Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light

[Kup]

I haven't really enjoyed a Final Fantasy this much since IX.

I can't quiet put my finger on it, but something in this game just feels "right" to me.  It's ticking all the boxes so far.

Though I do find myself getting lost every now and again - like I've missed an important line of dialogue somewhere and there isn't a clear indication on where to go or what to do.  It's nice to wander about though...

[Rapturous]

Though I do find myself getting lost every now and again - like I've missed an important line of dialogue somewhere and there isn't a clear indication on where to go or what to do.  It's nice to wander about though...

It's not you, it's the game.  I'm just trying to figure out if it's lazy design or intentional--for the sake of being old school.  Either way, I don't like it.  :P

[Kup]

It'd just be nice to have a "and so, the heroes travelled to yonder place to do this particular something, just in time for this and that" screen so when I come back to the game after a day or two break, I know what I'm doing.

I hate having to resort to game guides to find out my next destination - that in itself is certainly not something I would want a customer to have to resort to in a game I created and released.

It's similar to waking up in the morning and having to call your family and friends to remember where you work and what you're doing there - it's bullshit and it's even more bullshit if game designers intentionally want players to "get lost" for the sake of being "classic".

[Starmongoose]

I'm lost right now.

I'm currently wandering around the world on my dragon collecting the pieces of equipment for Rolan. THough I've been to the 5 cities, and gotten all the equipment, but nothings happening. I dunno where the heck i'm meant to go.

EDIT: Never mind, got it now. Randomly went to the right place.

[Tomara]

Code:

I think you're at the point where you have to confron Rolan again. He can be found in the basement of the flying island (go through the cave again).

If you're stuck, try talking to animals. Animals usually give the best hints.

[Starmongoose]

Yeah, you were right Tomara. The goats led me to that conclusion eventually :P

[daschrier]

Though I do find myself getting lost every now and again - like I've missed an important line of dialogue somewhere and there isn't a clear indication on where to go or what to do.  It's nice to wander about though...

It's not you, it's the game.  I'm just trying to figure out if it's lazy design or intentional--for the sake of being old school.  Either way, I don't like it.  :P

If you talk to EVERYONE, day and night, you'll find out what to do.

I did randomly

Code:

run into the main character back at the desert town after being turned into a cat, didn't know I was supposed to have a party and tried going through the fairy cave alone.

[Mickeymac92]

Just picked it up today, though unfortunately it's a Christmas present (my only present, actually). Still, I can't wait to play it! It looks like exactly my kind of game!

[Raze]

Things taking a bit of a downturn later in the game. Problem is that despite enemies scaling to your level I feel incredibly overleveled. Random encounters have me always going first and one shotting everything and never even getting attacked. And this isn't using high AP moves, just regular attacks and level 1 black magic. I did upgrade Brandt and Yunita's weapons to +9 when they weren't keeping up with the casters. You could say I brought it on myself, but I'm going to counterpoint that if I hadn't did that I could have just turned them into black mages.

Boss wise they vary from bad offense to decent, but counterable offense, but all go down pretty quick when you bring out the high AP specials like magical might and wrath.

Hopefully it's just a temporary rut and things will pick up again.

[Rapturous]

Raze, I had the exact same experience.  It's a shame, really.  Solid game design until the end.  If you want a challenge, wait until the very end, or when you discover some sidequests.  You'll be singing a different tune.

Review up in the coming week(s).

[Starmongoose]

I finished the game now. I agree about the lack of difficulty towards the end though, as levels became practically irrelevant because the enemies scale to your level.

The 4 Towers and the last dungeon were pretty difficult though.

[Tomara]

My hero and black mage murdered practically every random encounter, but the bosses can be quite difficult. I made the mistake of completing the first tower before taking on the final boss. I got my ass kicked three times. Luck and micromanagement saved the day.

[Starmongoose]

Excellent review, couldn't disagree with anything, really.

[Raze]

One mistake in the review.

One limitation that RPG veterans might have to get used to is the inability to cast spells outside of battle. Casting cure is reserved for in-battle gameplay only, so if a character is left critical at the end of battle, players better have potions stocked and ready to go.

This is wrong, although I'd definitely put blame on the devs rather than the review for making this assumption since it's not exactly the normal way of handling things and they don't bother to tell you about it. You can heal by using spellbooks as a item in the menu.

[Starmongoose]

I missed that, yeah. It's wrong,  you use the spellbook like an item.