Square Enix has attempted quite a few "love letters" to Final Fantasy fans with their FF spin-offs. They've brought all of the characters together to duke it out in Final Fantasy Dissidia . They chibi-fied them and made them move to the beat in Final Fantasy Theatrhythm .

Puns; Unique combat system; Pokemon crossed with Final Fantasy; Creative story to unite all of the Final Fantasy worlds and characters; Numerous innovative ways to use a stacking mechanic

Side questing is rather forced

World of Final Fantasy Maxima offers a fair amount of extra content intended for newcomers and die-hards alike. With that said, this content is not necessarily essential to everybody.

I've never been quite so conflicted about a game as with World of Final Fantasy. On one hand, collecting and leveling up your Pokemon (dang it, I mean Mirages) is endlessly satisfying. I had a blast seeking out and evolving (Shoot! transfiguring) these monsters into classic Final Fantasy creatures.

Capturing and battling with Final Fantasy monsters is incredibly fun; Finding new ways to build your stacks was a smart wrinkle to the combat; A fun; greatest-hits of chibi Final Fantasy characters

Tama is the worst; The story gets a little too complicated for its own good; Combat lacks a satisfying challenge; Some lackluster dungeon design

If you like JRPGs and are familiar with the older FF games then this is probably right up your alley. The game runs on rails so if you are looking for open world exploration then this is not for you. The game itself can be clocked relatively comfortably in 40 hours without rushing but I put around 80 hours into the game and am pretty close to clearing everything now. The advertising for the game made me a little worried that it would be too cutesy for me and there are definitely a couple of cringeworthy moments but there is a bit of older humour sitting in the background if you are happy to do a bit of reading. I am partial to the comment about the Copper Golem as it definitely applies to me and it was a one of a few laugh out loud moments that caught me by surprise. I have played every FF game (including FF XV) and this is a solid addition to the catalogue. It does not pretend to be something it is not and delivers a solid JRPG experience. Mixing and matching monster combinations and leveling up kept me going deep into post game and I will pick it up again after I finish FF XV (Which I believe is a less polished product). A solid 4 out of 5 stars.

With wonderful art, charming writing and phenomenal sound & music, World of Final Fantasy feels very much like the ‘Pokemon’ adventure consoles have lacked for so long. A highlight is the options and features which let the player control the pacing – meaning the game can remain an engaging experience for just about anyone. I really hope the developers are rewarded for their consideration, as this was easily the most fun I've had with a title this year.

The demo put me off wanting to get this game, but after watching some Twitch streams, I was sold. So many Final Fantasy in-jokes and nods to the history, a really deep core RPG system full of customization underneath the ‘cutesy’ appearance, fantastic soundtrack… Must have for any fans of Final Fantasy or Kingdom Hearts. Kawaii/10

Why you should get it: Great game for Final Fantasy games such as myself. Great combat system with countless possible combinations. Filled with characters and monster we grew up loving from all over the franchise. Great adventure fill of laughter. Why you shouldn't get it: Story isn't on par to other Final Fantasy games. Maps, mostly dungeons, very plain layouts so not very fun to explore. Those 2 points plus the fact that the game is very long just makes it easy to lose interest.