Oregano
2008-12-05, 05:57 PM
I did make a thread about this a long time ago before it came out and now it is out I thought I'd make my opinion known and review the game. I suspect a lot of this will be the opposite of what most reviews say. I'm also only quite early in the game so I won't know everything.
I'll break it into paragraphs to make it easier to read. I'll also spoiler the paragraphs as they're quite long.
Combat
The combat is a unique and new take on the traditional Final Fantasy combat system, at the heart of the system is classic old-school turn based action, you select a command, it gets carried out and then the enemy retaliates. In fact nearly every part of the combat system screams "Classic but innovative."
A major difference is the party make-up, instead of controlling a group of three or four warriors you control a small army of them(probably a slight exaggeration). It avoids being tedious though with a "Union" system, this is where you assemble groups of warriors, turning them into a single combat entity, you give the command to attack, they all attack(HP is also pooled, which means a union of 5 is stronger than a union of 2 and a union of 3). This is a really good approach to large scale combat in my opinion as it allows it to be more fluidic and allows for variation in combat as you mix and match switching different units into different groups.
As a turn based RPG in an era where practically every RPG is Real Time, The Last Remnant had to make the combat fluidic. Something I think the designers achieved impressively, as the attacks flow from one to another as unit after units launches attacks, it also decides to involve the player mid turn as action commands are used occasionally to boost damage or counterattack. I think this stops the combat from being stop and start, stop and start. The initiative order also excites things as instead of you attacking then the enemy attacking it is instead determined by an initiative order, this means that one union may attack(they still attack together), then the enemy attacks, then another union attacks, this really gets the adrenaline pumping when an union is low on hits and needs backup as it's uncertain they will arrive on time.
The morale bar, why not unique or new, is a good feature of the combat as it allows you to boost your damage through strategic thinking. It's also a good indicator of how well you're doing.
The "Deadlock" is a very important part of the combat and again puts pressure on the player as it makes it more difficult to defend as if you leave the deadlock they attack and you might be able to heal but if you stay in the deadlock you're not going to be able to heal until you desperately need it.
A strange feature of combat is the weird spacial recognition of the game, you can have an enemy in a deadlock with one union, attacking them ferociusly, then when it goes to the enemies turn they seem to have you surrounded, this is a slight flaw but I think it makes it more exciting and when in a particularily large battle represents the chaos of war better.
I've read a lot of complaints about the steep learning curve of the combat system, this to a certain extent is true, boss fights are particularly difficult and sometimes there will be upwards of 30 or 40 units in battle. This does make the battles harder but it's about thinking and planning, flanking the enemy, catching the weaker unions off guard. I think this makes the battles more of an achievement.
Overall, I think the main draw of the combat system is the clever mix of strategy and RPG. It caters to those who like a challenge, who want to be the one responsible for a victory, however it's possible for anyone to win they just have to put actual effort into the game. It's also refreshing to find a RPG Strategy instead of another Startegy RPG.
Graphics and Technical stuff
The game has been criticised for it's bad graphics, this is balderdash. The game is absolutely beautiful, the landscapes are lush and green, the horizon is rendered distant but visible(it also doesn't look 2D!). The characters are also very well rendered, they move naturally, look natural(except maybe the eyes) and surprisingly they look realistic(this is highly subjective).
The game has also been criticised for lag, I personally have not encountered this, I also have not installed the game to my hardrive. It flows perfectly and there's never any delay, I expected it to be really slows after what I was told but it works like a dream for me.
Characters, the story and the World
The characters, whilst at times slightly cliche for JRPGs feel more organic than most, they're not emo or too happy, they have a range of emotions but despite this it's clear that the characters have their own personalities. In an early scene you are properly introduced to the main cast and it's clear from the get go what personalities they have. The emotion shown in the characters is fantastic as well specifically in Irina, Rush and David, who you can really sympathise with. The villains also have a range of personalities instead of being "haha, we're evil, lets kill!", they conflict with each other at times.
Rush(the protagonist) is a refreshing character, he has his sad and angry moments at times, but he has good reason, he's also a good foil for David and his generals as he's not a soldier, he's more of an everyman compared to them. Unlike some heroes as well, he has a reason to step up, a reason to be a hero.
