So yes, let's discuss one of the high profile titles from Operation Rainfall, Mistwalker's The Last Story. This was a very interesting game, hell I can say that about all three titles from that whole Nintendo debacle, but let's just say it was probably one of the most refreshing and forward-thinking JRPGs I've played in a long time. Even after all these years since playing it, I can't help but think back to some of the stuff it was trying to do and be amazed.
So you play as Zael, a hopelessly optimistic and genuinely naive mercenary (yeah doesn't make sense to me either) who travels with his childhood friend and their fellow mercenaries to Lazulis Island, which is a major political power player for the empire on the main land, in order to gain work on the front lines of the war between humanity and the Gurack and hopefully become full-fledged knights. While undergoing a mission to investigate some ancient ruins belonging to the royal family, Zael stumbles... well we all know where this is going, Zael stumbles on some ancient power and suddenly becomes a major focus of the royal court. There is also a princess who wants to escape her royal duties, and not everything is as it seems...
Okay, I'm not going to sugar coat the fact that The Last Story's plot is by the book. In terms of JRPG Clichés and tropes. It does try to add its own twists, as Zael kind of has this terrible habit of trusting the wrong people and Calista breaks standard heroine traditions by learning the hard way that acting out on her own interests despite her social obligations is a very bad idea. So I appreciate the fact the game kind of deconstructs a few of the usual tired clichés within the genre, but it never goes as far as better games that pull this off like Disgaea or NieR. With that said, the supporting cast is amazing and one of the best parts of the plot. The first time you're wandering through a cave and listening to the party banter, you quickly learn how everyone feels about everyone else and get a real sense of the team dynamics. I honestly felt this was a more endearing way of getting the player to like the cast than simply giving each party member a moment to relay their tragic backstory. Hell, for a bunch of mercenaries, no one really has a tragic backstory except Zael and his best friend Dagran. The politics of the world feel more like Suikoden than typical FF fare, which was also nice, but none of this can quite save how absolutely cringe worthy Zael and Calista are. The scene where they meet is so cringe inducing it makes the laughing scene from FFX look like Oscar bait for best performance of an on-screen couple.
"So if the plot is hit-and-miss, why the hell is this here?" you may be asking. It's largely due to the game design, to be honest. The Last Story is an Action RPG with elements of a third-person shooter and stealth, but what sets it apart is the game core mechanics, which deals with Zael's power to basically control enemy aggro. He literally casts a spell that makes everything target him, but it offers other abilities like a wind slash that can be combined with elemental circles to cause massive AoE spells with various effects on the environment. Battles typically deal with balancing enemy aggro, but also keeping Zael alive. What's actually really cool in the battle system is its total immersion with the environment that sets this apart from other Action-RPGs. Zael not only has the power to take cover and ambush enemies for bonus damage, but you can order your allies to use their magic spells to damage the environment like a tower holding archers and set up traps (combined with Zael's ability to lead all the enemies to it) for the massive mobs that come after you. It's a sight to behold when you really get the flow of battle going, though the game is challenging enough to where you can easily lose momentum and find yourself getting overwhelmed.
The boss battles are also not typical of the Action RPG genre, but feel right at home with Zelda or even MGS. Most of the bosses are puzzle bosses as opposed to straight up fights and so you have to find the right strategy to beat them such as having Zael transform an ice magic circle into a slippery floor, so the boss will lose their footing during their powerful charge move and stun themselves long enough for the party to get some hits in, or a duel with a powerful knight that can own your ass, so you have to basically use stealth to sneak around the garden you're having the duel in and ambush them before retreating and finding a new opening. It's pretty refreshing but sadly falls into the same issues Zelda bosses have where once you figure out the strategy to beating them, the battle is essentially won.
The Last Story is not exactly a big game, more than half of it takes place on Lazulis Island. There is only one city, but it's pretty big, about twice the size of Rabanaste from XII and at least three times more dense in content. What's kind of neat about the game is that barring a few quests, most of the side quest content is not blatantly obvious, and you'll actually need to explore and talk to everyone to uncover all the things you can do in the city. I was near the end of the game before I discovered that there was a mini-game a la Breath of Fire 1 at the marketplace where I can set up my own stall and make money off my unused items.
Hell, two of the most notable side quests are chapter long story missions involving an archeologist, except the quests themselves fall so seamlessly within the story that you won't even realize they were optional until you finish them. Several of the scenario designs for the chapter are also well constructed and feel like something out of the SNES/PS1 era FFs, especially the ghost house. I also appreciate the fact the game never takes itself too seriously during the downtime parts, and there is even a challenge to see how many times you can have Zael slam his head into a low hanging door sign.
The game also has a cool weapon upgrade system, where you evolve the weapons you gain into stronger weapons before they transform into new weapons. If that sounds familiar, it's because It's something FFXIII tried to do, but The Last Story makes it a much less tedious experience and the majority of the upgrades are actually useful. The real gem of the customization is that while you're limited to only a handful of armor sets, you're given the ability to customize their looks in a variety of ways like removing bulkier parts and changing the color of the outfits as I see fit, which was a huge bonus for me coming off Xenoblade and sometimes having to deal with the ugliest outfits for my party.
With all this said, though, I will admit the game always has a knack for falling short with its ambitions. The gameplay offers a very deep experience, but sadly, it just doesn't seem to utilize it to its full potential. The level design and bosses are clever, but the game has an incredible bad habit of recycling areas and bosses, which makes you realize the limitations the Wii placed on this game. Like anything I've played by Mistwalker, the game is brimming with cool concepts and ideas but is hampered by always being on a too small of a canvas piece to make the most of it. It's why I want this game to get a sequel on a better console because I feel a little more development and some better writers could turn this into a surefire franchise if given the chance, but alas it's probably not going to happen. If you have the chance to play this game, I recommend it. It's not as fully developed as it should be, but I love its raw potential in design.
Did I mention Nobuo Uematsu does the soundtrack?
Last edited by Wolf Kanno; 03-11-2023 at 07:03 AM.
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