The Reality of Playing Persona 5 In Japanese When You're Not Fluent

It's not an easy time to be a spoiler-sensitive Persona fan. If you're wanting to go into Persona 5 in February with a clear head, there are hashtags, wikis and preview videos to actively avoid (seriously, avoid the wikis!). My initial plan was to be part of the spoiler-free crowd, but when Final Fantasy XV was delayed I decided to give into my Persona 5 impatience and bear the spoilers in order to fill my September gaming void and play a great game. But as someone only studying Japanese rather than fluent in the language, I was quickly reminded that Persona isn't a light JRPG. I found Persona 5’s story getting hazier as I spent my time focusing on merely getting through Persona 5 rather than fully and easily experiencing it like I normally would in English. At its core, buying Persona 5 before release may seem like a good idea, but if you’re like me and love Persona’s story, getting it in Japanese when you’re not fluent won’t give you the same experience the English release.

It's not a complete uphill battle to play Persona 5 in Japanese though. If you've played a Persona game or two, you can probably work how to play Persona 5 at the very least. Same as the other main series Persona games, gameplay is similar enough between each edition that it’s pretty easy to work out how to play one Persona game if you’ve played another. It’s the same with Persona 5, with the added bonus of it being polite enough to put some of the basic battle controls and main menu interface in English. For dialogue heavy moments, because Persona 5 is such a visual improvement on pre-current gen Persona games, it’s easier to get context from the visuals making Persona 5 a bit easier for international players. If missing plot intricacies doesn’t bother you, mechanical knowledge of Persona and some button mashing through new mechanics is most likely enough to at least get to the end of Persona 5. This is how I played through the first dungeon of Persona 5 and despite wanting to understand more of the story, I was able to have a lot of fun with the battle mechanics and understand just enough of the story for it to be interesting. Dungeons were probably the most stress free part of my dictionary-free run because of the battles and animated cutscenes, so if you’re importing this aspect won’t be too much of a problem and they're a good way to have fun with Persona 5.

My Japanese is....(see above)

If Persona 5 was all dungeon crawler and no dialogue, it wouldn't pose as much of a problem to the non-Japanese speaking player. However a lot of Persona’s core is narrative, with some of the series best and most unique mechanics including Social Links and the new Demon Negotiation using dialogue as an important game mechanic. A lot can be gathered from visual cues, however with Persona’s characters always having well-rounded personalities and long dialogue scenes, it’s easy to miss important plot intricacies with little or no Japanese knowledge. With my lower level Japanese, I could gather a few of these intricacies but I did find when speaking to my boyfriend (who is much better at Japanese), there were still a lot of things I missed. I didn’t fully understand just how evil the antagonists were because of what I missed in the dialogue and there were developments I really wish I had been able to understand for myself. It’s to be expected since I'm not fluent in Japanese, but Persona is so largely story-based that I couldn’t help but feel like I was missing really important things. Social links are another beast, as I found myself matching words or kanji I knew in dialogue choices when I don’t understand what’s going on, with mixed success. By the beginning of Persona 5’s second dungeon, I found myself pretty nervous as I always wondered if I was missing something important I'd been told to do that was vital to the next boss and if I’d be sent to game over town because I hadn't been able to understand what to do.

There is hope though. For the patient and for those with an interest in learning Japanese, my trusty picture translator and dictionary method requires me be much more patient, but works in Persona 5. In my new save file, I’ve been able to look things up to my heart’s content and actually understand what's going on, which makes me feel way happier when I play. It is, however, taking a lot longer; I’m not at the first save point yet and it’s probably been 4 hours in my new save file. But feeling like I know what’s going on is important to me, which is what drove me to write this article. Some people won’t mind getting a glimpse at Persona 5 without understanding everything, but if you love the details of Persona’s stories, actually waiting may not be a bad idea for a game like Persona. If you want to understand how truly evil some of the characters are, you may not get that from a bunch of words you can’t read and some maniac laughter as much as you think, which is what I found in my first save file. I completely understand the impatience of waiting for such an anticipated and consistently great series, but as I said in my previous article about playing Persona 5 before release, localisations exist because of how much dialogue there is to translate and Persona 5 probably has more than ever.