The random commoners also have their own personalities and attitudes, The interaction with them is more like JRPGs in that you can't really ask them actions or interrogate them but a lot of them provide information about the world and it's good to talk to people every so often, they can really make you smile or just provide some useful tips. The best part of the interaction with the npcs however is the quest system, people with quests for you to do have red speech bubbles above their heads and the content of the quests can rarely a lot, but I think it's nice to use a quest system more a kin to KOTOR than to your traditional JRPG.
A good thing about the world is, it's a big wide area in The Last Remnant, sure you can only go to certain locations but they're practically miles across and provide a big area for exploration and plenty of nooks and crannys to explore.
The story is unusual for RPGs as instead of an long introduction the game throws you into the middle of the fray(literally) and you learn as you go along. In the first five minutes alone, you learn Rush's motivation for exploring(although it's not elaborated on) and you witness the destructive power of the remnants as an entire army is annihilated. It also doesn't spoon feed you everything, some things are only revealed over time and have to be pieced together.
I think I'll conclude it here, instead of giving a massively bias rating or score I'm just going to say that The Last Remnant is an excellent RPG, it has only minor customisation of specific characters but the potential the Union system has totally overshadows this, it also allows the player to control an army whilst being on the front lines, up and personal, it associates you with your units, they're not just random warriors. I'd say that any fan of JRPGs should definately pick up the game and fans of WRPGs should give it a try, it shows the potential of JRPGs and that they're not all exactly the same shallow stereotypes.
So has anyone else got any thoughts on it?
EDIT: I feel my review is kind of lacking to be honest.:smallfrown: I wish I could say more about the Technical stuff but I don't know anything about it.
EDIT 2: I know why it's lacking, I missed the best part.
Sound and Voices
The music is one of the best parts of the game with rocking instrumentals during the battle, especially during the epic boss battles where the music changes into something more intense, the music perfectly fits the nature of the battles.
The voice work is incredible, the character's voices suit them perfectly, although David sounds a bit annoying at times. I feel the voices add authenticity to the game, especially their battlecries and shouts during combat.
Other stuff
The lack of a level system is a confusing attribute of the game as it makes it a lot harder to decide what units to use at what times, it also makes is easier to accidentally level up a core group and ignore the other units.
The ability to save anywhere is a nice change(probably one of the influences of WRPGs on The Last Remnant), this avoids the problem that many JRPGs have, with no save points, it's easier to load, play a while and then leave it.
I'll break it into paragraphs to make it easier to read. I'll also spoiler the paragraphs as they're quite long.
Combat
The combat is a unique and new take on the traditional Final Fantasy combat system, at the heart of the system is classic old-school turn based action, you select a command, it gets carried out and then the enemy retaliates. In fact nearly every part of the combat system screams "Classic but innovative."
A major difference is the party make-up, instead of controlling a group of three or four warriors you control a small army of them(probably a slight exaggeration). It avoids being tedious though with a "Union" system, this is where you assemble groups of warriors, turning them into a single combat entity, you give the command to attack, they all attack(HP is also pooled, which means a union of 5 is stronger than a union of 2 and a union of 3). This is a really good approach to large scale combat in my opinion as it allows it to be more fluidic and allows for variation in combat as you mix and match switching different units into different groups.
As a turn based RPG in an era where practically every RPG is Real Time, The Last Remnant had to make the combat fluidic. Something I think the designers achieved impressively, as the attacks flow from one to another as unit after units launches attacks, it also decides to involve the player mid turn as action commands are used occasionally to boost damage or counterattack. I think this stops the combat from being stop and start, stop and start. The initiative order also excites things as instead of you attacking then the enemy attacking it is instead determined by an initiative order, this means that one union may attack(they still attack together), then the enemy attacks, then another union attacks, this really gets the adrenaline pumping when an union is low on hits and needs backup as it's uncertain they will arrive on time.
The morale bar, why not unique or new, is a good feature of the combat as it allows you to boost your damage through strategic thinking. It's also a good indicator of how well you're doing.
The "Deadlock" is a very important part of the combat and again puts pressure on the player as it makes it more difficult to defend as if you leave the deadlock they attack and you might be able to heal but if you stay in the deadlock you're not going to be able to heal until you desperately need it.
A strange feature of combat is the weird spacial recognition of the game, you can have an enemy in a deadlock with one union, attacking them ferociusly, then when it goes to the enemies turn they seem to have you surrounded, this is a slight flaw but I think it makes it more exciting and when in a particularily large battle represents the chaos of war better.
