Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward gives more than you want
In the beginning there was Final Fantasy XIV, and it was not good. For most games, the story would’ve ended there. But Square Enix, perhaps feeling that its prized franchise's name was in danger of becoming too literal, undertook a mammoth effort to keep Final Fantasy’s legacy from being marred by such a disaster. Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is the resulting do-over, and it’s a huge success on PC, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4. Beautiful, fun, and only a bit uneven in the late game, this dramatic reinvention easily establishes itself as one of the most sincere and effective apologies in gaming history. Players are gaining experience points to earn new levels and learn new skills to slot onto their hot bar, but instead of a Wizard or a Fighter, they're a Summoner or a Dragoon. They're undertaking quests to rescue non-player characters from harm, but these NPCs have names like Biggs and Wedge. The fantasy lands they are traversing are gorgeously rendered Final Fantasy lands. The music they are battling to is beautifully orchestrated Final Fantasy music.
The PS4's controller feels fantastic, with functional control mapping and the crossbar, which allows you to use L2, R2, the D-pad, and face buttons to issue commands similar to how you do in the PS3 version. The touchpad has been smartly implemented as well; you can use it as though it were a mouse cursor to toggle between menus and choices. Possibly the most notable and useful addition to the PS4 version of A Realm Reborn, however, is the ability to use Remote Play with your Vita. Taking your Vita to bed to cuddle up with it and get some grinding in feels spectacular, like a history-defining moment. How joyous of an occasion would it have been to be able to play Final Fantasy XI in such a fashion? Remote Play works beautifully for FFXIV, so well that it's hard to imagine any future PS4 MMOGs not including the option.
Full stop, the new storyline for Before the Fall is my favorite encapsulated tale since the original Realm Reborn plot. While it has been quite a ride to discover the origin of classic Final Fantasy summons like Shiva and how they impact the realm of FFXIV, the actual big-picture game world often took a backseat in favor of plotlines that felt secondary to the core narrative. Now in 2.5, the dragon arc that was set up with Bahamut in the intro is coming to a head, and the expansion is being put front and center. The change in voice actors is a little jarring when you first start Heavensward though. While some come as a great improvement, others disappoint. The once husky tones of the strong-willed Admiral Merlywb now seem disappointingly wheezy. It’s a minor irritant in the grand scheme of things, though I did find a few other bizarre narrative moments. During one integral plot point a few hours in I found myself hugely distracted by the ridiculous hat a character was wearing. Here she was, dropping a hugely important reveal that changes everything... while looking like a tiny, sugared garden gnome. Yes it’s a dumb thing to notice, but it’s a little difficult to feel shocked when you’re too busy stifling laughter over a fashion faux pas.
The game's community, on the whole, is very helpful -- articulate, polite and patient with newcomers for the most part. There's the occasional jackass, as there is in any online game, but rather than trolling behavior being laughed at and tacitly encouraged, most people make swift and unforgiving use of the Blacklist system. It's clear from talking to many players, both in the public chat channels and the linkshells and Free Companies I've had contact with, that A Realm Reborn's community is, generally speaking, slightly older and/or more mature in its behavior than in many other rival titles, which is encouraging to see and a pleasure to be a part of. Let's hope it continues.
If you already play FFXIV then Heavensward gives you even more of what you know and love. For those that have been eyeing up those chocobos from the sidelines, well, there’s no escaping the catching up you’ll have to do, but that shouldn’t put you off. The base game has changed a lot over the last year and has effectively transformed itself into the ultimate Final Fantasy themepark. Even if you don’t know your Tonberrys from your Cactuars it’s well worth playing for the sheer variety of adventures on offer. Now is definitely the time to get involved.
