World of Final Fantasy Maxima is a great remaster of the game World of Final Fantasy. Maxima retells the same story with a few tweaks, new mirages, and a fun fishing minigame with Noctis of Final Fantasy XV. Maxima tells the story of Reynn and Lann, two twins who find themselves thrust into a crazy new world that they might have lived in before. After losing their mother at a young age the twins have been living their lives as best they can. They might not be older than 14 but they are strong and intelligent. Soon enough they are transported to a strange world after a chance meeting with a strange girl. This girl will ultimately tie them up in a journey where they might just find what happened to their mother all those years ago. A story of childhood and the power to overcome all hardships is about to unfold.
This world is populated by small people called Lilikin. These small humans have no idea what is happening when two giants appear in their world. They are shocked when these giants are revealed to be heroes and soon the world seems to accept these two odd youths. Plus these heroes might be able to help as a dark force is ready to destroy everything. Reynn and Lann can change at will from their regular form to their chibi form. This changes how their party is lined up so act accordingly. This game is different in that it is all about stacking. The twins will need to use this ability to take down enemies, but don’t worry they aren’t stacking on each other. These twins will gain some pretty magical allies who are necessary to get things done right.
Reynn and Lann are twins out to save this strange new world and the help of their familiars they are sure to get it done. These familiars are all monsters from the storied series. It’s great to see them in a chibi form, as they are all quite cute. I enjoyed seeing the characters in this new form as it is a quite drastic change from other games. When players find these monsters they will need to weaken and then capture them. It’s similar to Pokemon in that three shakes of sorts will seal the deal. Capturing monsters also fills up the bestiary with new information and then the player can nickname them. I think nicknaming these beasties gives the player a stronger connection to them so I nicknamed them all.
Now, back to stacking, this game is all about making the best stacks. Players can stack their monsters on top of each other and doing so will help them achieve victory. Players need to take down other monster stacks eventually so its good to get used to this system as early as possible. There are numerous stack layouts so players can mix and match as they please. The higher the stack, the easier it is to topple it. Some monsters have powers that make them harder to topple and they can help. Players will also need to balance their party right or they could lose quickly. While leveling is important it is good to bring the right beasts to each battle. There are so many that players are sure to find their favorites of each type so it won’t be hard.
Players will also have to navigate skill boards. These boards contain boosts and skills for the monsters to learn. There are quite a number of them so players will have their work cut out for them. Unlock as much as possible because eventually, many of the beasts can evolve and that will help out in the long run. Plus some of these creatures provide summons. Players might want to raise a baby behemoth as the Behemoth King is a powerful ally and can take down foes with ease.
There is also an arena where players can take on slews of monsters. Taking down these monsters will require a little strategy so players should bring their best teams along. This arena will test players, though the rewards are great. I found myself using it as a testing ground for my party and they usually pulled through sublimely.There are many different characters in this game and they are all voiced. I always enjoy good voice acting and this game is no slouch. Tama is probably my favorite as she often includes “the” before her words. It’s a nice little addition to her dialogue that makes her unique. The world is filled with different characters and it is nice to hear them speak their minds.
Reynn and Lann are also going to meet many of the fan-favorite characters along the way. There is quite a colorful cast and they are all doing their own thing in this wacky new world. It’s great to see them interact with each other and fill slightly different yet eerily similar roles. These characters are still so lovable in this form and I appreciate the change. Players will also be able to summon them in battle after finding a strange door. This door is hosted by an odd girl who loves tea parties, and she will aid the twins on their quests. Completing side stories makes the heroes summonable and their attacks are devastating. Taking direct reference from the games they come from these attacks can turn the tide of battle.
A big plus for this new version is that players can now change into their favorite characters. With avatar change players can become any of their summonable allies, so suit up as say Cloud and Lightning and take on the adventure. While they can’t switch between their Lilikin form and a regular form its a plus to switching up the game like this.There are loads of other updates in this version of the game. They include a fishing minigame with Noctis which is pretty fun. There are also new bosses to face and a secret ending to unlock. All in all this game offers up more difference from the regular version and is worth a pick up if players haven’t played it. Or if players want to delve into this story again this version is a good buy.
World of Final Fantasy Maxima is a great game and a solid entry in the Final Fantasy series. This game might not be for everyone but those who play it are sure to find some fun. If a player hasn’t played Final Fantasy it might even be a good stepping stone. This game is accessible and a fun RPG and even with my limited knowledge I soon wanted to do nothing more than playing more Final Fantasy games after playing this. Reynn and Lann have a world to save will the player help them out?