Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings
Score: 86% ESRB: Everyone 10+ Publisher: Square Enix Developer: Square Enix Media: Cartridge/1 Players: 1 Genre: Real-Time Strategy/ RPG
Graphics & Sound: Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings has a very young feel. From the visuals to the gameplay to even the story, everything about the game gives off an almost child-like simplicity. However, first impressions are very deceiving. Below the simple exterior is a fun, appealing game. Unfortunately, it takes a while before the game shows what it is really about. Judging by the character designs, it is easy to forget that Revenant Wings takes place after Final Fantasy XII. Vaan and the rest of the crew look like children, so if you're not paying attention, the story can become even more confusing than it already is - especially when events from FFXII are mentioned. At the same time, the visuals also help to bring the game a little more in line with the Tactics Advanced series, where the FFXII world was originally introduced, since both share similar styles. While the art direction is great, the in-game visuals leave something to be desired. Battlefields are rendered in 3D and showcase a sizeable amount of detail. Characters, however, look very blocky and basic. Everyone is easily identifiable, though the pixilated look detracts from the overall charm.
Gameplay: Taking place sometime after Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings follows Vaan and Penello's adventures as sky pirates. During one of his many searches around Invalice, he and his small crew come across an ancient air ship that reawakens and takes Vann to Lemures, an undiscovered, floating continent. He soon meets the continent's winged inhabitants, the Aegyls, and becomes entangled in a plot that could destroy the world... or, at least that's the general direction. Even though the story has a more light-hearted feel than other Final Fantasy games, it is really hard to follow. The general approach is good and fits with the game's "younger" approach; yet, there's an attempt to combine a deep, twisting plot while avoiding many of the elements that make them interesting in the first place. Although the system seems tailor made for the genre, there aren't that many real-time strategy games available for the system. This alone makes Revenant Wings an appealing experience. For the most part, it does a good job at replicating the core RTS experience while making it accessible to more people. The system is streamlined and moves relatively fast. Each character's role on the battlefield is clearly defined with each having a specific job. You can also summon Espers to fill your ranks. As you play through the game, you'll earn resources that you can then spend on Espers. Each Esper requires a different amount of resources, so you can decide to pull out the big guns or rely on a bunch of smaller guys. Espers also have elemental abilities, adding a "paper-rock-scissors" strategy to the mix.
Difficulty: Most of the strategic element comes from the limited number of unique characters in your group. Few share similar abilities, which means you'll likely only have one healer or, more importantly, one character who can resurrect dead allies. Losing one of your key guys can quickly turn the tide of a battle. Although strategy isn't a major concern, it still pays to think before acting. Although accessible, the system is a little too easy and has a very vanilla feel. Combat doesn't require much strategy at all and is really just a matter of sending a massive horde of characters in the direction of the enemy. As characters level up, they earn specialized moves which eventually add some level of strategy to the game. But it takes at least 4 - 5 hours before the new abilities kick in and strategic elements open up.
Game Mechanics: Control is, perhaps, the game's biggest weakness. The setup is very simple and uses the stylus for nearly every action. Though it sounds like a good idea, the execution isn't very good. Characters tend to cluster up on the battlefield, so it is hard to pick out certain troops. This isn't as big of an issue when using just your main characters, though when you begin to summon Espers to bolster your ranks, it can become a chore. When you issue orders to unit, they are deselected, requiring you to reselect them if you want to issue new orders. Again, the system works when you have a few units on the field, but when you have to manage huge armies it can be problematic. The only times you don't use the stylus are to flip between the top and bottom displays (something that isn't used often) and scroll around the map with the D-pad. There's no way to flip the controls around, so it isn't lefty friendly. The Gambit system from Final Fantasy XII also makes a return. Gambits allow you to program moves for each character. For example, you can tell Vaan to use his Double Slice ability whenever he comes in contact with an enemy. However, you really have to play with the system in order to get it to work right. Characters will use their Gambits whenever they come in contact with an enemy, so they will sometimes waste them on lesser enemies rather than the bigger ones. I eventually gave up using Gambits altogether and just relied on running the show myself. I'm really glad that I'm required to play at least 50% of a game before I'm allowed to post a word about it - otherwise I probably would have put Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings down quickly. But, after working my way through a muddy story and slow gameplay build-up, I found a lot to like about the game.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
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