World of Final Fantasy

Finally, a game that celebrates a storied series like Final Fantasy. They leveraged both their own classic mechanics and characters to elevate a solid core, and then made it even better by mixing in some elements from other genres. Final Fantasy fans will surely get the most out of it, but I have no problem telling anybody that World of Final Fantasy is a good time.

That isn't to say that World of Final Fantasy isn't worth the time. World of Final Fantasy is a remarkable blend of old-school JRPG mannerisms and innovative, mold-shattering gameplay elements that challenge what a Final Fantasy game is "supposed" to look like. Later this year, Final Fantasy 15 might challenge the genre once more, with the might of a tireless multimedia machine supporting it while it does - but World of Final Fantasy has very much done the same, and it is quietly, and cutely, one of the best Final Fantasy games in recent memory.

Overall, World of Final Fantasy is one of the few PlayStation 4 JRPG's I can recommend across the board. The game is light-playing, but incredibly enjoyable for Final Fantasy buffs while also being a perfect entry into the series. Beyond a few small annoyances – Tama more than anything – the game is easy enough to play for hours on end or in small, nightly sessions. More importantly, World of Final Fantasy is perfectly suited for both PlayStation 4 and Vita – if you need a light JRPG fix before FFXV, I couldn’t recommend this game more highly.

Building a game around nostalgia can often backfire, but the classic style battle mechanics mixed with the capturing and stacking of Mirages make World of Final Fantasy a trip down memory lane that any fan of the franchise should check out.

Billed as an accessible spin-off based on Square Enix's beloved role-playing property, World of Final Fantasy is a colourful and buoyant game with an emphasis on collecting and battling monsters. Featuring critters and characters from past Final Fantasy titles, existing fans of the series will get more out of the experience, but the game's aforementioned accessibility also makes it a manageable starting point for those who may be new to the franchise – or to turn based RPGs as a whole.

Overall

World of Final Fantasy is a love-letter to the entire Final Fantasy franchise and its diehard fans. This is pure uncut Final Fantasy directly injected into your veins. Newcomers to the franchise will find an accessible battle system to work with but a completely convoluted and, frankly, bad story to deal with. The soundtrack is worth sticking around for, though.

World Of Final Fantasy makes its way onto PC, but stumbles a bit in the process.

World of Final Fantasy is a humorous adventure that is just too cute for words, but its combat and exploration aren’t diverse enough to support a campaign nearly as long as this one. However, I did enjoy it for a long time - more than 30 hours - before it wore out its welcome.

That’s World of Final Fantasy in a nutshell. For those invested in the series up to this point, it’s so worth playing. It’ll mean a lot to the fans to go on an adventure, fight, and grow with the monsters that were only ever enemies in the past. Its weak story detracts from the experience a little, but the power of well-done nostalgia farming overshadows it easily.

Wear a chocobo as a hat in this Pokémon-like spin-off.

World of Final Fantasy wants to be fan service for everybody, an almost impossible task in such a long-running, varied franchise. In that regard, the game may look like lighthearted filler on the surface. But those shimmers of something greater and World of Final Fantasy’s more original, modern elements are worthwhile, even if they don't quite make up for the hours of annoyances that pay lip service to nostalgia.