New Final Fantasy Launches on iOS Today

[Sarah LeBoeuf]

New Final Fantasy Launches on iOS Today


The return of the ATB combat system and chocobo music are among the features of Final Fantasy: All the Bravest.

A few weeks ago, publisher Square Enix promised a "mobile revolution" [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/121214-Square-Enix-Teases-More-Final-Fantasy-on-iOS] in its launch trailer for Final Fantasy IV on iOS. I'm not sure that one game counts as a revolution, but Square Enix has taken another step towards iOS domination with the release of Final Fantasy: All the Bravest, which hits iPads, iPhones, and iPods today.

Described as a "touch-action RPG," All the Bravest is an original Final Fantasy game that borrows heavily from other elements of the long-running franchise. The combat uses the Active Time Battle system, which was designed for Final Fantasy IV and used with game-specific modifications until Final Fantasy X. Every three hours in real time, a Fever option will appear, allowing your party to attack without waiting for the ATB gauges to appear. This seemingly chaotic mode is set to the chocobo music, and lasts until the song ends.

In addition to the familiar chocobo theme, All the Bravest uses even more music the series' library, with over 30 songs from previous Final Fantasy games. Characters fall into 20 different jobs or classes, with old-school favorites like the warrior, monk, and red mage among them. The press release brags that All the Bravest gives players "the largest parties in Final Fantasy history," with up to 40 characters appearing onscreen at once.

Final Fantasy: All the Bravest is available on iOS devices now for $3.99. There are leaderboards and social networking features, but it seems like Square Enix is reusing a lot of previous assets to make this new game. For a series as nostalgia-heavy as Final Fantasy, however, that may not necessarily be a bad thing.

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[Baresark]

This feels like them doing just more re-releases. Is there not an original thought in the heads of anyone at Square Enix? Hopefully it'll be better than dimensions. At best it felt like they were just copying themselves using RPG Maker. The effort was completely uninspired.

 

[The.Bard]

The price point is certainly better than their previous iOS offerings, but I'm still confused. I keep hearing there's no story, which would lead me to believe this is just hours and hours of turn-based combat with nothing else to offer.

I always found myself tolerating the combat system in previous FF games in order to get to the story. Maybe they should do the opposite here, and sell a Final Fantasy game with a story but no combat system.

 

[ShirowShirow]

Looks like a fun distraction, but the microtransactions look too punishing.

 

[Shinsei-J]

Well I'm going to try it but I've lost most of my faith in Square over the years.
All I've got left is good will and a grain of hope.

The rest of my feelings towards this were explained by Baresark pretty well so I don't really have much to add.

 

[roushutsu]

That'll get boring REAL quick, especially since it's nothing more than endless combat and all you do is click a character and they do the actions automatically. I'm sorry, but I don't want to play a FF13 style combat game for hours on end. I get the appeal of nostalgia, but you need more than nostalgia to keep someone playing, like say a narrative of some sorts.

I know Square really likes their re-releases on every new platform, but this really comes off as nothing more than a soulless cash grab.

 

[The Hungry Samurai]

Went to buy this then I saw no story, plus 35 premium characters that can only be bought in random packs, for $1 each. I'm not gonna pay $4 to be pressured to spend a bunch more. This is gaming done very wrong.

 

[Shadowsetzer]

$3.99 isn't that much, and it looks like it'll be a good time-waster while I'm waiting in the doctor's office, even if it seems like I'm the only one who feels that way. It doesn't matter right now, though, since it's not available on Kindle.

 

[Nemu]

Oh Squaresoft, you hurt me once again by releasing a title from my favorite series on yet another POS device.

Maybe one day folks will realize that there are more Droid users out there than iPhone users.

 

[Punch You]

Went to buy this then I saw no story, plus 35 premium characters that can only be bought in random packs, for $1 each. I'm not gonna pay $4 to be pressured to spend a bunch more. This is gaming done very wrong.

If you think this is gaming done wrong, you should see Guardian Cross. It's a complete skinner-box, designed to make you pay for privilege of playing the "game" more often. The gameplay itself is pokemon minus any attacks or player input, so the monsters automatically just flop all over eachother until the biggest monsters placed in the correct order win. Luckily, they give you a fast forward so you don't have to sit there for ten minutes watching the game play itself.

Remember, Eidos (Square Enix Europe) is the only good part of Square Enix.

 

[Eric the Orange]

Eh, nostalgia is great and all but the actual combat looks like "just mash on your guys till they die". no strategy or thought involved.

 

[Archemetis]

Going purely on the video:

OK, So it's opening up... Typical Final Fantasy logo and-- Whoa! So many characters in one battle I can't believe... I... Uh... Is that a "Shop" option in the battle screen? That's a little suspect, but whatever, iOS I guess.

So, the bulk of the "Combat" seems to be waiting for gauges to fill and then tapping the dudes? Well congrats, Squeenix. You've managed to somehow remove more player-involvement from your games. That is... Well that's a thing.

Fever? Really? When is the multiball going to show up?

No! ... No, Squeenix! No! Black Mage, Knight and White Mage are not new! Not in the slightest meaning of the word!

Was that a brief glance of a world map? Oop! No we've had a split second of interesting, back to showing off the battle system!

Yay! Cloud Strife! Hey, everyone! Did you see that Cloud Strife is now in the party? Cloud's in the game everyone! Sprite Cloud! Final Fantasy VII! It still holds appeal!

MEXICAN WAVE FIGHT!

And then the logo again...

Whelp...
Nothing particularly special being thrown out here...

