Final Fantasy Explorers screenshots show Amaterasu, more

The latest media blast for Final Fantasy Explorers introduces new summons Amaterasu, Odin, and Leviathan, and new fields, jobs, and Final Fantasy characters.

Amaterasu’s appearance in Final Fantasy Explorers marks its first appearance in a Final Fantasy title. It wears a kimono-like robe and is armed with seven fiery swords.

Odin is no stranger to the series. He returns with his horse Sleipnir and switches between his swords “Zantetsuken” and “Gungnir” during battle.

Leviathan is also a familiar beast. The ruler of the sea, Leviathan specializes in long-distance attacks from the sea, as well as close-to-shore short-range attacks. Its giant tsunamis are worth looking out for.

New fields include the airship graveyard Pojo’s Forest, the rocky Davis Plateau, the Torabi Sea Cave, and the Rapunson Desert, where a rare treasure is said to be resting. You’ll find Odin at Pojo’s Forest, while Leviathan awaits in the Torabi Sea Cave.

Jobs pictured include the Machinist, which uses a gun as its main method of attacking; the Red Mage, which specializes in swords and magic; and the Bard, which supports its allies from the back with instrument-based buffs.

You’ll also see the “Crystal Drive.” By pressing the L and R buttons at the same time, a menu will appear on screen and you can select one of four special abilities to invoke. After using it once, you won’t be able to use it again for a little while, so it’s best used at critical moments.

As for how the Crystal Drive is related to Trance and transforming into characters from previous Final Fantasy games…

There are two types of Trances that players can encounter in the game: one that lets them borrow the powers of summons and another that lets them use the powers of series’ iconic characters. Only one type can be used during questing and is decided before heading out to fight. As for actually triggering Trance-specific abilities, this is done by using a skill while in an Entranced state, at which point a special skill sign will appear on screen, indicating that the exclusive Trance abilities can then be used with the Crystal Drive. Naturally, picking a summon type Trance will trigger a skill related to that summon and the same is true when picking a series character.

Speaking of Final Fantasy characters, pictured in the screenshots are Tidus (Final Fantasy X), Yuna (Final Fantasy X-2), Bartz Klause (Final Fantasy V), and Squall (Final Fantasy VIII).

Original Abilities are also shown. These are also triggered during Crystal Drive. During this state, some of the standard command names will change color, indicating there’s a chance that the move used will instead be an Original Ability. The chance of one being used is determined by a variety of factors, most notably how much Resonance has been accrued. As with standard abilities, Original Abilities are equipped in town before setting out on questing. In single-player mode, Original Abilities can also chain off of allied monsters.

Final Fantasy Explorers is due out for 3DS in Japan on December 18.

View the screenshots at the gallery.

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