Game review: Final Fantasy Dimensions

Format: Android

Genre: JRPG

ESRB rating: Rating Pending

Score: 8 out of 10

            Final Fantasy has to be the series Square Enix is most known for. From the original Final Fantasy through FF13-2, Square Enix has been entertaining players of all ages since 1987.  Final Fantasy Dimensions takes us back to the unique job system that was utilized in many of the other titles in the series. However, this game has an interesting twist; instead of having the four Warriors of Light, who were chosen by the crystals that govern the four elements, the player must now control eight warriors who get separated between the World of Light and the World of Darkness. Both parties start out with the same eight jobs in the beginning, but after gaining a fifth, temporary party member, each group gains a new job unique to that party.

            

             The job system has a unique feature that isn't found in other Final Fantasy titles. All jobs start off with three levels that you can gain. However, after certain events in the game, you are given Job points that are used to level up any job you choose. This is required to gain more skills that you can then equip to your character, even after they switch to a different job, similar to Final Fantasy 5.

            

             The game is played on your smart phone, and as such, it would first appear that game play would be limited. However, it's quite simple to do everything you would do if the game were played on another system. There is a semi-transparent D-pad on the bottom left corner of the screen that is used to move the hero around, and simply bumping into objects or NPCs acts just like clicking the action button. There isn't really a need to lift your finger from the screen, either. The D-pad recognizes when you slide your finger from one arrow to another, and changes directions accordingly. However, the downside to that, I've noticed, is that sometimes your finger might not be in exactly the right spot, and the hero will start going in the wrong direction. This is especially frustrating when you're trying to get onto a ladder and you start moving away from it instead.

            

             The battle system runs on the Active Time Battle, and is as easy to maneuver as it is outside of combat. You are given multiple ways of selecting the same action, so you can choose whichever way you are comfortable with. If you want to heal one of your characters, you can select their name from the menu, or simply click on them directly. Select a specific monster to attack, or use the buttons near the bottom of the screen to switch between targeting the monsters or your own party.

            

             One issue that I've found with the game so far is that, during battles, my phone will randomly lock up. Don't worry, though. Just hit the power button on your phone to lock it, then hit it again to bring the game back up and it should work fine. It's probably just because my phone is older and can't handle the memory usage anymore, but it's certainly an annoyance. Also make sure that you have plenty of battery life. Even charging your phone while playing isn't enough to stop your phone from dying on you.