Playing Persona 5 pre-dictionary was like looking at it through a glass door: I could see the coolness of Persona 5 - the gorgeous visuals, the improved battle system - but I was missing a lot of details and those details are what makes a Persona narrative so hard-hitting. I'm going to keep playing Persona 5, but I may abandon my dictionary-free save and take my time learning new words and understanding the story. I can’t promise that playing Persona 5 will be cool for people who don’t speak Japanese and for those who speak it on a lower level like mine as there will be nuances missed out on unless you approach it with patience. But I also understand for a lot of people, merely playing Persona 5 is what they want and they can live without knowing every detail and I kind of envy that in some ways. No matter when or how you play Persona 5, I encourage everyone as its load screen regularly reminds me to ‘Take Your Time’ and enjoy the intricate world that is Persona 5 in the way you can have the most fun possible.

You can pre-order Persona 5 for PS3 and PS4 in English or buy the Japanese version at Play-Asia.com!

(This link helps support the site, so if you use it or buy something from there, thank you!)

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Do you play games in Japanese before they're localised? What's your best/worst import game experience?

Leave a comment below, send me a tweet at @JRPGJungle, hit me up Facebook or Instagram and let's talk!

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JRPG Appreciation Post: Lost Dimension's Defer Mechanic

If you've ever had a completely overpowered party member in a JRPG, you'll probably know what it's like to wait each turn for your strongest character’s turn in order to cause some havoc on the battlefield. This is also evident when an enemy has a weakness and only one character has the right attack - suddenly the only character that matters is the one with that attack and the other party members become unimportant compared to the one related to my actual strategy. Lost Dimension’s Defer mechanic plays with this idea, essentially allowing party members to give each other their turns if they don't need them. This considerably changed how I thought about my battle strategies in Lost Dimension and gave me a new perspective on turns in tactical battles and how having access to the right skills at the right time can truly be the ultimate battle tactic.

The Defer system in Lost Dimension pretty simple in practice, but makes a pretty significant difference to strategising in battle. By giving up attacking that turn, the Defer option allows one party member that’s near another party member to attack again. It only works on party members who have previously attacked, but the character movement and skill change is more than enough to give an edge in battle. Defer can be useful when another character has a more suitable attack or ability, when a nearby character is closer to an enemy or when activating special abilities that require another character's Materia. For example, if there’s a nearby item or enemy that is only reachable by passing over a gap, deferring to Agito who can teleport or Nagisa who can fly would be a great move. If you're in a pinch, deferring multiple times to Sojiro who is essentially the healer could get your party back to full health as well, saving you from a retry. While using Defer ends the using character’s turn, it allows for a better quality turn if used correctly and even allows the character to move a little, making the next turn better.

Defer gave me some of my favourite gameplay moments in Lost Dimension because of all the options it gives. In most JRPGs, you're usually limited by each character's skill set but Defer allows you to break out of that by having near unlimited access to all skills. Being a tactical JRPG, this allows for more focus on character placement in the 3D field, which considering Lost Dimension's areas take advantage of platforms and gaps can be a challenge in itself. Although I'm still fairly new to the world of tactical JRPGs, but this mechanic alone made Lost Dimension a really unique experience and I enjoyed playing with this new mechanic quite a lot.

Defer added a really different line of thinking to the way I usually play JRPGs, especially tactical ones. It makes me wonder how it would fare in other tactical RPGs such as Fire Emblem where I had a few instances where I was just shy of defeating the boss with one character. I think the reason why Defer works so well in Lost Dimension is because the enemies either provide pressure in numbers or in crazy brute strength rather than weaknesses, so finding the correct skill to take them down is essential. It’s a tactic that makes Lost Dimension stand out to me as more than just another tactical RPG and is a unique JRPG mechanic that is simple, yet rewarding.

You can get Lost Dimension for PS3 or PS Vita at Play-Asia.com!

(This link helps support the site, so if you use it or buy something from there, thank you!)

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What's your favourite part of Lost Dimension? Do you have a favourite tactical JRPG mechanic?

Leave a comment below, send me a tweet at @JRPGJungle, hit me up Facebook or Instagram and let's talk!

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Make sure to follow the blog here, follow @JRPGJungle on Twitter and Instagram and like JRPG Jungle on Facebook for updates on content and random musings on JRPG news and games. You're awesome! <3

Pictures note: Photos are taken from Play-Asia's Lost Dimension page

First Impressions: Persona 5 (PS3, Japanese version)

After a long wait for Persona 5, I can barely believe that it’s out and inside my PS3. While plenty of people are still waiting for the English localisation, other people like myself have bought the Japanese version to get a peek before the slow-approaching February localised release and/or to play it out of sheer impatience (I’m in both parties). Persona 5 has plenty of high expectations to live up to thanks to the generally high quality of Persona games and after playing Persona 5 for over 26 hours (at the time of writing), I think most Persona fans will be pleased with Persona 5 for many different reasons. The gameplay, story, music, artwork and UIs shine in true Persona style and with every character design, transition screen and new game mechanic, it seems like a lot of love was put into crafting the incredibly fun JRPG that is Persona 5.

