UK REVIEW--As you begin your journey in The Last Story, you get the feeling you've seen this all before; the maniacal dictator seeking ungodly powers, the crisis that threatens the survival of the world, and the band of shockingly youthful renegades, with even shockingly bigger swords, whose job it is to put it all right again. It's a familiar tale, but The Last Story is far from a familiar game. It's a deep, fast-paced JRPG, that evolves the genre in ways that enhance its existing tropes, without stripping away at its soul.
Zael and his band of mercenaries make a formidable battle team.
The best of the West is blended with the best of the East, resulting in a fantastically unique, exciting battle-system, beautifully rich visuals, and a story that--while familiar--has you feeling the deepest of care for the characters that live it. It's not just a fantastic JRPG, but a fantastic game in its own right, delivering moments of touching romance, disparaging betrayal, and eruptive action, all with a poignancy that makes those moments feel like they've come straight from the heart.
A lot of that comes down to the cast of characters; a ragtag group of mercenaries for hire who never know where their next paycheck is coming from and live from one job to the next. It is their various drives and wants that propel you through the story. Lead character Zael has fairytale dreams of knights and princesses; the group's leader Dagran craves the respect of the people, which is something he can never hope to achieve as a mercenary; and others, like Syrenne, simply enjoy a stiff drink and regular fisticuffs. Sometimes those desires collide with one another, creating tensions and conflicts that make their journey together all the more compelling.
These tensions come to a head when Lisa joins the group. Her mysterious past piques the interest of spiky-haired protagonist Zael--whom you spend the vast majority of the game playing as--with their blossoming relationship and its resulting ups and downs adding a hefty dose of melodrama to the proceedings. Sure, in true JRPG style, it can get a little saccharine, but it's balanced out by an overarching plot that introduces warring nations, corrupt governments, and the very survival of the land itself. There's even a sprinkling of religious iconography that gives you plenty to read into if you're eager to further immerse yourself in the richness of the narrative.
While the story is a sprawling epic, the world you explore is less so, at least at face value. Events take place on Lazulis Island, on which a single city serves as the main hub for your adventures. Its cobbled streets, seedy taverns, and stonewalled castles are filled with all manner of citizens--some eager to strike up a conversation, others to sell you some of their wares--that create a lively and atmospheric environment that touches on aspects of the Middle Ages, without being too heavy handed with its themes.
Despite being set in a single city, there are still a wide variety of quests. One moment, you're fighting off hordes of enemies in Lazulis castle; the next, you're enjoying a quiet drink in Ariela's Tavern before being whisked away to explore musty underground caverns deep beneath the surface. Between quests, you're given the freedom to explore the city--to talk to its citizens, to go shopping, to soak up the medieval ambiance. There are many side quests to complete too. Some are your typical fetch quest, but others go further, asking you to rescue lost children, learn how to swim, or go on dates with various singletons from the city. Such freedoms do wonders to distract you from the fact that the main story quests are largely linear in nature, with the excellent narrative just willing you to push onward.
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