Will anyone think about the kids? Apparently Square-Enix heard the demand of children everywhere (maybe they were silent demands) and realized the wonderful world of Final Fantasy should be loved by children just as much as obsessed adults. Why? Because Christmas is coming.
Plopped into the adorable world of Grymoire, a land populated by classic Final Fantasy characters and monsters from across the series, the story focuses on siblings Lann and Reynn, who suffer from amnesia and hold the power in one of their arms to capture and wield Mirages, the monsters of Grymoire.
As Lann and Reynn, players will travel to Grymoire to recover their memories, gradually mastering their powers and becoming involved in the conflicts consuming the world — basically fighting between rival factions within the native Lilikins, and the impending threat of the Bahamut Army.
Returning to the original traditional gameplay style fans loved from the earlier Final Fantasy titles, World features turn-based battles which utilizes the series’ recurring Active Time Battle system. In this installment, players will also use an augments stacking mechanic where stacking allied characters and monsters affects stats and turn numbers. Sounds complicated, right? Don’t worry, it is.
Despite the confusion, World’s RPG game style is easy to master, but tutorials are needed for those unfamiliar to the Final Fantasy world. Once the battle style is mastered, players can choose between the old-fashioned command system from the series or input commands. Fights will also include random battles and battles that are required to progress the story.
This can prove to be taxing and exhausting, especially if you accidentally make a wrong turn which results in fighting the same battle. Unless a player is a fan of turned-based style combat, this game is really not going to be fun. However, if a player is able to look past this, World of Final Fantasy is truly addictive even with its repetitiveness.
Throughout the game, players will collect creatures which can be stacked while in combat for more powerful attacks. Each monster has its own specialty attack and together can make for some nifty spells, which does come in handy when you might be losing.
World is delightful and at any age. Players will appreciate the Chibis art style that will invoke “awwws” from even the most cold-hearted of gaming bastards. Carefully layered colors burst off the screen, filling players with a sense of child-like delight. It feels and looks like the Fantasy world of yesterday just with more cuteness.
For those not sold on the Chibi-style, fear not for the game includes two different worlds – one for full-sized characters and the other for the Chibi characters. Each world has its own look, feel, uniqueness and battle styles for even more creativity.
World of Final Fantasy is a perfect addition to the series and a great way to introduce children to the series. It has swift gameplay, and the design is a joy. It’s basically Final Fantasy in a happier and relaxed form. This is perfect for anyone who want to take a break from all the seriousness that life has to offer.
World of Final Fantasy will release on October 25th for PlayStation 4 and PS Vita.
