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Next week brings us the joys of Final Fantasy, but in a whole new form as World Of Final Fantasy is coming to a PS4 and PS Vita near you on October 25th (US) and October 28th (EU).
Sony have been kind enough to grant us an early play of the game via the demo which surfaced on PlayStation Store this week, and we have a review of that very demo and what to expect from the game when it releases coming up. Click below, and be whisked away to an ahem World of Final Fantasy...
So, what can I say about World of Final Fantasy? Other than it promises something very special, and unlike another PlayStation exclusive is actually delivering on its promises, and giving us exactly what it says on the proverbial tin.
If you don't already know, World of Final Fantasy is a Pokemon inspired, creature collecting adventure set in the many worlds and stories of the Final Fantasy franchise, marrying together characters from their previous games in a very distinct, original, and fresh style, which is customisable and fascinating.
The look of the game is more than inspired, imagine what would happen if Square Enix kidnapped Disney artists, locked them in a room full of Final Fantasy Pop Vinyls, and were ordered to make Pokemon, and they did just that, but added in a cheeky little Voltron element. Because that's exactly what we have here.
The game is nothing short of adorable, bringing together characters from many a game including Cloud (FFVII) Squall (FFVIII) Vivi (FFIX) Yuna (FFX) in chibi/Pop Vinyl inspired form, and a special appearance from Tidus (FFX) who appears in a very special way as a summon. Yes, you can summon characters, much like Ifrit, Bahamut, or Nova. Complete with grandiose entrance, powerful attack, and in a way which will make you marvel at the summoned power, and melt at the adorableness of the massive head and tiny body of such a character in equal measure.
Combat is fresh, yet familiar. A new radial based UI is employed here, but is easily customisable into a more classic feel, which will be instantly familiar to Final Fantasy veterans who (like myself) have been playing games in the franchise for over two decades. It's still turn based, and brings the usual excitement that you'd expect from the earlier games in this franchise.
The things that set this apart from the other Final Fantasy games are the fun of building up a creature collection, much like Digimon or Pokemon, the creature stacking system, and the fact that you can swap between two versions of the main characters in the game. These two versions of the characters are the Chibi/Pop Vinyl like adorable ones, and ones that are more akin to those in the Kingdom Hearts games, with these characters you can build a stack with up to two creatures, which depending on what you choose, and what combination you choose will affect your abilities/HP and more. It's a deeply customisable experience that's easily accessible, easy to get to grips with, and although so fresh, instantly makes sense. Even the two versions of the same character differ in what they can or can't do, which adds another dimension to the fun.
This is coupled with a progression system similar to that of Final Fantasy X, albeit in a cut down form that allows you to customise any and all creatures you capture, or as the game calls it “imprism” them. So, there's a lot to do, and this demo shows enough to get you hooked, but not enough to expose the rest of the game.
The short dungeon the demo gives you (about an hour or so in length) isn't actually in the game, well not in the form presented here, so Square have taken their cues from the Final Fantasy XV Platinum demo, and given us a solid, spoiler free experience that will leave people hungry for more.
The demo is available for free now on PSN, and well worth a download and an hour of your time. It's looking like a game that should be on everybody's gaming bucket list, even if the ending screen from the demo makes you sad it's all over for at least a week....
Villan Verdict...9/10