This is, again, entirely different from Xenoblade Chronicles, in that I logged well over 100 hours in that game. And yet in some ways I feel like the 25 hours I spend with The Last Story was more substantial. There is no wasted time, the story flows quickly and without long drawn out speeches the genre is known for. And the combat is simply amazing. Think of a mix of Zelda, Final Fantasy, and Gears of War. You have magic, real time battles, and you can duck and cover to avoid enemies or wait to execute an ambush. It is very, very fun, and quite simply the best combat system of any RPG I've ever played, and I have played a lot of them over my 20 year RPG gaming history.
The graphics are simply amazing. Granted, that is for the Wii. These would be run of the mill on a 360/PS3, but you can tell the developers squeezed every ounce of power out of the Wii. Sometimes they are a little too ambitious and the game chugs a bit with lots of enemies on screen, but this is few and far between.
As for the music, well, it is downright amazing. Can't really say any more than that.
Overall, this is what Final Fantasy's should have been for the last decade. Since FFX, (arguably) the series has gone stale. The Last Story has fantastic music, graphics, and a FUN battle system to go along with a fast paced story that hooks you and keeps you playing until you finish it. I played almost straight through and will play through again. It is that good. It is an RPG for RPG gamers that don't quite have the free time that they used to or the attention span. After 10 hours you will feel like you have accomplished a tremendous amount. After 10 hours in Xenoblade Chronicles I felt like I had just begun.
What a way for the Wii to go out. I highly recommend this game. The added art book, case, and CD, (for the first print copies) is an amazing value, and rest assured, this game will be worth quite a bit to collectors in a few years, so keep everything in great condition.
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I am an avid fan of role playing games in general and have enjoyed many console-based RPGs since Dragon Quest was released on the NES. When I play a RPG my enjoyment and satisfaction is based on four elements in order of importance to me: 1) Character development and depth of character relationships, 2) Story development and believability, 3) Interaction and engagement with the world, and 4) the battle system. Below I talk about each one of these, but if you are not interested in reading my detailed review, this is how I rate each on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the best:Characters: 4.5
Story: 4.5
World: 4.0
Battle System: 5
====Characters====
Development of characters and their relationships among each other is important to me because this is what drives the rest of the game. Many recent console-based RPGs have suffered with flat characters and/or underdeveloped relationships of the characters. Typically, only the main protagonist receives focus, leaving others (especially antagonists) flat. In terms of individual character development in The Last Story, this game does a wonderful job not only in showing confusion, suffering, and enlightenment in the main character's (Zael) growth, but in the other protagonists as well. This is usually done through optional side quests and conversations among themselves. One area that was lacking in the game, however, is the antagonist is not developed enough. I feel like the game developers could have enhanced the motivation and background story for the antagonist more (at times it felt cliche).
In terms of developing relationships, I think this game does an amazing job. You truly get a sense of the camaraderie (or lack of, at times) of the group. Also, the interactions within the protagonists' party show subtle nuances of where friendships lie as well as trust. The relationships don't feel forced and the characters respond to each other based on how they view themselves within their group (which changes as the game progresses). The voice acting is superb and the accents of each character (even NPCs) fits their personality. Overall, I felt the directors and producers of this game did an outstanding job on the characters and their relationships. Again, the only hesitation I have with giving a perfect 5 is an underdeveloped antagonist (though some may disagree with me).
4.5 out of 5
====Story====
The story is the second most important aspect for me. When I think of the story, I think of the overall progress of the game and the elements that drive it. What motivates the protagonists to action? Why are they together? What major events exist in the world influence their action and thoughts? I won't reveal many of the events that are surprising jewels in this story, but I will say I love this story. The events in The Last Story are logical in their sequence and existence in the storyline. I didn't feel like events were forced in. In some games, certain events are forced into the storyline because the developers need it to drive the story and motivation of the characters. This can leave the player feeling confused and frustrated. This doesn't happen in this game (except perhaps one part in the dungeon with the archaeologist). Each event has a part to play and it fits with the overall theme. It engaged me and I never doubted its believability. The reason I rated the story 4.5 instead of 5 is that it felt too linear to me. I enjoy RPGs that allow me to roam and go at my own pace. Many times I felt that the story would force me to move on when I wanted to interact with the world more. However, the story is still enjoyable to make up for this lack.
4.5 out of 5
====World====
Even good characterizations and a great story won't work if the world the characters live in is dull and boring. I love a world where the developers have not only made it very interactive and desirable to explore, but look real (i.e. moss on stone, stunning details on trees in forests, etc.). The majority of your time will be limited to the city and castle on Lazulis Island. Those of you who are like me and played Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy since their inception expect the ability to explore an entire planet (even underground worlds or the moon!). Not so in this game. While other locations off the island are played, the play is limited in those areas and you are not at your leisure to explore. This can be very frustrating, especially since events involve the entire world.
Now, the reason I didn't give this a poor rating is that the city and castle are very rich in detail. The city itself has much to do and much to explore. Many NPCs will ask for your aid in some task that sends you searching throughout the city (even the castle). Of course, these are optional. The interaction does not stop there. When you bump into people they are thrown off their course and respond to you in like kindness. You can even knock your head into overhanging signs! The detail of the people, buildings, and even the weather is amazing in how real they are portrayed.