If you're a Persona fan that’s missed changing Personas on the fly, Social Links or deciding what to do with your after school time, you’ll find all of this in Persona 5 in its finest form. For starters,, as Persona’s first complete main series addition on current gen consoles (the last release was originally on PS2), everything is significantly smoother and more stylish in Persona 5. From load screens to switching Personas, everything in Persona 5 is really fluid, making getting immersed in the gameplay effortless. I’m playing on PS3 and while I’m sure there are more load screens than the PS4 counterpart, all the transition screens are not only fairly short but also tend to be related to the area I’m in some way. Seeing people on the train passing by when commuting to school or the Phantom pulling down a curtain in the dungeon is that amazing attention to detail Persona excels at and makes me feel so much better than just looking at a blank screen between scenes. The 2.5D and animated cutscenes are a huge step up from previous Persona games and are much more in line with Catherine quality visuals than Persona 4 Golden. This vast improvement in visual quality acts like a fresh coat of paint for Persona 5, with all my favourite Persona mechanics still familiar but feeling completely fresh.

Gameplay in Persona 5 hasn’t only been upgraded visually. The added mechanics in Persona 5 are what really bring the experience to another level and while the original gameplay featured in past Persona games was already great, these changes add depth that take everything to a new level. My absolute favourite addition to Persona 5 so far is the Demon Negotiation in battles. The choosing cards after battles from previous Persona games has been taken out and replaced by asking weakened enemy Personas to become your own Persona or to give you items or money through making the right dialogue choices, similar to Shin Megami Tensei. All of the demons have very amusing dialogues and trying to win them over really suits the social aspect of Persona all while adding a new layer of completing to battles. Other great additions to Persona 5 include being able to jump and sneak behind things in the expanded dungeons, with the sneaking around being a really fun way to catch enemies off guard. On top of this, I just finished the first dungeon and got presented with even more new mechanics to use and I’m sure there are more coming. Players can expect a lot to do and personalise your Persona experience with thanks to all of these enriching new features and I'm looking forward to finding more as I continue on my Persona 5 journey.

A highly important part of any Persona game is story and while my understanding of Persona 5’s isn’t perfect thanks to my lower level of Japanese, I can say the theme and characters are compelling. As Persona 4’s bright yellows echoed the positive vibe and characters, Persona 5’s red theme is equally representative of the darker tone so far. Story events seem to be more sinister, with moments details in the story and the Velvet Room in general echoing this. Despite this, there are quite few appropriately placed humourous moments and exchanges, which I was pleased to see keeps true to Persona’s balanced high school life feeling, making Persona 5 digestible to players who started from Persona 4 and making the characters feel very real. Main characters are engaging thanks to their cool mix of teenage attitude and sense of justice against the antagonists, who are so far interesting with their outlandish personalities in dungeons and their moral corruptness in the regular world. I really like the characters and the surprises the plot has presented so far and the good story pace makes things feel constantly exciting while still giving me the freedom to partake in the day-to-day Persona activities.

Speaking of day-to-day activities, returning to Persona 5 are the fun part time jobs, reading books and making friends (social links) the Persona series is known for, all set in a huge realistic Tokyo with an overwhelmingly exciting amount of things to do. This is one of the aspects I definitely have a lot more exploring to do in, but I will say there are so many people to talk to, social links to find and small places to visit. My hardest decisions so far have been whether to follow the suggestions it gives me (such as visiting the library for the first time to find or checking out a famous restaurant), or to freely explore the modern Tokyo world and its vast amount of stores and people to talk to. It’s overwhelming in the best way and I can’t wait to make friends (social links) with all of the characters that I’ve seen around town so far. Credit also is due to the incredibly accurate portrayal of modern-day Tokyo, from the train announcements down to the slightly altered place names. Being in Japan, I feel a connection to the environment whenever I see somewhere similar to real-world Tokyo (the train stations are particularly familiar) and I'm sure others who have visited Tokyo may have this too.

