Until fairly recently, the developers of the Final Fantasy series chose to eschew sequels, opting instead to dream up new universes for each successive game. Sure, they kept a few familiar names, creatures and items (chocobo, anyone?), but everything else was entirely different. This is what has made the series so remarkable—each game is an experience unto itself, but each is unmistakably Final Fantasy. The bad thing about the practice of changing most everything from game to game is that sometimes a game, or a game world, is so memorable and so fully realized that gamers don’t want the experience to end.

Such is the case with the land of Ivalice. This world originally played host to Final Fantasy Tactics, widely regarded as one of the best games for the PSOne. When Square Enix realized that they could further develop a game world that hadn’t been fully explored the first time around, they created what is known as the Ivalice Alliance: a series of games (including a remake of Final Fantasy Tactics), all taking place in the same familiar universe.

The first Ivalice Alliance game out of the gate was last year’s Final Fantasy XII. This game made full use of the PS2’s hardware and served as one helluva last hurrah for the Final Fantasy brand on the system. The characters were memorable, the world was breathtaking, and the story was top-notch. But this adventure, unlike so many others before it, would not end with the game.

Just over a year after the release of the PS2 hit, Square Enix has released a direct sequel in the form of Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings for the Nintendo DS.

The Fantasy Continues

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings takes place one year after the end of Final Fantasy XII. When the game begins, we find Vaan and Penelo, now true sky pirates with their own airship, in search of treasure and adventure around the world of Ivalice.

Their first big adventure with old friends Balthier and Fran leads to the discovery, and subsequent stealing, of a treasure called the cache of Glabados. It just so happens that this stone is the only thing keeping the legendary floating continent of Lemurés hidden from public view. When the stone is removed, the continent is revealed and subjected to invasion and looting from other, less noble sky pirates. It is then left to Vaan and company to save Lemurés and its people, the winged aegyl race, from pirates, monsters and the mysterious Judge of Wings. Along the way, familiar faces (both friend and foe) will be seen, and well-known locales will be revisited.

It should be noted that Final Fantasy XII is not a prerequisite to this game. It will likely be even more enjoyable if you have played the first game, since familiar characters and locations pop up constantly, and several references are made to the previous installment, but it is more than capable as a standalone title. The game is also refreshingly original, with a story that holds its own against its predecessor—something other Final Fantasy sequels have yet to accomplish. As can be expected, there are plot twists and surprises aplenty, in a story that is as delightful and immersive as any I have ever experienced.

Encores, etc.

Returning from the previous game are espers, gambits , and quickenings. Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings has done away with the license board concept, presumably fearing that it would be too complicated for younger audiences, and replaced it with the Ring of Pacts, which can be used to form (what else?) pacts with over 50 different espers. Stones known as auracite, which are often obtained after completion of a mission, will be required to form these pacts.

In another departure from the last game, you won’t be able to summon espers anytime you like. You will start most missions with a certain number of them (more on that later), but if you want or need more, you will have to “capture” summon gates and then conjure them from there. Espers play a much bigger role in this game than they did before.

Gambits have been simplified this time around, but they work in much the same way as they did before: you set up gambits for each of the main characters, which causes them to perform certain actions in battle, when the need arises (reviving a deceased character automatically, for example). Surprisingly absent in this title are items (like potions and ethers); all healing or restorative actions are performed using spells. This does help to streamline battle, but it feels odd not having phoenix downs in a Final Fantasy game.

Quickenings work in pretty much the same way as before, though they are obtained through the completion of missions, rather than through use of a license board. Each character only has one quickening, which is assigned by the game, so there isn’t really an option to customize your characters’ abilities. Luckily, most quickenings are well suited to the characters that use them.

A feature that is new to this game is the ability to have weapons crafted. In most levels you will find crystals, bones or ore that can be gathered by your party, which can later be used to make powerful weapons. These weapons are, more often than not, more powerful than any that you can buy. When having your new sword, bow, etc. crafted, you will be asked three questions by the weapon smith; the answers that you give for these questions will affect the capabilities of the weapon. As an added (though sort of unnecessary) touch, you are given the option to name your new armament.

