remake, the story of Crisis Core would somehow be incorporated into one of, or maybe both, of these games. In the original FFVII we never really get to see too much of Zack — in fact, you can even miss out on this incredibly important origin story if you don’t revisit Shinra Mansion after Cloud’s dip into the Lifestream.

For that reason mainly, I really didn’t think we were going to be seeing a full Crisis Core remaster; additionally, with Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis I thought doubly so that we wouldn’t be seeing this, as the whole point of Ever Crisis was seemingly to be an episodic release of everything in the Final Fantasy VII compilation. 

I’m excited of course; Zack is a fantastic character and there are parts of the story which I absolutely love about this part of the compilation. The meeting and growing love between Zack and Aerith; seeing Sephiroth as the hero before his descent into madness; and, of course, Zack’s final stand. However, there are certain bits of this game that I’m not the biggest fan of — and I say this as someone who adores FFVII.

Genesis is not a character I’m excited to see again; same with Angeal. And while Crisis Core gave us some great bits of lore, it also gave us some really stupid bits as well: I was perfectly fine believing the Buster sword was passed down from Zack to Cloud and that was that; I did not need to know that it was some grandiose heirloom of another soldier. 

It has been stated that the game is more than just a remaster of the original game, despite how familiar the trailer made it look. Apparently, the game will go above and beyond the original. Hey, I’m an FFVII shill so of course, I will be playing the game when it comes out; it will be nice to revisit the story of Zack and hype me up as we move towards the next part of Remake, or, as it’s now known… 

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

I can’t quite believe it, but they actually gave us a trailer and a release window for the next game in the FFVII Remake trilogy — ah yes, I should also mention that they also confirmed that the story will span three games, although I think considering the original FFVII was across three discs, most of us guessed this was going to be the case. There are some thoughts I have about this, but we’ll get into that soon. 

In the prediction piece I wrote, I mentioned that I wasn’t confident we were actually going to see anything for this game just yet. Considering FFXVI was shown just a week before it, I thought that Square for sure wouldn’t want to steal any possible limelight from another one of their games. Never have I been so happy to be wrong — although I guess I was kind of right because I did add FFVII Rebirth to my list of predictions. 

While we did get a trailer, there was only so much I could pull from it and honestly, a lot of it left me with even more questions that I don’t think we’ll understand until the next trailer drops. I do think we’ll be playing from multiple perspectives, though, and if you saw the ending of FFVII Remake then you can probably pick up what I mean by that. 

I want to quickly talk about the game taking place over three games. My immediate thought is that while I’m happy with that and it’s what I guessed was going to happen, my only worry comes with the fact that we’ve just gotten through one of those 3 games, and that only got us out of Midgar — a 4-6 hour segment of the original game that made up just part of the original’s first disc. I just hope they won’t be cutting out some of the wacky stuff that FFVII was loved for during the portion of the game that Rebirth is going to cover.  

The original game’s disc 1 ended with the iconic scene at the Ancient City, and this is also where I believe the ending of Rebirth will take place. When it comes to the middle of a game — or just stories and trilogies in general — this is usually where we see our characters at their lowest; despair is most definitely coming at the end of this game.

So far, we’ve been set up to believe that we might be able to change the original game’s course of events — that we might just be able to save a certain someone. I don’t have any solid theories, but I’m almost certain that Rebirth is going to leave us with one hell of a sad cliffhanger.


So exciting times are ahead for Final Fantasy fans! What are you most looking forward to?

Join The Discussion

Rice Digital Discord
Rice Digital Twitter
Rice Digital Facebook

Or write us a letter for the Rice Digital Friday Letters Page by clicking here!

Disclosure: Some links in this article may be affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on them. This is at no additional cost to you and helps support Rice Digital!


Six of the best video game remakes

0
0
Six of the Best banner

The Last Of Us — or, as it’s now known, “The Last Of Us Part I” — is getting a remake. Specifically, it’s getting a remake of a remaster it’s already had, and by all accounts it’s a largely unnecessary endeavour. The original PS3 game was already a good time for those who enjoy that sort of thing and the PS4 version brought it nicely up to date with modern tech, making a PS5 remake utterly redundant — particularly since said PS4 version will happily run on a PS4. Video game remakes, eh?

Video game remakes aren’t always pointless and stupid, though. In fact, there have been quite a few really good ones over the years. So that’s what today’s Six of the Best is all about: some of the best video game remakes that we’ve ever seen, where the “remake” side of things is more than simply “taking the graphics and making them a bit nicer”. The happy side effect of treating video game remakes in this way is that the original product still remains worth exploring, even if the remake is somehow “better” — thus you end up with two independently interesting games instead of multiple very similar versions of just one.

So let’s jump right into it, with six of the best video game remakes of all time.

Final Fantasy I 20th Anniversary Edition

Final Fantasy 20th Anniversary Edition video game remakes

While the recent Pixel Remaster versions of Final Fantasy are quite nice — their soundtracks are especially good — for many people, the perfect version of the first game in the series came in the form of the 20th Anniversary Edition for PSP. And it still stands out as one of the best video game remakes of all time.

Final Fantasy 20th Anniversary Edition was the last of several iterations on the first Final Fantasy game. First came a WonderSwan Color remake which added enhanced graphics. Then came a PS1 version that further upscaled the graphics to the big screen and enhanced the soundtracks. Then came the Game Boy Advance “Dawn of Souls” version, which bundled Final Fantasy I and II together, adding several new endgame dungeons. And finally came the PSP version, which further enhanced the graphics and added a substantial new dungeon on top of the GBA version’s additions.

Final Fantasy 20th Anniversary Edition remains the best way to play this first game in the series. By no means the most authentic way, obviously — but definitely the most enjoyable and palatable from a modern gamer’s perspective. Pixel Remaster is good, but it lacks the Dawn of Souls and 20th Anniversary Edition dungeons, so it’ll always be lagging behind.

Trauma Center: Second Opinion

Video game remakes: Trauma Center - Second Opinion

The original Trauma Center: Under the Knife on Nintendo DS surprised everyone with its frantic, arcadey take on surgical procedures — two things that I’m not sure anyone expected to taste great together. It told a fantastic story, featured some amazing characters and art, had a superb soundtrack — and was absolutely bastard hard.

Trauma Center: Second Opinion for Wii is one of my favourite video game remakes of all time. It kept the main narrative intact, but completely revamped both the visual style and the control scheme to work better on the big-screen TV. It also made a notable effort to better balance the difficulty level, making it much more straightforward to actually get through the story — but still just as challenging to get the best scores and high ranks, for those who really wanted to perfect their armchair surgery game.

Second Opinion then went on to do well enough to spawn two excellent sequels in the form of New Blood and the astonishingly good Trauma Team, the latter of which I’m still bitter that Atlus never brought to Europe. Still, modding an original Wii to play import stuff is a pretty easy process, so…

Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1

Video game remakes: Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 1

The original Hyperdimension Neptunia for PlayStation 3, although something of a clunky mess of a game, had its appeal. Hell, I attribute my present-day love of all things anime-style specifically to that game, so it can’t have been that bad. In fact, it had some really interesting ideas, such as the ability to customise all your characters’ button combos in combat, a peculiar condition-based item usage system and the ability to “time attack” dungeons. But it was still ripe for a bit of fixing — particularly once the subsequent installments in the series refined the mechanics nicely.

The result was Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1, a great example of how video game remakes don’t have to make their predecessors irrelevant. It’s a distinct experience from the original Hyperdimension Neptunia — and even pokes fun at the fact it’s a remake on more than one occasion — but hits enough of the same story beats to make it clear that it’s not a completely separate game. If you’re interested in the Neptunia series as a whole, both games are worth playing — Re;Birth1 is just a bit more palatable to a modern audience from a mechanical perspective.

Atelier Rorona Plus

The DX version for Switch pictured here is just a port of Plus with all its DLC included.

Gust are no strangers to rereleasing their own games, particularly in the Atelier series; hell, a “Plus” release of each installment was seemingly traditional right from its humble beginnings on the PS1. But Atelier Rorona Plus showed a great example of how video game remakes don’t have to be radical reinventions: they can simply refine an earlier installment in a series to be more in line with its successors.