If you're waiting for Persona 5 to come out in English, there’s plenty to be excited about in Persona 5. As someone who has played Persona 3 and 4, the level of detail added to Persona 5 and the beautiful UI, detailed environments and put-on-repeat music are all cherries on top of great gameplay and story with a new brand new tone. I'm already gearing up to play the English version to understand the finer intricacies of the story, but from the gameplay alone, Persona 5 is worth the wait and must-try for all Persona fans and fans of high-school JRPGs.

You can pre-order Persona 5 for PS3 and PS4 in English or buy the Japanese version at Play-Asia.com!

(This link helps support the site, so if you use it or buy something from there, thank you!)

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If you're playing Persona 5 in Japanese, what's your opinion of the game? And if you're waiting, what are you most excited for in Persona 5?

Leave a comment below, send me a tweet at @JRPGJungle, hit me up Facebook or Instagram and let's talk!

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Make sure to follow the blog here, follow @JRPGJungle on Twitter and Instagram and like JRPG Jungle on Facebook for updates on content and random musings on JRPG news and games. You're awesome! <3

Pictures note: Since I don't have any game capture equipment for PS3, most screenshots (other than the all-out attack one which is from Google) were sourced from Persona 5's official website and seem likely to be for the PS4 version of the game

5 JRPGs TGS 2016 Got Me Excited About

Tokyo Game Show last year left me with the biggest grin on my face and so much video game hype that I could burst. While I feel TGS 2016 left less of an impression on me due to the discussion of games that have been shown excessively (I'm sorry Final Fantasy XV, but I'm looking at you), there were a few games that did catch my eye and got me excited for their release. Ultimately, TGS 2016 showed quite a few games and these are some of my favourites of the JRPGs announced and given trailers this year.

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue

Being honest, my hype level for Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 had really gone down since made it my top game for TGS 2015. This had nothing to do with the game itself, rather that I haven't finished 1.5 Remix so I assumed I wasn't going to play 2.8 until long after I'd finished the 2.5 Remix. This year’s TGS Kingdom Hearts 2.8 trailer may have changed that. The new trailer backed by a nostalgic, fun remix of Utada Hikaru’s Simple and Clean from the first Kingdom Hearts had some gorgeous footage, bringing in some familiar Kingdom Hearts motifs including the star fruit, falling from the sky and of course, keyblades. Adding to the pretty trailer was the game footage from Kingdom Hearts 2.8, particularly from Back Cover and Birth By Sleep: A Fragmentary Passage being newer additions to the series so getting an extended peak of those is always welcomed. I was particularly excited since it showed gameplay from the latter which will likely be a peek at Kingdom Hearts 3’s (one of the main reasons I bought my PS4) visuals and most importantly, the gameplay. The whole trailer was a great tribute to the three games featured in Kingdom Hearts 2.8 and I hope it keeps me hyped up for its January release.

You can pre-order Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue from Play-Asia.com!

NieR: Automata

Where Kingdom Hearts 2.8’s trailer got me interested with what it showed, NieR: Automata was dynamic thanks to what it didn't show. NieR: Automata’s trailer shows glimpses of footage backed by lots of screaming and yelling, a very mysterious and dynamic way to introduce NieR Automata. I've never played a NieR game but I've been curious about the series for awhile. After seeing how interesting the trailer looked, I'll be paying attention to this game more.

You can pre-order NieR: Automata from Play-Asia.com!

Granblue Fantasy Project Re:Link

Granblue Fantasy has had a lot of magazine coverage in Japan recently, so when it was announced in the PS VR portion of Sony’s conference I was quite surprised to see it was coming to VR as I was under the impression it was a smartphone game. The idea of a JRPG (VRPG?) being available on VR without any gimmicks such as gunplay is kind of refreshing since JRPG gameplay is good enough on its own. I’ve never played Granblue Fantasy and there isn’t a lot of information to elaborate on I wouldn’t specifically buy a VR headset for it, but I would definitely play this if I got the chance as it'd be a cool new way to experience JRPGs.

Digimon World: Next Order

If you enjoyed Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth as much as I did, you may want to try Digimon World: Next Order now that it’s been announced for PS4 next year. Although the trailer was too short to show Next Order’s main gameplay, since I'm currently playing Next Order on my Vita, I can say a few hours in I'm liking it and is had all the raise-your-own-Digimon nostalgia from the original Digimon World games. If you like the idea of raising two Digimon to fight together, feeding them meat daily, taking them to the bathroom after training and filling a city with Digital friends, this is the Digimon game to play.

