Square Enix are at it again...
Square Enix are not strangers to Fantasy RPGs, responsible for games such Final Fantasy Tactics, Children of Mana DS, Final Fantasy XII and
Kingdom Hearts II to name but a few. But Square Enix’ latest title, The Last Remnant is breaking new ground even for them.
The Last Remnant is not only going to be Square Enix’ first in-house Next-Gen release, but it is also the first Square Enix game that has been
built using a modified Unreal 3 engine. So a lot of new and unfamiliar territory for the RPG maestros. Fittingly for such an undertaking, the
team creating The Last Remnant are comprised of fresh new blood and old school RPG veterans.
Same, same... but different
The story behind The Last Remnant may seem familiar on a basic level, but it's how this story is presented and told that makes it shine. Long
ago, the world was filled with Remnants — mysterious artefacts from an ancient civilization. But as time passed, the powers of the Remnants began
to shift the world's balance. As the rift widened between those who ruled and those who were ruled over, a new era dawned: one of countless frays
brought upon the world by those enslaved by their own lust for power.
Rush, the main character, and his sister Irena live in a small village, on an island far away from all the fighting and the Remnants. But when
your sister is kidnapped by unknown assailants, Rush begins his journey to find and save his sister. As his quest advances, however, you realise
that there is something more sinister in Rush’s destiny.
The characters all have a familiar feel but in personality seem so different to what we’ve seen
before.
Visually ,The Last Remnant is bright, bold and beautiful. The characters all have a familiar feel but in personality seem so different to what
we’ve seen before. They are smoothly rendered and animated, which helps you feel their emotions as the game goes on. Still, this isn’t your
typical Unreal Engine 3 title. Considering this is the game engine that brought us Gears of War, Mass Effect and BioShock, you’d be forgiven for
thinking it’s been under-used here. And yet, when you leave the forest areas and enter the battle-laden cities, the sense of spectacle is really
something to behold.
The Last Remnant’s battle mechanic is called turn burst, which essentially is a turn based battle system. The difference with The Last Remnant
is that you don’t just have four or five characters at your disposal. You have Unions that are comprised of up to four characters per union; I so
far have seen four unions on screen at one time fighting a huge dragon. You can command the Union as a whole, or command them individually, so
the scope for a strategic battle is immense.
It's all about morality
The Last Remnant also gives you a morale bar at the top of the screen, so you can gauge how the battle is going. But at certain points it also
dictates what you can do. If the Morale bar is very high, then you can call for reinforcements to aid you in battle. If the bar is very low then
you can unleash a last ditch over the top attack to try and change the tide of the battle. So The Last Remnant takes turn based strategy gaming
to a new level.
The Last Remnant ticks a lot of boxes with the standard Square Enix formula, but when you look a little deeper you can see they are trying
some new ideas. With a new game engine, added levels of depth to the combat system and a story guaranteed its fair share of twists and turns, the
first in-house next-gen release for Square Enix looks set to be a good’n.
Preview by: Tom "Dragon" Daly
Preview Published:24.10.08