To fill these in, players must collect specialized spheres. Each dot represents an ability, attribute, or stat boost. FF10's Sphere Grid forces fans to connect the dots in a mess of circles. The results are some truly bizarre methods of character growth. Like combat, the developers needlessly tweak the progression system with each entry.
The process is addictive and easy to grasp, so why does Square Enix insist on overcomplicating it? As the heroes gain experience, they grow stronger through various stats. Unfortunately, such positive examples are few and far between. Their apocalyptic goals stem from personal revenge and/or damaged psyches, so they resonate with players to an extent. Kefka from FF6, Sephiroth from FF7, and Kuja from FF9 are somewhat more engaging than their peers. That said, there are instances where this type of villain works. By this point, said formula has gotten stale, predictable, and boring. The Emperor of FF2, Seymour of FF10, Barthandolus of FF13, Caius of FF13-2, and Genesis of Crisis Core each present some variation of this formula. To ease that suffering (or to simply exterminate all unworthy life forms), they'll wipe out the whole planet. Their speeches mainly consist of vacant platitudes about human suffering. It's as if they're auditioning for Shakespearean theatre without the writing prowess. These antagonists often go on long-winded tangents about how they came to their genocidal solutions. What's more, is that they're happy to explain that goal to anyone who'll listen. Most Final Fantasy villains don't want to rule the world. At that point, they probably pine for the series' longtime rival, Dragon Quest, which keeps things simple and consistent. It forces fans to throw out everything they know about the established gameplay in favor of something new. While not all of these are inherently bad, each one has its own learning curve. World of Final Fantasy ties abilities into capturing and raising Pokemon-esque monsters, which stack on top of the heroes during combat. In Final Fantasy 13, fans only control one party member during battle, switching Paradigms and hoping their allies cast the right spells. In Final Fantasy 12, players dictate the party's moves beforehand via the Gambit System, which is basically an Excel spreadsheet with different commands for every situation. In Final Fantasy 8, characters can't use magic unless they draw it from enemies. In Final Fantasy 7, many moves hinge on whatever materia are equipped to weapons and armor. More often than not, the developers add a gimmick or condition to baseline gameplay.
These just aren't enough, though, so each entry shifts the status quo in small yet significant ways. All mainline Final Fantasy titles use turn-based combat and Japanese role-playing as foundations. For whatever reason, Square Enix can't leave a good thing going.
0 kommentar(er)
