The intro/trailer for Final Fantasy: Type 0 flirts with drama before dipping into familiar Final Fantasy territory.
I’m finding it difficult to get my hype on for new Final Fantasy game after a tag team of Final Fantasies XI and XIII cornered my childhood in an alleyway and stove its head in with a rock, but the footage to right there has certainly caught my attention. Final Fantasy Type-0 – previously titled Final Fantasy Agito XII – arrives on the PSP in Japan today, and if this footage of its opening moments are anything to go by, it’s a pretty grim affair.
It’s not like Final Fantasy has ever really shied away from violence, but there’s a sense of brutality here that seems new to the series. Everything is grimy and blood splattered, even the unfortunate Chocobo. The dark setting and relative realism – though, yes, people are still bringing swords to firefights – makes it almost seem like the game is heading in a relatively new direction until … Surprise! A collection of smug, impossibly-spiky-haired, teenage ragamuffins turn up to save the day with sparkly magic and the overwhelming power of friendship. Goddamn it, Square Enix.
Though Final Fantasy Type-0 is designed to appeal to western players, according to Game Director Hajime tabata, there’s no news of an NA or European release as of yet.
