Final Fantasy V and Ghost of Yotei - A Sense of Direction

I was hopelessly lost.

I thought it would be easy to resume my adventure after a few days away, but no. Three days removed from last playing Final Fantasy V Advance, and I had no idea where I was, what I'd been doing, or where I was headed. Bartz, Lenna, Galuf, Faris and I, confused in a cave.

My memory may be faltering, but FFV isn't exactly great at giving hints or reminders. A few days away is all it takes to become utterly lost when there are no mission markers, no mission log, a very limited map, and several hundred caves that all look the same. It hasn't helped that the online guide I've been checking keeps refreshing and losing my spot on the page.

I think I was supposed to be doing something in a cave?

Ctrl+F "cave" - 127 results! Brilliant.

I was looking for something I could sink my teeth into over the winter holiday. I wanted to make use of my Analogue Pocket, ideally while wrapped up warm on the sofa, with the Christmas tree in view. Nice and cozy. I chose Final Fantasy V Advance, as I'd been meaning to replay the pre-PS1 FFs for some time, and had yet to splurge on the Pixel Remasters.

I'd played Final Fantasy V before, just once, around 2001. I've done some research, and apparently that's more than twenty-five years ago, and not the ten years that it seems. I accessed it on PS1 via Final Fantasy Anthology, which I'd imported at great expense back when nothing pre-VII was available in the UK.

I've been taking my time with this replay - I'm at 25 hours after a month - and I'm rather enjoying myself.  While the intricacies of the Job system may be poorly explained, they are well worth getting to grips with, as they form the core of what makes FFV so appealing, and they're a large part of why I've been favouring FFV over shinier experiences on much bigger screens in recent weeks.

But I have to be careful to play it regularly, or else I'll be lost the next time I load it up. The Pocket has a sleep mode, so I can put it down and pick it back up at any time. To be fair, you probably didn't need me to explain what sleep mode is, but I've done it anyway! This feature is a blessing, but also a curse, as I regularly put it away at less than ideal moments, like mid-way through a dungeon, half way through a random encounter, while standing in a forest, or loitering in a cave entrance. At the start of my next session, I'll spend the first 5 minutes trying to recall what exactly I was doing last.

When putting it into sleep mode, I try to position Bartz in a way that will indicate to tomorrow-me which way we're headed. If he's facing left, that's where we're going, even if I don't know why I'm heading there or what's awaiting me. Sometimes that helps, sometimes it doesn't. It usually results in me colliding with a wall and triggering several annoying random encounters. I'd kill for a mission log or an interactive map, or at least one that I don't need a magnifying glass to parse.

I suppose RPGs of yore expected you to figure things out. That, or buy the guide book.

I've also been chipping away at Ghost of Yotei, where I also regularly lose my way, but for very different reasons.

I cannot simply travel from A to B. I must detour to collect resources, stroke foxes, avenge dead wolves, follow birds, soak in hot springs, pray to shrines, and clear out enemy strongholds like it were Far Cry 1603. Once I'm ready to get back on track, and return to the main mission, the wind shows me the way. A flick of the touch pad unleashes a visible breeze that blows in the direction of my current objective. A lovely, non-invasive touch that keeps the HUD clutter free and gives over maximum screen space to the natural beauty of Ezo. If the wind isn't enough, the in-menu map is massive and easy to follow.

I'm not sure how I feel about Ghost of Yotei. It's a very dumb video game, but then so was Ghost of Tsushima, and I liked that. Much like Tsushima, it revels in being a game, and being a bit stupid. Atsu is the Terminator of 17th century Japan, cutting through waves of enemies with relative ease, she could out-climb Nathan Drake, and has a Dr. Doolittle-level bond with animals. Less entertaining is the rote (side) mission structure that is already grating after less than ten hours. You'll help a desperate NPC with something not particularly exciting, who will reward you by spilling what they know about the baddie you're hunting. They'll share something very wooden, which will sound near identical in structure to what the last person said to you. Somewhere in the code, a number goes up and you find yourself a little closer to your goal. Rinse and repeat.

The attempts at deeper, more considered moments are far from convincing. Atsu's non-skippable mid-bath philosophizing is a perfect opportunity for the player to go take a piss. The childhood flashbacks are similarly useful as bathroom breaks, and I've been doing a lot of eye rolling the last few evenings.

I'm probably being a little harsh here. Ghost of Yotei is pretty entertaining, the setting is beautiful, Atsu is an interesting lead, and Ezo absolutely has that moreish quality that is found in all good open-worlds. However, I'm not sure I'll make it to the end. If I don't, it won't be because I couldn't find my way there, but likely because I've had my fill of distraction-chasing or have tired of Yotei's Far Cry-2012 structure.

Final Fantasy V Advance, however, I'm certain I'll see to the end. Even if I do get lost a few times along the way.