This is a quick guide I wrote for my Discord server dedicated to the game, which I have published on GBAtemp on request. People are unsure about how to play the game online or whether it still works at all, so I'm posting this to alleviate any doubts and answer a few questions.
Before I get into how, I'd like to touch on why you should play the game online with a brief summary of the game's online mode.
The Last Story Online
The Last Story has two online modes: Versus and co-op Boss Rush.
Versus mode pits up to 6 players against each other in a team deathmatch or deathmatch scenario in maps from throughout the game. Any protagonist or antagonist from the game can be chosen, with varying skills and traits, and you can customise your arsenal of snappy quotes with thousands of lines from the game. Versus does not take into account your singleplayer progress, so it is an even playing field.
Boss Rush is a 6-player co-op boss fight experience where you team up to face 7 bosses from the singleplayer game. Unlike versus mode, your equipment and level transfers from your singleplayer game. However, low-level players can still be effective by focusing on supporting play, such as creating heal circles or casting magic which the melee players can benefit from.
When you win in either mode, you will unlock some items, weapons or armour for the singleplayer game, some of which is rare and valuable.
For those unfamiliar with the game, The Last Story is an action game with RPG and real-time strategy elements. You can take cover and sneak up, flanking enemy formations, or order your squad to cover you in different ways as you charge in head-first. There is also a unique mechanic called "Gathering", where all nearby enemies focus their attention in you - but in exchange, you gain small amounts of HP in return for damage you deal, you can revive your teammates more quickly and your teammates cast their magic more quickly. The presence of magic in the game might set off an alarm bell to people who usually don't play this type of game - it was to me - but it is very straightforward and never feels out of place.
The game was created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, a name that might be familiar to Final Fantasy fans - because he created the entire series. He also brought along the composer of Final Fantasy, Nobuo Uematsu. His goal was to take a back-to-basics approach, throw out the rulebook and make a new game as if he was making Final Fantasy all over again - in the modern era. The gameplay is fast, intense but intuitive and rewards smart play. Since it takes elements from such a broad range of genres, I would recommend you try it out and see if you like the game, rather than guessing whether it is "close enough" to a hack and slash, strategy, stealth game or whatever other genres this game may touch upon.
Getting Online
The Last Story can still be played online using a custom, revived server hosted by fans. The most popular is Wiimmfi, however WFZwei and other servers are equally valid. We will be providing instructions on how to patch your game for use with Wiimmfi.
Wii/Wii U: You have multiple options. Note: All of these except the final option require a Wii with homebrew, or a Wii U with a home-brewed virtual Wii.
Option 1: Patch your ISO of the game to use Wiimmfi.
0. If you have not done so already, rip your disc of the game using Configurable USB Loader or a similar program and copy it to your computer.
1. Download Wiimm's Wiimmfi Patcher. http://download.wiimm.de/wiimmfi/patcher/wiimmfi-patcher-v4.7z (Note: if you are on Mac, download v3.0 of this patcher.)
2. Extract the patcher and place your copy of the game in the folder. For example, if you are on Windows, place it in the wiimmfi-patcher-v4/Windows/ folder.
3. If you are running Windows, run patch_wiimmfi.bat to patch your game. If you are on Mac or Linux, use the patch_wimmfi.sh script.
4. The game should now be patched. You can find it in the wiimmfi-images folder.
Option 2: Patching your disc copy of the game on-the-fly.
1. Download the Auto Wiimmfi patcher, and place it at the root of your SD card in the apps folder.
2. Launch the patcher through the Homebrew Channel, ensure your disc is inserted and enjoy!
Option 3: Internet Channel patcher (No homebrew required!)
1. Ensure your Wii is set to 60Hz mode.
2. Go to http://chadsoft.co.uk/wiimmfi/ on your Wii.
3. Add the page to your Favourites.
4. Return to the Wii menu.
5. Open the Internet Channel again and click on the newly added "Wiimmfi" bookmark.
Then simply wait for the game to start!
PC:
1. Follow Option 1 to patch your ISO. Ensure your SD card is inserted in the Wii with about 500MB of free space.
2. On your Wii, open the homebrew channel and press the home button, then select "Launch BootMii".
3. Select the first option to back up your NAND - your Wii's storage - to your SD card. (Note: this menu may be controlled using either a GameCube controller or: Reset button = OK, Power = next option. Wiimotes will not work!). You will now have a file called nand.bin on your SD card.
4. Follow the Dolphin guide to import your NAND. Dolphin 5.0-3416 and later have the option to automatically handle the import process, but if you wish to stick to an older build, there are instructions to do the process manually. See https://dolphin-emu.org/docs/guides/nand-usage-guide/ for more information.
Enhancements
The Last Story has a number of enhancements available to PC users. The biggest enhancement that is recommended is the HD GUI texture pack. This updates all of the user interfaces in the game with high definition replacements. It can be downloaded here.
If you use an Xbox controller to play The Last Story, you may appreciate the Xbox 360 controller texture pack as well. There is also a PS3 controller pack a few posts later in the thread, so look for that as well.
I am working on a HD texture pack for the game, but at the time of writing it is nowhere near completion. Only a few areas and characters are complete, but I may post what I have so far once I deem it to be in an "alpha" state. (Here are a few pictures: one of Lazulis City, one of the Castle courtyard area and one of the Arena)
Thanks for reading, and I hope to play with some of you online some time!
