To kick off my backlog trek, I’ve decided to cheat and start early. To make up for that, I’ve chosen a medium sized RPG that will likely stretch in 2021. I figure it’s less than two weeks before the new year, so why not count it. Please forgive me. Anyway, this game exudes a kind of childlike charm; it’s baked into everything from the art direction to the writing and game mechanics. However, underneath the juvenile veneer beats the heart of a solid RPG—at least so far.
I like when companies create compilations of past works. Project X Zone (both 3DS titles) is a great example of what I mean. As a fan of a company’s roster, it’s exciting to see how developers meld various IPs into something unique. World of Final Fantasy, at least on the outset, appears to be a contender in that arena. There are nods to past entries in the titled series all throughout, which makes for a wonderful excuse to throw everything together, and so far I find each one to be joyful and unique in its own right. What’s more, as the player I am being introduced to them in a way that both pays homage to the scenes from original FF titles and blends them in a fresh way.
The mechanics are true to form—the ATB system is here, and so is it turned based combat, the useful milieu of items, and a character progression system that, although not as fully realized as the one in FFXII, resembles the orbed progression found in FFX. The menus are sufficiently menu-y, a staple for a JRPG. Even the save system is a tip of the hat to older FF titles.
And for the most part, all of this works. There are ways to speed up combat, which helps the grind. There are scores of tips and hints to access. There is even the tried and true colosseum, one of my personal favorites. I haven’t had the chance to take a deep dive into these systems, but they all look solid on face value—especially the ability to speed up combat, which needs to be implemented in every turned-based RPG from this game forward (disclaimer, this is a four-year-old title on my backlog, so this mechanic may be the staple by now).
The story offers little in the way of depth but is told in such a light-hearted way I find myself happily nodding along and letting the game tell me its tale. It’s like the Saturday morning cartoon you were forced to watch with a younger sibling or relative—annoying at times, but it tugs at your attention and heart as well. I’m only a little over seven hours into the game (maybe a quarter through?), but I look forward to writing my thoughts as they develop. As it stands, so far I think it’s worth the effort.
A. D. Bowen 