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Final Fantasy Type-0 HD (PS4) Review
Developer: Square Enix / HexaDrive
Publisher: Square Enix
Genre: Action RPG
Release: 2015
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD is one of the darker and more unusual spin-offs in the Final Fantasy series. Originally released on PSP in Japan, the HD version finally brought the game to Western audiences and upgraded its presentation for PS4.
Set in the war-torn world of Orience, the game follows Class Zero, a group of fourteen students from the Dominion of Rubrum who are thrown into a devastating conflict between four nations. Instead of the traditional turn-based combat associated with older Final Fantasy games, Type-0 focuses on fast-paced real-time action, multiple playable characters and mission-based progression.
Its combat system is excellent, its atmosphere is unusually mature and its wartime story has some genuinely powerful moments. However, the PSP origins are difficult to hide, with dated visuals, uneven storytelling and repetitive mission design holding the game back.
Gameplay & Mechanics
The biggest departure from traditional Final Fantasy games is the real-time combat system.
Players directly control one member of Class Zero while two additional characters can support them. Characters can be switched during battle, meaning that the entire group effectively functions as a large roster of playable combatants rather than a conventional fixed party.
This is one of the game's greatest strengths.
Each character has a completely different combat style. Ace uses cards, Machina uses dual drills, Rem fights with daggers, Nine uses a lance, King uses firearms, Deuce uses a flute and Jack relies on a katana.
This variety makes experimenting with different characters extremely rewarding.
Combat is fast and often intense. Dodging, positioning and timing attacks are important, particularly against stronger enemies. One of the most satisfying mechanics is the ability to exploit an enemy's Kill Sight, allowing a precisely timed attack to deal devastating damage.
Magic also plays an important role, with different spells providing offensive and defensive options.
Strengths
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Fast and exciting real-time combat.
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Fourteen playable characters provide enormous variety.
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Every character has a distinct fighting style.
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Kill Sight system rewards timing and awareness.
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Excellent selection of weapons and abilities.
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Character progression provides meaningful customization.
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Combat can become surprisingly strategic at higher difficulties.
Weaknesses
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Controls can occasionally feel awkward.
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Camera can be problematic during chaotic battles.
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Some characters are considerably easier to use than others.
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Combat can become repetitive during grinding.
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The game doesn't always explain its more complicated mechanics particularly well.
Exploration & World Design
The world of Orience is divided between four nations, each possessing its own Crystal and political identity.
Between major missions, players can explore the world map, visit towns and discover optional locations.
The academy acts as the primary hub, providing access to shops, training, conversations, side quests and other activities.
The world isn't as open or detailed as later Final Fantasy games, but the combination of the academy, world map and mission locations gives the game a strong sense of progression.
Chocobos can also be used to travel across the world map, adding a familiar Final Fantasy touch.
Exploration is closely tied to the game's time-management system. Free periods allow players to decide how they want to spend their limited time before the next major operation.
This creates an interesting strategic element, although it can also make the game feel restrictive.
Story & Themes
The story is arguably Type-0's most ambitious feature.
Orience is divided between four nations, each associated with a powerful Crystal. When the Militesi Empire launches an invasion, Class Zero is deployed as an elite military unit capable of using magic even when conventional magical powers are suppressed.
The result is a story centred around war, death, sacrifice and the consequences of violence.
Unlike many Final Fantasy games, Type-0 doesn't shy away from showing the brutality of warfare. Soldiers die, civilians suffer and the young members of Class Zero are forced into increasingly horrific situations.
The story also explores the disturbing idea that the dead are gradually forgotten by those who survive them, giving the game's treatment of death an unusual emotional dimension.
Class Zero's large cast is both a strength and a weakness. Having fourteen playable characters provides enormous gameplay variety, but the story struggles to give every character sufficient development.
Machina and Rem receive particular attention, while some of the other characters remain comparatively underdeveloped.
The mythology can also become extremely complicated, with concepts such as the Crystals, l'Cie and the larger Fabula Nova Crystallis mythology requiring considerable patience.
Final Verdict
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD is an ambitious and surprisingly dark entry in the Final Fantasy franchise. Its biggest achievement is the combat system, which successfully transforms a traditionally turn-based RPG series into a fast-paced action RPG without sacrificing the importance of character progression and party management.
The fourteen-character roster is particularly impressive. Every member of Class Zero plays differently, encouraging experimentation and making the combat system considerably deeper than it initially appears.
The wartime setting is another major strength. Type-0 tackles death, sacrifice and the consequences of conflict more directly than many games in the franchise, creating an atmosphere that feels genuinely different from the traditional Final Fantasy formula.
Unfortunately, the HD remaster cannot completely disguise the game's PSP origins. The visuals are inconsistent, the camera can be troublesome and the story occasionally becomes buried beneath complicated mythology and excessive exposition. Repetitive missions and grinding also prevent the experience from reaching the highest levels of the series.
Nevertheless, Final Fantasy Type-0 HD remains a fascinating and distinctive RPG. It may not have the polish of the mainline PS4 Final Fantasy titles, but its excellent combat, memorable soundtrack, large playable cast and unusually mature story make it well worth experiencing.
Score: 8/10
