Yes, Revenant Wings is not Final Fantasy Tactics. Heck, it's not even a true follow on from the PlayStation 2's Final Fantasy XII. The characters and setting of the late PS2 hit have morphed into something far more light-hearted here. Sky pirates Vaan, Penelo, Balthier, Fran, et al and the kingdom of Invalice return, one year later and a little less politically convoluted. While such a turn of thematics is not entirely a negative by any means, it's nevertheless a bit of a surprising disappointment for those expecting a continuation of FFXII's tone and superficialities.
But it should also be no surprise that all the typical ingredients for a Final Fantasy plot are present and correct – disheartening, considering the otherwise top notch translation on display. Beginning with Vaan and co. stealing a 'mysterious' artefact, not to mention a 'mysterious' ship with which they board to the 'mysterious' sky kingdom of Lemurés, it's not long before things take a turn for the FF familiar. Young, plucky protagonists discover evil in a world and a civilisation that needs saving? Check. Sets of crystals playing a large role in the overall scheme of things? Box is ticked. Overly long over dramatic exposition and predictable twists that, at times, will make players wish they could just get on with things already? You best be prepared. Fans of FFXII could argue that playing through the PS2 title first will allow players of Revenant Wings to enjoy the subtle nuances of continuity between the stories of the games. However, other than a couple of direct winks to characters and areas from both FFXII and Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, there isn't any thought-provoking turn of events that requires any sort of canonical premeditation.
A red-haired winged emo and a feisty playboy bunny
are just some of the Second Life rejects waiting to be taken command of.
are just some of the Second Life rejects waiting to be taken command of.
No, the biggest difference between Revenant Wings and FFXII, and indeed its FF brethren in general, is the gameplay. Best described as a mishmash of a real-time 'lite' strategy RPG, most of the depth and variety of Revenant Wings' design can be experienced within the first hour or so of play. Divided into story-related chapters, progress is made through the game in a somewhat linear mission based structure, with opportunities for taking part in side missions on the game's world map and airship base. When entering any set location on said world map, players are presented with an objective, be it protecting an object, capturing a point, or making sure a certain character survives. In short, it's arbitrary back-storied game design for simply exploring the area, destroying the enemies within, and collecting equipable items and materials to bring back to base.
Fundamentally speaking, Revenant Wings is nothing if not for the basic rock-paper-scissors mentality to its battle system. Sure, there are traditional RPG measurements of hit points in the form of life bars, but they're really just decorations for the fighting system that lies beneath. With the game's leaders -- Vaan and co -- and their troops -- FF creatures, new and old, here called Espers -- assigned either a melee, ranged or flying class, they each possess their respective strengths and weaknesses against one another. By assigning certain Espers to certain commanding character leaders, players can effectively split up their parties to better tackle certain groups and types of enemy leaders and Espers. To take that illusion of strategy one step further, winning battles not only gains experience, but also amasses material used for unlocking higher strengthened ranks and varieties of ally Espers. Combined with the return of the Gambit system from FFXII -- where troop leaders can be designated a skill or ability they will automatically use in certain situations -- Revenant Wings certainly starts to look worthy of its strategy RPG roots.
Even in the make-believe waterless 'continents' of Lemurés,
the Esper Tonberry will never be as deadly an ally as it is an FF series cheap prick.
the Esper Tonberry will never be as deadly an ally as it is an FF series cheap prick.
Trouble is, that's about all there is to the 'strategy' of the game. Apart from vying for control of vital Esper spawn points on a map, or predetermining what team of Espers to bring into the next level by a pre-level load out, it's not far-fetched to say that, those who play Revenant Wings with a haphazard care of what Espers and leaders they’re using, the majority of the game can be completed by outnumbering the enemy through sheer force. It’s a telling further disappointment when even the return of FFXII’s storied Gambit system is dumbed down to only one single ability able to be designated to a team leader at any one time.
It almost goes without saying that such dumbed down strategy gameplay on a DS is a perfect fit, and those who do would be right -- to a degree. Those worried about stressing over micromanaging troops can rest assured that the DS' stylus is somewhat well suited to easing the task, with the mouse-like ability to drag and select troops, scroll the camera, or take advantage of on-screen tabs and directional pad/button shortcuts. However, the problem here is threefold. First, that after setting a waypoint for a character/s, the game does not keep that character/s selected. While it makes sense in keeping up the speed of less micromanagement, it can be a pain when, in the heat of battle, players accidentally select the wrong action, and must then reselect that particular character/s and give the orders again. On top of this, the dragging and selecting of units can become a bit of a chore when troops are huddled together in certain formations, not to mention if they’re at a point where the game can’t decide if a player wants to scroll the camera or choose a unit. This in turn brings up the third issue of being overcome in battles, and on what you should be pointing the stylus at next. Just as easy as it can be to outnumber the enemy in both mass and speed, so too can the enemy repay the favour. Pro-tip: real-time battles really do mean real-time battles, whether you’ve decided how many flying Espers to spawn or not.
Air, water, earth, and fire, heed my call!
Failing that, how about we just play rock-paper-scissors?
Failing that, how about we just play rock-paper-scissors?
If there’s one area that Revenant Wings without a doubt excels at, it's in its overall presentation. Say whatever one will about the light-hearted turn of the game's story and characters, Square Enix have nevertheless outdone themselves in both the DS’s graphical and audio departments. While cutiefied to an extent, the super-deformed sprites of the Espers and FFXII's cast are endearing in both expressions and attacks, while the 3D environments are beautifully lit and crisply textured. These achievements are understandably let down by occasional dips in frame rate when the on-screen action numbers are too great, but it's not surprising when considering the what DS is pushing. Signature FF full-motion video bookends key parts of the game too that, while certainly containing compression artefacts, are always an ever amazing feat for a cartridge. Sound effects and gripes and grunts from characters match the endearing nature of the visual design, if sometimes repetitive. The music department is no slouch either, bringing together a few new, along with a mass of signature tunes from FFXII.
But it's been said before, and it'll be said again for those still looking at Revenant Wings as a fully-fledged Final Fantasy Tactics substitute. On the scale of Final Fantasy spin-offs, Revenant Wings leans more toward a Mystic Quest Legend, than a Final Fantasy Tactics. As a deep, challenging and engaging experience, Revenant Wings is less a continuation of the precedent set by FFXII, and more of a Heroes of Mana. While not a total lost cause on the level of said Mana game, Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings remains a real-time SRPG experience best left for beginners and those looking for a break from endlessly flexing their synapses.
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