Essentially what happened was that the Arland trilogy of games in the Atelier series gradually improved quite noticeably over the course of its three installments. The original Rorona was one of Gust’s first games on the PlayStation 3 platform, and it showed a bit — particularly with its oddly proportioned character models. And so what they did is once they released Atelier Meruru — the third, final and arguably best of the trilogy — they went back to Atelier Rorona and completely rewrote it with Atelier Meruru’s graphics engine and mechanics, porting it to Vita alongside PS3 in the process. And it was good.

Unlike in the case of Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth, Atelier Rorona Plus largely makes the original Atelier Rorona redundant — though there are enough differences in the presentation and mechanics to provide plenty of interesting material for comparisons if you’re so inclined. For the most part, it’s a great example of how video game remakes can allow companies to go back and make a title shine the way they originally intended it to — as well as expanding its audience with new platforms.

Metal Max Xeno Reborn

Video game remakes: Metal Max Xeno Reborn

The most recent entry in this list, Metal Max Xeno Reborn is another great example of what we just talked about with Atelier Rorona: a company made a game, it didn’t come out quite how they hoped it would — or perhaps didn’t quite get the critical and commercial reception they hoped for — and so they tried again. With Reborn, they revamped the art style, graphical engine and overall mechanics of Metal Max Xeno, and most players agreed that the result was a superior game.

In this case, the differences between the two versions are more substantial than they were between Atelier Rorona and Atelier Rorona Plus. The art style in particular has completely changed, so you may well find yourself preferring one or the other — and likewise, the mechanics, particularly with regard to character progression, are also notably different to one another. As such, while I’d describe Atelier Rorona Plus as making Atelier Rorona mostly redundant, the two versions of Metal Max Xeno are different enough from each another to make them both worth exploring if you have the time or inclination.

Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal

Video game remakes: Senran Kagura

One of the best video game remakes I’ve ever enjoyed, Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal takes the originally 3DS-exclusive Senran Kagura Burst and brings it more in line with the rest of the series in terms of both presentation and gameplay. If you’re really paying attention, you’ll note that it also brings the series’ narrative timeline back into sync with itself, since the two 3DS games in the series are regarded as unfolding in one timeline, while most of the rest are considered to be in a “second timeline” triggered by the events of Deep Crimson. But that’s something to get thoroughly confused by another day.

Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal is a brilliant refinement of the 3D arena-based beat ’em up/fighting game combo that the series had been establishing over the course of Shinovi Versus and Estival Versus. Burst Re:Newal introduces helpful mechanics such as visible attack telegraphs, and features plenty of varied attacks for its cast of playable characters. It also features one of the best stories in the series, firmly establishing the Senran Kagura world’s interesting take on “good” and “evil” so far as shinobi are concerned.

While the future of the series beyond its perpetually successful mobile game remains somewhat in doubt, this is a great title to indulge in if you fancy some fast-paced action with plenty of fanservice — and a far more compelling, interesting story than prudish western games journalists may have led you to believe over the years!

Join The Discussion

Rice Digital Discord
Rice Digital Twitter
Rice Digital Facebook

Or write us a letter for the Rice Digital Friday Letters Page by clicking here!

Disclosure: Some links in this article may be affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on them. This is at no additional cost to you and helps support Rice Digital!

Six of the best Final Fantasy songs ever

0
0
Six of the Best banner

The Final Fantasy series has been going for longer than many gamers can remember. Though most entries have very little to do with each other plot-wise, there are some key elements that are common throughout the games. Chocobos, moogles and a character named Cid all make numerous appearances in the games, but it is the music of Final Fantasy that ties everything together. The games themselves can be uneven at times, making picking the six best a difficult task.

However, we’re not here to tackle the tough questions, so here are six of our all-time favourite Final Fantasy music tracks instead. Be sure to also check out our look at Final Fantasy XIV’s best boss themes!

Six of the best Final Fantasy tracks

There is nothing we love more than some solid video game music, whether it is mainstream like Final Fantasy or more overlooked examples. With so much music coming from this series, it is impossible to fit every worthwhile song on this list. If your favourite didn’t make the cut, you can fight for their cause in the comments or by writing to the Rice Digital Friday Letters.

Apocalypsis Noctis

Unpopular opinion: I think Final Fantasy XV is criminally underrated (You have my axe -Ed.) and a big reason for that is the music. This track is epic, sweeping, and chaotic, just like the band of bros who have their bachelor party interrupted by a minor apocalypse. This song is the perfect accompaniment to the game, feeling both defiant and overwhelmed at the same time.

Love Grows

I have made the case for Final Fantasy VIII being a highly underrated entry in the series (You have my a… wait, deja vu -Ed.), and a big reason for that is the love story between Squall and Rinoa. Though the plot can be nonsensical at times, the romantic in me can’t help but root for these two. Love Grows might not be their official love theme, but it embodies the slow build-up of their affection throughout the game, peaking at an undeniable crescendo of emotion toward the end.

Maria and Draco

I don’t, as a rule, try to pick a number one in these lists because they tend to shift and change all the time based on how I’m feeling. Not with this one, though. Maria and Draco is a collection of four songs used in the Final Fantasy VI soundtrack that come together as an operatic collection. Of all the great music that came out of the SNES era, nothing feels as epic or ambitious as this, which is probably why it has been remastered and rearranged countless times.

One Winged Angel

Though Final Fantasy VII might not be my favourite game in the series, it does have one of the all-time greatest video game villains of all time. One Winged Angel is the theme of Sephiroth — specifically, the one that plays during your final encounter with him — and it perfectly captures the growing madness and chaos behind those glowing eyes. It has everything you could want from a Final Fantasy score, from its undeniably epic tone to the ominous Latin lyrics, drawn from the medieval poetry collection Carmina Burana. It is the most recognisable and iconic track in this series’ long history.

Suteki Da Ne

One of the best love themes in the Final Fantasy series is Suteki Da Ne from Final Fantasy X. There is a bittersweetness to it that is appropriate for a story that is crashing towards heartbreak at an alarming speed. There are moments of playfulness in the song, but these are quickly washed away by the weight of what the characters must do. It is a beautiful track that sums up the game’s themes of sadness and sacrifice perfectly.

Zanarkand

When you first load up Final Fantasy X, this is the song that is waiting for you. All the characters look broken and beaten, at the brink of hopelessness. Without a word of context, you know what they are feeling because of how well the music sums it up. There is an otherworldliness to it with the flute playing along with epic highs and painful lows that stay with you even after you leave the starting screen. When it finally comes around again and you have the context of why the party looks so broken, it hits twice as hard.

Join The Discussion

Rice Digital Discord
Rice Digital Twitter
Rice Digital Facebook

Or write us a letter for the Rice Digital Friday Letters Page by clicking here!

Disclosure: Some links in this article may be affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on them. This is at no additional cost to you and helps support Rice Digital!

Musings on Secret of Mana and the more divisive Final Fantasy games

0
0

After playing through Final Fantasy Adventure recently, I decided to move right along and tackle its widely beloved sequel Secret of Mana. This is a game that I never played back in the day and, somehow, have never actually played to date either, so it was all set to be a very fresh experience for me. I know a lot of people who adore this game — even a friend who doesn’t really play Japanese RPGs or anime-style games in general is a big fan. So I was pretty excited to jump in.

A few hours in, I’m enjoying the Secret of Mana experience a great deal, and understanding why this is such a beloved game. But at the same time, there are a few things that puzzle me somewhat. Not in a way that reflects negatively on Secret of Mana, I might add — but rather in the sense that if Secret of Mana is such a widely beloved game, why is it that games which took clear cues from it ended up having less universal acclaim from players?

Secret of Mana

The main area where, for me, this is apparent is in the combat system. For the unfamiliar, Secret of Mana is ostensibly an action RPG like its predecessor Final Fantasy Adventure, but in practice it combines elements of both real-time and turn-based systems. You can move around freely during combat without limitations — and indeed, doing so is necessary to avoid physical attacks — but successfully attacking is dependent on a “power gauge” that you must let fill to 100% before swinging, otherwise you’ll strike nothing more than a glancing blow for 1 or 2 damage.

