Bringing such an interesting, varied, and challenging game to consoles was a great move by Square Enix for the franchise. It’s more Final Fantasy than any recent Final Fantasy game.
Its concepts and story are unique and hold up four years on, despite the visual inconsistencies of the HD version. It would have been nice to see things like the world structure and camera retooled further, but it’s clear the game wasn’t given that luxury.
These ideas are certainly the products of portable limitations, but in the end they fail to stifle what is in truth a compelling experience.
Type-0’s gritty tone, fast-paced action, and strategic approach to time management is a welcome change of pace from the usual Final Fantasy experience. Though an exasperating camera and clunky mission controls sometimes dampened my fun, I enjoyed meeting the Class Zero cadets and guiding them through battle. There’s definitely no other class quite like them.
All of this leaves Type-0 something of a handsome mess. A complicated, beautiful, discordant, and disruptive mess. You'll scoff at the design trappings of a four-year-old game from a ten-year-old platform , marvel at the personalization behind its mechanics, revel in consuming its substantial amount of content, openly dismiss and simultaneously embrace its bonkers narrative, and maybe come to terms with the weird and winding road Type-0 drove into existence. Tallying its assets against its imperfections may reveal an uneven score, but Type-0 nevertheless worked for me. Maybe it could for you, too.
It's frustrating in a lot of ways. But once you've really gotten the hang of the combat, once you've learned how to bounce around the battlefield and drive your whip into an enemy just as that red marker appears on his chest, it's not hard to forgive Type-0 for its many flaws. Just don't forget to talk to everyone.
Just the type of console Final Fantasy we needed after all those years of Lightning
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD is a mechanically solid action role-playing game, but now and again, it feels far more like a straight port than a grand remaster. However, questionable visual effects and some pretentious plot points aren't quite enough to hold back the efforts of Class Zero. Even though it can take a little while to truly click, this is a unique and refreshing entry in Square Enix's beloved franchise, and a one that's a prime candidate for an even better sequel.
^ 7/10 - http://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps...tasy_type-0_hd
GameSided 7/10
Despite my complaints, I had fun with my 30+ hours with Final Fantasy Type-0 HD because of the excellently designed battle system. Even though it’s lacking in exploration, there is still dozens of hours of gameplay ahead, including lots of endgame content like high-level quests and massively powerful beasts that roam the landscape. There’s even a new game plus mode, with extra scenes and a different ending. Is Final Fantasy Type-0 HD worth $60 though? For an HD port of a PSP game? I’d say that depends on how hard up you are for a lengthy RPG on your Xbox One or PS4, both of which are fairly void of those right now. If you aren’t expecting a top notch next-gen experience and just want a decent RPG, I’d say it’s worth your time and money.
If you like what Type-0 has to offer, the presence of additional story and mission content offers ample reason to return for subsequent playthroughs, but it comes with the cost of having an indecipherable plot the first time through. Nods to the broader Final Fantasy lore provide a nostalgic hit, and there’s lots of content to explore in Type-0. However, without a more engaging combat experience or a story that I could care about, Class Zero’s adventure failed to reignite anything but a glimmer of my Final Fantasy fandom.
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD contains highly enjoyable combat that’s unfortunately limited by its design. The repetitive nature of how the missions are structured damages the overall experience, not to mention it isn’t until roughly halfway through the campaign before a meaningful plot is established. That tied in with a cast that’s spread too thin equates to a story that had incredible promise but ends up falling flat... Final Fantasy Type-0 HD has some fantastic ideas implemented with restrictive elements that ultimately don’t work with a console release.
No amount of visual updates can mask the fact that Type-0 was clearly never designed to be on consoles. What great ideas it has are buried under a story that’s rendered meaningless and a camera that prevents you from seeing most of them in the first place.
