Anytime I think of Square Enix, a multitude of memories run through my head. I think of all the fantastic Final Fantasy games I invested countless hours in. I think of the amazing storylines that mesmerized me in between those brilliant turn-based battles that aided my characters in leveling up. And finally, I think of the unbelievable graphics and artistic designs that propelled my eyes through each scene involuntarily.

Unfortunately, not every game that Square Enix creates is of Final Fantasy caliber. Not every game receives the same attention that the beloved fantasy series does during development. This simple fact is as evident as ever when analyzing The Last Remnant, Square Enix’s most recent addition to the RPG genre. While there are many flaws throughout The Last Remnant, these issues only exist because of a lack of polish by the developers.

The game begins with yet another lengthy haired main character wandering through a forest. The character’s name is Rush Sykes (what a name, right?). Rush is in search of his sister, Irina, and as he searches through the forest, he stumbles to the edge of a cliff. Below him, a soon-to-be battle is unfolding. As Rush inspects the epic scene below him, he spots a figure that looks like his sister. In a panic, he leaps towards the battle. This is where the true story begins, and where the first Remnant is witnessed. Remnants are like spirits, or guardians, that reside in the world. They can range from simple forms like treasure chests, to a gigantic sword that is said to protect the city it towers over.

Witnessing this battle is like a foreshadowing event for the way the battles take place throughout the entire game. Your groups of allies are formed into groups of three called unions, and these unions work in tandem with the actions you bestow upon them. If you select for that union to attack, then each individual in that union will perform that same action. On the same note, each union also possesses a joint health system, and if the union’s HP count hits zero, then the entire union will be lost. While this setup sounds intriguing and cinematically impressive, it is quite the opposite.

The player can potentially command 25 separate units, all combined together into unions. Once you scroll through those countless amounts of menus to assign commands, you must then sit back, watch the action unfold onscreen, and repeat the same process 30 seconds further down your path. This process would be satisfying, except for the fact that the animations never seem to change. Every time you engage in battle, the animations remain the same.

It would be nice to get up at this point, go use the restroom, and let the scene play out, but the game actually presents an incentive to sit and pay attention to the onscreen action. Occasionally, the game will ask you to press a certain button at a certain time. If you push that button at the right time, then your character’s actions will be amplified. So, instead of wandering off during a five minute battle to heat up a week old burrito, you must sit and watch a repeated scene just in case the bonus buttons make an appearance.

Leveling up is also handled uniquely. Instead of allowing the player to level up as they see fit, the game simply does it all for you behind-the-scenes. After a battle, you are informed of what aspects of your characters have reached that next mogul. Obviously there is a method to this hidden process, but I’ve always found it quite rewarding to level up my character’s stats. So the inability to level up the characters myself was a rather large disappointment. On the other hand, you can still switch out weapons and equip your character with more powerful armors and accessories.

As far as the story goes, The Last Remnant did not manage to hold my attention for too long. The initial search for Rush’s sister seemed extended beyond necessity. I also found myself attempting to retain the meanings of the terms the game uses, such as “Interference” and “Deadlock”, while still wondering exactly when the story was going to be explained in more detail. The game constantly tossed random terms and phrases of importance at me, while at the same time keeping me in the dark regarding the overall story. I even noticed a distinct lack of direction from the game itself, and only when I realized how important the in-game map was, did I finally start to make my way around much more quickly.

I’d love to say that The Last Remnant was satisfying visually, and for the most part, this is true. The style of many characters, surroundings, and massive visual stimulants truly caught my attention, but at the same time I found myself questioning exactly how impressive the visuals were in comparison to current games. I expect a more than satisfying showing from Square Enix when it comes to graphics, and I did not feel this way with The Last Remnant.

A number of other minor issues also managed to detour my attention from the slowly moving story as well. During some battles, even towards the beginning of the game when I had very few unions, noticeable lag would take place. The animations would slow down considerably, and actually freeze for instances before speeding back up. When traversing the environments, Rush appeared to run in a constant, oddly animated motion. This provided only a minor distraction, but with a story so slow to unfold, even minor distractions can affect the player in a negative way. These were the most prevalent issues from a graphical standpoint.

Luckily, the soundtrack included as The Last Remnant’s background music is quite satisfying. The tunes during fight moments are immersive and engaging, and truly aid in setting a battling mood. But, some of the characters involved with the storyline seem strangely voiced. One of the largest characters on your team sounds like a small-fry when he speaks. This bothered me more so than it should have, but was a nuisance nonetheless.

While I truly wanted to enjoy Square Enix’s most recent contribution to the Xbox 360 RPG lineup, I found myself toiling and trudging through the game, regrettably so. I found more issues while playing than I found positives. Anytime I would come across a slightly intriguing moment or feature, something else would take place that would detour me or distract me. If you are a diehard Square Enix fan, then you might find solace in the fact that they had their hands all over The Last Remnant. But if you are looking for a quality RPG that will hold your attention for days, then you might want to wait a bit longer for that next big fantasy release.

Gameplay: 6 
At times, the gameplay of The Last Remnant made valiant attempts to shine. But every time I began to become interested, a slight distraction would occur to pull my attention away.  

Graphics: 7.5   
While the graphics are satisfactory, I expect much more from Square Enix. The graphics are no more impressive than any of the current RPG’s on the market, and a lack of polish is evident in The Last Remnant.

Sound: 7 
The background music was always satisfying and immersive, but certain character voices did not fit their counterparts at all.

Difficulty: Medium
The difficulty level of The Last Remnant is mild at most. Some battles may put a union or two down, but the ability to have lots of unions fighting at once will work for your benefit.  

Concept: 5   
From a conceptual standpoint, I saw very little innovation. The characters were different, but the moulds those characters were built from were the same as many other RPG’s out there already. While a valiant effort was made to create new ways to battle epically, the lack of varying animations truly hindered more than it helped.

Overall: 6 
Square Enix has their attention elsewhere. This is quite evident. The Last Remnant might satisfy the diehards or those looking for an RPG fix, but many people will find this game very mild and less than expected. If you can hold off for a better RPG down the road, then please do. If not, then feel free to dive into the world of The Last Remnant.