On top of that, the game pauses while you select magic for your party members to perform, and enemy magic spells are unavoidable other than by taking advantage of a possibly unintentional feature of how the game’s magic animations work. During boss fights in particular, the combat has considerably more depth than Final Fantasy Adventure and requires a lot more strategy. Managing MP in particular is quite a challenge in the early game, since while it’s tempting to blast through a dungeon with spells, they’re best saved for bosses.

When you first start playing Secret of Mana, if you were expecting a more Zelda-like combat system, you may well feel like it’s a little clunky. This isn’t helped by the fact that there’s a lot of knockdown and hitstun going on in the game, and in a lot of cases you seemingly can’t actually hit enemies while they’ve been knocked to the floor — or in some cases, you can, but the damage doesn’t register until they get back up again. At the other end of the spectrum, if you get knocked down by an enemy and trapped in a corner, you’re basically screwed, particularly if your other party members are incapacitated.

Secret of Mana

Before long, you get used to it; stop thinking of Secret of Mana as a Zelda-like and more like that half-real-time, half-turn-based hybrid and it starts to make a lot more sense. And, if you fast forward to some other Square Enix titles, you’ll find other games that do similar things. Specifically, Final Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy XV — which just happen to be two of the more divisive entries in the series, although the former has become much more fondly regarded in recent years.

Final Fantasy XII in particular feels like it takes quite strong cues from Secret of Mana in many ways — the main difference being that you don’t have to manually unleash attacks when your “charge” is full; they happen automatically. But the complete freedom of movement is still there, the pausing to choose actions is still there, the inability to avoid spells is there — it just unfolds in a 3D environment rather than top-down 2D pixel art.

Final Fantasy XV, meanwhile, also takes some ideas from Secret of Mana, though the focus on switching between attacking and defensive stances is a little different from the “charge bar” idea. You still have the option to pick abilities to perform in the middle of combat, though; whether or not you hit enemies or deal damage is, to a certain degree, dependent on what state they’re in; and it’s possible to avoid physical attacks by simply remaining out of range of their animations.

Secret of Mana

Both these games also feature a much more open-world structure than many previous Final Fantasy games — and, perhaps not coincidentally, Secret of Mana is also quite an “open” game. Granted, in the early hours of the game you’re confined to a relatively small geographical area, but within that area you’re mostly free to explore as you please, and certain events can be triggered in any order rather than following a strictly linear path.

On top of that, Secret of Mana is absolutely not a “follow the glowy trail to win” sort of game; often you’ll be told where to go next in passing, then it’s up to you to find a suitable means of getting there. This is also true for both Final Fantasy XII and XV in different ways. Final Fantasy XII’s zone-based structure hews closer to how Secret of Mana’s map is structured, while Final Fantasy XV’s completely open world allows for more freeform exploration and a certain amount of creativity.

So I find myself a little puzzled. Given that Secret of Mana is such a widely beloved game, why did some people baulk hard at Final Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy XV? Is it because they were called “Final Fantasy” and these people were expecting games where party members just lined up and took it in turns to hit things?

Secret of Mana

Because although Final Fantasy was that for many years, it’s not been that for a lot longer at this point! On top of that, series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi was known for saying “if it’s not new, it’s not Final Fantasy” — suggesting that he always intended for the series to reinvent itself on a regular basis. And so, with that in mind, the series experimenting with adopting ideas, mechanics and structures from other Square Enix properties makes a lot more sense.

If you’ve previously bounced off Final Fantasy XII and/or XV because they “weren’t Final Fantasy” to you, but you are a fan of Secret of Mana, consider revisiting them bearing in mind what we’ve just talked about. After all, don’t forget that the Mana series did actually start out as a Final Fantasy spinoff “gaiden” title in the first place!

Join The Discussion

Rice Digital Discord
Rice Digital Twitter
Rice Digital Facebook

Or write us a letter for the Rice Digital Friday Letters Page by clicking here!

Disclosure: Some links in this article may be affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on them. This is at no additional cost to you and helps support Rice Digital!

Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line is a masterclass in how to make a music game with broad appeal

0
0

Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line is finally here, and to no-one’s surprise after the substantial demo wowed everyone, it’s ended up being rather excellent. So today I’d like to take a closer look at the final game, and show some appreciation for its successful attempts to create a game that has broad, near-universal appeal — something that is not easily achieved in today’s age.

On the off-chance you’re unfamiliar, Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line is the third — and, supposedly, final — entry in Square Enix’s music game series that primarily focuses on music from the Final Fantasy franchise. The base game for Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line features nearly 400 pieces of music drawn from across the entire Final Fantasy series of games and its numerous spinoffs, and the DLC that will be trickled out over the course of three Season Passes’ worth of extra music includes songs from SaGa, Nier, Mana, The World Ends With You and numerous others.

Theatrhythm Final Bar Line

The core gameplay is similar to other Japanese music games such as Taito’s Groove Coaster, in that each song features a note chart that requires you to perform various button taps and joystick movements in order to clear various “triggers”. Make it to the end of the song with enough triggers hit with acceptable timing and you clear the song; make too many mistakes and the song will end prematurely.

Theatrhythm adds some interesting layers atop these basic mechanics, but the actual moment-to-moment gameplay never gets more complicated than hitting one or two buttons or moving one or two of the analogue sticks on your controller. In fact, there are even alternative modes that allow you to simplify the inputs further, or pass off some of the responsibilities to a co-op partner. You can also watch a track played on “Auto” mode so you can get a feel for the timing of the triggers, which can be helpful if you’re not familiar with the song in question.

I’ve commented elsewhere before that the best music games make it feel like you’re playing an instrument along with the piece of music you’re listening to, rather than simply slavishly tapping out the beat of the main melody. This is absolutely true in Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line, particularly once you graduate from the Basic difficulty level onto Expert and beyond.

Theatrhythm Final Bar Line

In many cases, the rhythms you’re tapping out feel almost like wotagei chants in that they complement the music rather than simply playing along with it. This is more apparent in some tracks than others, but it’s always a fun feeling — it makes you feel like your contribution is an important part of the overall performance, rather than you sitting behind a screen feebly tapping buttons without having any real impact.

Moreover, the implementation of the music game mechanics is really solid. You can display optional on-screen information about your timing and button inputs, and the game’s scoring system — in which 10 million points are available for each and every track — allows you to judge your accuracy with an impressive degree of granularity, particularly when coupled with the graphical “Critical Chart”, which shows which of each song’s 20 distinct sections you managed to perform with perfect timing.

Had Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line simply stopped there and remained as a solid music game with a wealth of Final Fantasy-themed tracks to enjoy, it would have been good enough. But the wonderful thing about this game is that it’s so much more than just that — and, moreover, the game places no kind of obligations on players to engage with the parts they’re not especially interested in. If you want to delve into everything Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line has to offer, there’s a lot of depth to involve yourself with; if you just want to play it as the Final Fantasy Rhythm Game, you can do that too.

Theatrhythm Final Bar Line

Core to these additional layers is Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line’s RPG-style mechanics, in which you form a party of up to four characters to take into each music track, and their stats, level and abilities determine how quickly they can move in Field Music Stages (FMS) and how they perform in Battle Music Stages (BMS).

Unlocking characters is a simple matter of unlocking the various series entries in the game’s main single-player Series Quest mode. You get one free key to start the game with whichever individual Final Fantasy game’s music you wish, and you receive other keys for reaching milestones (usually the halfway point) in that individual game’s soundtrack. So for example, if you choose to tackle Final Fantasy V first, you’ll need to play enough tracks to reach the milestone and acquire another key before you can unlock the music from another game or series.

It’s worth noting at this point, particularly given Square Enix’s recent history with Chocobo Racing, that Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line is not monetised beyond the DLC packs for additional music. So while the “key” mechanic might feel a bit mobile game-y to some, you can rest assured that it’s not there as a means of extracting money from your pocket; rather, it’s there as a pacing measure to encourage you to check out at least some of the music from each of the available soundtracks before moving on to something else.