One specific area in the world is worth mentioning: the Arena. Whenever I am tired and need a break from the main story, I can fight various creatures in the arena to test my group against. In return, I receive dropped items from the creatures as well as items people have bet on the group. This allows players of the game the opportunity to earn extra gold, experience, and items if you don't want to return to a dungeon.
4.0 out of 5
====Battle System====
The battle system is not turn-based, but action-based. While hacking and slashing enemies is a simple affair (you just walk up to them and your character attacks), the system is more complex, especially in tougher situations. Enemy units have different abilities and you must plan your attack prior to engaging them. For example, should you take out magic casters first? If so, do you assault them head on or use a sniper? The terrain will influence your tactics and so different locations offer different types of battles.
As your characters level up they gain special abilities. These abilities can combine to create new offensive and defensive benefits. Once Zael learns the command ability, you can command your teammates to perform certain abilities against certain enemies.
In terms of negatives, I do not have any problems with the battle system itself. When engaged in melee combat, the camera doesn't always operate how I control it and it causes confusion. However, this isn't such a big deal. I thoroughly enjoy the battle system and would place it in my top 5 for console-based RPGs.
5 out of 5
====Bonus Material====
I love the bonus material that came with this game. As other reviewers have mentioned, the music in this game is beautiful and high quality. It is great that the game comes with a CD with the following tracks:
1. Theme of The Last Story
2. Chitsujo to Konton to
3. Yorokobi no koe ga kikoeru
4. Machi no neiro
5. THE LAST STORY Kizuna
6. Jyajuu
7. Toberumono
In addition, the game comes in a wonderfully designed box showcasing the art of the game. Inside the box you will find the game as well as an art book. I love the art and as I looked through and studied each of the pages I got the sense that the characters were given the most attention for details. The creators of the game spent time in getting the characters' clothes to match their personalities. I can't imagine how much work went into designing and creating the characters, non-player characters, and scenery of this game!
====Conclusion====
Overall, I give this game a 5 because I can't give a half star. Many years have gone by and I have not played a RPG as amazing as this. I definitely get the sense the creators and developers gave everything they had to make this game. While my scores reflect an average lower than that, I feel together those aspects as well as the effort put into developing this game deserves a 5. I hope a sequel (or prequel) is planned because I would not hesitate in purchasing it.
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I have just finished this amazing game, as a fan of Chrono Trigger and classic Final Fantasy games, I'm very satisfied with it and I really enjoyed it through about thirty hours of game play. I went from a SNES and classic Game Boy from my childhood days to a Wii, PS3, and DS Lite recently just for nostalgia and this game is among the best I've played. A few months early I was playing Final Fantasy XIII and I didn't finished it as it barely resembles what a JRPG was for me, but with Last Story... I was feeling like I was twelve years old again.Honest reviews on The Last Story
The Last Story is a fantastic game, and I can honestly say that it has been some time since I've had this much fun with a JRPG. While it is ultimately the engaging gameplay and battle system which makes TLS shine and stand out from the majority of its other peers, the game still contains a solid, interesting story filled with an amusing cast of characters for those, such as myself, who enjoy that most about the genre.I've been a huge fan of JRPGs since the mid 90's and have played all the classics from the earliest FF games to a good number of more recent titles. JRPGs have always had a strong emphasis on story and characters, and that is the experience that has endeared me to and kept me coming back for more. Over the years, however, I've noticed a good many developers/design studios attempting to evolve into something to appeal more to western gamers by shifting their focus to gameplay, and most have been disappointing because they have, typically, dropped the ball on story and character development. TLS keeps a great balance with strong gameplay and engaging story, and I must applaud Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi and his studio, Mistwalker, for that rare achievement. While it has not topped Lost Odyssey as my favorite Mistwalker game, it is, nontheless, a very special game in its own right and one in which I would highly recommend. I wanted to give this game a 4.5/5(9/10), and because I couldn't, I decided to round it up to a 5 purely for how much fun it was.
Pros:
+ Interesting story with touching moments
+ Engaging gameplay
+ Fun, unique action battle system that mixes up a lot of different elements(the command mode feels reminiscent of turn-based battle systems)
+great graphics
+nice cast of characters
+Fantastic music scored by composer Nobuo Uematsu
Cons:
-Due to the Wii's power, frame rate can be slightly annoying at times when there's too much going on.
-Shorter than the typical JRPG(30 hours average). Some have played theirs within 20 hours although I, myself, spent 40+ hours on mine.
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I originally beat the Pal version of this game, But i wanted the US version to play it on my Wii U.This game looks like a PS3 game. the graphics are really up there, the voice acting is super top notch, I've grown an appreciation towards English voice actors thanks to this (as well as Xenoblade and Pandora's Tower)
Controls are tight and feel very comfortable (once you switch it to manual, auto sucks)
Sounds are great, there done by Nobuo Uematsu, and the game itself is done by the original final fantasy team (1 ~ 9)
So you know your in for a treat.
Upon playing this game your gonna witness ALOT of things you'll NEVER thought you'd see on a Wii. This is one of the most impressive games EVER to be on the wii, so sad its a swansong.
MUST BUY, YOU WILL LOVE.
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