World of Final Fantasy (WoFF) by Square Enix currently has a spoiler-free demo which introduces players to the game before its release on October 25. The demo has its own special dungeon to run through in order to keep the main game story from being spoiled. Its main purpose is to give fans a taste of the combat system and provide a great tutorial so players will know exactly what they need to do at launch. There is said to be a bonus for players who purchase the full version of the game upon completion of the demo as well.

Much like the other games in the franchise, WoFF is a turn-based strategy RPG. Players direct each character in the party one at a time and take turns in combat with the AI-controlled monsters. One of the new, fresh twists the game brings to the franchise is the stacking mechanic. Monsters are fought and collected, much like the Pokémon games, but the spin is that these monsters can be stacked up in different combinations and fight with pooled heath and mana as one super-monster. Additionally, the monsters can also be unstacked so that the player can increase the number of characters on the battlefield. The other big twist is that the main characters, Lann and Reynn, can switch between a chibi mode and normal mode, which will offer even more strategic choices in battle.

The main purpose of the chibi sprites and monster collection in this rendition is to appeal to a new generation of Final Fantasy fans. There is a large number of young gamers who are not as familiar with the numerous Final Fantasy characters as some older gamers. There are also a number of gamers who have grown up knowing about the franchise and may have played a game or two, but felt overwhelmed when trying to become more familiar with the games. The core of the Final Fantasy is twelve games strong and that’s not even counting the MMOs, battle arenas, or tower defense games. There are also hundreds of characters to meet across all of the games and trying to learn more about them all can be even more daunting. World of Final Fantasy should help new fans fill in the blanks and learn more about one of the most fantastic fictional universes of all time, making it a great introduction game.

World of Final Fantasy is meant to be a game that long-time players will enjoy too. Of course, the chibi style is not going to appeal to everyone. Cute, cheerful little characters will turn some fans off from playing the game. However, WoFF contains a collection of features which all Final Fantasy fans have come to know and love. Therefore, it would be foolish to simply dismiss the game as a silly creation meant for children. Everyone’s favourite characters from the previous Final Fantasy titles will be present and the story is bound to incite strong emotions with director Hiroki Chiba and the helm.

If you are a huge fan of the Final Fantasy series or you’ve been trying to find an introduction to Final Fantasy characters, you should definitely download the demo on your PlayStation 4 or Vita. There are a lot of gameplay mechanics to learn before the game launches on the 25th and you’ll receive some small bonuses for playing the demo in its entirety. Therefore, even if you were already planning on purchasing the game, you should still download the demo to get your special treats!