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Will Square-Enix strike gold yet again on the Nintendo DS?

The ‘Final Fantasy’ series has earned its reputation as one of the most prolific sets of adventures in the gaming sphere. Since its inception on the original Nintendo Entertainment System, this series has become synonymous with role-playing games due to their emphasis on character development, story progression, and riveting battles.

As popular as the ‘Final Fantasy’ series is to gamers, it has proven itself synonymous with the Square-Enix brand, which was formerly known as Square soft. When they were starving for a successful product that would rescue them from the doldrums of bankruptcy, they responded with a simple adventure, entitled ‘Final Fantasy’, which represented their final shot at success. Of course, after this game became a commercial success, the rest was now history.

Final Fantasy has since appeared on a wide variety of consoles, from the Nintendo Entertainment System to Sony’s original Playstation. While not every game has resonated with the gaming public, critics as masterpieces have hailed them all. This is due to its emphasis on strong visuals, superb storytelling, and a varied ensemble of characters. Nintendo’s systems had the majority of Final Fantasy titles, before Square-Enix defected to the Playstation for its promise of a richer audio/visual experience. However, the success of Nintendo’s consoles this generation has caused Square-Enix to release a large quantity of games for Nintendo’s machines. One of these adventures is a spin-off of Final Fantasy 12, entitled Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings.

This adventure, which will be released on Nintendo’s dual-screen handheld system in the fourth quarter of 2007, centers on the adventures of Vann and Penelo, two of the main protagonists who starred in Final Fantasy XII for the Playstation 2. The game takes place in Ivalice, the setting used for FF12, along with Final Fantasy Tactics for the original Playstation and the Game Boy Advance. However, these instances are the only similar factors between Final Fantasy 12 for the PS2 and this game; every other aspect of this adventure clearly stands on its own.

In playing the game, one can already notice the differences in the characters from the Playstation 2 to the Nintendo DS. Vaan and Penelo have a youthful appearance that starkly contrasts from their serious visages in Final Fantasy 12. The location in Ivalice where the adventure takes place also displays detail, specifically in the instances where you have to engage in battle. True to form for Square-Enix, rendered cut scenes will also make an appearance. While there are no traces of voice acting thus far, one has to hope that it will make an appearance.