"Just Disappointing...A Cute but Clunky Adventure"

First off, I'd like to say that I'm a big Final Fantasy fan; I've played almost all the games, even the Tactics ones. But I'm not a "fangirl", I play a lot of other games too (Harvest Moon, Persona, the Tales series, etc.) I'm not resistant to changes in a series, as long as they're good ones.

This game was a big disappointment for me. I have played and enjoyed strategy games before, but the freeflowing time style was too much for me. Battles were a big random mess. You try to tap on something, but sometimes you get what was next to it instead, which can lead to some major errors. I understood the whole "rock paper scissors" thing with the enemy types, and I was careful to check the enemies weaknesses prior to a battle and send in troops that could exploit them. But it still was too uncontrolled for me.

The battles go way too fast, and my entire party could get wiped out before I even realized they were in trouble. It's just too hard to watch so many places at once. The game sends enemies at you from every direction, and the clock is still ticking (ie enemies are advancing) while you are trying to rearrange your party or heal. Oftentimes, you have to go down a narrow passageway, and you realize you need the troops at the back of the line to get to the front. Good luck. They can't "walk through" each other, so they just walk into each other, getting nowhere.

I really tried to enjoy this game, but I was finally honest with myself and quit playing it. This was after many frustrated resets and being near tears a couple of times. You should only cry at a video game when something dramatic happens, not because you've died for the seventh time in a row, and you just can't do it right!

It's also incredible restrictive for an RPG. The storyline is forced and linear. Even though you can make occasional sidetracks for Tomaj, they don't add up to much. You can't explore towns or the places you discover. You just appear in them for scenes and battles. I for one like exploring towns to see if there's a potion in that barrel or a guy in that alleyway. It's part of an RPG, for me.

Characters get very few skills. So, you don't have much to choose from, strategy wise.

You can call me stupid, because I couldn't get it; fine. I just want to put a warning out for other players that may not know this isn't the same "strategy" as Tactics or Disgaea, where either each person has a turn and time stops until you make the next one, or you select all the turns ahead of time. The big thing is that you can't manage your troops effectively enough, and it just makes for a frustrating game.

Overall, I say skip this game. It's up to you. I read the reviews before I purchased it, and they were all positive, which is why I feel the need to put a negative one out there, not just to be mean, but to warn other people before they waste their time and money.

Graphics - 6/10 Nothing amazing, nothing terrible. Cutesy style similar to that of Tactics Advance.

Sound - 7/10 I did like the music. You will recognize most of the music from FF12, and that's a good thing.

Gameplay 2/10 Just frustrating and all over the place. Battles move too quickly.

Pros:
Interesting characters and locations.
Cute graphics.
Good music ported from FF12.

Cons:
You can't explore those interesting locations.
Hard to control your troops.
Battles move too quickly.

Reviewer's Score: 3/10, Originally Posted: 05/28/08

Game Release: Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings (US, 11/20/07)