Not Your Typical Fantasy

A lot of people are calling this game an RTS, though I find that it doesn’t really behave like one. I think it would be more accurately described as an Action RPG with the structure of an RTS, because it honestly doesn’t require an abundance of strategy in most cases. There are a few missions where you are asked to defend your base (called a soul crystal) while conquering that of the enemy, but the enemy AI is pretty terrible so you don’t really even need to leave someone to guard your crystal.

The game is divided up into 10 chapters, each involving roughly 4-5 missions. This makes play extremely portable, since the missions are designed to be relatively short (around 10-15 minutes, on average). Completing only those missions will speed you to the end of the game, but there are tons of side quests for those who want to level up and/or get a 100% completion rating. In tackling these side quests, you can also unlock special character abilities and find items that would have otherwise been unattainable.

The battle system is reminiscent of that in Final Fantasy XII, with the party advancing through a generally somewhat linear map and taking out enemies along the way, en route to completing a specific mission. Your party will consist of up to five of the main characters, as well as support troops that come in the form of espers. Most battles will begin with each character having two espers at their command, but more can often be obtained via summon gates, as mentioned above. The party can be controlled as one large unit or it can be split into squads for more strategic gameplay. I found that it is possible to just push through as one large unit, which allows most missions to be completed without much of a challenge—a downfall, to be certain.

Perhaps the biggest downfall of this game is the static camera angle. Due to the fact that the camera always remains in the same position, there are times when enemies will be hidden from view, effectively preventing you from sending troops after them. In the same vein, it is not uncommon for all parties (both ally and foe) to be clustered together in such a way as to hide characters from view. This makes it especially hard to, say, attack the enemy who is decimating your characters, or to heal the one character that must stay alive for the mission to be successful. It may seem like a small gripe, but it really does become frustrating when you have spent 15 minutes fending off enemies, only to find that you have one character left alive and you can’t even find the guy you need to finish off.

Since this game was made specifically for the DS, and since that particular system has a nifty touch screen feature, you’ll be controlling almost everything via stylus. This input method actually proves to be very intuitive. Imagine that you want to send only two of your characters to gather ore for weapon customization, while the rest remain and fight. With any other system, you would undoubtedly have to use the D-pad to navigate to one or more characters, choose some menu option, then move to the desired location manually. With the DS, you just use the stylus to draw a box around the characters you want to control, then tap exactly where you want them to go on the map—they travel there automatically.

No Surprise Here

The graphics in Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings are, without doubt, the cream of the Nintendo DS crop. The in-game graphics take a cue from Final Fantasy Tactics, using sprite character models in conjunction with fully 3D environments, to gorgeous effect. The cinema sequences, however, which are interspersed throughout the game, are absolutely breathtaking on this system. Alternating between individual videos on each screen and single videos spanning both screens, you’ve never seen anything like this on the D

The menu system is every bit as well organized and attractive as could be expected, given the game’s pedigree, and it definitely gives a nod to Final Fantasy XII’s excellent menu system.

The music in this game is utterly mesmerizing. The majority of it is adapted from Hitoshi Sakimoto’s absolutely beautiful score from the previous game, and it has as much emotional impact here as it did the first time around. The really amazing thing about the music in Final Fantasy games is that it always manages to perfectly convey the tone of the game, which goes a long way toward drawing players into the world.

A Fantasy Come True?

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings certainly has its flaws. Many of the missions are way too easy, with only the occasional boss battle providing much of a challenge in the earlier parts of the game. This is likely due to the fact that the game is meant to appeal to a fairly broad audience, including children (which would explain why the character models have been changed to make everyone look so much younger), but it would still be nice to have the option of selecting a greater difficulty level. The camera is also an issue, as mentioned above, which often made me want to throw my DS across the room. It is a manageable issue, but it is certainly the one true Achilles heel of this game.

Aside from those relatively small gripes, this game is a gem. It provides hours upon hours of gameplay in a familiar universe (for some), with a captivating story, memorable characters, sensational music and spectacular visuals. This is definitely a must-own game for RPG and/or Final Fantasy fans.

Overall: 8.5 - Great