Parents' Guide to Final Fantasy Brave Exvius

If slightly updated, repetition-filled old-school role-playing is what you're in the mood for, this one might work for you. If you're looking for visual complexity and an original storyline, steer clear. Final Fantasy Brave Exvius is an original fantasy created for mobile. Made in the new social RPG vein, it teeters between the same pros and cons of every other game in this genre, including pricing schemes (it's free) and frequent login purchase prompts. The latter, while pesky, aren't as troublesome as they could be, thanks to the game's generous energy and rewards systems.

Combat is turn-based and takes energy to engage in; fortunately, your energy pool lasts a good long while since battles alternate with exploration, shopping/crafting, and fun character interaction. Heroes come with an interesting variety of practical and magical skills, and the easy tap-and-swipe control setup makes using them a snap. You can even hit the "Auto" button (a nod to modern social RPGs) and let the game play itself, a feature that seems pointless until you're forced to endure the exploration mode's painfully frequent (and mandatory) random battles. Beyond combat, crafting is fun, as is recruiting other players' heroes to help you defeat powerful bosses. And while the nostalgic pixel art won't win any awards, it does what it needs to do to pull players in. Unfortunately, the "save the world" storyline is utterly forgettable, but the gameplay steps up and provides a few nice surprises. All told, the game's best feature is its generous free-to-play style that lets everyone check out the game without spending a lot for it. Otherwise, Final Fantasy Brave Exvius is a middle-of-the-road game made of as many predictable, tedious elements as fun, entertaining ones.