You can pre-order the localised version of Digimon World: Next Order at Play-Asia.com!

World of Final Fantasy

As the potential final trailer before World of Final Fantasy’s late October release, the TGS 2016 trailer gave a cute extended look into the story and more of the characters we'll get to play with in the fun spin-off game. My favourite part of this trailer was seeing all the summons and enemies of Final Fantasy in the unique art style which somehow even makes Malboros look endearing and cuddly. Cuteness aside, it's nice to see World of Final Fantasy will have its own plot full of emotional ups and downs while still paying homage to the Final Fantasy's before it. I'm looking forward to it more than I expected and I'm sure it'll be a nice game to play before Final Fantasy XV's release.

You can pre-order World of Final Fantasy from Play-Asia.com!

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What were your favourite games from TGS 2016? Was there anything you thought was missing?

Leave a comment below, send me a tweet at @JRPGJungle, hit me up Facebook or Instagram and let's talk!

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Make sure to follow the blog here, follow @JRPGJungle on Twitter and Instagram and like JRPG Jungle on Facebook for updates on content and random musings on JRPG news and games. You're awesome! <3

Persona 5 Thoughts from the Day Breakers Anime Special

Persona 5 has been getting plenty of hype lately. Leading up to it's Japanese release yesterday, there were plenty of preview videos appearing online and it couldn't look more stylish and fun. What hasn't been touched upon much is the story of Persona 5, most likely to avoid spoilers since story is typically one of the best parts of a Persona game. But for those like me who don't mind a little extra context before playing a game, a special episode of Persona 5 the Animation was released last week which gives the first extended insight into Persona 5’s story. It's a fun episode that shows off Persona 5’s characters and story premise all while maintaining enough mystery to carry the hype train forward and to satisfy those who wanted a little taste of what's to come in Persona 5.

Warning: Mild spoilers for the episode follow in this article. I've included as little as possible, but I'd still advise proceeding with caution! Also, despite Persona 5 being out in Japan, this article was written before I played it so it has no influence from it. Enjoy!

The Phantom Thieves of Hearts

Before the anime, it had been revealed that Persona 5’s group of main characters would be part of a group called the Phantom Thieves of Hearts - criminals seemingly fighting for good, but with questionable intentions. With a description like that, I wondered if we could expect to be playing as the good guy or the bad guy in Persona 5, which would be a big jump from the other Persona games. But the Persona 5 the Day Breakers special shows the Phantom Thieves of Hearts targeting a person who is clearly a bad person. The target is abusive to his brother and slyly uses his lock-picking job to break into places for his own personal gain, something a good person wouldn't do. This really paints a much clearer picture of which side the Phantom Thieves of Hearts are on and I think they're definitely fighting for good after watching the special.

And since they’re most likely fighting for good, the practically trademarked stylish action scenes that Persona does so well between the Phantom Thieves of Hearts and their target is complete with heroic speeches about justice, made in a way that each character was able to shine. Complete with cool costumes, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts come off as an incredibly likable mix of teenagers complete with strong personalities and the right amount of attitude. It was particularly nice to see more of Yusuke, considering the protagonist, Anne and Ryuji have been around since the first trailer, but Yusuke has only been revealed in small doses. He comes across as smart and reliable and fits in well with the rest of the team. So far The Phantom Thieves of Hearts are an interesting group and I definitely feel good about being on their team in Persona 5.

The Antagonists

While it was great to see the likely heroes of Persona 5 in the Daybreakers, the episode’s following of a thief gang is potentially a good insight into the type of enemies and stories that will appear in Persona 5. The gang followed in the Daybreakers were a greedy, self-righteous group trying to get as much money and loot as possible through all the wrong methods and with no remorse for their actions. This makes me wonder if this is the kind of morally questionable foe we can expect to face in Persona 5. Interestingly, I noticed the group seemed to have no tie to the supernatural world, making me also wonder if the enemies will be everyday criminals or if it will be revealed later that the criminals are tied to shadows and the supernatural beings usually featured in Persona games. But ultimately, it was very easy to see who was good and bad in the Day Breakers special, so I wonder if this transparency about the enemy will be evident in Persona 5.

