The Final Fantasy series is one of my favourite series of all time. Having played most of the Final Fantasy titles on offer, I have quite the expectations when it comes to future releases. Square Enix have proven that HD remasters do work with Final Fantasy, after the success of Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD on the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita. With that in mind, they decided to bring back another old Final Fantasy. This time being the PSP release, Final Fantasy Type-0. With Final Fantasy XV also on the horizon, is bringing this ‘different’ Final Fantasy out now a good move by Square Enix? Read my full review to find out.
Game: Final Fantasy Type-0 HD
Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix
Reviewed on:
Many Final Fantasy titles have that one character, that one main protagonist if you like, that you can really focus your attention on throughout the whole of the game. You have 3 or 4 other characters which you learn about throughout, but there is always that one that you will feel you understand. Tidus of Final Fantasy X or Cloud from Final Fantasy VII, two great examples of characters that you will always remember going forward. Well, Final Fantasy Type-0 HD’s story is a little different, in the fact that you have 14 main characters. The 14 characters all make up what is called ‘Class Zero’, a group of highly classed cadets. These cadets are tasked with saving the world of Orience, after an attack from the main antagonist in the game, the Militesi Empire, who is run by series regular, Cid. With magic, Eidolins and l’Cie, this is a story that you would come to expect from a Final Fantasy title. It wasn’t really the best Final Fantasy I have played in terms of the story, but I’m stating that at a matter of opinion, As I am sure that many people and fans of the series will enjoy it more than I did.
Square Enix have done a great job in bringing Final Fantasy Type-0 HD to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, as the visual improvements is clear to see from the PSP day. Having not actually played the original version, I made sure watched a ton of videos so I could get an idea of what it was like when it was first released. Character models are what stand out visually, as it is clear to see that they have put a lot of detail in bringing them up to today’s standards of what you would come to expect. More detail could of been given out to the overall world of Orience, but I was still relatively pleased on what they had achieved with this HD Remaster. If you want the best, top-notch graphics for a Final Fantasy title, you are better off waiting for Final Fantasy XV!.
Perhaps the best part of any Final Fantasy title, apart from the gameplay of course, is the overall sound score that accompanies it, and Final Fantasy Type-0 HD is no different in that respect. Right from the battle music to the background music accompanying you when you are traveling through each region, it’s all so familiar, but in a great way. I will say that the voice acting present is not the greatest and could of been a lot better but all in all, Final Fantasy Type-0’s sound score is a familiar treat that fans and newcomers of the series will enjoy throughout the game.
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD is a strange one. It offers all the core values of a typical Final Fantasy title, but in many ways, is quite different of what you have ever expected in a Final Fantasy title. Having the 14 cadets at your disposal, battles become quite easier in my opinion. When one of your party of three dies, you can call in one of your reserve members, basically meaning that you have up to 13 attempts at a single mission. On top of that you also have the ability to ‘sacrifice’ your party leader in order to summon your Eidolin. These are much stronger than your party of cadets, and you will find yourself going through main bosses with relative ease. Battles commence through real-time, giving you much more freedom to move as you see fit. Battles are fun and frantic, but can become very, very repetitive after a short while. Leveling up your cadets is pretty simple too, giving out AG points the more you battle and level up in order for you to upgrade your skills.
It’s hard to explain, but when battling, even though all the concepts are there, it feels different in a way to any other Final Fantasy. More playtime will only help me decide if that is for the good or not. Mission wise, this is where Final Fantasy Type-0 HD tries to be different, and in my opinion, ultimately comes short. Most of the missions task you with going through a town, killing a load of enemies, and then fighting a boss at the end. It’s just the simpleness of it, it rarely comes offering the truth depth of what a Final Fantasy title normally offers. Before each mission commences, you get to choose your ‘main’ three Class Zero cadets to go through. Depending on how you have leveled them up, you can put your strongest out on the battlefield, or chose to put one of the lower level cadets in to level them up quicker. The game also offers more strategic, optional missions. It’s the first time I have saw missions of this nature in a Final Fantasy title, and I really didn’t enjoy them, or get to grips with them at all. Basically, you get to control a series of armies to take down other bases, setting out instructions on the go and ultimately take down the enemy camp to retrieve that region and back in the control of your allies.
With any Final Fantasy, you are guaranteed to get value for money in terms of how long the game’s story and overall gameplay can last before you have achieved the lot. This is no different in Final Fantasy Type-0, especially if you decide that you want to make every single one of the 14 cadets as strong as the last. Missions can also be replayed, and there are so many sub-missions and tasks that will keep you occupied for a long time.
VERDICT
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD is a decent addition to the series. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good, but just didn’t entice me as much as I would of liked it to. The brilliant score and fun yet simple battle system will mean that I go back to it now and again. However, when you look at the full package, well, it just didn’t meet my very high expectations.
