The Last Story? or Lastest Story?

The Last Story is a new RPG released by the Mistwalker Corporation.  Founded by the creator of Final Fantasy, these guys are responsible for Lost Odyssey (what a piece) and the Blue Dragon series.  As veteran RPG designers, one would only assume these guys knew enough about how to create one to the specs and standards of any other JRPG out on the market.  Well whether or not the know how to, they decided to break the mold in an incredible fashion with their latest story, The Last Story.  In line with Xenoblade Chronicles, this seems likely to be one of the last great games to appear on the dying console.  But if you still have some life left in your Wii, you need to check this title out.



Chapter 1: Story

The story of any JRPG is a crucial anchor point in the games success.  I mean it's obvious right?  If your story sucks, your game tends to.  But even if it's the last one, this story is a good one.  Enter Zael and his merry band of mercenaries.  They are on a quest to detain the all powerful JRPG plot from destroying their known way of life.  The story actually begins humbly for the search of work by the crew of 4 heading deep into a cavern to investigate a "reptid" invasion.  Soon after battling swarms of skeletons Syrenne (a.k.a. the bitch) is mortally wounded and Zael must call upon the power of plot to awaken "the Outsider."  Some sort of mythical spirit thing that gives him the power to save his friends and continue the story onward.  Alright so maybe the story isn't what you'd call "mold breaking," but it is still an interesting tale to sit through.  The dialog and great European voice work lend well to creating a player to character bond that will keep you interested in the adventure for the long haul.  In fact, the characters take most of the focus on the story telling.  Instead of a plot building itself up with the characters being tossed in the fray, the characters essentially tell the story as they grow and change as more things happen to them.  Its refreshing to watch when you've played the living shit out of the stereotypical JRPG's.  The story mode is told via chapters, 44 in total.  But because of the way the city environment works (acting as a sort of hub) it is possible to skip over chapters or do some out of order.  I doubt this effects the story in any way, but it's interesting that the developers would allow it in the first place.

Chapter 2: Gameplay

Alright, so we get it, there is a cool story that us as fans of RPGs will enjoy...but when was the last time the story was the reason you bought a game?  We want to know how much fun it is to kick peoples asses.  Well my friends, The Last Story delivers in full force, a unique and inviting gameplay structure that combines real-time third-person combat, first person arrow shooting, RTS style strategy overviews, and a unique cover system.  Combat is truly interesting; instead of mashing away at fight buttons like dynasty warriors or other 3rd person fuck-em-ups, you attack using the stick (pointing towards the desired enemies).  Oddly enough, you move with the stick that attacks as well, but you can only move while blocking.  It's a strange system, and it sounds flawed, but honestly, it works quite well.  There is a first person archery mode you can use for kiting or picking off enemies from a distance, and a seemingly important "gather" ability that provokes your enemies and buys time for you slower units to charge attacks like magic or whatever else.  Cover in the game can be used to create tactical ambushes and positioning and you can vault over obstacles and enemies alike to create an extremely stylish battle.  I haven't played anything like this, and it's exciting to see that they didn't gimmick this out via motion controls.

Chapter 3: Multiplayer?

I know that i haven't gone into as much detail about the games as normal, but this is for two reasons. First off, I have not completed the game, and secondly, I don't want to ruin it for you.  It takes about 20-30 hours to complete depending on dilly-dallying, but due to the inclusion of online multiplayer functionality in both co-op and pvp styles, there is more fun to be had than just the story mode.  Yes I did say multiplayer and JRPG in the same review, don't be so shocked.  This is rare for any RPG to have mulitplayer functionality.  Games like the Tales series and Eternal Sonata have had co-op locally but i've never seen one to play online before.  The online co-op has you take down various bosses to feel badass and all team like, but the player vs. player is extremely fun.  It's team based with up to 6 players (3 each), and it can get hectic.  As long as you have a basic understanding of the story mode you'll be able to hold your own, but it takes some serious strategy to become any sort of dominating force.  Since there isn't a good voice chat system for the Wii I suggest skyping with friends for this.  Now i'm not going to pretend that you play this game for the multiplayer like it's some sort of Call of Duty game, but the addition is fun and welcomed, and it really showcases how in-depth the combat really is.

Final Chapter: Result

Alright, so there it is, likely one of the last good Wii games to come out.  But even still, with flaws in count, there isn't quite anything like this game that I have played before.  It looks great for a Wii title (though we shouldn't be using that as an excuse) and it holds its own in front of the other RPG titans of success that we have held dear in the past.  I'm not going to pretend that this game has redefined the genre, but it certainly has proven that innovation in a stale environment can work out better than expected.  I rate this game at 82%.  Not the highest rating, because it's not the best game.  But just as with Xenoblade Chronicles, there is something to be had for playing this game.  If you have free time, a Wii, and a few extra dollars lying around...why not give this game a run?