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Hands On With The Next Handheld Final Fantasy

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by Joe Juba on June 17, 2010 at 02:51 AM
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Well, Final Fantasy Versus XIII isn't at E3. However, gamers can still get a sense of where the series is heading in the future by checking out the latest handheld, co-op installment called Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light.

Matrix Software, the studio behind the DS versions of Final Fantasy III and IV, is at the helm for this original entry in the series. It's not a port or remake of a previous installment, but the game still has plenty of familiar concepts that fans of Final Fantasy are sure to adore. The story opens when a young man named Brandt is asked to perform a special mission for the king -- a task that naturally gets Brandt wrapped up in saving the world.

Using the stylus and touch screen to navigate, you'll embark on your journey through a colorful and stylish world, fighting monsters and visiting towns along the way. Of course, you can't save the world if you're just a regular 14-year-old chump. Brandt and company have access to a variety of crowns, which is the game's equivalent of a job system. By equipping the appropriate hat between battles, you can change your class to things like bard, bandit, and merchant...along with classics like black and white mages.

Your classes will increase in power the more you level up the corresponding crown, a process accomplished by collecting and setting jewels in them. As you grow in strength, you learn new abilities that can be set as commands -- like steal and fire -- for use in the turn-based battles.

In addition to the standard Final Fantasy trappings, The 4 Heroes of Light will also allow four friends to team up wirelessly and play through the main story. While Square Enix didn't have this feature up and running at the booth, a representative explained that four players will be able to work together for most of the game. A few sections will have fewer than four players for story reasons, but as the game's title indicates, having the whole party together as much as possible is the goal.

With its old-school charm and the promise of a co-op RPG, The 4 Heroes of Light is shaping up to be a promising adventure. Look for it this October.

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Comments
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  • by Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 03:18 AM

    Man, whats with all these late night updates?  Shouldn't you guys be at an E3 after party getting smashed with Kojima or something?  is it safe to assume that several of these articles where written under the influence?

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    by Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 06:49 AM

    So far I like the look and sound of this new game. I definitely plan on buying it when it comes out.

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    by Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 07:39 AM

    This game will definitely be a hit in japan, since they love co op ds games like dragon quest 9. I myself loved ff3 for the ds and love the new artwork for this game. Haha the artwork even looks similar to dragon quest 9

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    by Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 08:25 AM

    I hope this ends up being good...

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    by Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 08:47 AM

    sounds neat and all but the co op thing sounds a bit iffy to me, i mean if its turn base there is a bit of strategy involved sometimes u really just want the white mage to attack cuz you aint that hurt of the black mage to defend or whatever but what happens when someone else is controlling those characters? hopefully their will be chat function like in Fire Emblem or advanced wars to u can coordinate with each other.... other than that this games looks neat

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    by Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 09:03 AM

    I hope it's easier than the FFIV remake.  I had a tough time with that one.  Of course, I also never used my augments properly.

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    by Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 09:37 AM

    i love the art style. the co-op idea sounds really cool, but its probably nothing i'd use.

  •
    by Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 10:43 AM

    I hope this can tide me over until news about Versus is available.

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    by Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 10:52 AM

    I'll just wait for Versus 13.

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    by Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 11:20 AM

    wow finally they made another coop rpg. i remeber playing Seiken Densetsu 3 (Secret of mana 2) for SNES a long time ago with my buddy on coop. getting this for sure.

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    by Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 11:34 AM

    I sorta am tired of teenage heroes in these games, and most games really. Maybe in the past, teenage kids were actually strong and independent, but today, not so much.

  • by Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 11:44 AM

    Will keep an eye out for this.  

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    by Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 11:45 AM

    they should have made thi for the 3DS

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    by Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 01:27 PM

    Crap. I'm tired of hearing about the four heroes of light, crystals, and "evil" empires. Also, the beginning of this game is exactly like the original final fantasy. No thanks.

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    by Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 01:44 PM

    Sounds like a promising RPG, but not really sure about co-op in a Final Fantasy game.  When I think of Final Fantasy, I think of epic single-player RPG's.  So I dunno...

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    by Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 03:30 PM

    i don't know if this is good or bad.

  • by Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 03:55 PM

    I'm disappointed by the lack of original Final Fantasy I.P.'s...   But Kingdom Hearts should cheer-me-up though...

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    by Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 04:43 PM

    Could be fun and I like FF, but still way too much of the same with these J-RPGs. Play one and you've played them all. They were really fun a decade ago. TEN YEARS HAVE GONE BY and the same graphics and the same story on these games.

    Please Square Enix learn how to innovate

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    by Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 06:45 PM

    I want this but there are orther games ahead on my list

  •
    by Monday, June 21, 2010 at 10:43 AM

    Why do so many FF titles have babies in costumes for their art? Reminds me of Angela's posters from the Office.

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