Final Fantasy Meets Monster Hunter in Final Fantasy Explorers - Preview
by VGChartz Staff , posted on 13 October 2015 / 7,459 Views
Given Square Enix's track record with its flagship franchise, I'm a little bit surprised there haven't been more Final Fantasy games released on the Nintendo 3DS. I'm also surprised that the company hasn't capitalized on the Monster Hunter genre before now, as so many other series have. That's all about to change with Final Fantasy Explorers for the Nintendo 3DS. At first glance it looks like just another MH clone, but after a little time with the game it soon starts to feel very much like Final Fantasy.
The demo I managed to get my hands on had eight classes available to play, including a Knight, Ranger, Dragoon, Paladin, White Mage, Black Mage, Time Mage, and Ninja. Each class has a distinct set of abilities, and up to eight of these can be equipped at a time. Classes can be switched on the fly, though it will obviously require its own equipment and levelling to be of use.
The game is also four player co-op, though if there are no other players (as was the case with the demo), you can have up to three minion monsters to battle with you that can be captured and trained, or any combination of monsters and players. For demo purposes, I had full access to all eight classes - each fully equipped with items and abilities - as well as two minions. I was able to play through the demo mission, which featured a short dungeon and a boss battle with Ifrit, a couple of times.
FF Explorers is very reminiscent of the Monster Hunter series, yet at the same time it keeps true to its namesake. Normal attacks are just a whole bunch of repetitive actions, but abilities help to balance the action quite well. Both shoulder buttons are used to maximize the number of abilities, and holding either one will allow you to use four new actions attached to the face buttons. When combined with normal attacks, physical attackers can create some nice combos, and magic users can quickly use spells back to back.
While I gravitate more towards using warriors, I had a ton of fun spamming magic, especially meteor and quake, over and over to dispatch Ifirit. Even when I was low on MP it was easy enough to attack Ifirit with my staff enough times to recharge the bar. The Dragoon was equally fun to use, and throwing in jumps and javelin throws to his normal combo attacks felt very smooth. The battle system is fast paced, more so than most Monster Hunter-like games, which makes it feel akin to FF Type 0 (albeit with a slightly less erratic camera system).
Adding to the combat are two options on the touch screen, one being the trance option and another which spurs your minions to battle, as well as Limit Breakers which are activated with L and R once the limit meter is filled. The trance ability allows characters to turn into previous FF heroes. I was able to summon Cloud and Squall, both of which quickly helped me turn the tide on Ifrit, especially when I was a Time Mage and I was low on HP.
Giving minions directives is smooth enough, but it feels a tad awkward having to use the touch screen. The Limit Breakers, or Crystal Attacks, are useful, but much more so in the hands of a summoned character, and this introduces some strategy to boss battles by forcing you to manage your abilities. I really enjoyed my time with the battle system and I had much more fun than I normally do with the genre. I put this down mostly to the fact that the combat is fast paced and features a great combination of abilities.
The game was only playable on older 3DS models, although I was told that it will support the Circle Pad Pro as well as the extra c-stick on the New 3DS. Due to lacking the proper equipment, the camera was frustrating to use. You constantly need to tap L in order to keep the camera centered if you don't want to use the d-pad, though that is equally as frustrating.
The visuals are a mixed bag. Character models seem a touch blocky and rough around the edges, though the environments are beautifully rendered. The mismatch isn't terribly noticeable, however, and it doesn't detract from the game very much.
While Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles dabbled in the Monster Hunter genre, Explorers dives in head first, and with its fast paced style and varied combat it looks to be a ton of fun, despite some drawbacks. Look for Final Fantasy Explorers to release on the 3DS in January 2016.