Theatrhythm Final Bar Line

During both FMS and BMS rounds of the game, your characters will move and fight according to their level, stats and abilities. They will earn experience points after each completed stage, and there are items you can acquire to speed this process along. Characters unlock abilities at various level milestones, and can have up to three equipped at any one time, with each ability having distinct trigger requirements such as hitting a certain number of notes or reaching a particular amount of progress through the song.

There are a couple of reasons why these mechanics might be important to some players. Chief among them is the fact that in order to “Complete” a track in Series Quest mode, you need to not only successfully reach the end of the song, but also achieve a particular objective along the way. These usualyl tie into your characters achieving something, such as defeating a particular number of enemies, downing a specific boss, hitting enemy weaknesses or dealing a certain amount of damage before the song concludes.

These quests are completely optional, but they provide an extra layer of depth to the gameplay that completionists will appreciate. Many of them are fairly straightforward — particularly on the more popular soundtracks, which is a nice nod to accessibility — but some require careful strategising as to which party members you bring in, the abilities you equip them with and the level that they have reached.

It’s very satisfying to finally accomplish one of the tougher quests after some careful party management and levelling up — and the long-term objective of Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line is clearly to “Complete” all the games rather than simply “Clearing” them.

Theatrhythm Final Bar Line

There’s another aspect to the RPG mechanics, too, and that’s simply that the damage you deal in a single song can be looked on as an alternative scoring mechanic. While the “out of 10 million” rating is always calculated in the same way regardless of character status and is thus a measure of nothing other than your rhythmic accuracy (except in multiplayer — we’ll get to that), the total damage you achieve in a song is a combination of your rhythmic accuracy (since without hitting triggers you won’t hit enemies) and how good a job you’ve done setting up your party for the challenges ahead of them.

It’s an interesting meta-challenge — and, again, one that you can ignore if it’s of no interest to you.

Atop all this, there’s also a collectible card game going on, where you receive cards for achieving various things in the game, as well as through random drops from defeated enemies. Many of these cards are simple series fanservice, but the character cards in particular actually provide stat buffs to the depicted characters, making them desirable to collect if you want to get the best out of the RPG-style mechanics along the way and clear the more difficult quests you encounter.

Once again, it’s worth emphasising that there’s no “lootboxes” or other monetisation going on in Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line, and that is something that is very much to be commended. It would have been easy for Square Enix to implement the ability to buy booster packs of cards with real money — but they haven’t done that (yet, anyway — let’s hope it stays that way) and thus these collectible cards become rewards for ongoing engagement with the game rather than a cynical sign of how deep your pockets are.

Theatrhythm Final Bar Line

Alongside the collectible cards, other forms of loot you can acquire through gameplay include new pictures with which to customise your online ProfiCard, which can be traded with other players, as well as new Summon Stones, which not only provide both passive and active benefits during gameplay, but which can also be attached to your ProfiCard and traded with other players online. This feels very much like a feature that would have been implemented with StreetPass on the 3DS (and indeed previous Theatrhythm games included StreetPass features) — but given the nature of the Switch it makes a lot more sense for it to be entirely handled over the Internet.

ProfiCards can either be exchanged with other players through a dedicated trading option, or automatically exchanged following a multiplayer match, which is probably the main means through which you’ll acquire them. And the multiplayer mode is a lot of fun, potentially providing a lot of longevity to a game that will already keep you busy for many, many hours even if you only play every track once.

The way the multiplayer mode works is that up to four players join a lobby and pick a BMS track. One of the four chosen tracks is then picked by the game, and all four players play the track simultaneously, with a live score update always visible in the corner of the screen to give you an idea of your ranking alongside your opponents.

Theatrhythm Final Bar Line

To make things interesting, the multiplayer mode introduces a mechanic called Bursts, which means that as you defeat enemies in the BMS system, you’ll unleash abilities that can have a negative effect on the other players in the match. You can slow down their point-earning potential, insert fake triggers into their note charts and generally wreak havoc with their progress in various ways. It’s a lot of fun, and all very good-natured; in the grand tradition of most family-friendly console games, players can only communicate with one another through preset phrases — though there is a degree of customisation in that these appear to vary slightly according to which character you have as your party leader.

I’ll say it again at this point: the masterful thing about Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line is that everything we’ve talked about today aside from the core “tapping out rhythms to Final Fantasy songs” bit is completely optional. If all you want is a Final Fantasy music game, you’ve got it. But if you want something with more depth, or the opportunity to be directly competitive with others, or something that rewards completionist tendencies, or a game about strategic deckbuilding… you’ve got all those things too. But only if you want them.

Some may argue that all the extra stuff atop the basic mechanics is unnecessary fluff. And that’s perhaps true, because as previously noted, I think most people would have been more than happy with nothing more than a Final Fantasy music game. But the great thing about Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line is that it allows you to enjoy it however you want. Chances are, a lot of people coming to this game are going to be into the RPG-style mechanics by the very nature of its subject matter — and so it’s there for them to enjoy if they want to, and those who don’t want to aren’t punished.

Theatrhythm Final Bar Line

It’s generally better to have more options than fewer, particularly if there’s no fixed “best” way to enjoy the game. And Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line sets an exceptionally high standard in that regard. If, indeed, this is the last entry in the series, Square Enix have certainly found a means of letting it go out with a bang.

Join The Discussion

Rice Digital Discord
Rice Digital Twitter
Rice Digital Facebook

Or write us a letter for the Rice Digital Friday Letters Page by clicking here!

Disclosure: Some links in this article may be affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on them. This is at no additional cost to you and helps support Rice Digital!

If it’s not new, it’s not Final Fantasy

0
0

With Final Fantasy XVI just around the corner — and a playable demo hotly tipped to be arriving in the next couple of days at the time of writing — now seems like a good time to ponder something extremely important about the series: one of its core philosophies, in fact.

Speaking with gaming website Gamer Escape in 2016, World of Final Fantasy director Hiroki Chiba noted that series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi’s core ideal for the series had always been “if it’s not new, it’s not Final Fantasy”. And, given that the series’ most recent installments have all been criticised by some based on them not being turn-based RPGs in which players and enemies alike line up politely and take it in turns to hit one another, this is something that it’s extremely important to revisit — particularly given Final Fantasy XVI’s complete embracing of the “action RPG” descriptor.

Final Fantasy is arguably most well-known for its turn-based titles, yes, but it’s also worth bearing in mind that the last traditionally turn-based (well, Active Time Battle-based) Final Fantasy title was Final Fantasy X-2 from 2003. That’s literally twenty years ago.

You’ll notice I don’t count the Final Fantasy XIII series as “traditionally turn-based” despite them technically using a variant of the Active Time Battle system. We’ll come on to that.

With that in mind, let’s run through a brief summary of how each and every mainline Final Fantasy title provided something “new” for the series. Because there really is something brand new in each one, even in those which might appear superficially similar.

Final Fantasy I Pixel Remaster
Final Fantasy I Pixel Remaster

In Final Fantasy I, the series began, and helped to establish the formula for the top-down Japanese-style RPG. This was distinct from western-style RPGs in terms of the frequency of combat and the implementation thereof. Heavy inspiration was drawn from the classic Dungeons and Dragons materials — some might say Final Fantasy I outright cribbed from D&D throughout — but the game nonetheless had its own distinct atmosphere and feel which would come to be consistent throughout the 8- and 16-bit titles.

Final Fantasy II Pixel Remaster

Final Fantasy II shook things up in two major ways: firstly, a massively increased amount of importance in the ongoing story which, although primitive by modern standards, at least makes at attempt to be dramatic and emotionally engaging.

Secondly, its controversial progression system completely ditches traditional experience points and levels in favour of a system where stats and skills increase by you using them. Although often dismissed even by series fans as one of the weaker entries in the series, Final Fantasy II’s mechanics formed the basis of the SaGa series, which is still going strong to this day.

