PixlBit

I managed to get my Archer character up to level 10, and so far I took on a major story event boss battle, completed a lot of battle quests, and participated in multiple public event battles called FATEs. I'm beginning to get a clearer picture about what the game is now and I think some people might be either excited or disappointed by the news. 


I've played FFXI and FFXIV (before it was rebuilt into A Realm Reborn). I talked about that game in a previous post. This game, A Realm Reborn, is basically very similar to every other MMO that's out right now, except with a Final Fantasy theme. Already I've seen people complaining on official game forums and in game chat that the game is a generic MMO with Final Fantasy paint job. I would have to agree to a certain extent, but I don't think it's a bad thing. In making ARR, Square Enix has made it easier for players of other MMOs or players interested in trying out an MMO for the first time the easiest way possible to get into this new game- through familiarity. Abundant quests and tutorials greet players through the first few levels of your game. Areas are sprawling with enemies to keep you busy and leveling up. The games world is very large and the art design and sound are beautiful. Crystals, chocobos and moogles are all present in Eorzea, the world the game takes place in.

MMOs like Star Wars, Star Trek, and Lord of the Rings are basically supported by fans of those particular property franchises and the games offer up content that panders to those audiences. If you don't like those franchises, chances are you won't like those games. The same can be said for A Realm Reborn. Lord of the Rings is great because you get to visit areas from the world explored in the books and films. Star Trek has game play modeled like seasons of a TV show. Star Wars has characters and lore familiar to anyone who has seen the films. These are all good games, but they all share more similarities than differences when it comes to game play design, and Final Fantasy is no different.

Another thing about these MMOs is that they do offer up more challenging content upon reaching a certain higher level for your character. I saw footage of an awesome boss battle for FFXIV at E3, but I’m not sure how long it would take a new player to get to that point. The battle seemed pretty complex and party co-dependent. So far in this game I haven’t had a problem playing solo which is what I suspect was the intention XIV was planning after its failed launch a few years ago.

A couple of things missing, still in beta phase, is voice-acting. I think Star Wars and Star Trek, even Guild Wars has some form of voice acting, but this game does not. Another thing that stood out is the lack of CGI videos. Square Enix is somewhat known for their gorgeous videos, but this game is missing a gorgeous CGI trailer at the beginning of the game. Even the ending of the last trailer had a gorgeous trailer.

One thing I am taking away from this game is that it does at least seem to have elements that Final Fantasy fans have been expecting from Square Enix for the last decade. That is a large open world to explore with plenty of NPCs who are very chatty, different job classes to master, customization and item management features, classic fantasy theme as opposed to the current sci-fi technology theme, art design that isn’t so heavily anime or zipper inspired and a more mature tone to the story. Fortunately or unfortunately, this might be the Final Fantasy game the fans have been expecting from Square, at least until whatever comes after Final Fantasy XV.