Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn

For MMORPG players, the release of the first expansion probably coincides with the most beautiful time to live within the game: enough hours of play have been completed to have developed a certain knowledge of the universe of reference, it has usually entered a clan in which, in addition to complaining about the loot rules, we also tackled the end game and, above all, we were greedy for new content, because everything we could do has basically already done it

Here, Heavensward is no exception.

The first expansion of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn arrives in fact just under two years from the distribution of the game and gives a shock to a world, Eorzea, which was beginning to not see new content for perhaps too long, expanding in every direction as much built with the original release and the many patches that followed it (A Realm Awoken, Through The Maelstrom, Defenders of Eorzea, Dreams of Ice and Before The Fall), thus closing the narrative arc of version 2.0.

The choice of the setting was guided both by a purely pragmatic issue, derived from the use of some assets of version 1.0, and because its setting, and the story that permeates it, are functional to raising the tone of the already complex story that saw the Scions protagonists of the first cycle of contents, which ended with the 2.55 patch of a few months ago.

The Ishgard in which the player finds himself after a not exactly glorious escape is cold and inhospitable, and due to the millennial war with Dravania he recovered with much more effort from the apocalypse that brought Bahamut with him. Just the war with the dragons will be the common thread of the entire version 3.0 of the game, of which Heavensward is only the first (powerful) step.

Even our review will necessarily have to be divided into several parts, because the amount of content is really endless, and although it does not come to match that of the initial release as said by Yoshida, it remains in any case impressive and above all complex to analyze. Three new classes, a main storyline fifty hours long that accompanies up to the sixty level, new areas and dungeons, not forgetting flying mounts, changes to existing jobs and all the contents that will be gradually introduced in the coming weeks, like the new ones token and especially Alexander, the new Raid.

Despite the desire to jump into the new classes and those difficult to keep in check, the first thing I did was go on with the story, the only way to unlock both the dungeons and especially the new skills of the class. I, who have always been a Bard, by the way, have high expectations for my class: the addition of two songs that can be played simultaneously with the others that already exist radically changes the entire phase of supporting the job, allowing it, for example, to manage better damage reduction with Mage's Ballad active, but changing the way you play a lot, since each attack has a casting time. This is just a very small example of how deeply the development team has changed all the existing game mechanics, also going to change how (and how much) the primary statistics affect the secondary ones, forcing everyone to heavy overhaul of your equipment and raid builds.

In the case of Dad of Light (so far known as Daddy of Light), the situation is a little different since the series is based on a true story. Square Enix has therefore produced a drama in order to tell this tale which initially seems very strange, but which quickly proves to be fascinating.

Final Fantasy XIV: Dad of Light is a seemingly very classic Japanese drama, even if it falls into the shortest on the archipelago. And for good reason: there are only eight episodes, and in this case, only seven of them stick to the main story - the eighth being a bonus episode. What's more, each episode is only 24 minutes long. We therefore wait all the more for the scenario at the turn, since with so little time to tell its story, there is reason to be afraid.

The script takes us alongside Akio, a young boy who immersed himself in video games when he was a child, when his father offered him Final Fantasy III. But the responsibilities of his paternal evolving, their relationship has taken a hold in the wing, so much so that today they do not speak at all. The introduction of the series lasts only a few minutes to then place us in the present, while Akio has become a young active. But everything changes when his father abruptly resigns, without explanation. The boy then decides to offer him a PlayStation 4 with Final Fantasy XIV, to then guide him secretly in this online game and the world of Eorzea.

When I started watching the series, I really thought I was going to see a huge publicity for the MMO of Square Enix. With the Japanese publisher as producer, it was difficult to miss. But ultimately, even if certain "new" features of the game are clearly highlighted, the machinima-style sequences filmed in the game are not so numerous. The video game is used more as a pretext for solving intrigues in the real world rather than as a script support.

Akio is indeed a seasoned worker who has to deal with the small hassles of everyday life. Whether it's colleagues or family, the problems can be manifold. The trick is therefore in asking for advice with the gaming community, to then generate an IRL conclusion often accompanied by very funny gags. Contrary to the first impression that one can have on the secret relationship that is formed between the son and his father once in play, it quickly becomes natural and particularly touching. The revelation of the fourth episode also significantly changes the approach we have of the series.

Obviously, not everything is rosy in the world of Dad of Light. The scenario sometimes lacks twinge and does not hesitate to trample consistency a bit so that everything goes in its direction, and it is also necessary to do with the style of Japanese dramas. It can be seen that the series was designed for a Japanese audience without really taking Western trends into account; if you are allergic to gender, this new test is not likely to change the situation.

The fourteenth installment of the Final Fantasy series is one of the most spectacular failures on the MMO market in history . The game was released at the end of 2010 on the PC and was extremely critically received by fans. It was sterile, hermetic, strange, defective and empty, and as if all of this was not enough, the community had virtually no contact with the creators. Square Enix tried to save itself by changing the developer, but it was far too late for such moves. In the end, the publisher decided to take a desperate step - withdrew Final Fantasy XIV from circulation to calmly refine and remodel the product.

The basic version of "fourteen" turned out to be so weak that hardly anyone believed in the success of the Japanese plan. This decision, however, turned out to be good for everyone, because Final Fantasy XIV was quite successful. It is nice because it is one of the few items of this type available on consoles, namely on PlayStation 3.

