First Impressions: Get your adrenaline shots ready. A Final Fantasy overdose is imminent.
Without a doubt this is the year for Final Fantasy. Square-Enix plans to release more Final Fantasy games this season than any in recent memory. Let’s go down the list: Final Fantasy V Advance (GBA), Final Fantasy III (DS), and finally Final Fantasy XII (PS2). Needless to say RPG fans should be in proverbial heaven this Christmas. However, for those players not content with this main course, Square-Enix has something special planned for dessert next year. This figurative key lime pie is Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings for the DS.
Revenant Wings is not a sequel but a spin-off that takes place after the events of Final Fantasy XII. FF XII supporting characters Vaan and Panelo are Revenant Wing’s main protagonists. At the game’s beginning the pair has acquired their own airship and are living their dream of finding fame and fortune. Square-Enix has revealed little of the game’s plot. What is known is that the game places a heavy emphasis on flying (it is called Revenant Wings after all) and takes place on the floating continent of Puruvama (Gesundheit). Other Final Fantasy XII characters are playable including Fran and Balthier. Square-Enix states that Revenant Wings might have the largest selection of playable characters in a Final Fantasy game to date.
Revenant Wing’s director Motome Torishima (Final Fantasy X-2) designed the game as an entry-level title for the casual gamer. To reflect this Square-Enix has simplified Revenant Wing’s battle system while maintaining familiar series’ elements. For instance FF XII’s Gambit system returns in a simplified form. Additionally summon creatures factor heavily in battle. Reportedly Revenant Wings will feature more summons than any other Final Fantasy game. The player controls all of these battle elements through the simple use of the stylus.
Square-Enix has shown little of the game to the public thus far. The TGS 2006 trailer featured fantastic cut-scenes but no in-game footage. One can expect that the in-game graphics will be at least as good, probably better, than those of Final Fantasy III for the DS.
Further details are unknown, including whether or not the game will possess any WiFi features. Look for more info in coming weeks. Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings should be heading to North America in early 2007.
