"Final Fantasy Type-0 HD Review"
(Introduction)
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD is the next generation release of Final Fantasy Type-0 for the Playstation 4 and Xbox One. Originally a PSP exclusive title, the game was announced as Final Fantasy Agito. The game along with Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII (now Final Fantasy XV) was meant to be a part of the Fabula Nova"Final Fantasy Type-0 HD Review"
(Introduction)
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD is the next generation release of Final Fantasy Type-0 for the Playstation 4 and Xbox One. Originally a PSP exclusive title, the game was announced as Final Fantasy Agito. The game along with Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII (now Final Fantasy XV) was meant to be a part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis mythology that Square Enix has adopted for their more recent Final Fantasy titles. Since its announcement, the game like Final Fantasy Versus changed names from Agito to Type-0 and was released exclusively in Japan in 2011.
Last year in June, the HD version of the game was announced during E3, exclusively for next generation consoles. A few months ago last year in late September, the game (in its first print copies only) was revealed to come packaged with a demo for Final Fantasy XV titled Episode Duscae.
Regarding Type-0, I was of the few fortunate enough to play the original version of the game, three times in fact in its entirety. Besides 7, I would argue that Type-0 is probably my favorite entry because of what it does differently. The game also successfully brings back the core open world design with a large cast of characters and a bottled but intriguing story riddled with nostalgic elements that made this particular series popular.
(Presentation)
Type-0 has a fantastic presentation. First of all, the game right off the bat has a much darker tone to it compared to other games in the franchise. The very first scene of the game, which involves a boy and his chocobo grabs your attention immediately. The only other final fantasy games that pulled me in from the get-go would be 6 and 7. The opening scene also does a great job of introducing the player to this grim and desolate world that Type-0's story takes place in. The game's presentation successfully establishes that this is a game that's going to have very dark moments and that it won't compromise on its themes by cutting away or around the brutality of its content like in previous entries.
Also to note, the game does have a much lighter side but this isn't represented in the game's opening sequence.
(Story)
The story while decent, is told somewhat strangely. In a nutshell, Type-0 does encourage the player to take advantage of the new game plus feature to fully grasp the different events and their chronology in relationship with one another in the game. The problem with this is that, Type-0 like many other games forces the player to play much longer than what should be necessary and dig up research in order to fully comprehend the narrative as a whole which is annoying to say the least.
While its great to encourage replayability, it should never come at the cost of undermining the story. However, the story at the end of the day while quite convoluted and at times overwhelming, is a rather interesting tale, it's quite unique for a series such as Final Fantasy.
Simply put, this game is all about war, its world is very bleak and the game makes it clear that no one, young or old, is safe from the conflict. This brings me to the characters and factions. In the game, within the world of Orience, there are four conflicting nations. In the game you represent one of those factions, Rubrum, as the renown student members of Class 0 which hail from a magic academy called Academia. Originally, in Class 0 there are 12 characters, Ace, Queen, Nine, Deuce, Cater, Cinque, Seven, King, Jack, Sice, Trey, and Eight. At the beginning of the game, two more students join Class 0 as its final members, those are Rem and Machina. This brings the game to a total 14 playable characters. While this could create for some strong interconnected story telling between the members of Class 0, it unfortunately falls flat in most aspects.
With the exception of Rem and Machina, the characters of Class 0 are are left mostly in the background as cut outs that are meant to serve the game's overall narrative structure of the war. Still, that's not to say that each member isn't given his/her moment to shine onscreen both in game and in cutscene. Also, aside from few specific voices which were miss cast, the English voice work is rather done well here. Hearing Ace and Seven's English dub was really satisfying for me considering they were my two favorite characters to play as in the original version of Type-0.
Each member of Class 0 has his/her own unique personality and it is also a plus that the game is evenly mixed between both playable male and female characters. The main antagonist of the game is reoccurring Final Fantasy character Cid. In this particular entry, he's a commander representing The Milites Empire. The art of the character designs and world is rather interesting to me because it feels more grounded in comparison to other Final Fantasy titles.
