Final Fantasy Type-0 HD Xbox One review scores 4 out of 5
Posted on: 2015-04-05
Our rating:
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD is a fantastic game and provides a great opportunity if you want to get into role playing games that are from Japan because it is one of the more accessible games out of the Final Fantasy series and that genre.
In 2011 Final Fantasy Type-0 was released on the Playstation Portable, but the problem was it was a Japan exclusive and we wouldn’t see the game for another 4 years. Finally the game has been released in the west on the Xbox One and PS4 in the form of Final Fantasy Type-0 HD.
This game really shows the horrors of war within the opening cutscene which was about ten minutes long, but it didn’t bother me because it was engaging and very sad watching these children fighting for their lives. You follow one cadet staggering through the battlefield until he finally collapses with his mount and accepts that he is about to die. Then he realises that he is going to die and starts to cry uncontrollably because he is not ready yet because he is so young and still has something to live for. This sequence alone got me hooked with its emotional set up. The story has great twists and turns with outcomes that you will not expect with themes of war and political intrigue.
This is probably the most accessible Final Fantasy game that I’ve played out of the entire series, it was designed for a portable system originally that you can play it in bursts. It doesn’t have a convoluted and bloated user interface as you stack abilities, then choose stance because all the battles are done in real time and are not turn based this time, which makes you feel more involved this time rather than waiting your turn.
You only take direct control of one character in your party of three - you have a selection of 14 characters, with varied abilities from magic cards that can cut you, to a flute that will do damage to enemies. You have a party of three when you’re out on missions which I would recommend changing each mission so you can level them up equally, you can switch between them in battle to use different strategies to keep things fresh. The game takes a mission by mission structure so it is more linear than previous games because as I said before it was designed for a handheld originally so the game is split up into chapters. This approach reminds me of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker with the mission by mission structure because that game as well was first released on the PSP, where you could play it in bursts. The game still has the massive overworld like Final Fantasy 7 or 8, but it’s not as big and its main purpose is to journey to one city or area to the next, you’ll also have random encounters with enemies so this will be a good chance to level up your characters for harder missions.
The graphics in this game aren’t anything to write home about and I don’t see why this game couldn’t be on the Xbox 360 and PS3 as well because those systems are capable of producing these visuals. In some parts it likes really good, especially the hub area Academia which looks as if they spent the most time updating the textures from the PSP version, but the rest of the game can look very ugly in places. I will give it the benefit of the doubt because the PSP wasn’t exactly a graphical power house when it comes down to gaming systems.
The only negatives that I have for this game is that the camera is really bad sometimes which struggles to keep up with you in faster fights especially when I used the character Sice because she is a fast close quarters combat fighter and it just got annoying because she flies off in the other direction and the camera refuses to move with her. Another problem I had was when you’re roaming in areas and you just want to turn I found the turning to sensitive and you could do a full 180 and head back in the other direction.
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD is a fantastic game and provides a great opportunity if you want to get into role playing games that are from Japan because it is one of the more accessible games out of the Final Fantasy series and that genre.
4/5
Reviewed by Sam Coles, a.k.a.The Bristolian Gamer, for 365Bristol - the leading events and entertainment website for Bristol
Article by:
Born and raised in the suburbs of Swansea, Jimmy moved to Bristol back in 2004 to attend university. Passionate about live music, sport, science and nature, he can usually be found walking his cocker spaniel Baxter at any number of green spots around the city. Call James on 078 9999 3534 or email Editor@365Bristol.com.
