Originally posted on Minds.com
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https://www.minds.com/blog/view/823151310173716480

Final Fantasy 15 is an Action RPG developed and published by Square-Enix in 2016. The game is available on Xbox One, PS4, and Windows; I'm playing the windows version. Only difference is I don't get the cup noodle hat.


While the game is called "XV", it's probably closer to the 20th main series Final Fantasy game, and it marks the first one I've actually played. The game follows prince Noctis and his companions Gladiolus, Ignis, and Prompto on a cross-country road trip to save the kingdom of Eos (and hopefully the rest of the world) from the encroaching daemon army and their blanket of eternal darkness. His father dead and his kingdom in ash, Noctis sets out with his crew to gather the weapons of his ancestors and the blessings of his gods to take back his kingdom and banish the darkness.

So the story sounds pretty badass, let's hop over to the gameplay department and see what's up with this new real time combat system. Prince "Noct" can automatically attack by holding left mouse, and can automatically dodge almost every attack (including gunfire) by holding right mouse. He can also parry with a well timed right click, and can throw his weapon to teleport to it for long distance melee attacks. Noct can also craft spells by collecting manna from around the world and combining it with any random junk he has in his pockets.


In practice, this makes for stylish looking, flashy combat; but with a decent amount of coordination and pattern recognition the difficulty drops dramatically. When properly leveled, most fights can be beaten by simply switching between left and right mouse button without moving.

After combat, each surviving party member earns XP in their XP pool, which can be cashed in by sleeping. When not in combat, the player (usually) has the option of exploring Eos at their leisure, driving around the beautiful countryside in a car or on the backs of large birds called Chocobos; in search of side quests and activities like fishing or racing.

This is where the game shines in my opinion; driving from town to town with the boys in tow, taking in the sights and sounds of the truly stunning open world. If I had it my way, the game would be a vacation simulator, it looks gorgeous, and the character interactions are fun and playful for the first two acts. It's fun to go out on a mini adventure, do an odd job for cash, go out hunting, then cook up some lovingly rendered dinner under the stars.


Unfortunately the third act is utter ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ that ruins the entire experience. Minor spoilers incoming!

Right around chapter 9 things start going south. You're given a ship so you can travel to the other kingdom, and right about here it looks like you're about to hit a new chunk of the open world... but no, it's a just a short stay in the capitol city. A chat with the...mayor? followed by a boss fight, then you pack your bags and ♥♥♥♥♥♥' leave.

Then, for the next 5 chapters, you're crammed drown this tight hallway devoid of world building or side quests in what is obviously vertical slices of what was planned to be vast expansions to the open world. It's such a shame, the characters go through these mini side-story arcs without you, which were added as separate DLC months later; and these are great expansions on the main story, but they don't fix the glaring holes in the main game.


It's painfully obvious that this game went though development hell and was tossed out the door by corporate to recover some of the money they were pouring into this thing. I'm not going to say that another year of development would have fixed every problem with the game, but they might have at least been able to finish the boss fights. Most of them end in a QTE, and one of them is completely absent from the PS4 version.

Dispite all these glaring problems I have with the game, I still want to stress that I greatly enjoyed my time playing the game. The first 2 acts where amazing, and the ending, although a little cheap, woo'd me with it's beautiful cinematography and effective music. I admit: I cried like a ♥♥♥♥♥ while the credits were rolling.

In conclusion, I'd like to say that Final Fantasy 15 is a beautiful mess. A great foundation to build future titles on, but a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ game in-and of itself. Still, I fund myself completely attached to the kingdom and Noct's friends. While the ending may have blown, it's really about the journey and not the destination, right?

Originally posted on Minds.com Follow me there for more reviews! https://www.minds.com/blog/view/823151310173716480 Final Fantasy 15 is an Action RPG developed and published by Square-Enix in 2016. The game is available on Xbox One, PS4, and Windows; I'm playing the windows version. Only difference is I don't get the cup noodle hat. While the game is called "XV", it's probably closer to the 20th main series Final Fantasy game, and it marks the first one I've actually played. The game follows prince Noctis and his companions Gladiolus, Ignis, and Prompto on a cross-country road trip to save the kingdom of Eos (and hopefully the rest of the world) from the encroaching daemon army and their blanket of eternal darkness. His father dead and his kingdom in ash, Noctis sets out with his crew to gather the weapons of his ancestors and the blessings of his gods to take back his kingdom and banish the darkness. So the story sounds pretty badass, let's hop over to the gameplay department and see what's up with this new real time combat system. Prince "Noct" can automatically attack by holding left mouse, and can automatically dodge almost every attack (including gunfire) by holding right mouse. He can also parry with a well timed right click, and can throw his weapon to teleport to it for long distance melee attacks. Noct can also craft spells by collecting manna from around the world and combining it with any random junk he has in his pockets. In practice, this makes for stylish looking, flashy combat; but with a decent amount of coordination and pattern recognition the difficulty drops dramatically. When properly leveled, most fights can be beaten by simply switching between left and right mouse button without moving. After combat, each surviving party member earns XP in their XP pool, which can be cashed in by sleeping. When not in combat, the player (usually) has the option of exploring Eos at their leisure, driving around the beautiful countryside in a car or on the backs of large birds called Chocobos; in search of side quests and activities like fishing or racing. This is where the game shines in my opinion; driving from town to town with the boys in tow, taking in the sights and sounds of the truly stunning open world. If I had it my way, the game would be a vacation simulator, it looks gorgeous, and the character interactions are fun and playful for the first two acts. It's fun to go out on a mini adventure, do an odd job for cash, go out hunting, then cook up some lovingly rendered dinner under the stars. Unfortunately the third act is utter dog shit that ruins the entire experience. Minor spoilers incoming! Right around chapter 9 things start going south. You're given a ship so you can travel to the other kingdom, and right about here it looks like you're about to hit a new chunk of the open world... but no, it's a just a short stay in the capitol city. A chat with the...mayor? followed by a boss fight, then you pack your bags and fuckin' leave. Then, for the next 5 chapters, you're crammed drown this tight hallway devoid of world building or side quests in what is obviously vertical slices of what was planned to be vast expansions to the open world. It's such a shame, the characters go through these mini side-story arcs without you, which were added as separate DLC months later; and these are great expansions on the main story, but they don't fix the glaring holes in the main game. It's painfully obvious that this game went though development hell and was tossed out the door by corporate to recover some of the money they were pouring into this thing. I'm not going to say that another year of development would have fixed every problem with the game, but they might have at least been able to finish the boss fights. Most of them end in a QTE, and one of them is completely absent from the PS4 version. Dispite all these glaring problems I have with the game, I still want to stress that I greatly enjoyed my time playing the game. The first 2 acts where amazing, and the ending, although a little cheap, woo'd me with it's beautiful cinematography and effective music. I admit: I cried like a bitch while the credits were rolling. In conclusion, I'd like to say that Final Fantasy 15 is a beautiful mess. A great foundation to build future titles on, but a shitty game in-and of itself. Still, I fund myself completely attached to the kingdom and Noct's friends. While the ending may have blown, it's really about the journey and not the destination, right?