Final Fantasy Type-0 HD is a high-definition remaster of the Japan-exclusive PlayStation Portable game Final Fantasy Type-0.
Set in the war-torn world of Orience, the game follows Class Zero, a group of fourteen students from the Dominion of Rubrum's elite military academy. They are thrust into a conflict against the invading Militesi Empire, uncovering the secrets behind the war and the existence of powerful crystals.
Gameplay features real-time combat, allowing players to control three active party members from the fourteen available, each possessing unique weapons and abilities. The game includes mission-based progression, exploration of the Akademeia hub, and strategic battles on the world map. The HD version introduced improved graphics, additional difficulty levels, and the removal of the original multiplayer functionality, integrating previously multiplayer-exclusive content into the single-player experience.
Type-0 certainly gets real-time combat right, but this port of an RPG that began on handheld is otherwise not much fun to play on PC.
Bar that, there's little else I can do to defame the game without slagging off the entire JRPG genre. It's a slightly more active, engaging iteration on the traditional Final Fantasy experience and one that works well, even away from its native platform. If you've been avoiding the series for a good few years then Type-0 is a great place to pick up...
Type-0 isn't as beautiful or as innovative as other recent Final Fantasy titles, but for a PSP remake from 2011, it's pretty good.
The story of Type-0 is an interesting one to witness, if only to see a darker Final Fantasy narrative and a more evil side of Cid. But it's a story that'll likely only satisfy FF completists and few others.
Such is the quandary at the heart of every long-running game series. Type-0 HD bears all the hallmarks of a game simultaneously keen to escape its past while being forced to embrace its heritage. At its best, it's a fine, smartly-paced action-RPG with thrilling combat mechanics that just happens to be a better fit for a handheld than a home console....
