In 2011, Square Enix
released a PSP title called "Final Fantasy Type-0". Those who imported
it claimed it was one of the few modern titles in the series that could
be called great, and others went as far as to call it one of the best
Final Fantasy games they ever played. But differing opinions aside,
everyone wanted the game to be localized on the PSP or Vita. Several
years after its initial release, the West finally got the game... on the
PS4 and Xbox One.
Story
Final Fantasy Type-0 takes place in a land called Orience, in the midst of a large war. The Militesi Empire has conquered nearly the entire area, save for Rubrum. But its armies are closing in and slaughtering Rubrum's forces at the beginning of the game, until Class Zero intervenes and begin to turn the tide of the war.
The
story is undoubtedly the weakest aspect of the game. Your playable
characters are all 14 members of Class Zero, and the amount of variety
in their fighting styles can help keep things fresh. But they suffer the
same problem that Project X Zone did. Because there's so many main
characters, none of them ever get much screen time or character
development. Hell, Square Enix
has marketed Ace as the de facto leader of the group, but he only gets
as much time in the spotlight (if not less) than his classmates. The
fact that everyone in Class Zero is basically defined by a small pool of
two-dimensional personality traits only makes the issue worse.
Several of the most important plot points are also completely unexplained in the first playthrough,
forcing you to look them up in the game's plot encyclopedia or to play
New Game Plus in order to fully understand the plot. Players who have a
general understanding behind the lore of the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy
will be able to grasp the plot easily enough (even though this game has
nothing to do with Final Fantasy XIII), but newcomers will be left
confused by the various terms the game uses, such as "L'Cie". Although
Type-0's premise is a very interesting one, its execution is subpar for
the most part. Despite the plot not being very friendly to newcomers,
it's still enjoyable. The only other real issue I have is that the story
starts to fall apart towards the end of the game (though I won't spoil
that for first time players).
Gameplay
On
the other end of the spectrum, Type-0's strongest asset is its battle
system. It's an action RPG similar to the likes of Crisis Core, but it's
more refined. Abilities and Spells can be mapped to each of the four
face buttons, allowing you quick access to your combat options. The game
also utilizes a system called Killsights and Breaksights, which reward patience and skill. At certain points, a Killsight (red) or a Breaksight (yellow) marker will appear over an enemy, allowing you to either instantly kill them (Killsight) or to simply deal massive damage to them (Breaksight).
On the other hand, the game is a fair bit more difficult than other
Final Fantasy games. Although most missions allow you to bring all of
Class Zero with you, enemies can still quickly wipe out your characters
if you're not careful.
The
gameplay is not without its problems, however. The game's camera
sensitivity is way too high, and has a motion-blurring effect. This can
lead to disorientation or even motion sickness. There are also a few
questionable design choices when it comes to the enemies. Early in the
game, when you get the chance to explore the world map, you'll see a
bunch of larger enemies running around. The problem with this is that
all of them can outspeed you unless you're riding a chocobo,
and are at Level 99. As a result, you'll often arbitrarily lose 3
characters only to have them revived once you get to the location of the
mission.
Between
each of the game's missions, you're given a set amount of time to do as
you like. However, it's not a real-time clock. Instead, you're given a
number of hours to work with, and certain things you do will take a
certain amount of hours. Talking to NPCs with an exclamation mark on
their head will take up two hours and reward you with an item.
Leaving your hub area to explore the world map will take away 6 hours
from the clock.
Most
of Type-0's missions are structured like missions from a hack and slash
game, like Devil May Cry. However, a few of the missions take an RTS
approach. Unfortunately, these RTS missions are rather dull. You're
basically running around the world map, attacking enemy groups and
directing your own groups to attack a certain area. There's really no
strategic depth to these missions other than following the orders you're
given. Thankfully, these missions can be skipped.
While you're in combat, you'll be able to absorb the "Phantoma" of fallen enemies. Phantoma is used to upgrade magic spells in this game. You can choose to invest in certain traits, such as speeding up the casting time, at the cost of another trait, like MP cost. It's a simple, yet effective system to keep your magic strong throughout the game.
Graphics
Another
one of Type-0's major flaws is that it's a port of a PSP game to a home
console. Most of the game's textures are obviously ugly and unpolished
to an astonishing degree. The only character models that were remade were
of the important characters, making everyone else looks extremely low
quality in comparison. Though the graphics really stick out like a sore
thumb, they're not bad enough to hinder enjoyment of the game.
Soundtrack
Final
Fantasy Type-0's soundtrack as a whole, is pretty decent. They chose to
go in a different direction in terms of instruments for this game's
music, which fits the difference in the tone of the story. However, it's
not as memorable as older classic titles, such as Final Fantasy VI or VII.
Length
For a Final Fantasy title, Type-0 is rather short. The first playthrough
can be completed in a mere 20 hours. However, New Game Plus has
alternate missions to tackle, as well as new content to unlock, so the
final playtime on this game can potentially be far more than 20 hours.
If you're looking for a casual playthrough to absorb the story, though, I'd say it's too short for a Final Fantasy game.
Final Verdict: 7.3/10
Update - New Score: 8/10: The camera has been patched, and is now much better. It moves a little slower, and there is no more motion blur. Just this alone fixes one of the biggest problems the game has, and will no doubt provide a much better experience than what I had on my first playthrough.
Pros
- A very fun, action packed battle system
- The large amount of playable characters can add variety to your playstyle
- A decent soundtrack
- An interesting magic upgrade system
- Battles can be challenging
- Lots of content encourages multiple playthroughs
Cons
- Graphics are somewhat poor, even if the game is a port of a PSP game, and the camera system is absolutely awful (this issue has been fixed with the patch)
- Characters are bland and uninteresting for most of the game
- The plot can be confusing to those who don't know the lore of the Final Fantasy Fabula Nova Crystallis subseries
- Questionable design choices, such as the dull RTS missions and overleveled world map enemies
Final
Fantasy Type-0 is a mixed bag. It's held back by several design
choices, as well as the decision to port it from a handheld to a home
console. But combat system is fun and challenging, and there's a lot to
do for completionists. Final Fantasy veterans will enjoy this game, but it's best for newcomers to hold off until they're more familiar with the Fabula Nova Crystallis subseries that this game is a part of before buying it. Despite its flaws, it's still a game worth playing.
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