I fell in love with this system, and I was constantly editing and revising my party to find that perfect combo. It’s a hugely enjoyable twist on a classic formula, and one that made it easier to forgive some of WoFF’s other relics from the past. Random encounters, for instance, have no place in JRPGs anymore – not since Square Enix themselves fixed them with games like Bravely Default that let you control how often you were sucked into battle, or better yet, simply putting monster sprites on screen for you to try to avoid.
Thanks to a fittingly wacky battle system, though, the pain of surprise combat was lessened considerably – and the chance to catch yet another flagship Final Fantasy monster for my roster was also irresistible. Only Final Fantasy could sell a monster-rearing game on the strength of its bestiary alone – nearly every one of these little buggers are more recognizable than even the protagonists from their respective games. The ability to level them up, raise them as you see fit and even evolve them into beastly boss-monster forms kept me thrilled throughout my adventure.
Presentation:
World of Final Fantasy certainly isn’t lacking in charm. It looks great, and the world of chibis – as mentioned before – was an always endearing treat. The abundance of fan-service – which brings series veterans such as Squall, Cloud, Refia and the original Hero of Light back as cameos and summons – is a wonderful thing to behold for anyone who’s played even a handful of previous Final Fantasy games.
The voice acting is patchy, with some really great turns from side characters elevating a fairly annoying main cast. Early purchasers get access to the Japanese voice track which might help alleviate some of this initial distaste, but I’ll be the first to admit that by the end of my adventure I’d warmed to the dorky, dumb Lann and his know-it-all sister.
The music on the other hand is fantastic throughout – but from a series as storied (and well-scored) as Final Fantasy we shouldn’t have expected anything less. The music that plays during summons, tunes harkening back to character-specific titles, are a particular treat.
Conclusion:
I’ve grumbled a bit about missed tricks and annoying tropes, but let me be clear: I adored the time I spent with World of Final Fantasy. This isn’t just a fantastic title to tide you over until FFXV launches next month – though it will fill that role should you want it to – it’s a brilliant game in its own right and one I’ll remember with as much fondness as the mainline entries it pays homage to.
For anyone who’s ever enjoyed a Final Fantasy title, or those that simply miss the heyday of JRPGs, I urge you to give World of Final Fantasy a go: you won’t regret it.
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