Also, the dialogue primarily in the English localization can be extremely cheesy to the point where the writing just comes off as goofy and not in a good way. The game really does suffer from this problem which placed me at odds of what's to become of XV's dialogue, until I played the demo of course.
Overall, the story of Type-0 is interesting but it's not communicated to the player in the best way and character development suffers greatly due to the lack of focus on members of Class 0 who truly seem to be only important in game and not as equally important in cutscene. This will undoubtedly divide some players as the end result.
(Graphics)
I wish that there wasn't much to say regarding the graphics. I'm not huge on graphics, for obvious reasons but for an HD port of what originally was a handheld game, this is well done but its not nearly the best Square could have achieved. There are some next gen elements to this port but they are very few, far, and in between. Aside from some great lighting, the fact is that graphically, Type-0 HD simply doesn't stand up to other next gen titles and that's okay, somewhat. In comparison to other PSP titles, the game in its original incarnation looked great but with the HD release, everything has been bumped up exponentially. The characters of Class 0 appear much larger on screen and they have been up-scaled in their hair, and clothing although expressions and mannerisms have unfortunately stayed the same.
The biggest flaw with the graphics is that, while the majority of Class 0 themselves look great, everyone around them look as if they were ripped straight from the PSP original. In that regards, the graphics are very disappointing because its not just the character models that suffer from this problem either but I'll get to that.
Environments have been completely overhauled with intricate details that were not present/seen in great detail from the original version of the game. Colorful magic effects explode on screen with great lighting and the weather effects such as rain are much more impressive here than they were before. There's somewhat of a blur effect that has been added when the camera is rotated but it never becomes disorienting. To some however, the effect may come across as distracting. Overall the game in its graphical aesthetics is ten times better than what was available on the PSP period. The cut-scenes however like the NPCs haven't been up-scaled and Square has opted to retain the original PSP cinematics which is very strange and unacceptable for a next gen port. Also to add to the fire, it doesn't help that the lip synching doesn't match up with the English voice work which makes the character models appear as marionette's with out of sync sound from time to time.
All in all the graphics while bumped up, remain inconsistent constantly from the moment you start the game, to the moment you put it down after each session. As long as you don't unrealistically go into the game expecting the graphical fidelity of games like Infamous Second Son or The Order 1886, then you won't be disappointed.
(Gameplay)
This is not a traditional turn based Final Fantasy but rather this is an action RPG game. As a result the combat system is very hands on. You move your character around freely, you're not confined to a battle menu. You can't block attacks but you can easily evade for defensive maneuvers. Each character has a limited number of actions available but the combat is very satisfying as it does require the management of three party teams, equipment, stocking of healing and magic restoration items, and the use of every character at one point or another in the game. You can switch characters on the fly while your A.I partners are left to make their own decisions, for better or worse.
Bear in mind, Type-0 is a very challenging game depending on the difficulty you're playing on. Enemies can be very brutal and your team and reserves will be wiped out in an instant depending on the situation and your skill level. The end of the game, without spoilers is especially challenging and will test your skills on more than just basic combat. The best part about the game's combat is the fact that each member of Class 0 specializes with a certain type of weapon and combat style. For example, Ace uses magical cards and as a long ranged character, he can attack from a distance and place traps within the environment among other actions. Deuce on the other hand is a mid-long ranged character who can heal the party rapidly and shield them with a buffed defense from a great distance away. While this may seem overwhelming, each character does have his/her own strengths and weaknesses and each character only has so many actions available.
With 14 playable characters whose actions behave and react differently from each other, this creates more of a strategic element as to whom you should form as a party throughout the game's 8 chapters, side quests, and combat exercises. There are other elements in the game that one would expect out of a Final Fantasy game such as riding chocobos, visiting towns/interacting with NPCs, piloting an airship, and calling upon summons in battle which are fully controllable in this game. Other aspects like the handy fast travel system, special items such as growth eggs, and select but essential elements of magic all make the game more accessible. In other words, this is still very much a Final Fantasy game at its core.