Final Fantasy III Pixel Remaster

Final Fantasy III introduced the Job system, which built on the fixed classes of Final Fantasy I by allowing players to switch characters between different Jobs according to the situation at hand. Characters would progress both in overall level and Job level independently, making for plenty of interesting decisions to make.

Not only was this an important part of character customisation, but there were also sequences in the game where certain Jobs and their abilities were required to solve puzzles and pass through particular scenarios.

Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster
Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster

Final Fantasy IV built on Final Fantasy II’s initial work in focusing on narrative by providing us with the series’ most ambitious story to date. While the mechanics are some of the least customisable in the series, with each and every character being locked into a set progression path and your playable party being determined by which story beat you’re on, the story is one of the series’ most widely beloved. Telling the tale of Dark Knight Cecil’s ascension to Paladinhood and his subsequent battle to free the world from oppression, Final Fantasy IV still stands up extraordinarily well as a narrative-based game to this day.

Final Fantasy IV also introduced the Active Time Battle system, which took the series out of strict turn-based territory into something that combined elements of real-time and turn-based. Characters and enemies alike would act based on a “time meter” (invisible by default in FFIV) — when this filled up, it was their turn. The speed at which it filled was determined by both character statistics and effects such as Haste and Slow. This mechanic remained a fixture until Final Fantasy IX, and returned a couple of times after.

Final Fantasy V Pixel Remaster
Final Fantasy V Pixel Remaster

Final Fantasy V took Final Fantasy III’s Job system and made pretty much everything about it better. Now it was possible to cross-class certain abilities, so if you had advanced one Job a certain amount you could use its abilities with another Job equipped. The game also wisely ditched the requirement to have specific Jobs in place to progress through certain situations, allowing for complete flexibility in character progression and customisation.

Final Fantasy V remains a popular choice for charity streams, too, with the annual Four Job Fiesta event challenging players to complete the entire game while only using four of the available Jobs.

Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster
Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster

Final Fantasy VI is, for many, the peak of 2D-era Final Fantasy. Featuring some of the most beautiful graphics on Super NES, one of the best soundtracks of the series and one of the most sprawling, ambitious, epic narratives we’d ever seen in gaming in general, this was a game that pushed not only the Final Fantasy series forward, but the entire gaming medium.

And it still found time for its own distinctive mechanics, this time with characters learning spells according to which “Esper” summonable creatures they had equipped.

Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VII

Final Fantasy VII took the series into kind-of 3D for the first time, with pre-rendered backdrops and polygonal characters laid atop them. It also leaned hard into a modern setting for the first time; while previous Final Fantasy games had all incorporated elements of sci-fi in one form or another, Final Fantasy VII was the first to be set in a recognisably modern world. I’d say “futuristic”, but in reality, a lot of the more dystopian elements of Final Fantasy VII are regrettably present and correct in our own world today.

Mechanically, Final Fantasy VII’s innovation was Materia, whereby both passive and active abilities could be levelled up independently and passed around between characters in the form of special crystals. Narratively, the game was even more ambitious and epic than Final Fantasy VI was, with its increased production values giving it a “big budget movie” feel and allowing for several of the series’ most memorable dramatic scenes. It also incorporated a variety of fun minigames, both as optional side activities and interactive story moments.

Final Fantasy VIII Remaster
Final Fantasy VIII Remaster

Final Fantasy VIII took the basic polygonal characters atop prerendered backdrops structure of Final Fantasy VII and innovated with its core mechanics. Materia was replaced with the Junction system, whereby spells could be collected like items and attached to various stats in order to power them up — this was controversial in that it made it quite easy to create “broken” characters that were obscenely powerful, but Final Fantasy VIII was more than willing to provide suitable opponents against which you could test these beefed-up cast members.

Final Fantasy VIII also built on the Active Time Battle system with some more interactive real-time elements, including timed button presses and command inputs for certain “Limit Break” special moves. It also brought us the Triple Triad card game, which formed a compelling game-long sidequest — and made a popular return in Final Fantasy XIV.

Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy IX

Final Fantasy IX was always intended to be two things: a fond farewell to the PS1 era, and an homage to the “classic era” of Final Fantasy, meaning, at this point, Final Fantasy I-VI. To that end, the more realistically proportioned characters of Final Fantasy VIII were replaced with a more stylised cast, and the classic “medieval-esque with a few anachronistically modern elements” setting made a comeback.

Mechanically, the game’s main twist was learning abilities from equipment, meaning you’d sometimes have to stick with a “worse” weapon for a while for the sake of learning a particularly useful skill. For many players, Final Fantasy IX represents the ultimate refinement of the Active Time Battle era of Final Fantasy, and it’s hard to argue with that.

Final Fantasy X

Final Fantasy X was the first PlayStation 2 installment in the series, and it was a significant reinvention in many ways. Gone was Active Time Battle, for one, to be replaced with what was referred to as Conditional Turn-Based combat, meaning that the action was for the most part strictly turn-based — but the turn order could be manipulated in various ways. This turned out to be a very influential mechanic; we still see variations on the CTB formula in numerous other non-Square Enix RPGs to this day, with one of the most notable being the Atelier series.

Final Fantasy X also ditched the “world map and location” structure of previous games in favour of one continuous game world, with the entire game essentially depicting an odyssey of running from one end to the other. Late in the game, you obtain the ability to fast-travel back to previous locations easily, but for the most part, Final Fantasy X keeps you constantly moving forward even more so than any other previous entry in the series.

Final Fantasy X-2
Final Fantasy X-2

Final Fantasy X-2 was the first direct sequel in the series, since all previous Final Fantasy games had unfolded in their own continuity with no direct connections. It followed up a loose plot thread left by the end of Final Fantasy X, but also completely changed the overall atmosphere of the game. The rather melancholy feel of Final Fantasy X was replace with something altogether more energetic and joyful, which proved to be a rather divisive decision among series fans. It works well, though.

Final Fantasy X-2 also marked a temporary return to the Active Time Battle system, albeit this time around with variable-length time meters according to the abilities being used. Its Dressphere system also provided a fun variation on the classic Job system from Final Fantasy III and V, with mid-battle character switching forming an important part of strategy for tougher encounters.

Final Fantasy XI

Final Fantasy XI was the first even online-only installment in the series and, impressively, it’s still running to this day. While many people are hesitant to try this game on the grounds that it was notoriously challenging and required grouping up with other people to appreciate back in the day, today it is much more accessible and even, for the most part, soloable. Mechanically, the game eschews turn-based combat in favour of semi-real time action, with automatic regular attacks at set intervals and special abilities having charge times and cooldowns to use.

Compared to other MMORPGs available at the time, Final Fantasy XI is also a lot more narrative-centric; the game’s mission-based structure allows you to advance the plot at your own pace and spend the rest of your time exploring the vast number of available jobs and optional side content on offer. If you like exploring and experimenting with mechanics, Final Fantasy XI is still a great game to play, so don’t dismiss it just for being an online-only game.

Final Fantasy XII

Final Fantasy XII essentially took the good things about Final Fantasy XI and transplanted them into a single-player game, but it still found time to provide its own unique twists on the formula. Combat followed a similar semi-real-time structure to Final Fantasy XI, but as a single player game, it allows you to pause the game to give commands to your party members at any time. It also features a programmable system called Gambit whereby you can set conditions for your party members to perform various actions automatically. Mastering this is key to success in Final Fantasy XII.

Final Fantasy XII is noteworthy from a narrative perspective in that it forms part of a subseries known as Ivalice. This also includes the Final Fantasy Tactics games and cult classic Vagrant Story, and has specific homage paid to it in one of Final Fantasy XIV’s raid cycles.

Final Fantasy XIII
Final Fantasy XIII

Final Fantasy XIII took an ambitious story about determinism and wrapped its entire game’s mechanics around it. Naturally, most people promptly misunderstood this completely and complained about it being too linear and restrictive, but take a moment to critically analyse the game’s narrative and how its gameplay features interact with it, and it makes a whole lot more sense.

