Hidden beneath the guise of a simple PSP remaster, Hexadrive has developed a high-end next-generation engine - a brand new DX11 class deferred renderer with a focus on lighting and material properties.

It's that very scope that leaves us so impressed with the results on display here. It was simply beyond the scope of this project, which says a lot considering how many other changes were implemented. According to one of the key programmers, the optimisation necessary to run at 60fps would have been minimal in comparison to the massive required overhaul of the game's underlying systems. While this may seem like a disappointment, the game was coded for 30fps originally and would not function properly at 60fps without overhauling core systems. Both consoles turn in a stable 30fps with only minor frame-pacing issues interrupting the fluidity, particularly on Xbox One. Then we come to frame-rate - the HD version of the game retains the 30fps update of the original PSP title and does so with little difficulty. Between the two console versions we have full image quality parity here - something which extends to every visual facet of the game. Hexadrive clearly understands the importance of image quality and has taken measures to ensure that the resulting image is always crisp and clean. Anisotropic filtering is also used to an acceptable degree preventing textures from becoming blurry at oblique angles. SMAA 1Tx handles anti-aliasing duties, resulting in a sharp and clean image throughout thanks to its robust temporal component, where information from past frames is blended into the present.

Let's get the basic stuff out of the way - the original 480x272 resolution of the game sees a sizable 17x bump to full 1920x1080 on both consoles. The final product is a mixed bag, but the sheer number of technical accomplishments on hand is very impressive. The talented Japanese development house has crafted a new engine with features rivalling any other modern renderer on the market today, with Square-Enix handling the spruced-up assets. The gap has never been so wide - porting from the almost eleven-year-old PSP hardware with its sub-PS2 spec is a gargantuan task and one that Hexadrive hasn't taken lightly. It may not seem like it at first glance, but Final Fantasy Type-0 HD is one of the most ambitious remasters we've played.

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