Final Fantasy Explorers - Final Fantasy

Final Fantasy Explorers is an action RPG game for the Nintendo 3DS that was released in Japan in 2014 and in 2016 in North America and Europe. The game was developed by Square Enix and includes staple elements of the franchise series such as a job system and well known Final Fantasy monsters. The game was directed by Atsushi Hashimoto and produced by Hiroyuki Miura. It was designed by Gen Kobayashi and the main artist was Toshiyuki Itahana. The game received a variety of mixed to good reviews, receiving a 69/100 from metacritic.

Plot

The game takes place in Amostra, a large island that has many crystals which have attracted explorers over the years. The focus of the game is to find the Grand Crystal by completing various quests and defeating eidolons, or summoned monsters like Ifrit and Bahamut. Besides the Explorers' Union quest to find the Grand Crystal, a number of different organizations come into contact with one another. The Lillium Kingdom and the Gartian Empire both seek to gather as much crystal as possible, and become deadlocked in their territorial negotiations. The Madulas Church is a religious institution that wishes to exterminate the monster population using their militia, The Knights Orthodox. On the other hand, Querasua is a country conducting research as part of their monster study in Amostra. In comparison to other Final Fantasy games, especially those of the flagship series, the game has been said to be lacking in plot detail and fullness.

Gameplay

The game offers single and multiplayer combat modes and the main goal of the game is for the player to obtain crystals that have been scattered across the game world. The game’s plot unfolds as the main quest is carried out, and quest difficulty level can be manually adjusted. The player has control of three character slots, which can be filled with either previously defeated monsters or other human players. Each job has different strengths and weaknesses. The jobs include Knight, Monk, White Mage, Black Mage, Dragoon, Paladin, Thief, Ninja, Red Mage, Time Mage, Bard, Ranger, Dark Knight, Beastmaster, Geomancer, Machinist, Alchemist, Sage, Blue Mage, Samurai, and Freelancer. Using the multiple-ability system, players can assign eight abilities to different buttons. As a player masters a certain job, they can use that job’s abilities even while using a different job, however, using an ability on a job other than the native job will double its cost. Heros are totally customizable, AP are gained from defeating foes that improve the way one fights. Online play has been compared to Monster Hunter 4. A player can create a room with their goals or browse rooms that other players have made. One important aspect of the game is perseverance and continuity. Repeating the same actions, gathering the same resources, fighting the same monsters and exploring the same areas is a staple of the game.

Positions and movement play an important role in combat. A log that displays damage numbers is available to be viewed. As player’s progress through the game, they can craft or obtain up to 500 different items and are able to switch around weapons, armor, and accessories obtained. By using the Trance system, players can transform into characters from previous Final Fantasy games, such as Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockhart from Final Fantasy VII, Cecil Harvey or Lightning from Final Fantasy XIII. The monster fusion shop can be used instead of playing online or using multiplayer, for generating a team.

Development

Final Fantasy Explorers was announced in Jump magazine in June 2014. Square Enix filed a trademark for the game in the United States and Europe, and localization has been officially announced to be released on 26th January 2016.The original idea for the game was conceived by Atsushi Hashimoto, who worked on the Nintendo DS remake of Final Fantasy Legend II. He wished to add previous summoned monsters from the game which he thought would make the game feel nostalgic. In this regard, the game is similar to the Dissidia Final Fantasy release. One criticism of the game is that it is too easy, and, even if the player dies, the resulting consequences were nothing to worry the player.

Multiplayer

One of the highlights and main reasons Final Fantasy fans anticipated the release of Final Fantasy Explorers was the multiplayer function. The multiplayer mode is a large focus of the game enabling players to play in a co-op mode by setting up a private room with their friends locally, or on the internet via the multiplayer lobby. The multiplayer mode allows players to work in tandem providing more power during battle, when compared to the AI-controlled monster allies the player will add to their party during the game. Also, multiplayer mode allows groups of players to go beyond areas found if only just playing the game in solo mode.

Links

Polygon Final Fantasy Explorers Review
Metacritic Final Fantasy Explorers Review