The leveling system is a much appreciated simple number based system unlike past systems such as the cumbersome sphere grid in FF X and the pricey crystarium in FF XIII. Although the biggest con of the game for me is the fact that characters outside your party do not level up when they are not engaged in combat which essentially makes grinding much longer than it needs to be. This in turn makes the game more repetitive in nature and it can extensively raise the overall time of a single play-through. On a good note, save points in the game are frequent and they are the only times in which you can upgrade, equip, and manage the reserves list of every member in Class 0 as well as save and load any game save that you have available.
On an initial play-through, with much grinding it took me 40 hours to finish the game without diving much into the side quests. You can speed through the game much faster than that however if you focus on leveling just a few characters, something I preferred not to do. On subsequent play-throughs via new game plus, you can play through each mission in the game again, this time with a second path available to play in which more cut-scenes can be unlocked and you retain all your items and experience in the process. Strategically taking advantage of the Kill-sight and the Break-sight mechanics can best even the hardest of foes and gathering Phantoma from the fallen can be used to upgrade your magic abilities which is extremely important for ease of combat.
Like more challenging games such as Dark Souls, Type-0 baits you as the player into exploiting enemies when they are most vulnerable to achieve the best outcome in battle. There are many enemies which can kill your characters in one or two hits, even at full health. This is where evading, healing items, and party management becomes crucial in surviving throughout the game especially in the last chapter. Also to note, I really dislike the management menu considering, gameplay doesn't stop when you're using it. Multitasking isn't something that people know how to do. It's very distracting but it is possible to use it effectively with some time.
At its core, with all these elements and more, the gameplay in Type-0 HD isn't linear but rather its varied and focused. It presents an action combat system that's rewarding and fulfilling all the while retaining elements expected of not only an RPG title but as a Final Fantasy title as well. The game succeeds in presenting elements that one would expect in a game from the franchise.
(Music)
The music in Final Fantasy Type-0 feels very much exclusive to it which is fitting being it is a spinoff title to the series. It doesn't sound like anything that could fit another Final Fantasy title. In short, its a great soundtrack. As a fan of the music in the other Final Fantasy games, I'd say it does compete on some level with some of the more classic Final Fantasy titles but in a way that's more constrained. The Final Fantasy X soundtrack had a way of repeating its themes in various tracks. The Type-0 soundtrack does the same thing and it does so in a very good way. The music never feels repetitive and the reoccurring themes are welcomed and well presented throughout the game.
There are many tracks in the game totaling well over 50 songs which span across three discs. The one's that shine the brightest though include, “We Have Come” (What Becomes of Us) (Type-0 main theme), “Three Hours that Changed the World” (Three Hours of Fate), “Servant of the Crystal” (Apostles of the Crystal), “Choosing How to Die”, “Crystal Guide Us” (Final Fantasy main theme), “Time of Tranquility” (Peaceful Times), “Erased Memories”, and “Machina Kunagiri” from the first disc.
From the second disc, the strongest tracks are “Show of Power”, “Rem Tokimiya”, “The Earth Under Our Feet” (overworld theme), “Chocobo!”, “War: Recapture” (Battle The Strategy for Recapture), “War: The White Weapon” (brilliant use of guitar), “War: That Which Lurks (Battle Something Lurking), and “War: Howl of the Dreadnought” (awesome boss music).
Lastly, the third disc with its best tracks include, “War: Pursuit” (Battle The Chase), “War: The Quiet Bloodbath (Long)” (Battle Peaceful Fighting/Long Version), “Tempus Finis” (“The Time of Finis”), “Vermillion Fire” (The Fires of Suzaku) (final boss music), and “Type Zero” (Type-0).
I'm not going to go into which ones are my favorites but if I had to choose just one, “Tempus Finis” which is used heavily throughout the final chapter of the game is easily the strongest track in the game because of its subtlety. Without a doubt, it is what I'll remember the most about Type-0's music. However, the entire soundtrack overall is great.
As someone who owns the soundtrack digitally, I strongly recommend checking out the soundtrack separately from the game for anyone who enjoys good music.
