Final Fantasy Type-0 HD Review

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Final Fantasy Type-0 was first released on the PlayStation portable and never came to either the states or Europe. However Type-0 finally makes its way to us in the form of a HD remaster for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One was it worth the wait?

The first thing I will say about Final Fantasy Type-0 is that it has one of the darkest starts to a game I’ve ever played. It pulls no punches and throws you straight into the action. You take control of Class 0 – a group of magic wielding teenagers who are forced right into the thick of the war after their country is invaded and destroyed. Each character has a unique weapon and fighting style and you are sure to find one that suits you.

The tutorial doesn’t hold your hand for very long, and if you treat this game like a hack and slash you will die a lot. On the harder difficulties, the game can be very unforgiving and if you pick the wrong party for the wrong fight you will find yourself defeated in no time. You must plan accordingly and sometimes you might have to switch characters even though you don’t really want too.

Rather frustratingly, I found Type-0 required multiple play-throughs to get a real understanding of the story. On completing my first play through (which took 30+ hours) I was still relatively unsure of the entire narrative. On the second play through new cut scenes are introduced explaining the story further, which seems at odds with the linear narrative style of most games, and leads to a less than optimal experience. That being said, the game isn’t boring, there is plenty to do in the time in between the story missions, so long as you plan your time correctly as there is a limited amount of time until the next big mission begins. You can raise a Chocobo, go on hunts and level your party up, or just skip to the next part in the story.

The battle system is definitely one of the games strongest points. Borrowing some element’s from the excellent Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core and the very popular Kingdom Hearts series, you find yourself running around a battle field while dodging for your life waiting for the perfect opening to strike. This leads to a very well executed strategic fighting style.

The games enhanced graphics can look good under certain conditions, the added lighting effects and recreated backgrounds in particular. Upon more in depth playing, however, you will notice that a lot of the old PSP textures still remain in the game, which spoils the experience somewhat. Having a HD remastered character talk to a PSP character in cut scenes just looks ridiculous and shows the game up as being unfinished and putting budget over player experience.

A redeeming feature is the soundtrack, which has been remastered, and is quite possibly one of the best game soundtracks of recent history. The music creates the atmosphere of each event that unfolds in this dark game engulfed in war and death.

Unfortunately, another aspect that really lets the game down is its clumsy camera. There were times where my character died because I couldn’t see where it was, the camera just went crazy. It doesn’t give you as much control over it as you would like especially when you are locked on to an enemy. This is a problem many hack and slash games suffer from, but that’s not to say that it can’t be fixed.

For fans of Final Fantasy this is not like any other game in the franchise you have ever played. Those who are accustomed to the classic games might feel a bit overwhelmed with the changes, especially the lack of turn based battles, something that the Final Fantasy series did so well. In the end Type-0 is a good effort, and still worth trying out. While it’s story leaves something to be desired, its quick fast paced battle system,  and cool, unique characters will push you to finish it.

REVIEW CODE: A complimentary Sony Playstation 4 code was provided to Bonus Stage for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to press@4gn.co.uk.

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