Bloodstained Philosophy

When it comes to gaming, I personally am not big on Role Playing games, or RPGs. I prefer more action oriented games, leaning more towards arcade style titles, with an emphasis on style & difficulty. That is not to say I don’t admire or respect RPGs. On the contrary, I believe some of gaming’s greatest titles are works of work that should be celebrated. Be it Chrono Trigger (or Chrono Cross), Final Fantasy or even the lesser known gems such as Golden Sun & Jade Cacoon (the latter’s title screen having one of the most beautiful pieces of music I’ve ever heard). While I am not into long, story heavy games, one of my favorite games of all time is 2011’s, The Last Story.

Directed and co-written by Hironobu Sakaguchi, I originally played this game when it came to the West in 2012. There were several points of interest for me. The combat was not turn based, the designs of the characters and locations were beautiful, and like countless others, I am a big fan of the legendary composer, Nobuo Uematsu. Needless to say, the game immediately grabbed my attention. The characters, their chemistry, the battle system, and world building were all so captivating. There was a charm, an energy, that had me hooked.

The game follows a small group of mercenaries that are looked down upon simply for their occupation and its implications. Our hero Zael dreams of becoming a knight one day but runs into a mystical force that grants him a mysterious, but powerful, ability. Throughout the journey he struggles to comprehend his newly found powers while also running into a mysterious girl who seems to be running away from something, or someone. When Zael discovers who she really is, his life is changed forever. 

There’s a kinetic atmospheric about this game that radiates a certain warmth. Sakaguchi himself stated, “There’s a certain feel to it that runs throughout the entire game. That’s not something that was planned particularly. It might be the conversations characters have, or the energy in the city… All of these small details gel together successfully. The unique feel of the game served as a source of energy for me, even though we were the ones who’d made it in the first place. That’s what I find interesting about The Last Story. I’d be very happy if players also felt that this game has a certain energy about it”.

When playing the game, it’s obvious there was a lot of labor put into it. One of my personal highlights is the Ballroom in Chapter 9, when the city is celebrating the engagement of the Count’s daughter. I love walking around this room and admiring the lighting & design. The subsequent cutscene that takes place outside on the balcony is also worth mentioning. It almost feels like I am taking part in a play, as if though I was given permission to freely explore the magnificent set designs & costumes. 

Exploring the main hub, Lazulis City, is a treat. It has so much charisma and life, thanks to its many inhabitants going about their business. There are children playing, musicians performing, or just people cleaning their clothes in the backstreets, and vendors selling their foods in their stands. You can choose to interact with some folks, doing side quests and getting to explore more of the environments or learning more about the city and its history. None of these features are new or exclusive to The Last Story, but again, there is a certain energy that this game seems to capture.

Speaking of the city, this was in part designed by Kimihiko Fujisaka, who was also in charge of character designs (he previously worked with Sakaguchi on Blue Dragon). Because he was approached very early in development, Fujisaka-san was given much leeway in designing the look and feel of this game. This, in turn, made Sakaguchi adjust or add elements to certain character traits based on their design. While Fujisaka-san was given so much freedom, composer Nobuo Uematsu unfortunately did not have so much freedom at first. When he submitted his first 3 demos, Sakaguchi rejected them, stating they were not the feel he was going for. Afraid they were on the verge of ending their longtime partnership, Uematsu-san took a step back and approached the project with a different angle, submitting two more demos. These were accepted, thankfully.

From there Uematsu-san knew where to take the music and, unsurprisingly, delivered a remarkable body of music. Adding to the radiating energy of the game, the music is very reminiscent of classic PS1 Era RPGs. There are a lot of pianos, harps and flutes. The melodies have a simplistic but familiar feel to them. My personal favorite tracks are When Hearts Connect, Castle Ruri, and the final boss battle theme, The One Ruling Everything, which is simply one of my favorite songs in any game. It should go without saying, the soundtrack to The Last Story is nothing short of brilliant.

One major contribution to the delightful energy this game has is the graphics. While Sakaguchi’s last two titles were released on HD consoles, The Last Story was released exclusively on the Nintendo Wii. This meant sacrificing a lot of specs and graphic fidelity. Initially, the development team was not ecstatic about this. Overtime, however, they realized this offered new opportunities. Because they did not have to spend so much time on the graphics of the game, they were able to reallocate their efforts to other departments such as the world building, story, and newly devised battle system, which the team spent an entire year adjusting. 

In regard to this element, Sakaguchi said, “I think the graphics have a beauty that’s almost photographic. Rather than everything being clear and sharp, there are shadows in the background and slightly blurred elements that actually lend the graphics the feel of a photograph. I think that we achieved the perfect balance because this game was on Wii”. To me, the graphics compliment the game and its tone. Since the story, designs, and music have a classic charm, it is only fitting that the graphics matched as well. 

The overall presentation of this game is probably my favorite aspect of it. While the story, lore and battle system are amazing in their own regard, I am pulled in by the energy this game contains. Playing this game demands a warm blanket, maybe some hot chocolate, and some rain, or snow. While I would absolutely love a port of this game, it is highly unlikely. Sakaguchi-San has showed little interest in revisiting past projects and would rather focus on new ideas. He certainly cannot be blamed. The amount of effort it would take for a team to go back and locate all the files, reprogram sections, reformatting others and polishing every little detail would probably not seem worth it when they are constantly working on new projects. 

As I previously mentioned, I am not a huge fan of RPGs, but I really do love The Last Story. I do hope you get a chance to try it. Even as I sit here, listening to the soundtrack, there is something that resonates with me. I can’t quite articulate it, but I know I can feel it. I think Sakaguchi said it best, “I’ve already mentioned this, but I want players to experience that particular feel the game has. Be it music, art, movies or novels, there are those works which give you energy. I hope that The Last Story is one of those, and nothing would make me happier than for players to get that kind of energy from this game”..