(Enjoyment and Verdict)
It's no secret that I greatly enjoyed Final Fantasy Type-0 and the HD English localization of the game is truly a wish granted from Square Enix considering for a while, it seemed the game would never have a legal release outside of Japan. Now with regards to the many people who only bought/will buy the game for the Final Fantasy XV demo, I strongly recommend that you keep and play Type-0. The fact of the matter is, Type-0 isn't just one of the best Final Fantasy titles in recent memory, its arguably one of the best titles in the series because of what it does differently in its gameplay and tone.
The game successfully combines the elements of what makes a Final Fantasy game and intertwines them in interesting and inventive ways while at the same time, it provides a new kind of gameplay experience to both new and especially old fans of the series. In short, this is very much worth full price, with or without the FFXV demo. At this point, I'm very much interested in looking forward to what becomes of Type-1 as it won't likely be restricted as a handheld port like its predecessor.
(The Pros)
Nostalgic Elements from past Final Fantasy games are present
A darker unrestricted tone blends well with the overall arching narrative about war and death
The ARPG combat is strategic, rewarding, fast, and at times chaotic
Every character of Class 0 is distinct in their personalities and combat abilities
Graphics are a major improvement over the PSP original
Summons are fully controllable
The story while scattered is interesting and unique for the series
Open world elements are well implemented and exploration while limited is encouraged
A basic numerical leveling system makes a return in a good way
New game plus creates immense re-playability as well as achievement/trophy support
The music is very well done and is presented well without becoming too repetitive
English dub overall is quite good
(The Cons)
Characters outside your party do not level up if they are not used in combat
There are points in the game where long range characters are a must and short range characters are rendered useless
The story is scattered through multiple playthroughs to get the full picture of the narrative
Level of necessary grinding is ridiculous
English Voice Acting while rather good overall, truly misses terribly when it misses
The “pause menu”/management menu is an extreme annoying distraction on screen
Summons aren't available for use in the open world, they require the sacrifice of a character to use, variation between them is limited
The dialogue is hit/miss
Off lip synching with English dub
NPCs and Cinematics have largely remained untouched graphically
Ultimately, while I like the game, this “HD” release isn't all that HD and the English voice cast suffers here and there primarily with voices such as Jack's. This is why I give this release, 4 stars out of 5.
(Final Fantasy XV Episode Duscae Demo)
So that's my review of Final Fantasy Type-0 HD, great game, great Final Fantasy game, and a good port. Now I will shed some light on the Final Fantasy XV Episode Duscae demo and Final Fantasy XV itself.
As far as my notions of the demo go, in a nutshell, to say its great is an understatement. It's a well developed and well polished extended preview that offers a few good hours into a small part of the realism vs. fantasy world that FF XV will offer. In the demo, the Duscae region is very vast and extensive. There's quite a bit to discover and explore in the world. It's easily the biggest demo for a game that I've seen.
Noctis and crew in their art direction and especially their animations are designed very well and the theme of brotherhood that XV will explore is definitely present here and is emphasized mostly to good taste. Animations of hi fives and arm bumps between Noctis and his buddies sets a tone that I've never seen in any other game between the player and their A.I partners. Whenever you're exploring, Prompto or Gladiolus or Ignis will occasionally provide some subtle dialogue which enhances their appearance on screen considering they're not playable. Whenever something on screen of interest is marked, the A.I will run over to it and Noctis's friends will try to get him to walk over to their location. You of course in those moments have to make the decision whether to join them or ignore them. It's clear that Square intended that you, the player are apart of the team despite the fact that you're not in the game with the four bros.
It's very interesting to see that the A.I tries to get you, the player, involved in interacting with the environment. Speaking of which, between Noctis's warping ability, the stealth system, and the dungeons which are impressive, its obvious that quite a bit of thought went into this game regarding the level of interaction with the game's world. The camping system in which you level up is finely implemented. It blends well with the “Fantasy based on Reality” theme and it grants buffs for the entire party based on what Ignis cooks for you. Also, the system plays the victory fanfare theme when you do gain experience keeping that nostalgia alive for old fans.