The action of " fourteen" takes place in the world of Hydaelyn, on the continent of Eorzea, which survived a major cataclysm . Of course, this is known for the great trailer "extermination" thanks to Bahamut, indirectly symbolizing the fate of the first, unlucky version of Final Fantasy XIV . In the game we play the characters who participated in these events, but do not remember anything of their past. In this way Square Enix explains the development of the universe and the fact that now it meets veterans from the first part of the title and completely new people. The characters share one overarching goal - to help rebuild the world and defeat the forces that threaten it. We are also constantly experiencing reminiscences about the great battle and visions related to the mysterious crystal.

As is usually the case in this type of games, the story is conveyed in the descriptions of tasks, slightly too elaborate statements of characters and cut scenes. Only some of them have good voices, so be prepared for a lot of reading if you intend to follow the developments closely. It may not be a thrilling story, but I must admit that it serves interesting threads and has nice associations. The more that it is associated with a good gameplay mechanics - for example, service to one of the three factions, local city-states. Final Fantasy XIV also uses the typical style of the series - absolutely serious issues are intertwined with completely absurd trivia . So expect a mix of pathos and unsophisticated humor, stylized characters and fights with both powerful beasts and furious pudding. Final Fantasy full mouth and good, because - to be honest - thanks to this the game is a bit more expressive than the average fantasy production.

The refreshed "fourteen" impressed me with the gameplay mechanics, which looks thoughtful. Let's start with the fact that in the game we create a hero representing, among others, one of eight classes, fulfilling the classic roles in MMO, i.e. tank, healer, support and DPS - the first of them is to focus the enemy's attention, the second to heal, the third support and fourth deal damage. An interesting fact is that from a certain point the classes can be freely changed and raised at the same time, thus acquiring additional skills, and even unlocking new directions of development . Not all abilities of another class can be applied to the main one, but there is plenty to choose from. As a result, the system is initially easy, but over time it allows you to create various combinations and creates a lot of scope to show off. One option is to unlock a special profession that combines the features of several others - my archer can, for example, turn into a bard. Good idea, because to some extent it eliminates the need to create several heroes to learn all the options.

Similarly, professional - let's say - classes that allow you to collect raw materials or produce items. Each of them is developed separately and as long as I'm not mistaken, there are no restrictions here. In addition, even a miner or alchemist has their skills - some of them allow you to trace minerals to collect, others facilitate mining itself or increase the chance of what we do.

Over time, we get access to more opportunities, often in places that have already been visited. An example is a very nice system of three associations, in which we make special levequests, deliver the indicated raw materials or products and earn seals. They can be exchanged for promotion or rewards, including for chocobo, which acts as a mount. There are also dynamically appearing events called Fate, most often involving a fight with a group of enemies or a boss. These tasks, which are particularly generous in terms of experience points, are very popular. In addition, there are instances of various types - full-fledged undergrounds, smaller group challenges and so-called "trials". You can start them with a team prepared in advance or rely on the companion search engine. This one can be slow, but it works well and works in the background, so we are not stuck in a place like a peg.

It's great that you can enjoy almost any form of spending time from an early level. Thanks to this, there is a lot to do in the refreshed "fourteen" and we always have plenty of opportunities to gain experience on every map. The multitude and variety are the qualities of "fourteen" - and for that glory Square Enix, because there was a fear that the company would not cope with the time filling players.

And Realm Reborn is by no means revolutionary in terms of combat mechanics, but offers solid solutions . The system was based on the skills of characters requiring time needed for their regeneration (cooldown) and a number of tactical or magical points. An interesting fact is that the game displays the area of operation of some attacks, so in many battles you have to constantly move. In general, however, it is quite typical MMO, with all the advantages and disadvantages of this type of production. So I will say this: there are many clashes, but we have fun because the title offers different experiences . There will be something for people who want to relax. There are also many places and more difficult situations. The dungeons and boss battles that have been designed in an interesting way pose a special challenge. They often summon midfielders and use unconventional plays - the lack of reaction from the team ends in a quick death.

I spent a lot of time with Final Fantasy XIV - all the time sitting on the sofa watching TV. It will not be unusual for fans of Final Fantasy XI , a game available on three platforms, including two consoles. I guess, however, that PC MMO enthusiasts may not believe that it is possible to tame such complex systems with a pad. I confirm that it is possible because Square Enix has put a lot of work into improving the interface. Of course, at first it seems incredibly complex, chaotic and bizarre (especially finding the camera aiming / blocking the enemy). After getting to know him better, however, I must say that it would be difficult to come up with something else. The console controller does not guarantee such precision as the keyboard and mouse, but it works well enough. Another thing is writing in chat - here it is worth equipping yourself with additional accessories, which is not a problem, just any USB keyboard, the game recognizes it without trouble. You can even connect a wireless mouse to PlayStation 3 and play on the same principles as on a PC .

The console version of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn "runs well" but turns out to be far from perfect. It's probably not Square Enix's fault, it's just equipment and the need to squeeze out seventh sweats. In short, PlayStation 3 is clearly not making, which is why "fourteen" looks and works very unevenly on it . In some locations, you play literally 15 animation frames per second, others are fine. Such drops occur despite a clear deterioration of the visual setting - it can be seen in low resolution, poor quality textures, pixels and sometimes terribly stop-motion animation of characters and objects. The game loses readability, and on a smaller screen it can even give you a headache (especially around the city of Gridania). If you expect graphic fireworks, reach for the PC edition, which looks lovely .

In both editions, you'll get music that is just as pleasant to the ear. It's so atmospheric that it has survived until now, and usually in MMO I give up the soundtrack after 2-3 days of intense playing. I will only add that the voices of the characters were not everywhere - basically only in the most important cutscenes of the main story line. And that's good, because in my opinion it's lost money, which is worth spending on other aspects of the game.