The Detective

Note the Persona 4 colour scheme in the background

The most recent character announcement for Persona 5 was Goro Akechi, a high school detective connected to the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. The character was notably announced separately from the main cast of characters and not featured in the official trailer of the game. The anime continues this theme, making him feel even more separate to the group, yet he is said to join the Phantom Thieves of Hearts eventually but last. He appears in the Day Breakers special to be working alone and be rather against the changing of hearts done by the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, which makes me wonder if he is truly friend or foe initially. I’m sure I wasn't the only person who immediately thought of Naoto Shirogane from Persona 4 who was also a high school detective and took some time to join the Investigation Team, so wonder if he will mirror this in Persona 5.

The Velvet Room

The end of the Day Breakers special confirmed the situation and context regarding the Velvet Room. Igor is evidently tougher sounding and the protagonist is a prisoner instead of being a guest like in the other Persona games. Igor’s words “The rest of the story is up to you” to the protagonist carries some interesting potential subtext; is he referring to the in game choices that will be made by the player in Persona 5 or was the protagonist doing this mission as prisoner on Igor's orders? This will probably become clearer in Persona 5, but the special confirmed that this is a different Velvet Room to what Persona fans may be used to.

Persona 5 the Daybreakers may not be enough to tired most fans over until the localisation, but it is certainly a nice look into the world of Persona 5. After seeing the Phantom Thieves of Hearts in action, I’m finally completely excited to play as them in Persona 5 and knowing they’re probably fighting for good makes me like them even more as someone who enjoys taking down JRPG bad guys. The special left plenty to speculate about until the release and localisation of Persona 5, but one thing that’s for sure is the Persona 5 the Day Breakers had all the action, style and heart expected from a Persona game. All we need now is the game.

Photos from Persona 5 the Animation were taken from the Standard Definition version on Crunchyroll, where you can watch the SD version for free (to watch it in HD requires a subscription).

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What do you think of the Persona 5 the Animation special? How much about Persona 5 do you want to know before its release?

Leave a comment below, send me a tweet at @JRPGJungle, hit me up Facebook or Instagram and let's talk!

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Make sure to follow the blog here, follow @JRPGJungle on Twitter and Instagram and like JRPG Jungle on Facebook for updates on content and random musings on JRPG news and games. You're awesome! <3

The Pros and Cons of Mobius Final Fantasy (First Impressions)

I've been feeling really positively about most smartphone games I've been playing recently. Final Fantasy Brave Exvius has become a new staple in my smartphone game roster and I'm also having fun playing Kingdom Hearts Unchained X and X-Tactics at my own pace. I was so ready to add Mobius Final Fantasy to my smartphone game roster and love it like I had all other Final Fantasy mobile games I've played so far. I had all my pre-registration rewards ready, I tweeted about it and I was genuinely keen. Unfortunately, being keen for something leaves you open to being let down. After downloading Mobius, I played it for one night, tried to jump back in the next day and found I didn't have the immediate hook I’d gotten from my other recent smartphone JRPG discoveries. This was (and is still) strange to me, since I thought Mobius had some very cool ideas in its trailers and I liked the idea of having a version of Final Fantasy similar to the modern ones on consoles on my smartphone. There are things that make Mobius both good and bad which set it apart from other mobile Final Fantasy games, sometimes to its benefit and other times not.

Pro: Modern graphics

Con: Not as good as console Final Fantasy games

Final Fantasy’s more recent mobile games like Final Fantasy Record Keeper and Brave Exvius both boast a more retro, sprite visual style reminiscent of older Final Fantasy games. In contrast, Mobius Final Fantasy uses a more modern Final Fantasy art and production style in the vein of Final Fantasy XIII or XIV with 3D character models and enemies, along with the text box being replaced by voice acted 3D story scenes. The production style gives a nice variety to the Final Fantasy games already available on smartphone, being the only modern Final Fantasy game like this available in the west.

The only downside to this is that if you're like me and you've played the modern Final Fantasy games, while the graphics are great in Mobius they don't reach the smoothness that console Final Fantasy graphics do. This is a problem that other Final Fantasy games like Brave Exvius don't suffer from because they use simpler graphics for the most part and save stunning 3D animations for the opening movie and summons. The art style isn't terrible for Mobius, but I wish they incorporated the stunning Square Enix animation that's usually on display to make the visuals feel better in quality.

