Gamers hungry for more Final Fantasy XII should gobble up its sequel, Revenant Wings. Released in Japan on April 26 to critical acclaim, Revenant Wings showcases attractive graphics and music while continuing the story from last year's incredible RPG, except its publisher, Square Enix mixes up the formula with a different form of combat.
Taking place one year after its prequel, Revenant Wings continues the adventures of Vaan and his best friend/navigator Penelo exclusively on the Nintendo DS. Now a sky pirate with his own vessel, Vaan sets out to plunder the world, battling monsters, scouring for buried treasure and getting into trouble. This time, he sets sail (via airship) to a mysterious floating continent called Purvama Lemures to find riches. While he pockets plenty of loot, he also encounters dastardly enemies that seek to make his life difficult. He'll also happen upon familiar faces as well as plenty of new ones, including a new race of winged human looking creatures, the Aegyl.
Unlike previous Final Fantasy adventures, gamers cannot explore an open world. Instead, they select missions from a map, complete the missions and then repeat the process. The game's biggest surprise comes as gamers see that Square Enix ditched turn-based combat in exchange for real time strategy battles in which everyone attacks at the same time. To maneuver individual characters, players tap a part of the screen with the stylus. To move large groups at once, they simply draw a rectangle around them, then tapping an enemy causes the party to attack it.
Characters have a mix of melee, ranged and aerial attacks. In addition, players can summon Espers (magical beasts) to aid in combat, then swap them out for new ones by locating an Esper Gate. Of course, and in typical Final Fantasy fashion, gamers may outfit their party with a host of items, all done using the touch screen.
The party also benefits from the Gambit System. A simplified version of the one in Final Fantasy XII, it allows gamers to instruct a character to repeatedly perform the same attack.
Revenant Wings sports 3-D backgrounds with cute 2-D sprites. Both blend well, creating a visually pleasing contrast. Square Enix sweetens the deal with gorgeous computer generated cut scenes that, while beautiful, look a bit fuzzy on the DS' low resolution screens. Complimenting this is Final Fantasy XII's awe-inspiring soundtrack that, while not as captivating as the PlayStation 2 version (due to the DS' audio limitations), should only enhance the experience.
Although it features a different type of combat and linear gameplay, Revenant Wings should compliment the original Final Fantasy XII and enthrall gamers for months. Square Enix hasn't yet announced a U.S. release date, but we expect to see the game around the 2007 holiday season.
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