Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings (DS) Review
Its been some time – 3 months in fact – since the stateside release of the first DS title in Square-Enixs Ivalice Alliance handheld series, but now Australian gamers can finally experience for themselves the RPG/RTS hybrid Final Fantasy XII – Revenant Wings. Previous efforts by the company on the DS to combine the two styles of gameplay (Heroes of Mana) were met with mixed reviews and a lukewarm reception; but fortunately Wings offers a highly rewarding experience and has been met with much praise.
Positioned as a sequel of sorts to the hugely successful and critically acclaimed Playstation 2 game Final Fantasy XII, the story follows protagonist Vaan, companion Penelo, other friends, and the winged Aegyl race in their quest to defend floating continent Lemurs (a new locale for the series) against sky pirates and a mysterious Judge of Wings. Featuring some returning characters from the previous game and many new ones, the adventure ahead of you when you first fire up the game is a long but light-hearted and entertaining one. Knowledge of the events of XII are not necessary to enjoy the events in this version, as the story has been created to stand alone.
The game opens with some impressive pre-rendered footage spanning both of the DS screens; and after a lengthy but useful tutorial sequence in which the basic play mechanics are explained, its onto the action.
Similar to the change in its console counterpart, the battle mechanic has moved from a turn-based, random encounter system of previous games to a more active, real-time system. The combat is best explained in a circular, rock/paper/scissors way. There are three types of units – melee, ranged, and flying. Melee is strong against ranged units but weak against flying, ranged are strong against flying units but weak against melee, and flying units are strong against melee and weak against ranged units. The main named characters also have access to a slightly simplified Gambit system, by which each character can be set to carry out a given action (such as attack moves, healing moves, or reviving another player) when necessary. Later on in the game, after defeating bosses, characters may receive access to Quickenings, super powered abilities that must charge up from the start of each battle to be unleashed later on.
Early on, the player has access to just their main characters in battle; but its not long before being allowed access to Espers, your soldiers. Each leader is provided with a certain number of Espers at the beginning of each battle, usually chosen before entering the field. The pre-battle screen is quite comprehensive, showing you info about your own and the enemys units, allowing you to choose the right troupe. Choose the wrong Espers for your troupe and its all over rather quickly; chose the right combination and youre halfway there on your way to victory. To make things a little more strategic, each are assigned an element class – fire, water, lightning, earth, or healing (or none at all). Each troupe can contain just 5 types of Esper, and each element class is stronger or weaker against another element, so choosing the right elemental class is essential. On top of this, each element contains three levels – I, II, and III; ranging from lowly creatures like Djinn and Salamander up to powerful Ramuh and Diabolos. Gaining further access to Espers as the game progresses is allowed through the Ring of Pacts, a circular rotating board with a network of stones – each representing a melee, ranged, or winged Esper. To unlock an Esper, the player must create a pact with it. This is acheived by the player harvesting holy stone Auracite during battle or from treasure chests, and spending it here.
On top of their assigned team of Espers, the player can use their leaders to capture Summoning Gates from which more Espers can be queued up and summoned into battle. Characters have a certain level of Affinity in battle, and it is used here. The more Gates captured, the more powerful Espers are able to be summoned. Enemies are also able to swing Gates back into their control thus allowing a swarm of enemy spirits to be released (and they will be), so its absolutely vital to maintain a vigilant eye even in the midst of battle. Some battles also contain Soul Crystals, monoliths that allow the players (or the enemys) leaders to be resurrected infinitely if and when they are struck down. Destroying the opposing Soul Crystal is often the only way to ensure victory in these missions.
Often, given the number of Espers and size of some of the battles, things can get fairly intense; with a huge horde of units swarming around on screen. While it can be difficult to directly select a specific unit in such situations, for the most part the DS touch screen offers a painless, smooth and easy way to select multiple units, direct them to where you need them, and also access any special abilities or Gambits. All of the game is controlled this way, with the d-pad moving the view over the map and the X button selecting all friendly units. Some frustrating and questionable AI can make your own units get trapped by others in the troupe in a narrow corridor – or sometimes, ignore your commands – but it never becomes a huge issue as its usually just a matter of clearing the blockage or waiting and theyll continue on their way. Such large battles can also induce a small amount of slowdown, however its never more than slightly distracting and doesnt pose much of a problem to the gameplay.
The episodic, mission-based nature of the game means its perfectly suited to the handheld format – most exposition is done between missions in short, in-engine cut scenes, which means youre never pulled out of the game. These are usually followed by a save screen so its easy to pick up where you left off later. Travelling around the overworld map is done via stylus controlling your airship hub (where you can find out info from other characters, buy goods, and synthesize elements harvested on the battlefield to create new weapons and armour). Its quick and easy to see where to travel to next, and its never a chore to take off and explore another area of the map, providing you access to new missions and items, as well as non-essential side missions (one of which is a humorously knowing nod to the movie Aliens). Returning character Tomaj resides on the airship and will also provide you with various optional missions when requested, allowing you oppurtunity to level up your characters and explore new locations.
While the story is not particularly deep, and itd be extremely easy to play the game without paying much attention to it at at all, its still quite charming watching the characters enthusiasm for their unfolding adventure in such a fully realised world. Which brings me to the artwork – one thing Square-Enix, and particularly the Final Fantasy series, are known for is excellent graphics and fantastical localities; and this latest DS entry is no exception. From the impressive CG FMV intro, to the in-game locales, Revenant Wings excels visually. Its always easy to differentiate the crisp, expressive character and unit sprites even at such a small size, and the attention to detail and environments – particularly the stunning Gugoza Falls area – are frequently beautiful and often breathtaking, considering the DS relative weakness in producing 3d graphics. The menus are well laid out, uncluttered and easy to follow, with stylus use remaining consistent throughout. (Pokemon DS standing out as one high-profile title which failed in this regard.)
Another high point is the excellent score, returning, albeit rearranged, from FFXII. The music rises and falls to convey the growing tension, drama and intensity of battle, and is appropriately majestic or moving as necessary, very impressive considering the cartridge format. Familiar cues return, including the well-known Final Fantasy victory fanfare; even the save screen music is a standout. Sound effects are simple but effective – mostly youll rely on them to alert you to a battle going on off-screen.
Its a shame that Australian audiences have had to again wait months to enjoy such a solid game without importing. The learning curve and impressive tutorial section allow a great (though simplified) introduction to the RPG genre, and Square-Enix have unsurprisingly raised the bar for other games on the platform in terms of graphics, attention to detail, sound, and not least innovation in control – youd be hard pressed to find a better example of RTS-style gameplay on the DS. Despite some very minor faults, Revenant Wings is an outstanding release – offering engrossing, addictive, and most importantly, fun gameplay in a genre that has often been dismissed as too involved and inaccessible for many casual gamers, and comes highly recommended.