Before I get into how, I'd like to touch on why you should play the game online with a brief summary of the game's online mode.
The Last Story Online
The Last Story has two online modes: Versus and co-op Boss Rush.
Versus mode pits up to 6 players against each other in a team deathmatch or deathmatch scenario in maps from throughout the game. Any protagonist or antagonist from the game can be chosen, with varying skills and traits, and you can customise your arsenal of snappy quotes with thousands of lines from the game. Versus does not take into account your singleplayer progress, so it is an even playing field.
Boss Rush is a 6-player co-op boss fight experience where you team up to face 7 bosses from the singleplayer game. Unlike versus mode, your equipment and level transfers from your singleplayer game. However, low-level players can still be effective by focusing on supporting play, such as creating heal circles or casting magic which the melee players can benefit from.
When you win in either mode, you will unlock some items, weapons or armour for the singleplayer game, some of which is rare and valuable.
For those unfamiliar with the game, The Last Story is an action game with RPG and real-time strategy elements. You can take cover and sneak up, flanking enemy formations, or order your squad to cover you in different ways as you charge in head-first. There is also a unique mechanic called "Gathering", where all nearby enemies focus their attention in you - but in exchange, you gain small amounts of HP in return for damage you deal, you can revive your teammates more quickly and your teammates cast their magic more quickly. The presence of magic in the game might set off an alarm bell to people who usually don't play this type of game - it was to me - but it is very straightforward and never feels out of place.
The game was created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, a name that might be familiar to Final Fantasy fans - because he created the entire series. He also brought along the composer of Final Fantasy, Nobuo Uematsu. His goal was to take a back-to-basics approach, throw out the rulebook and make a new game as if he was making Final Fantasy all over again - in the modern era. The gameplay is fast, intense but intuitive and rewards smart play. Since it takes elements from such a broad range of genres, I would recommend you try it out and see if you like the game, rather than guessing whether it is "close enough" to a hack and slash, strategy, stealth game or whatever other genres this game may touch upon.
Getting Online
The Last Story can still be played online using a custom, revived server hosted by fans. The most popular is Wiimmfi, however WFZwei and other servers are equally valid. We will be providing instructions on how to patch your game for use with Wiimmfi.
Wii/Wii U: You have multiple options. Note: All of these except the final option require a Wii with homebrew, or a Wii U with a home-brewed virtual Wii.
Option 1: Patch your ISO of the game to use Wiimmfi.
0. If you have not done so already, rip your disc of the game using Configurable USB Loader or a similar program and copy it to your computer.
1. Download Wiimm's Wiimmfi Patcher. http://download.wiimm.de/wiimmfi/patcher/wiimmfi-patcher-v4.7z (Note: if you are on Mac, download v3.0 of this patcher.)
2. Extract the patcher and place your copy of the game in the folder. For example, if you are on Windows, place it in the wiimmfi-patcher-v4/Windows/ folder.
3. If you are running Windows, run patch_wiimmfi.bat to patch your game. If you are on Mac or Linux, use the patch_wimmfi.sh script.
4. The game should now be patched. You can find it in the wiimmfi-images folder.
Option 2: Patching your disc copy of the game on-the-fly.
1. Download the Auto Wiimmfi patcher, and place it at the root of your SD card in the apps folder.
2. Launch the patcher through the Homebrew Channel, ensure your disc is inserted and enjoy!
Option 3: Internet Channel patcher (No homebrew required!)
1. Ensure your Wii is set to 60Hz mode.
2. Go to http://chadsoft.co.uk/wiimmfi/ on your Wii.
3. Add the page to your Favourites.
4. Return to the Wii menu.
5. Open the Internet Channel again and click on the newly added "Wiimmfi" bookmark.
Then simply wait for the game to start!
PC:
1. Follow Option 1 to patch your ISO. Ensure your SD card is inserted in the Wii with about 500MB of free space.
2. On your Wii, open the homebrew channel and press the home button, then select "Launch BootMii".
3. Select the first option to back up your NAND - your Wii's storage - to your SD card. (Note: this menu may be controlled using either a GameCube controller or: Reset button = OK, Power = next option. Wiimotes will not work!). You will now have a file called nand.bin on your SD card.
4. Follow the Dolphin guide to import your NAND. Dolphin 5.0-3416 and later have the option to automatically handle the import process, but if you wish to stick to an older build, there are instructions to do the process manually. See https://dolphin-emu.org/docs/guides/nand-usage-guide/ for more information.
Enhancements
The Last Story has a number of enhancements available to PC users. The biggest enhancement that is recommended is the HD GUI texture pack. This updates all of the user interfaces in the game with high definition replacements. It can be downloaded here.
If you use an Xbox controller to play The Last Story, you may appreciate the Xbox 360 controller texture pack as well. There is also a PS3 controller pack a few posts later in the thread, so look for that as well.
I am working on a HD texture pack for the game, but at the time of writing it is nowhere near completion. Only a few areas and characters are complete, but I may post what I have so far once I deem it to be in an "alpha" state. (Here are a few pictures: one of Lazulis City, one of the Castle courtyard area and one of the Arena)
Thanks for reading, and I hope to play with some of you online some time!