Although superficially appearing to use the Active Time Battle system, Final Fantasy XIII’s combat is instead about looking at the “big picture” in battle rather than micromanaging individual commands. Success in Final Fantasy XIII’s battles comes through a combination of character progression and careful use of the Paradigm Shift system, which changes the makeup of your party’s classes and abilities on the fly. Again, this remains commonly misunderstood to this day — but play in the way that is clearly intended and there’s some really interesting design at play here.

Final Fantasy XIII-2

Final Fantasy XIII-2 was the mainline series’ second direct sequel (unless you count FFXII’s follow-up Revenant Wings, which tends to be regarded as a spinoff) and built on the structure of Final Fantasy XIII. Although still using the Paradigm Shift system for combat, the twist this time around was that you only had two fixed party members: the third slot could be occupied by catchable monsters who could each have specific roles to play in battle.

Narratively, Final Fantasy XIII-2 also feels like it takes a pot-shot at FFXIII’s most vocal critics, too; rather than the mostly linear narrative of Final Fantasy XIII, we instead have a largely non-linear storyline that jumps around through time, space and dimensions, with each “fragment” having its own distinct things to discover.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII changed things up again by focusing entirely on Final Fantasy XIII’s main protagonist Lightning. Again, we had a different twist on the non-linear formula, this time by affording Lightning the opportunity to explore the world more freely rather than jumping around in time.

Mechanically, Lightning Returns featured another variation on the Active Time Battle system, but with a strong focus on changing costumes and the Jobs attached to them. This is a largely underappreciated, oft-forgotten entry in the series — but it’s well worth a play if you haven’t given it a chance. It’s genuinely interesting, both narratively and mechanically.

Final Fantasy XIV

Final Fantasy XIV surely needs no introduction at this point, but just in case: it’s the second online-only installment in the series, and rather notoriously collapsed completely before being totally rebuilt by a new team into the monstrously successful powerhouse it is today. Offering a combination of an incredibly compelling original story, tons of Final Fantasy series fanservice and plenty of high-level, challenging content for hardcore MMO fans, Final Fantasy XIV quickly took over the title of benchmark MMO from Blizzard’s World of Warcraft and hasn’t let go of the title since.

For those resistant to MMOs, it’s worth noting that like Final Fantasy XI, specific efforts have been made to make Final Fantasy XIV’s main story solo-friendly for the most part. There’s still a bit of work remaining to be done for it to be truly completely soloable, but right now you can jump in and play the game as a “Final Fantasy” rather than “an MMO” with confidence, just to enjoy the story and its amazing soundtrack.

Final Fantasy XV

Final Fantasy XV took the series in some interesting new directions followed a notoriously troubled development cycle. We had a shift to open-world gameplay, with a significant chunk of the game involving exploring a large and interesting world, completing quests and discovering all manner of things. And, probably most controversially, we had a move to completely real-time combat — though not, as many critics claimed, “Kingdom Hearts combat”.

Instead, Final Fantasy XV’s combat placed a strong emphasis on stances. You’d need to observe enemies to determine whether it was safe to attack or if you should remain defensive, and give orders to your allies to support you and perhaps create those openings for you. Subsequent post-release updates (collected together in the Royal Edition release of the game) allowed you to play as characters other than protagonist Noctis, with each character having their own unique mechanics to experiment with. Despite a shaky start, FFXV ended up in a good state, and is well worth playing today.

Final Fantasy VII Remake

Finally, Final Fantasy VII Remake combines elements of Final Fantasy XV and Final Fantasy XII to create one of the best combat systems the series has seen to date. Not only that, but it also became very clear over the course of the game’s narrative that, despite the name, the developers of Final Fantasy VII Remake were not going for a simple, slavish remake of the original; rather, they were taking a more subversive approach, questioning the established canon and opening up some interesting possibilities for future development.

This, of course, made some fans of the original very angry indeed, but assuming the team follows through on the potential established in Final Fantasy VII Remake — which it looks like they will — it looks like we’re going to have a whole new but recognisably familiar experience to enjoy in the long term.

So there you have it. Every single Final Fantasy has done something new and different. And Final Fantasy XVI will be no exception when it finally arrives at the end of this month.

So instead of worrying about whether or not it’s a “real” Final Fantasy if it’s an action game, embrace it for what it is, and enjoy it on its own merits. After all, if it’s not new, it’s not Final Fantasy.

Join The Discussion

Rice Digital Discord
Rice Digital Twitter
Rice Digital Facebook

Or write us a letter for the Rice Digital Friday Letters Page by clicking here!

Disclosure: Some links in this article may be affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on them. This is at no additional cost to you and helps support Rice Digital!

As Final Fantasy XII is to XI, so is Final Fantasy XVI to XIV

0
0

Even for the most devoted Final Fantasy fan, there are two mainline installments that you can’t necessarily guarantee everyone has played — and, perhaps more worryingly, two mainline installments that will, at some indefinite point in the future, become completely inaccessible.

These are Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV, both of which are subscription-based massively multiplayer affairs. As someone who has played both (albeit not to “completion” in either case) I can say with confidence that they are very much worth playing for anyone who considers themselves a Final Fantasy fan — but at the same time, I also understand the resistance, particularly in the case of Final Fantasy XI.

Final Fantasy XI

Final Fantasy XI first released in 2002, two years before World of Warcraft redefined the massively multiplayer online RPG model. This means that, at launch, it was following a similar mould to other MMOs that were around at the time — most notably Sony’s EverQuest. For those who have never played an early MMO, that means a strong focus on party play, even when simply wandering around the game world; these are games where a simple rat or rabbit would kick your ass if you didn’t have some friends along to help you out.

To be fair, your first ten levels or so in Final Fantasy XI at launch were probably just about soloable — if you made sure that you only ever fought enemies that registered as “easy prey” and made sure to rest up and fully restore your HP and MP after every single fight. After that, though, if you wanted to get anywhere, you would need to stand in the middle of a field yelling “15RDM LFG” (or equivalent) until someone took pity on you. Particularly once you got to the point where you needed to unlock dual-classing, which required that you obtain several very specific items from tough enemies in the Valkurm Dunes.

Final Fantasy XI

There were good things and bad things about this approach. The good thing was that the “enforced” socialisation that came about through the necessity to cooperate with others often made for some fun gaming experiences. Everyone was in the same boat with regard to “needing” to do this stuff, so there was a really nice sense of camaraderie, and this often led to friendships forming. The bad thing, meanwhile, was that not only was this hell for people who felt anxious in social situations, it also meant that you could quite easily have a Final Fantasy XI play session that lasted for several hours in which you made no progress whatsoever if no-one was available (or wanted) to help you.

These days, the vast majority of this aspect of Final Fantasy XI has been completely alleviated through the “Trust” system, whereby you can summon avatars of various NPCs in the game to fight alongside you and act as party members. There’s even a fun metagame aspect to this, given that unlocking certain characters requires that you complete specific quests or find certain items. It was a positive move in the long term, and helps make Final Fantasy XI a lot more accessible today than it once was.

Final Fantasy XII

Back in the day, meanwhile, Square Enix had another answer to that problem, which was simply to release a brand new Final Fantasy game that made use of many of the new ideas introduced by Final Fantasy XI, but kept them in a strictly single-player space. That game was, of course, Final Fantasy XII.

If you’ve played both Final Fantasy XI and XII it’s not hard to see — and, perhaps more noticeably, hear — the connections between them. The footsteps sound is identical between the two games, for example, as are many of the battle sound effects. The camera perspective is the same. The pace of combat is very similar, and the feel of letting battle unfold and occasionally manually triggering various abilities and spells, each of which take time to cast (and, sometimes, to cool down) is very similar.

The main differences are that you probably won’t get slaughtered by a tiny little rabbit or a bumblebee within the first ten minutes of play in Final Fantasy XII, and that Final Fantasy XII takes a much more “directed” approach to steering you through its main scenario — though still offers plenty of freedom as you progress.

To put it another way, if Final Fantasy XI still doesn’t appeal even with the addition of the Trust system, Final Fantasy XII is a more than adequate substitute.