I'll probably still end up buying it.

[sub]'Cos I'm a slut.[/sub]

 

[saintdane05]

[sub]'Cos I'm a slut.[/sub]

Don't worry. I am too! Just today I got three men at once! It was fun.

 

[deathbydeath]

At first, I was interested and going to give it a look, and then I saw Cloud Strife.

I wasn't going to buy it, and then I saw the Blackjack make a strafing run over enemies, and now I am going to buy it.

Damn you, Square Enix.

 

[vxicepickxv]

The price point is certainly better than their previous iOS offerings, but I'm still confused. I keep hearing there's no story, which would lead me to believe this is just hours and hours of turn-based combat with nothing else to offer.

I always found myself tolerating the combat system in previous FF games in order to get to the story. Maybe they should do the opposite here, and sell a Final Fantasy game with a story but no combat system.

I take it you didn't see their attempt at it. It's called spirits within. I think you can find it legally free to watch.

It's a very pretty CGI thing.

 

[Your Gaffer]

The price point is certainly better than their previous iOS offerings, but I'm still confused. I keep hearing there's no story, which would lead me to believe this is just hours and hours of turn-based combat with nothing else to offer.

I always found myself tolerating the combat system in previous FF games in order to get to the story. Maybe they should do the opposite here, and sell a Final Fantasy game with a story but no combat system.

This is the single most transparent, pay to play nonsense game ever.

There is no story, there is nothing but IAP, in app purchases.

Basically you just tap on your characters to make them attack. If they get hit once they die. You can revive them with hourglasses BUT you only get 3 with the game when you buy it for $4 and once you use them they are gone forever.

Then you have to buy more. So you can tap on your characters over and over again. It is blatantly abusive.

 

[KoudelkaMorgan]

This is officially the rock bottom for Final Fantasy. I haven't played Theatrhythm, but I had assumed Crystal Defenders to be the lowest form of debasement Square would be capable of doing to its own flagship. Apparently amidst the quite vocal majority that rejected FF13 and its various additional traumas in sequel form they decided to give the QQers exactly what they want.

I can envision the commercials already...

"You like Final Fantasy? Chocobos? All the classic sprites? Well you'll love this game! We fill your screen with what looks like a Youtube poop of all our art assets at the same fucking time with another battle system that plays itself so you don't have to! Its so exciting you'll jump for joy if you aren't given a seizure first from all the crap happening on screen at once. And for no reason we put Cloud in it, because EVERYONE LOVES FF7!!!!"

Except for me. Square more and more impresses the notion that they are a company with no vision or future with every subsequent new release. Much like Nintendo, they have been coasting on former excellence and no one in a position of power within the company has ever called either of them out on it.

People buy Mario, and you probably own more than one version of FF1-6 and Chrono Trigger by now.

The sad thing is that Square today is wholly incapable of producing a game as good as Chrono Trigger, and Enix hasn't done jack other than rehash DQ for about 12 years now seemingly.

Does no one in that company have an original idea anymore?

When your hot new idea for a game to put 40 sprites on screen spazzing out against the same enemy sprites from the 1990's I think its time to hang it up.

 

[Beautiful End]

inb4 "This is why we don't have KH3/TWEWY2/Versus XIII/whatever".

OT: I joined the Final Fantasy wave back when I had my PS1 and as much as I've tried, I can't get used to the old-school combat and graphics, even though it stayed basically the same up until FFX. Not only that but if this game is only about fighting endlessly, then no, thanks. I like my FF games with a badass story (I think most of us do).

Also, holy shit, Squenix! I can barely decide what to do with 3-4 people on screen fighting the same enemy. I can't imagine what I would do with all of the characters in the world fighting at once! and that Fever mode looks like it could help people discover their epileptic side more easily. That's...that's too much for me.

 

[MattAn24]

This feels like them doing just more re-releases. Is there not an original thought in the heads of anyone at Square Enix? Hopefully it'll be better than dimensions. At best it felt like they were just copying themselves using RPG Maker. The effort was completely uninspired.

Sure does pay to do your research first.. You *do* realize Dimensions was a Japanese-only mobile game long before it was turned into "Dimensions" on smartphones, right? They just.. Finally gave Western audiences that wanted it the chance to try it out.

This is officially the rock bottom for Final Fantasy. I haven't played Theatrhythm, but I had assumed Crystal Defenders to be the lowest form of debasement Square would be capable of doing to its own flagship. Apparently amidst the quite vocal majority that rejected FF13 and its various additional traumas in sequel form they decided to give the QQers exactly what they want.

Funny story. There was a vocal *minority*, not vocal majority. They were/are just very damn vocal and won't shut up. Reviews were actually generally positive and many really adored it. No one's forcing you to, but don't ever assume your opinion is the law.

inb4 "This is why we don't have KH3/TWEWY2/Versus XIII/whatever".

Yet another fun fact! SquareEnix is not just one massive conglomerate team working on multiple games at once. It's why Final Fantasy games are actually so different. Only a few staff members are regulars, like Tetsuya Nomura as character designer. Hell, FFIX's staff were a *completely* different team. Nomura wasn't a director of any kind until Advent Children and Kingdom Hearts. Hence why Versus XIII is holding back Kingdom Hearts, but not much else. There's a specific team for it.

 

[Scrythe]

Final Fantasy: All the Bravest is available on iOS devices now for $3.99

Are you sure you didn't forget a "1" somewhere? I've never heard of Square Enix putting up a game on the App Store that was less than $10.