What I Know Going In
-I’ve heard that this is a direct sequel to FFXII, a “one year later” thing with Penelo and Vaan. No idea if the others show up.
-I’ve also heard it’s relatively short.
-I generally expect less for sequels than main games, even counting games I adore like Tactics Advance and X-2. I think I’m good at keeping an open mind, but wanted to be up front about this.
-The logo looks like a small, personal ship, like my FFXIV manacutter mount.
-Here we go! Playing on a DS emulator.
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Prologue: In Search of the Eternal
-Skipping the intro in case it’s spoilery. Lmk if it’s meant to set-up the plot rather than a game trailer.
-Opening cinematic of ships soaring towards a ruin.
-Prologue: “In Search of the Eternal.” An ominous name. We’re at the “Glabados Ruins.” Was that one of the zones we visited in FFXII? (I have a terrible memory. I’ll probably forget lots of stuff from FFXII, so apologies in advance.)
-The name Glabados is familiar to me from FFT. That was the church.
-The cute little Vaan sprite and portrait art reminds me of FFTA’s style.
-A pudding stops Vaan’s progress, ringing the combat tutorial bell.
-Vaan’s objective is to find Penelo, Balthier, and Fran. That answers my question about whether Fran and Balthier would appear.
-Uh oh. It mentions using the stylus. The mouse works instead here; I hope it’s not awkward.
-Vaan moves suuuper slow.
-Hi Penelo! She’s a healer here. That’s less interesting than the archer/time mage combo I gave her, but whatever.
-We can fight together. The combat system in the game basically me clicking my party members and having them run up to the enemy. Penelo heals those near her while Vaan whacks away.
-Balthier and Fran are just ahead.
-Standard XP and leveling system so far.
-We walk forward to a new area and the classic FF rising and falling scale sounds. The Cache of Glabados.
-We prepare to move in for the treasure and a monster erupts. A guardian probably.
-Fran is woozy. “This Mist… so strange. It’s… cold.” Usually, the Mist burrrrrrrns.
-The guardian beast came from the left side of the room. What looks like two moogles appear in the right side.
-Oh, that’s Ifrit!
Woolier than usual.
-Vaan and Penelo are still the only two I can control. Balthier and Fran do their own thing, helping take out the adds.
This combat system feels super awkward tbh.
Clicking on party members and having them slowly walk to the enemy and swing out.
-lol that little victory dance.
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The Treasures Twain – the Glabados Ruins, Hall of the Lingering
BALTHIER: “A treasure is like a mysterious woman. You have to be worthy of her or she’ll slip through your fingers.” Sure, Balthier. Ok.
-Balthier moves to take it the treasure when Vaan goes full sky pirate on him. “Then I’ll just have to take it from you!”
That’s adorable. There’s no way you’re getting the better of Balthier and Fran. Even Penelo face-palms.
-Mercifully, Balthier just tosses it to him. They’ll split the treasures.
BALTHIER: “But remember, Vaan: the things you own can end up owning you.” A general anti-materialist warning, or does the crystal Balthier just threw him hold a demon?
I think it’s likely to be closer to the latter. Balthier wouldn’t really try to harm Vaan, but maybe this treasure will unintentionally make that possession warning true.
-The place starts to crash down on us. Standard Indiana Jones post-ruin-theft procedure.
-Full on video cutscene of the escape. Complete with a moogle pilot squeaking in panic from the ship.
-The ship takes off. We barely jump on in time.
-Are Vaan and Penelo a Thing?
They sure look like it here during the escape. Or maybe it’s a one-sided thing from Penelo.
-The save screen shows “percent complete.” I always like that. I’m just not sure whether it’s a percent of the main story or the total game, including bonus content complete.
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Chapter 1: The Derelict
-A narration appears on screen. Their (Vaan’s?) wings were taken away. Did someone steal his airship?
-Penelo is in Lower Rabanastre. She’s narrating.
-Wait, when did they lose their airship? Did it explode in that last cutscene and I just missed it? [Non-rhetorical question: would appreciate a yes/no to this, just in case I totally misinterpreted what they were trying to show me in the last cutscene.
In hindsight, I could see interpreting that escape as losing Vaan’s ship. Two airships arrived, and only one left. Maybe?]
-It’s the Rabanastre kids!! Kytes, Filo, and Tomaj. [Non-rhetorical question: who was the girl in XII who always play-trained the kids to be sky-pirates?]
-Vaan runs down to join the group. He just saw an old airship flying into the city.
-He relates a legend of an old floating continent (that Final Fantasy staple): Puvarma.
-He wasn’t kidding about the airship being old. The kids run up to the surface and we see the airship flying it. It looks covered in moss and overgrowth, the Bastion of airships.
-Is that smoke it’s trailing? It’s enveloped in the stuff.
-The narration continues and I LOVE that this is from Penelo’s point of view. She sees a look of excitement in Vaan’s excitement and knows he’s about to fuck up somehow.
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Eve of Adventure (1-1)
-Later that night. Vaan sneaks out with the kids. No Penelo.
-Come on, Vaan. Don’t be a dick. You’re treating Penelo like a scolding mother instead of your friend.
-Some enemies slowly stalk towards them in the city streets. Kytes and Filo join up.
LOLOL IS FILO ON A HOVERBOARD?
-More tutorial. Units deal three types of damage. Some deal melee, some deal ranged (bows, crossbows, magicks), and some deal flying. There’s a rock-paper-scissor system here.
lol they literally say that two seconds later.
melee > range
range > flying
flying > melee
-Are Kytes and Filo joining permanently?? That’s be sweet. They’re listed in my party so I’m leaning that way, but it could still be like those guest companions you get early in games, like Vicks and Wedge as party members early in FFVI.
-Vaan learned Dual Attack, Kytes learned Firaga, and Filo learned Sonic Wave. Sure looks like they’re permanent party members.
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The Coveted Derelict (1-2)
-I like how clearly divided the game seems to be, with chapters and subsections.
-Filo eavesdropped on some guards. Thieves are stowing onboard the derelict.
-Vaan wants to get there and steal it before anyone else.
-Hee! There’s something delightfully cartoony about the exaggerated sounds and zoom-out as Kytes and Filo express shock at the thieving Vaan.
-Map movement feels cumbersome. My right hands uses the arrow keys to move the map, but my right hand ALSO needs to use the mouse to click on stuff while my left hand uses buttons. Maybe I should just use my right hand on the mouse and my left hand on the arrow keys.
[Non-rhetorical question: I’ll take any advice on this if any of y’all have played Revenant Wings on an emulator.]
-omg there are the annoying white rabbits. Neutral characters who heal. I think I have to try taking them out.
-Never mind. I can’t. The game won’t let me.
-I can use gambits to automatically activate abilities. One gambit per party member, so I gotta alter these depending on the enemy I’m fighting.
-I sort of see where the combat system is going. I just hope it focuses on setting up my gambits well and sending my party in to do their thing. If it requires a lot of micromanagement and becomes more like a real-time strategy game, I’ll be miffed.
-We reach the airship successfully.
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Next time: aboard the airship.