The day/night cycle is well done and actually serves a purpose in the game by adding additional challenge to the nighttime sections, and presence of the enemy A.I provides that sense of fulfillment when you're dishing out those quick combos or you're just wandering around the environment of Duscae. The monsters roam around freely and can engage Noctis and his group with seamless transition in and out of battle. The interesting thing is that not all the monsters are immediately hostile, some only become hostile once you attack them while others will freely attack Noctis and co. on sight. While the enemy A.I are not much of a threat on their own, when there's many of them on screen, the strategic elements flourish and battles become a spectacle. Not since games like Shadow of Mordor, Kingdom Hearts, and the Batman Arkham series have I had this much fun with an action combat system and having numerous A.I on screen makes the experience all the more engaging.
As a comparison, the combat is not Devil May Cry, it's not Bayonetta, it's not God of War, it's certainly not Dynasty Warriors as the uninformed masses have compared this to. No, XV looks and plays very similar to Kingdom Hearts which clearly is what original director Tetsuya Nomura intended and the game is all the better for it. Noctis is very quick and precise with his strikes and the weapon customization system which also has leveling in it, allows for further depth to the system.
On a side note, the phantom sword ability is one of the most impressive abilities I've ever seen in a video game. Visually its surreal and in game its extremely fulfilling to use. Seeing these weapons on screen protecting Noctis automatically and attacking enemies on their own without my individual input feels like they breathe a life of their own. As a huge fan of action games and ARPG games, the combat is very impressive and I'm anxious to see where these systems will be taken when the free second demo based on the overture demo footage for FF XV is released, I'm assuming later this year?
Story-wise, the demo doesn't offer much but it is interesting seeing the characters interact with one another and having Cidney on screen, whenever she's present along with any NPCs available is a welcome addition. Quest-wise, for the main quest, it was great having an objective to hunt the enormous behemoth nicknamed Dead Eye. It makes me wonder what other quests/missions are going to be in the full game and how varied they're going to be. If they're anything like the side missions in Arkham City, where they actually have a story behind them, where they require the player to truly interact with the environment, and are not simple fetch quests then I'm all for learning more about them.
Considering I'm not Japanese and I don't speak Japanese, I'd say that the English voice cast has been handled quite well. I'm very glad they gave Noctis a deep voice as I'd imagined he would have such a voice, even if it is a few tones too deep here and there. Prompto is energetic and very expressive as he should be and Gladiolus in his dub has an mellowed quality about him that's welcomed. Ignis, while I like his voice, does possess a very strong British accent at times. Cidney also has an accent, somewhat Australian? However, it doesn't come off as too potent. The thing I like the most about the dub is that, it's very distinguishable. You can tell easily who's who and it never comes off as try hard or forced. Nonetheless, the dialogue needs to be worked on but as a localized Square Enix title, it could be much worse than what I've heard before.
All in all, while lacking some systems and content, specifically the magic system, the extended air combat, the car, the chocobo play, major town gameplay, mini-games, and the weather system, which are all absent/constrained in the demo, Episode Duscae is an amazing look into just one part of XV's large open world. It provides an exquisite taste of how the exploration will be handled, how the camping system works, how the weapon system is implemented as well as letting you play around with the stealth system, co-op attacks with the other members in your party, the summoning system, and simply roaming around the game's environment is very welcomed. Despite the fact that there is a level 99 cap in the demo, I don't want to keep myself spoiled in anticipation of the next demo plus there are other games to play.
(Final Words)
If you're on the fence about getting Type-0 HD, do not just buy this game solely for the FF XV demo. The fact is that Type-0 is truly a great Final Fantasy game and it deserves your attention just as much as FF XV. Plus Type-0 is the best FF to play in waiting for XV considering both games share similar ARPG style gameplay and both place an emphasis on open world play with a simple leveling system.
Personally between this and Dead or Alive 5 Last Round, I'll be square until Batman Arkham Knight (my most anticipated game this year) comes out in two months. Good job Square Enix. Good job Tabata. Looking forward to more adventures with Noctis and crew hopefully next year.… Expand
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