Pro: Voice acted legitimate cutscenes…

Con: ...on my smartphone

I love and hate the fact Mobius uses voiced cutscenes. I actually vastly prefer games that are voiced because it adds another layer of immersion to the narrative and I think Mobius is no exception. What I do have a problem with is this on my phone. It sounds a little silly, but I feel like every game I've played on my smartphone prior to Mobius has trained me to rarely play with headphones (despite Final Fantasy's wonderful music) because it's all in text or I'm playing in situations where it would be rude to play the music or shove my headphones in my ears such as the small moments I find to play at work. Meanwhile, voiced acted console games have trained me to listen to them and enjoy all the cutscenes available to me. I treat Mobius more like a console game, but this means I require a quiet spot and some time to play just in case I stumble upon a cutscene by chance. I love the idea of this style of Final Fantasy in my pocket, but that's also time I could be playing a game on Vita with a bigger world and more story to find.

Pro: Complex gameplay

Con: Tough to manage on smartphones

Mobius features some very interesting classes that are chosen through making a card deck. This is quite different to any Final Fantasy equipment and ability system I've ever played and on the surface it seems complex enough to be overwhelming. In saying that, I don't ever think having a deep system in a game is bad, but on smartphones it is a little tougher to manage. The battle system is also complicated, but a little more successful than the equipment system. Capturing Elemental Orbs to help get better defense against an enemy or to encourage the right elements to come to cast the perfect Elemental attack is an interesting system that’s intuitive enough on smartphones after some practice and those who find it difficult can just hit the Auto button and play out a near perfect set of attacks anyway. I can get into the battle system but learning all of the cards, what classes they make and the ins and outs of which works best against which enemy feels cumbersome on my smartphone. Not only that, but the multiple small somewhat non-responsive (at least on my phone) buttons just look too overwhelming the get the hang in five minute intervals during my day. This is probably a more personal gripe, but it puts me off nonetheless for what seems like a decent system I can't get motivated to try.

Pro: An interesting story premise
Con: Not being driven enough to experience it because of other elements

Mobius may not be a perfect game, but I can't knock it has a cool story premise. The protagonist awakens with amnesia as one of the many ‘blanks’ brought to Palamecia. One of these blanks is said to be a hero and they all must train to prove their worth, especially since the city is being attacked by Chaos. The story seemingly will follow the protagonist through his journey to either become or find this hero, all the while training to become strong enough to be worthy either way. I like this idea and it does tempt me to one day just hit ‘Auto’ to play the story. I honestly just wish I was more motivated to play it, but my frustrations with the equipment system, the art and setting aside time in case cutscenes show up are currently keeping me away from it.

This is the first Final Fantasy mobile game that I haven't been jazzed about and despite my frustrations, I’m genuinely bummed about it because I wanted to like it. The trailers for Mobius looked great and there are plenty of good ideas in Mobius, such as the story and the battle system, but in its current form on smartphones it feels too cumbersome and with other high quality Final Fantasy smartphone games and with so many games available on smartphones, I feel the need to stick with what I know is good and worth my time. I say this now with great hope that some of the things I mentioned such as the interface with small buttons and even the animation will be upgraded or edited in a way in future that attracts enough good attention to it to make me come back. But for now, I can’t see myself playing much of Mobius in the near future in favour of spending that time with my Vita and other smartphone games, unless I hear amazing things about the story.

Mobius Final Fantasy is free and  available in both the App Store and the Google Play store.

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What do you think of Mobius Final Fantasy? Want to sell me on it? (I genuinely want to like it, so feel free!)

Leave a comment below, send me a tweet at @JRPGJungle, hit me up Facebook or Instagram and let's talk!

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Review: Fire Emblem Awakening (3DS)

When I began my tactical JRPG kick, Fire Emblem was one of the first series I wanted to try. As a fan of the Persona series and after enjoying the fun tactical smartphone JRPG X-Tactics, Fire Emblem’s combination relationship and tactical mechanics sounded right up my alley. Fire Emblem Awakening may not be the most recent Fire Emblem game, but it doesn't take away from being a tactical JRPG triumph. With a well thought out and unique tactical battle system and twist-filled plot full of interesting characters, I was captivated with Fire Emblem Awakening from start to finish.

Fire Emblem Awakening’s story begins in the midst of a war between nations as the amnesiac Avatar (the customisable playable character) awakens in a field and is found by the royal family of the Ylisse nation, consisting of the strong-willed prince Chrom, his loyal knight Frederick and the light-hearted princess Lissa. The tactically-skilled Avatar quickly joins the nation's army and becomes a key member thanks to their ability in battle, which begins the epic and emotional story of Awakening. Fire Emblem Awakening goes beyond being a typical war story though, with an undertone of exploring the idea of fate and who can change the future adding uniqueness that style of story. Enhancing the story's biggest moments are the beautiful 2.5D style cutscenes and animation that really raise the biggest moments in Awakening to new heights and Awakening's cast of characters that strike a good balance between being likable and strong.