I've read a lot of complaints about the steep learning curve of the combat system, this to a certain extent is true, boss fights are particularly difficult and sometimes there will be upwards of 30 or 40 units in battle. This does make the battles harder but it's about thinking and planning, flanking the enemy, catching the weaker unions off guard. I think this makes the battles more of an achievement.
Overall, I think the main draw of the combat system is the clever mix of strategy and RPG. It caters to those who like a challenge, who want to be the one responsible for a victory, however it's possible for anyone to win they just have to put actual effort into the game. It's also refreshing to find a RPG Strategy instead of another Startegy RPG.
Graphics and Technical stuff
The game has been criticised for it's bad graphics, this is balderdash. The game is absolutely beautiful, the landscapes are lush and green, the horizon is rendered distant but visible(it also doesn't look 2D!). The characters are also very well rendered, they move naturally, look natural(except maybe the eyes) and surprisingly they look realistic(this is highly subjective).
The game has also been criticised for lag, I personally have not encountered this, I also have not installed the game to my hardrive. It flows perfectly and there's never any delay, I expected it to be really slows after what I was told but it works like a dream for me.
Characters, the story and the World
The characters, whilst at times slightly cliche for JRPGs feel more organic than most, they're not emo or too happy, they have a range of emotions but despite this it's clear that the characters have their own personalities. In an early scene you are properly introduced to the main cast and it's clear from the get go what personalities they have. The emotion shown in the characters is fantastic as well specifically in Irina, Rush and David, who you can really sympathise with. The villains also have a range of personalities instead of being "haha, we're evil, lets kill!", they conflict with each other at times.
Rush(the protagonist) is a refreshing character, he has his sad and angry moments at times, but he has good reason, he's also a good foil for David and his generals as he's not a soldier, he's more of an everyman compared to them. Unlike some heroes as well, he has a reason to step up, a reason to be a hero.
The random commoners also have their own personalities and attitudes, The interaction with them is more like JRPGs in that you can't really ask them actions or interrogate them but a lot of them provide information about the world and it's good to talk to people every so often, they can really make you smile or just provide some useful tips. The best part of the interaction with the npcs however is the quest system, people with quests for you to do have red speech bubbles above their heads and the content of the quests can rarely a lot, but I think it's nice to use a quest system more a kin to KOTOR than to your traditional JRPG.
A good thing about the world is, it's a big wide area in The Last Remnant, sure you can only go to certain locations but they're practically miles across and provide a big area for exploration and plenty of nooks and crannys to explore.
The story is unusual for RPGs as instead of an long introduction the game throws you into the middle of the fray(literally) and you learn as you go along. In the first five minutes alone, you learn Rush's motivation for exploring(although it's not elaborated on) and you witness the destructive power of the remnants as an entire army is annihilated. It also doesn't spoon feed you everything, some things are only revealed over time and have to be pieced together.
I think I'll conclude it here, instead of giving a massively bias rating or score I'm just going to say that The Last Remnant is an excellent RPG, it has only minor customisation of specific characters but the potential the Union system has totally overshadows this, it also allows the player to control an army whilst being on the front lines, up and personal, it associates you with your units, they're not just random warriors. I'd say that any fan of JRPGs should definately pick up the game and fans of WRPGs should give it a try, it shows the potential of JRPGs and that they're not all exactly the same shallow stereotypes.
So has anyone else got any thoughts on it?
EDIT: I feel my review is kind of lacking to be honest.:smallfrown: I wish I could say more about the Technical stuff but I don't know anything about it.
EDIT 2: I know why it's lacking, I missed the best part.
Sound and Voices
The music is one of the best parts of the game with rocking instrumentals during the battle, especially during the epic boss battles where the music changes into something more intense, the music perfectly fits the nature of the battles.
The voice work is incredible, the character's voices suit them perfectly, although David sounds a bit annoying at times. I feel the voices add authenticity to the game, especially their battlecries and shouts during combat.
Other stuff
The lack of a level system is a confusing attribute of the game as it makes it a lot harder to decide what units to use at what times, it also makes is easier to accidentally level up a core group and ignore the other units.
The ability to save anywhere is a nice change(probably one of the influences of WRPGs on The Last Remnant), this avoids the problem that many JRPGs have, with no save points, it's easier to load, play a while and then leave it.