Final Fantasy Explorers

Genre: Action-RPG

Players: 1-4 Co-Op (Local Wireless), StreetPass Support

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Review:

Final Fantasy Explorers, released on Nintendo 3DS in 2016, is a multiplayer-focused Action-RPG that’s roughly comparable to the Monster Hunter franchise – it has a similar focus on completing quest tasks within a finite area, and even gives players a similar sort of time limit to complete these tasks.

Beyond the basic game structure, the comparison to Monster Hunter starts to fall apart. Movement and combat in Final Fantasy Explorers is nowhere near as fine-tuned as Monster Hunter, and as a result it doesn’t feel anywhere near as satisfying. However, in place of this, Explorers places a much greater focus on its wide array of abilities, as well as its various job classes, and it can be really enjoyable to develop your collection of abilities. The flipside of this is that combat can at times feel like you’re just spamming abilities one after another, something the game actively encourages you to do to power them up. On balance, I would say that progression in this game is more satisfying, but moment-to-moment combat isn’t anywhere near as good.

One area where this game is clearly making a special focus is the multiplayer, with players able to be joined by others both using local wireless play as well as getting AI-controlled heroes via StreetPass. Unfortunately, the lack of online multiplayer really limits this element of the game, especially as StreetPass looks like it will become increasingly less useful as Nintendo 3DS gets phased out.

Graphically, Final Fantasy Explorers is underwhelming. Its 3D characters and environments are not terrible, but they are far, far from impressive. At the very least this game features a pretty good orchestral soundtrack backing the action.

There is one other element here that I should address, and that is that if you want to enjoy this game, you really need to have either a Circle Pad Pro or a New Nintendo 3DS – the second analog pad feels almost necessary, as controlling the camera without it feels extremely awkward.

In the end, despite its many flaws, I still think Final Fantasy Explorers is enjoyable, but that enjoyment comes with so many caveats and issues. The core RPG structure, variety of abilities, and feeling of progression are all good, and this is a much more accessible game than the Monster Hunter series it seems modeled on. However, the flipside is that the actual combat here is less satisfying, and the gameplay overall feels more shallow. Plus, this being a multiplayer-focused game on a platform where multiplayer options are increasingly dwindling limits its potential. Add to that the control issues this game has if you have an original-model Nintendo 3DS, and that makes Final Fantasy Explorers a game with somewhat limited appeal. Ultimately, I think this is a good game, but these issues definitely keep it far from being a great one.

tl;dr – Final Fantasy Explorers is an Action-RPG that plays like a more user-friendly and simple version of Monster Hunter. While this game’s visuals, movement, and combat are nowhere near as good as Capcom’s series, the amount of variety in abilities and sense of progression is quite good, and there is some fun to be had… at least, as long as you have a New Nintendo 3DS or Circle Pad Pro. Otherwise, you’ll be faced with terrible controls. Also, the focus on multiplayer without any online support limits this game, especially now that you’re far less likely to find others to play with locally. All told, this is still a fun game, but one that comes with a lot of caveats.

Grade: C+

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