World of Final Fantasy Part 01

Welcome to the World of Final Fantasy (Maxima)!

So, what’s all this then?

This is a very loose Let’s Play of World of Final Fantasy: Maxima.

Loose?

The participants are barely paying attention. I’m sure we’ll all care more when the plot ramps up into full wackiness… but no promises! (Spoilers: I’m glad I didn’t make that promise.)

So what’s the point?

I’ll be frank: this is a “hang-out” Let’s Play. We’re playing through WoFF:M, but this is more or less an excuse for like-minded individuals to have fun and maybe make fun of Smoll Squall.

How did this happen?

There was a vote to determine my next Let’s Play. The winners seemed to be Wild Arms 3 and World of Final Fantasy. Since BEAT, a friendly skeleman, had never heard of World of Final Fantasy, we decided to make that a “joint” video Let’s Play, while Wild Arms 3 will be a more traditional, in-depth Let’s Play.

So this is just pure goofiness?

No, I do plan on carefully outlining everything that happens in the update-based liner notes. Just don’t expect biting insight in the minute-to-minute of the videos. Odds are really low anyone is even paying attention to what the zero-gravity fox thing is saying.

Is this your first time playing the game?

I played World of Final Fantasy. Part of the reason I even put WoFF up as a poll choice was because I enjoyed the experience, purchased the Maxima upgrade/expansion… and then never played the game again. So I am familiar with World of Final Fantasy, have mostly forgotten what happened in the intervening five years since release, and am now playing World of Final Fantasy + Maxima for the first time. I reserve the right to be surprised by the stupidest things.

Anything more about World of Final Fantasy?

It was originally a Vita game, but found a new home on the Playstation 4. It was supposed to be an “all-ages friendly” title meant to draw in audiences old and new for Final Fantasy’s 30th anniversary. It… seemed to be little more than a blip on the radar. Hey! It was released opposite a real Final Fantasy game (Final Fantasy 15) and a real Pokémon game (Sun & Moon). It was a crowded year!

How is Pokémon relevant?

The Final Fantasy bestiary can be adopted as little helper critters across World of Final Fantasy. It is, arguably, World of Final Fantasy’s defining feature. But I’m getting ahead of myself…

Anything else?

Special thanks to my partners in crime on this project, BEAT and fanboymaster for coming along on this journey through the World of Final Fantasy.

Chapter 00: Prelude
Initial Stream: 9/8/20

6:17 – This is one of those plots that is absolutely fueled by selective amnesia, and it has nothing to do with zero gravity mascot characters.

9:42 – For anyone that needs to know, Wawa is an Eastern United States-based convenience store that provides coffee, food, and gasoline. I am not exaggerating when I say I live in a town with three Wawas, and this is not unusual. Regardless, our amnesiac heroes appear to work at a fictional Starbucks (my town also has one of those), so let’s talk about this being Coffee House Alternate Universe Prime.

12:30 – BEAT offers some genuinely interesting information about Final Fantasy text boxes in the modern era. Watch the video for more details! Or maybe watch another, more relevant video! I’m not your mom. We also formally meet Enna Kros, who is probably not your mom, either.

18:00 – Our first taste of “Glorious Combat”… even if it is just a tutorial battle. Let’s learn a thing or two about pokéballs and this iteration of the Active Time Battle system.

23:00 – And this chapter ends as we enter another world.

What actually happened in the plot: The siblings Lann and Reyn woke up, realized their coffee shop and entire surrounding city was empty, and found out they are blessed by the gods to collect monsters in another world. Lann and Reyn have massive amnesia, but the only other human around, Enna Kros, makes it clear that they’re not supposed to worry about such trifling things. Lann and Reyn leap into the other world, Grymoire, with their spiffy new mascot monster, Tama.

Chapter 1: Tutorials Chosen by God
Initial Stream: 9/8/20

2:10 – A discussion on Final Fantasy overworld music breaks out as we capture our first chocobo, BURDIEE.

9:00 – This update is mostly tutorials (this time on advanced monster capturing, stacking, and each creature’s individual sphere grid), so we discuss the recently announced death of The Venture Bros.

