(This is a review of A Realm Reborn specifically, including patch content. There doesn't seem to be another good entry on backloggd for this)
Whoo boy. Don't know how to feel about this one. I always said I would never get into MMOs because a whole bunch of stuff fundamental to the genre seemed like a huge personal turnoff. But discussion of this game is inescapable online, including amongst my friends, so I finally conceded, intending to treat it as a social activity...
...instead, I fell right into its gameplay loop, hook line and sinker, and forged ahead alone to pass the time. Maybe I had the reason to avoid it backwards all along. I don't really have the genre experience to say what's standard and what's FF14's specific innovations, so rather than comment on anything too specific about the gameplay I'll just say that... I'm enjoying myself. It's captured me at a time where I've otherwise felt pretty aimless about how to spend my time. Good job, I guess. The structure has an almost Skyrim-like quality for me, where I can bum around the world trying out a bunch of different skills, chasing up a bunch of different sidequests, killing time idly forever - except, like, a lot better, and with an actually good story attached.
For a reboot that saved the game and perhaps the franchise from oblivion, it's somewhat ironic that A Realm Reborn seems to now be considered the worst part of the existing experience, and while it's all I've experienced so far I have to hope people are right that it only improves from here. While the overall moment to moment gameplay and various optional systems are engaging me, the main story quest of 2.0 is full of tedious padding, and no amount of lampshading or plot justification makes that any more fun.
The patch content is significantly more compelling, but having to constantly stop and either queue or schedule 8-person raids, with no NPC support option like all of 2.0 had, kills pacing dead as you have to wait for real life obstacles to be able to play. I know that's, like, normal MMO stuff, but that's exactly part of why I always avoided the genre, and people like to talk up how accommodating the game is to a solo player - seemingly forgetting about this part.
Speaking of exaggerated recommendations, the free trial isn't quite as accommodating as the memes would have you believe. Inventory management without retainers is downright Sisyphean, and lack of access to the market board significantly hampers progress in crafting classes. Don't get me wrong, the sheer amount of content available for free is staggering by the standards of a paid game's free trial... but you're definitely not immune from stifling reminders that they'd really like you to buy the game.
EDIT 25/05:
Doing more ARR side content as I play through Heavensward, a note about the writing of the crafter sidequests occurs to me. Usually, the game's writing does a pretty good job of acknowledging context from other parts of the game, but these feel like an exception. They're written in isolation, not acknowledging your character relations, combat prowess or even other crafting skills, despite them being mechanically necessary to gather materials for crafting. It's an uncharacteristic and distracting dissonance.
Whoo boy. Don't know how to feel about this one. I always said I would never get into MMOs because a whole bunch of stuff fundamental to the genre seemed like a huge personal turnoff. But discussion of this game is inescapable online, including amongst my friends, so I finally conceded, intending to treat it as a social activity...
...instead, I fell right into its gameplay loop, hook line and sinker, and forged ahead alone to pass the time. Maybe I had the reason to avoid it backwards all along. I don't really have the genre experience to say what's standard and what's FF14's specific innovations, so rather than comment on anything too specific about the gameplay I'll just say that... I'm enjoying myself. It's captured me at a time where I've otherwise felt pretty aimless about how to spend my time. Good job, I guess. The structure has an almost Skyrim-like quality for me, where I can bum around the world trying out a bunch of different skills, chasing up a bunch of different sidequests, killing time idly forever - except, like, a lot better, and with an actually good story attached.
For a reboot that saved the game and perhaps the franchise from oblivion, it's somewhat ironic that A Realm Reborn seems to now be considered the worst part of the existing experience, and while it's all I've experienced so far I have to hope people are right that it only improves from here. While the overall moment to moment gameplay and various optional systems are engaging me, the main story quest of 2.0 is full of tedious padding, and no amount of lampshading or plot justification makes that any more fun.
The patch content is significantly more compelling, but having to constantly stop and either queue or schedule 8-person raids, with no NPC support option like all of 2.0 had, kills pacing dead as you have to wait for real life obstacles to be able to play. I know that's, like, normal MMO stuff, but that's exactly part of why I always avoided the genre, and people like to talk up how accommodating the game is to a solo player - seemingly forgetting about this part.
Speaking of exaggerated recommendations, the free trial isn't quite as accommodating as the memes would have you believe. Inventory management without retainers is downright Sisyphean, and lack of access to the market board significantly hampers progress in crafting classes. Don't get me wrong, the sheer amount of content available for free is staggering by the standards of a paid game's free trial... but you're definitely not immune from stifling reminders that they'd really like you to buy the game.
EDIT 25/05:
Doing more ARR side content as I play through Heavensward, a note about the writing of the crafter sidequests occurs to me. Usually, the game's writing does a pretty good job of acknowledging context from other parts of the game, but these feel like an exception. They're written in isolation, not acknowledging your character relations, combat prowess or even other crafting skills, despite them being mechanically necessary to gather materials for crafting. It's an uncharacteristic and distracting dissonance.
Cadensia
1 month ago