Final Fantasy XIV

Twenty years later, we’re looking at a very similar situation. Final Fantasy XIV is extremely well-regarded and popular — more so than Final Fantasy XI ever was, despite the fact that XI is still up and running today, an impressive feat in itself — but there are still folks who don’t want to play a massively multiplayer game with a subscription fee. And that’s still understandable, particularly in an age where people are very suspicious of “live service” games at the best of times.

For what it’s worth, Final Fantasy XIV offers very good value for money, with substantial new additions to both the main story and optional content being added on a regular basis, and while there are some microtransactions available to do things like skip past story or level to a particular milestone in order to catch up to the latest expansions, there’s nothing “game-breaking” in there; you can’t, say, buy a weapon that will immediately make you substantially more powerful than regular players — and even if you could, Final Fantasy XIV places such a strong emphasis on player skill and knowledge of mechanics that it wouldn’t do you much good by itself.

But I digress. Fact is, Final Fantasy XIV doesn’t appeal to everyone, but there are people for whom the game itself doesn’t appeal, but who find themselves feeling like they are missing out on things like Naoki Yoshida’s input on the series, Michael-Christopher Koji Fox’s amazing work on the English script and, of course, Masayoshi Soken’s incredible soundtrack.

Square Enix’s answer to this problem is, once again, to release a brand new Final Fantasy that includes all the best bits of Final Fantasy XIV, as previously noted, but make it a strictly single-player experience. The two entries in question aren’t immediately adjacent this time around, thanks in part to the troubled development of Final Fantasy XV, but that connection is still very much present and correct. Yoshi-P’s influence on the whole game is very apparent; Koji Fox’s English script is excellent; Soken’s music is magnificent.

There’s a more noticeable disparity in the way the two games play this time around, of course, with Final Fantasy XVI marketing itself as “the first true action RPG in the series” while Final Fantasy XIV makes use of what we today regard as relatively conventional cooldown-based MMO combat. But there are definite connections between the two. More to the point, there are even mechanical and stylistic elements that can be traced right back to Final Fantasy XI, too, which is very pleasing indeed for longstanding fans of the series.

Those of you who have played the recent Final Fantasy XVI demo for PlayStation 5 will have likely experienced the Chirada and Suparna fight in the “Eikonic Challenge” section of the demo. This boss battle sees you facing off against Garuda’s two sisters, much as you do in the Howling Eye trials in Final Fantasy XIV, and makes heavy use of telegraphed attacks that go off shortly after appearing. This latter aspect in particular feels like it’s been pulled directly from Final Fantasy XIV’s intricately designed boss battles, and ensures that combat is always more than simply getting up close and spamming attacks as much as possible.

This sort of thing shows up elsewhere, too; again in the Eikonic Challenge section, Benedikta will make use of abilities that will be familiar to anyone who fought Garuda in Final Fantasy XIV, but Final Fantasy XVI’s ability to evade in real-time puts an interesting new twist on dealing with them. These mechanics are comfortingly familiar for those who have played and loved Final Fantasy XIV, but work well on their own merits for those who skipped it.

The Final Fantasy XI homages, meanwhile, are a little more subtle. Probably the most obvious is in the naming conventions of the goblin characters seen in the Stillwind section of the main demo. “Goblin Mugger” and “Goblin Weaver” enemies will be well familiar to anyone who played Final Fantasy XI — in fact, they were usually enough to make solo players run away screaming during their early levels — though here they look a little different, since they don’t wear the masks they’re typically seen wearing in both Final Fantasy XI and XIV.

Mechanically, there’s one big carry-over from Final Fantasy XI to XVI, and that’s Magic Burst. In Final Fantasy XI, a big emphasis in high-level party play was creating “Skillchains”, which involved players setting off specific combinations of weapon skills in succession, one after another, in order to create specific elemental effects and deal heavy damage. The effectiveness of these could be further improved if a mage tossed an appropriate-element spell into the mix as a final flourish, and this was known as Magic Burst.

In Final Fantasy XVI, it’s a little simpler, since you’re playing solo as Clive for the majority of the game. Creating a Magic Burst in Final Fantasy XVI is simply a case of weaving in a magic spell into your melee combos. I say “simply”; getting the timing right is quite challenging, but being able to successfully pull off several combos and magic bursts in succession is immensely rewarding, both in terms of the on-screen feedback and how effective it is against your enemies.

It’s really pleasing to see how much love and respect Final Fantasy XVI clearly has for its predecessors in the series — not just Final Fantasy XIV, which it’s clearly a response to, but also other past favourites, too. For those who are still concerned that the series going “action RPG” means that it won’t be Final Fantasy any more, it’s abundantly clear that you really don’t have anything to worry about. This is — and always has been — a series that respects its legacy while continually pushing forwards into new and creative territory. And that’s never going to change.

Join The Discussion

Rice Digital Discord
Rice Digital Twitter
Rice Digital Facebook

Or write us a letter for the Rice Digital Friday Letters Page by clicking here!

Disclosure: Some links in this article may be affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on them. This is at no additional cost to you and helps support Rice Digital!

Final Fantasy XVI puts all other blockbuster releases to shame

0
0

Final Fantasy XVI is an incredible video game. It’s beautifully presented, it plays brilliantly, it is emotionally engaging and narratively rich — and it’s hard not to look at it and make comparisons to what is going on elsewhere in the triple-A space.

Final Fantasy has long occupied a rather curious space in gaming where, by most people’s definitions, it is a big-budget triple-A game — but it never quite feels like one. Instead, individual entries always feel very much like creative projects where the people behind them have been given a hefty amount of funding to realise their ambitions. This sometimes leads to divisive decisions being made — but the series remains worthy of respect.

Final Fantasy XVI

That’s because at no point has there ever been a feeling that the Final Fantasy series is trying to pander to the whims of an imaginary audience. At no point has there ever been a corporate presentation about Final Fantasy in which a man in a suit who has never read a work of fiction walks out on stage and starts talking about “the quality and excellence our consumers expect”. At no point has there ever been the sense that Final Fantasy has been “designed by committee” or focus-grouped into oblivion.

And, as Final Fantasy XVI demonstrates, that is emphatically a good thing. The result is a beautifully polished work of interactive art that at no point feels like it’s prioritising attempts to be a successful commercial product. There are no aspects of the game that feel like they’re there solely to “encourage ongoing player engagement” or “maintain a baseline of daily active users”. At no point does it feel like there’s an opening for exploitative, predatory monetisation. The game simply feels like it’s been designed to be an expression of the creators’ vision — and that it wants people to enjoy it for what it is.

The result? A game that is spectacularly immersive, and which it’s hard to put down once you start playing. I speak from experience; after my copy arrived on Friday afternoon, I barely left my chair over the course of the entire weekend. And, after playing that solidly, I still feel like there’s a lot more to discover, with the game very gradually opening up all its systems as you progress through its lengthy narrative.

Final Fantasy XVI

Let’s talk a bit about the specifics of the game, for the benefit of those who haven’t been following along. Final Fantasy XVI places you in the role of Clive Rosfield, a man whose distinctly normal-sounding name feels perfectly natural after just an hour or two of play. The narrative follows his adventures over the course of several different time periods, with the game opening in medias res as he and a squad of other gentlemen named after various Final Fantasy dragons attempt to infiltrate a battlefield.

Before long, things go horribly wrong for Clive — or “Wyvern”, as he is known at this point — and he passes out. We’re then taken to a flashback of thirteen years prior, during which we play as a young Clive on his first mission as a Shield of Rosaria: a sworn protector of the Phoenix’s Dominant, who just happens to be his brother Joshua. We learn that Clive’s father, the Archduke of Rosaria, is a thoroughly nice man, and that his mother is a nasty piece of shit. And then things go horribly wrong for 15 year old Clive, too.

The story then returns to the “present” and we pick up where older Clive left off. The game isn’t done with time-skipping at this point, mind; after some fairly major occurrences towards the end of this first “older Clive” sequence (which is pretty lengthy in its own right, it has to be said) the story skips forward another five years. And with every jump forward in time, the realm of Valisthea is in a worse state.

