Final Fantasy XI Review - PC

One cannot deny the sway Final Fantasy holds over its fans, so it should come as no surprise that Final Fantasy XI became one of the world’s most popular massively multiplayer online RPGs with relative alacrity. No doubt hoping to keep those monthly fees pouring in, SquareEnix releases the second expansion, Chains of Promathia.

Finality at Last?

While the original Final Fantasy XI release was a little poor story-wise, the first expansion, The Rise of Zilart, gave Final Fantasy fans the sort of epic story they’ve come to expect from the series. Chains of Promathia builds on this epic storytelling in grand style. The vast, ceramic ruins that stretch across the world of Vana’diel are hit by a massive power surge, simultaneously shattering teleport crystals, awakening the Wyrmking Bahamut and producing a mysterious boy with strange powers. The enigmatic youth develops a liking for your character, allowing you to start this epic new story by sojourning a dimensional emptiness that’s begun gnawing at the fabric of reality. These events are doled out in 12 chapters, culminating in what Square promises will reveal the true nature of the world of Vana’diel. Yup. That sounds pretty final, all right.

Content Overload

Some recent additions to the online RPG scene have been known for their relative dearth of content, but this is has never been a problem with Final Fantasy XI. Most non-Japanese players have barely scratched the surface of the content and areas they have access to now, and Chains of Promathia only heaps more on. Much of the new content is level capped, ostensibly to allow new and old players to play together at long last. While a noble goal, this just isn’t possible not because of stats or equipment, but because of disparities in player skill. The first chapter only requires level 30, but a player that has just recently achieved this won’t have the instincts or habits needed to beat the first chapter of Chains of Promathia because, well, it’s incredibly difficult.

While a recent update has made the emptiness areas a little easier to get through, each of the first chapter’s three legs will require a party of 12 to 18 people to complete, after which they’ll have to split into groups of six to fight the expletive-inducing bosses. Just wrangling the people you’ll need to tackle these areas is time-consuming enough, let alone getting through them. These alliance-based missions are quite fun, but one mistake can (and probably will) spiral into multiple disasters. Those hoping to get lots of money and “phat lewt” for moving ahead in Chains of Promathia will be disappointed, but completing chapter one does give a real feeling of personal accomplishment and unlocks some of the game’s many new areas. “Feeling of personal accomplishment” – did we really just say that?

Undiscovered Countries

Chains of Promathia adds 40 new, unpronounceable areas to the game, many of which you’re not likely to see for some time. Only 10 of these areas are made available from the get-go, and you’ll have to advance the storyline to access the rest. Due to the difficulty of the emptiness battles, the first major region unlocked, the Tavnazian Archipelago, is a veritable ghost town right now, and the most of the people there are Japanese. For all the trouble, though, the new areas are worth it. These are easily the most interesting areas yet in the game, and the ones coming later will no doubt be even cooler. With Bahamut and many other fan favorites making appearances, an airship armada and no doubt plenty of other grand adventures, there’s plenty of great content to work towards.

The Little Engine that Could

Being tethered to the PS2 means that Final Fantasy XI may not have all the graphical buzzwords of some more recent online RPGs, but it arguably has the best art. The new areas show that Square has mastered its little engine quite nicely, and are easily the most beautiful yet. In addition to the great graphics, Chains of Promathia’s are also darker in tone -- the emptiness and its hollow inhabitants are certainly the creepiest and most inventive things in the game yet. All of the new monsters, in fact, are wonderfully executed, and the new cinematics are some of the finest real-time cinemas Square has ever produced.

The 1337 Only Need Apply

So is it worth it? Without a doubt every fan of Final Fantasy XI will want to pick up Chains of Promathia in due time, but that time isn’t necessarily now. Those that have yet to exceed level 40 and undertake some of the main game’s tougher challenges are probably unprepared for the trials this expansion pack has to offer and will likely find them frustrating and unrewarding. For those prepared to throw down the gauntlet, though, there’s a lot of fun content and gorgeous new areas to be discovered.