TGS 2011: Final Fantasy Type-0 Updated Hands-On

With one of the last few high-profile-named PSP titles coming out in Japan this October, it's a given that Square Enix would show off one final build of Final Fantasy Type-0 at this year's Tokyo Game Show before the PS Vita graced the country with its presence. While we weren't able to send war gods like Shiva, Golem, and Bahamut into the field, we did just fine against military soldiers ranging from the standard foot soldiers to mechas with huge, long cannons.

Our team for the TGS demo's town-clearing mission consisted of Eight (fisticuffs martial artist), Rem (dagger-wielder and spellcaster), and Nine (spear-wielder), all of whom study at the Suzaku Peristylium (the Hogwarts of Final Fantasy Type-0). We had to reserve nine other team members in case things got sour for the first team.

For demo purposes, our characters were bumped up to a high level, and we were dishing out heavy damage like they were gifts. We switched between Eight and Rem; the former can chain up his punches and deal one-hit fire-laden blows, while the latter specializes in casting spells like Thundaga and Blizzara from mid-range. Nine just pokes enemies from afar and perform the classic Dragoon skill "Jump" when things get hairy.

The game is due out on October 27 in Japan. A release date for the English version has yet to be revealed.