The Last Story

The Last Story is billed as an RPG but it’s really a third-person action game with very limited options for “action.” I remember this being listed on Amazon for $29 but that was too much for me at the time. My thinking was that I’d just wait until it drops below $20. Turns out it was one of the final Wii games released and the price never dropped. So here I am playing it in emulation. This was probably the wise move as save states and other conveniences make this a far less painful experience.

The game is heavily story-based. So much so that it feels like it’s 70 percent cut-scenes. To be fair, there are some pretty good characterizations of all your compatriots. They each have a little backstory and unique personalities. And the perpetually drunk Syrenne appears to be a fan favorite.

I was surprised by how effective the initial setup of the relationship between Zael and Calista is built up. You are introduced to her with a side mission involving being chased through the narrow city streets, hiding her in your local tavern, and finally ending the evening gazing at the stars. You know what, I actually may have given a crap about these two for a little bit. Unfortunately, this forbidden romance plot thread is quickly sidelined for a standard “big evil green guy vs. the world” with a dash of environmental conscientiousness JRPG plot.

When the game decides to actually allow you to control your character things start to break down. At it’s core, the combat is just a matter of pointing Zael towards and enemy and watching him swing his sword. The only choice you have in the matter is when to dodge/block and some positioning strategy.

Eventually you get more options to pause the combat and control party members actions, but there again, the options are pretty limited. Most of the time leaving your teammates on autopilot works just fine. Your job is to act like a magnet drawing enemies away from your spell-casters and then dashing into the spell effect area to boost the spells. Not until the last quarter of the game do the battles start to offer any challenge. There is so little agency offered to the player that some of the “epic” final battles descend into tedium as you rotate through your 2-3 options and dodge persistent attacks only to face yet another, tougher boss form evolution. But then again, this is pretty par for the course in JRPGs. Otakus love this crap.

For all my complaints I did stick with it to the end. And, for the record, this game has an extended epilogue ending that puts Return of the King to shame. The story becomes a somewhat confusing mess but it’s the individual character arcs that kept me interested. Overall, The Last Story was pretty good for a Wii title, but just okay in the grander scheme of things.