12:00 – Ragtime Mouse is discussed. I looked it up, it appears Ragtime Mouse will not be appearing in this game. Good.

15:00 – We get a fake Game Over thanks to a tutorial on overpowered monsters compliments of a Behemoth. It is revealed that, with a few exceptions, there is a canon explanation of why you can always restart in World of Final Fantasy. This, naturally, prompts a conversation about Prince of Persia.

19:00 – Chocolatte appears back at the Starbucks in the home dimension. She is a transplant from the Final Fantasy 13 universe, and a clear attempt to sexualize a funko pop. This is disturbing.

25:00 – Lies about ending are spread while Shadow Madness is ducked

30:00 – An explanation for the why of Wild Arms 3 is discussed for all you Goggle Bob fans that need the secret reasons for why certain Let’s Plays happen.

33:00 – And we’ll close this one out with Trigun discussion, and an opening cinema thingy. Do anime openings that explain their entire plot have a particular name? I’d like to know!

What actually happened in the plot: This one is almost entirely tutorial for the various battles and menus that we’ll be seeing for the next twenty chapters, but we did get a little new information. Apparently the mascot monster is capable of rewinding time, and he was granted this ability by Enna Kross, who claims to be god. And then she left, not accepting any questions at this time. Sounds like god!

Chapters 2 & 3: The Mirage of Progress
Initial Stream: 9/8/20

1:00 – And now we have a Cactuar Choo-Choo.

4:00 – This is Corneria, the first town to appear in Final Fantasy 1, so also the first town to appear in a Final Fantasy. That seems appropriate.

10:30 – The Princess of Corneria, Sarah, appears. So let’s discuss Nickelodeon GUTS.

14:00 – The whole plot of everything ever is explained while one of our heroes just plays around in the background. This is good and right.

19:00 – Consider this discussion of hacking good stats onto my hapless heroes as some kind of foreshadowing. I am a known cheater, and I make no apologies for that.

21:00 – Mascot monsters are discussed by way of mentioning the best of all: Nall from Lunar. Also I guess Chapter 3 starts.

24:00 – Here’s our first real dungeon, only nearly two hours into the game. Yay? We celebrate by talking about the (then) upcoming Hyrule Warriros title, and whether it can live up to the narrative of Breath of the Wild.

36:00 – There are some pretty big monster mobs in this game… but I’m probably just saying that because I’ve gotten used to later games and their more “focused” monster groups. Still, it’s kinda sorta a two person party against a (literal) pile of opponents.

46:00 – Nothing much happens in this dungeon, but the “pokémon switches” are introduced. Basically, the designers are checking to make sure you’re properly catching your FF monsters, and some dungeons have switches and alike that require particular, locally caught creatures. In this case, we need some heavy rocks to proceed.

48:00 – Kayin is mentioned, so let’s plug that time I interviewed him a few weeks back. They are a stand up author of I Wanna Be the Guy, and absolutely not someone that would waste their night in a dungeon (not this kind of dungeon, at least).

53:00 – Ramuh, Ifrit, and Shiva appear, and MetalManMaster casts the tie-breaking vote to battle Ifrit. Time to tackle the fiery furry.

1:00:00 – We wrap up the battle with Ifrit and Night 1 with some discussion of Dethklok.

What actually happened in the plot: The Bahamutian Army and The Azure Prophecy are introduced by Princess Sarah. Basically, the Bahamutian Army has got all the monsters we aren’t allowed to capture, so we need to martial our forces for a counterattack. The heroes venture to a local cave, the Nether Nebula, which is supposed to hold a ton of monsters (excuse me, they’re called Mirages). Deep in the cave, the trio of Shiva, Ifrit, and Ramuh recognize the siblings, but also acknowledge that our heroes are not as strong as the duo they once knew. The trio approves of the kids, though, after a battle. Also, a mysterious masked woman makes an appearance in a presumably distant cutscene.

Next time on World of Final Fantasy: Could I interest you in some Final Fantasy characters that are actually memorable?