While wandering across the show floor, I stumbled across what I thought looked like a possible gem for the Nintendo DS – Final Fantasy: Four Warriors of Light, already released in Japan. The first thing that I noticed was the semi-cutesy character designs that look like they were pulled straight out of a children’s book. The art style fit the play style, as well. After wandering around town for a bit, I made my way to the world map to test out the battle system.
The battle system is classic Final Fantasy with one notable exception: the AP meter. Instead of MP, your characters have a few unfilled dots in their character status that denotes remaining action point. By default, characters start with one dot filled. If you select the Boost command, you forego your turn in exchange for an AP point that can be used later. The more powerful the attack, the more AP required. It’s nothing new, but it’s amazingly simple.
Also new to Final Fantasy: Four Warriors of Light is the crown system. The crown system is basically a simplified job system of previous Final Fantasy iterations. By changing to a bandit hat, white mage hood, bard hat, lancer helmet, or almost any of the two dozen choices of standard Final Fantasy jobs, you allow yourself access to the respective skills of the selected job. You can change crowns at any time with no penalty, so your party can be customized as your see fit.
This feature removes any strategic element of planning the composition of your party, but allows you try as many combinations as often as you like. Crowns can be leveled up by inserting shaped gems into open slots. Once filled, a new ability is unlocked for the crown/job class.
While RPG enthusiasts won’t find anything new to jump at; the difficulty doesn’t seem like it threatens to push the envelope, either. Final Fantasy: Four Warriors of Light feels like the perfect RPG for more casual or light hearted portable gamers with an ample nod to RPGs of the past. It’s quite charming. Get it for your girlfriend.