Final Fantasy XVI

This is one of the most interesting things about Final Fantasy XVI. While the settings of past Final Fantasy games have had their problems to deal with — often to a fairly major degree by their conclusions — they have typically tended to be fairly colourful, vibrant, nice places overall; the sort of world you want to save. In Final Fantasy XVI, meanwhile, Valisthea is not only falling to pieces before humanity’s eyes, what with the huge Mothercrystals sucking the land dry of aether and life, but even without that increasingly urgent issue to deal with, it’s hard to feel like this is a land worth saving in the first place.

Core to Final Fantasy XVI’s narrative is the concept of “Bearers” — people who are able to naturally make use of magic by drawing on the aether from their surroundings. Rather than being celebrated as remarkable, Bearers are pretty much universally treated as scum, usually ending up enslaved to do the bidding of the more powerful members of society. To make matters worse, anyone known to be a Bearer is branded with a mark on their cheek, making it very hard for them to hide their social status.

As Final Fantasy XVI progresses, we see all manner of different ways in which Bearers are mistreated. Even in young Clive’s Rosaria, the closest we get to an “idyllic” setting for much of the game, Bearers are still slaves, albeit ones who are treated relatively well in comparison to some other areas. The justification for this stems from the realm-wide religion; in many areas, the strictest doctrines of said religion have fallen out of favour, but the more… “convenient” elements, such as divinely endorsed slavery, have been kept on.

Final Fantasy XVI

Clive, as a decent sort, sympathises with the Bearers’ lot even as a youngster — and he’s given a first-hand experience of what it means to be one after the disastrous events that conclude young Clive’s chapter. This is one way in which the two older Clive sequences contrast; in the first, he still bears the brand of a Bearer on his face, while in the second, he has had the mark removed. It leaves a distinctive scar on his face, yes, but people, on the whole, tend to treat him a bit more like a human being.

Anyway, to share too much more about Final Fantasy XVI’s narrative is to spoil it completely, and while it is tempting to launch into a full-on in-depth analysis right now, we’ll save that for another time. Suffice to say for now that this is an ambitious, sweeping narrative that, despite its rather medieval-esque setting (with the obligatory Final Fantasy “advanced ancient civilisation” ruins scattered around the place) tackles a variety of themes that are extremely relevant to modern society, ranging from discrimination and inequality to climate change.

And none of these things are approached in a heavy-handed manner; instead, the game takes a contemplative, philosophical approach and in many cases invites the player to make up their own mind how they feel. This is a game that should have books written about it. But I digress.

Final Fantasy XVI

In terms of gameplay, Final Fantasy XVI is sublime. The action combat is smooth and satisfying, yet highly accessible even to those who are less familiar with full-on real-time games. As the game progresses and Clive gains access to more abilities, it becomes possible to chain together some very impressive combinations of attacks, and the encounters are well-designed to encourage you to do more than simply hack and slash — though thanks to the “Timely” accessories, which optionally automate various aspects of the battle system, you can play the game that way should you so desire.

Strong cues have been taken from Final Fantasy XIV in terms of encounter design, with enemies making use of clear tells and visual telegraphs, allowing you to anticipate, avoid and counteract pretty much any attack. While regular enemies can simply be dispatched with relative ease, those with a “stagger bar” will put up more of a fight, and generally demand that you engage with their mechanics a bit more than simply hitting them repeatedly.

Pleasingly, these mechanics-centric fights aren’t restricted to scripted boss fights, either; you’ll find strong enemies just out in the field, and later in the game once the Hunt Board unlocks, you’ll be able to receive significant bounties for seeking out and taking them on.

Final Fantasy XVI

Structurally, Final Fantasy XVI also takes some cues from Final Fantasy XIV. For much of the game, you have a “hub” location with all your main facilities, many of which unlock as the game progresses. From there, you can move out to various “field” locations, which take the form of large, open maps with smaller settlements scattered across them. These areas reward exploration with hidden treasure coffers and optional enemies to fight, and there are also often sidequests to complete in these areas too — though never an excessive amount.

Major story moments, meanwhile, are handled through what the game calls “Stages”, which are essentially analogous to the instanced dungeons and trials in Final Fantasy XIV. These are self-contained areas with scripted battles, typically culminating with spectacular boss encounters. While they can’t be revisited from the world map after you’ve completed them — usually due to said spectacular boss encounters having rather destructive after-effects — they can be replayed from a special stone in the hub location, either in Arcade Mode, where you get scored for your combat techniques as you replay the stage, or in Stage Replay mode, where you can simply revisit the stage and attempt to recover anything you might have missed.

While this does make Final Fantasy XVI’s narrative progression quite linear, the game gradually opens up a bit at a time as you progress, mirroring the increased freedom that Clive has to go about his business in the world as time goes on. This is quite similar to how Final Fantasy XIII handled its core philosophical concepts of determinism — but I suspect it will be much more palatable to many people due to how much more open the field areas feel than Final Fantasy XIII’s notorious “corridor dungeons”.

Final Fantasy XVI

Perhaps best of all, once you beat the game there’s incentive to replay thanks to the unlockable “Final Fantasy Mode”. This is not just a harder difficulty level; rather, it increases the level cap and replaces most of the enemies and bosses in the game with new opponents, making it a mostly new experience worth experiencing for a second time. Combined with the Arcade Mode feature (which has online leaderboards), there’s an absolute ton of replay value in Final Fantasy XVI — but none of it feels like it’s trying to keep you around for “commercial” or “corporate” reasons.

This is how big-budget games should be. They should feel like they’ve had time, effort and money thrown behind them, but they should never feel like the “business” side of things is more important than the “creative” side of things. So many modern triple-A games get that completely wrong, and Final Fantasy XVI puts those titles to shame. It’s an absolutely magnificent video game, and one I hope is looked back on as a major milestone in the series.

Join The Discussion

Rice Digital Discord
Rice Digital Twitter
Rice Digital Facebook

Or write us a letter for the Rice Digital Friday Letters Page by clicking here!

Disclosure: Some links in this article may be affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on them. This is at no additional cost to you and helps support Rice Digital!


Final Fantasy XIV Moogle Treasure Trove returns today

0
0

The Final Fantasy XIV Moogle Treasure Trove event has returned once again in the run up to Dawntrail.

Running until March 11, Moogle Treasure Trove: The First Hunt for Genesis will allow players to acquire irregular tomestones by completing certain duties. These can be traded for a number of rewards, including the Mameshiba Neckerchief.

The First Hunt for Genesis introduces a new system to this event in the form of the Mogpendium. This offers up a number of weekly and event objectives that offer extra tomes, potentially shortening the grind needed to get all items.

With Dawntrail not releasing until Summer 2024, there should be at least one more Final Fantasy XIV Moogle Treasure Trove event coming after the First Hunt for Genesis ends in March. This should also bring with it a new set of rewards to aim for.

Join The Discussion

Rice Digital Discord
Rice Digital Twitter
Rice Digital Facebook

Or write us a letter for the Rice Digital Friday Letters Page by clicking here!

Disclosure: Some links in this article may be affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on them. This is at no additional cost to you and helps support Rice Digital!

Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster collection updated on PC

0
0

A new update has released for the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster collection on PC via Steam.

Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster on PC versions of Final Fantasy 1-6 is now identical to the later Switch releases, including new features and quality of life changes.

One of the most welcome changes comes in the form of an additional font choice (the original font being a little ugly if not changed manually.) You now also have the option to switch the BGM between the arrangements made for the Pixel Remasters, or the original versions.

This update coincides with a Steam sale on all 6 games, lasting until February 13, 2024. It’s the first time that the full I-IV bundle has received a discount since its launch in 2021.

Join The Discussion

Rice Digital Discord
Rice Digital Twitter
Rice Digital Facebook

Or write us a letter for the Rice Digital Friday Letters Page by clicking here!

Disclosure: Some links in this article may be affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on them. This is at no additional cost to you and helps support Rice Digital!





Latest Images