Complimenting Fire Emblem Awakening’s war story is its interesting and deep tactical battle system. Using Awakening’s large and diverse range of customisable characters and classes, each battle has your army and an opponent's fighting one another to either take out the army leader or the entire enemy army. Fire Emblem is known for its ‘rock, paper, scissor’ system where certain weapons and classes are better against each other, much like elemental spells in other JRPGs. It's an interesting way to decide which weapons to equip as I'm too used to in a lot of JRPGs picking the strongest weapon and dominating for a portion of the game. The new way of thinking when buying and equipping weapons was appreciated and saves some challenge for all parts of the game, whether you've been grinding your characters or not. I also liked that characters can equip up to 5 different spells and weapons, with each of them losing durability after each use making me plan carefully whether using a spell that may break completely was really worth using.

Apart from the fighting part of the battle system, my favourite aspect of the tactical system was pairing characters together to assist each other. This adds another layer to the battle system, with the relationship between the characters deciding how much of a benefit would be received from pairing certain characters. These benefits include how often attacks are stopped by a partner or having a potential extra hit or two on the enemy. It sounds like a lot to think about, but these mechanics work so seamlessly together that even new Fire Emblem players like myself should be able to pick them up easily enough.

Relationships were a big part of my Fire Emblem Awakening experience, especially since I enjoyed the Support System so much. The Support System gives a unique opportunity to get to know the characters and world of Fire Emblem Awakening through bonus dialogues while leveling up your relationship with the character to help in battle. There are many pleasant surprises to this system that I won't spoil, but the characters unlocked were great motivation to continue through the conversations and some of my favourite characters such as amusingly evil Tharja and the sweet-loving thief Gaius wouldn't have left such an impression on me without this exploration into Awakening's well-rounded characters creating different romantic and platonic relationships.

On top of the pleasant surprises found in battle and in its support system, Awakening provides plenty of replayability through gameplay difficulty, modes, a New Game Plus-like system and its various support pairing options so you can enjoy these for as long as possible. There are Normal, Hard and Lunatic difficulties to challenge yourself with, with Normal giving a significant amount more lucky evasion moments and Lunatic requiring a lot more tactical skill and strategy for each level to avoid constant character death. There's also the Classic and Casual game modes, with Casual allowing players to keep their knocked out units, while Classic implements ‘permadeath’, which doesn't affect the story but means the ‘dead’ units can be killed in battle and not used for the rest of the game. I played a combination of Normal difficulty with the Casual setting as it was my first Fire Emblem and still found enough challenge to not feel like I was being babied through the game, but I'm considering going back and trying Classic with the Lunatic difficulty for a true challenge to what most long-time Fire Emblem fans are more used to.

If the gameplay and story weren’t good enough, the cherry on top of the experience would be Fire Emblem Awakening’s beautiful music, voice acting and cool 2.5-D anime style cutscenes. Because the game takes advantage of the 3DS’s 3D functionality, Awakening’s biggest moments are both visually and sonically dynamic. Throughout battles is the great music composed for the game, with epic orchestral pieces in battle making things even more exciting and I literally got tingles hearing the final boss music for the first time. Awakening also offers both the English and Japanese voiceover tracks and both use really great voice actors that portray their characters really well.

If you’re looking for a fun, complex yet intuitive tactical JRPG, look no further than Fire Emblem Awakening. The tactical battles were as fun as they were unique, especially thanks to the support system where I could make good use of my time and characters on and off the battlefield. I played Fire Emblem Awakening for 60 hours, but I leave its world greatly looking forward to the next Fire Emblem challenge I play. It's tactically great, has a great plot and is well worth pulling out of the backlog.

Score: 9.5/10

For those with a 3DS and tactical JRPG tendencies, the high quality of Fire Emblem Awakening's battle system and support systems is very satisfying.

You can pick up Fire Emblem Awakening for 3DS at Play-Asia.com!

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What did you think of Fire Emblem Awakening? Which other Fire Emblem games would you recommend?

Leave a comment below, send me a tweet at @JRPGJungle, hit me up Facebook or Instagram and let's talk!

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Make sure to follow the blog here, follow @JRPGJungle on Twitter and Instagram and like JRPG Jungle on Facebook for updates on content and random musings on JRPG news and games. You're awesome! <3