Do we review game demos here? Well, sod it, I'm going to anyway. It's about time I posted something here instead of letting Xavier have all the fun.
Long, long ago, when I was young and you were even younger (unless you're older than I am, in which case HA HA!), Square-Enix released Final Fantasy XIII. It was a long game, that had a 25 hour training mode which featured a very linear story and felt like the game was not just holding your hand, but making damn sure you didn't go off on your own and have fun. Once you got past that, things opened up a bit, and the remaining 75 hours or so were left up to you, but at that point you really didn't care any more. The grind of the opening chapters had worn you down too much.
Oddly enough, a lot of people didn't like it very much. Sure, the graphics were stunning (on the PS3), and the voice acting reasonably well done (even if most of the characters were either uninteresting or irritating), but that wasn't going to save the game from the critics (Edge gave the game 5/10 because of the linear start), or the gaming public.
Okay, so 2009 isn't that far away, but fast-forward to 2012 and the arrival of Final Fantasy XIII-2 looms upon us (unless you're in Japan, in which case it's fallen upon you all ready).
Now, I've only had a chance to play the demo so far, since the game isn't out for another couple of weeks from the date I type this, but the segment I go to play... Yea. Final Fantasy is back.
I easily plunged almost 4 hours in to this demo, only getting stuck once becuase I hadn't bothered to read the instructions and had no idea how to use the Moogle which joins you on this adventure. Once I had that bit sorted, the rest was a fun-filled breeze of an adventure.
You play as Lightning's sister Sarah, and newcomer Noel. I chose to have Noel lead the party, though I was free to change at any time, including during battle. The demo dumps you (apparently in Chapter 2) in the Bresha Ruins in the time period 005 AF (which becomes more logical in the main game) and gives you a battle nice and early on - with the option to indulge in a few tutorials if you feel you need them. Fight over, and you get to experience the ruins. This is mostly running around, chatting to NPCs, who make a welcome return, and performing side missions (which took the form of fetch quests or battle quests) while you locate and defeat the big-bad for the area. Once done, you get a nice trailer for the game and then it's game over.
The battle system's seen a bit of a tweak. Instead of a summon, the demo allowed me to add a captured monster to the party (up to 3 at any one time, though you can capture as many as you like - albeit one of each species). These monsters can be levelled up alongside the player characters, using items won in battle or purchased from the shops (well, crazy shop lady) dotted around. Player progression follows the idea of XIII, allowing you to upgrade levels in the various fighting catagories (Commando, Ravager, Medic, etc...) and then use the Paradigm Shift mechanic to switch between the various roles. Monsters have one type of role to start with, but have the ability to learn new skills when fused with other monsters. They also learn new skills as they level up and each monster has their own skill set and learning ability. They also get an Overdrive/Limit Break system called Feral Link. The monsters share the Feral Link bar, so you won't ruin it by changing them around during Paradigm Shifts. Other than the new monster mechanics, battle goes as FFXIII with the player controlling one character and AI doing the rest of the work, though having the option to swtich character during the battle was a nice touch I never used.
So, what did I think? I think I took 3 hours too long, just running around and arsing about. Random encounters are back (which is a good thing if you ask me, I missed them), and I spent a long time just enjoying the grind. I only did a few of the fetch quests, though I did level up the monsters I used to the best of their available ability. I even attempted the Big-Bad a couple of times, getting squashed like a bug for my efforts. After the fight, the game just picked me back up, dusted me off, and told me to go grind some more. No restarting from last save, just a restart from the moments just before the battle with any tactical changes I'd made still intact. It was brilliant.
I was even treated to a small puzzling section, involving running around on vanishing squares while collecting crystals. It wasn't hard, but it was interesting and felt like it could get much, much harder if it wanted to.
This is not a long demo (for a Final Fantasy), but it's good enough to want to spend a long time playing. The graphics are just as good as FFXIII, the voice acting is good enough for the main characters to allow you to get in to the game. The backing conversations you walk past can sometimes sound a little over-acted, but just walk away and they fade out. What this demo does do is give you a taste of what's to come. Not a small nibble, but a good sized slice of the gameplay mechanic cake. Of the story, you get a sip, but it's enough of a flavour to make you want more - which is good because I haven't yet really gotten in to XIII (which is something I really ought to do at some point).
Should you buy the game? If you like Final Fantasy games, but felt a little put-off by FFXIII then this is the game for you. 99% of the problems are fixed and even the demo feels like an apology. If you enjoyed FFXIII then you ought to LOVE this. If you hate Final Fantasy (or JPRGs as a whole), then there's probably very little for you here, but this could be a good starting point into the genre. It's not as complicated as older FF titles, and it feels a lot more open and free than XIII. At least download the PSN or XBLive demo and give it a try. You never know, you might like it.
I did.
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