Thursday, January 13, 2011

Four reasons you should check out Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light

You know how I gushed and gushed about the greatness that is Dragon Quest IX? Well, I'm feeling similarly gushy after spending about 25 hours with Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light.

I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm enjoying the latter title as much as the former, but I would say I'm enjoying it to a similar extent--despite Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light's distinct lack of Metal King Slimes (my favorite enemy in Dragon Quest IX).

In case my word alone isn't enough to push you to pick up a copy of this lovely little game, here are four additional reasons I think it's worth your time and money (assuming you enjoy RPGs, of course):


1. It features some of the best 3D graphics to grace the DS--Honestly, it may be the prettiest polygon-based DS game I've played. It looks like an abstract watercolor (this is especially evident in the towns of Arbor, Guera and Spelvia, above), which in my mind is a very good thing.

2. Despite its artsy-fartsy appearance, it will kick your ass--Repeatedly. I'm pretty sure I've yet to defeat a boss on my first attempt. Also, I've been slaughtered while running around the overworld--something that rarely if ever happens to me in other RPGs. (Both of those things are positives in my opinion, as too many modern-day RPGs are pushovers.)

3. Its crown system's actually pretty cool--It reminds me a lot of the job system in Final Fantasy V, to tell you the truth, although the one in this game has less depth and is more streamlined. One thing the crown system has over Final Fantasy V's job system, though, is that players aren't required to grind in order to max out each class. Also, some of the crowns are unbelievably cute. My favorites: The bandit, black mage (top hat for the win!), hero and merchant crowns.

4. It will keep you busy for a good while--I've already put about 25 hours into it, and I have a feeling I'm only about halfway to the finale. Also, it should be noted that the game really opens up, in a manner reminiscent of Final Fantasy VI's second act, around the 15- to 20-hour mark. (Don't worry, that's not a spoiler.)

See also: 'I really like Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light, but ...'

6 comments:

Viewtiful_Justin said...

Sweet. MAybe I WILL pick it up. But before I do, I'm going to try to pick up Ghost Trick and Lost in Shadow.

Bryan Ochalla said...

Oh, I've heard great things about both Ghost Trick and Lost in Shadow, so I can't imagine you can go wrong with either of them. I especially want to try Ghost Trick at some point...

If you *do* get The 4 Heroes of Light at some point I'll be interested to hear what you think about it. Hopefully it won't disappoint. One thing you might like to hear: The game's propensity to pull characters -- and their swag -- from your party mostly happens within the first few hours of the game, so once you get past that point you never really have to worry about it again.

Viewtiful_Justin said...

Good! Great to hear, actually! If you' like to TRY Ghost Trick, it's available as a demo download from the Nintendo Channel on the Wii.

Bryan Ochalla said...

Oh, I didn't know that. Thanks for telling me! Unfortunately, I can't take my DS on line at the moment :(

Viewtiful_Justin said...

Oh, you don't have to. All you have to do is have your Wii online. It comes through the DS Download Play option. I'm pretty sure it's just wireless from your Wii and it has nothing to do with your DS being able to be online.

Bryan Ochalla said...

Huh. Well, I'll give it a try tomorrow, then. Thanks!