Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light

 

Final Fantasy titles get more complex with each new installment, with sweeping stories and involved mechanics.  Most fans of the franchise prefer this kind of evolution, but some yearn for the days when things were simpler.  With The 4 Heroes of Light, Final Fantasy goes back to its roots with an adventure inspired by the series, early entries.

The tale begins like many others; a boy wakes up on his 14th birthday and must visit his king in order to be considered an adult.  The premise sounds cliche, but the game isn't as narrative driven as other entries.  In the first few hours the story serves mainly as an excuse to send players into various towns, caves, and castles.  The entertainment isn't delivered through cut scenes; instead, the thrills come from exploring, killing monsters, and leveling up.

The story isn't the only simplification, the combat system is also straightforward.  Instead of having to manage magic points, all your skills and spells draw from a single reservoir of action points.  You build up a reserve for future turns by boosting, and other events in battle can cause you to randomly generate ability points (AP) as well.  The system requires players to be conscious of the flow of battle, selecting the best moments to build power to launch a full-on assault.

 

What you can do with the action points you accrue each round depends on the crowns your characters are wearing.  The equivalent of a job system, different crowns bestow bonuses, penalties, ans special abilities.  For instance, the classic black mage is one of the early options, but other options, like merchant and dancer, open up as the game progresses.  There are 28 total crowns (each with several upgrades by adding gems), so you will have plenty of different classes with which to experiment and form the ideal party.
 
If you get tired of grinding through the classes solo, you can team up with up to three other players in local co-op.  The additional players wont be able to make progress in the story in this mode, but you all earn points for rewards that carry over like powerful weapons and helpful items.

With an accessible structure and a simple story, The 4 Heroes of Light is built to simultaneously evoke nostalgia and entice new comers.