Emma Cockroft reviews Final Fantasy XV…
Hearing about another Final Fantasy game coming out I have to say I was not as excited as I should have been. After XIII and all of its sequels I was strongly put off playing any new games in the series. However I can say that XV has reignited in me something I have not felt since I played X over fifteen years ago. I would not say it is the best game in the series but it is a breath of fresh air to a franchise that was moving away from its roots.
So putting it on to download I did not expect it to take as long as it did to install. I knew the game would be a big one but I was not prepared for how long it would take and even though the message popped up “ready to start” I discovered you could not start the game until it was fully installed. However I am speaking for my Xbox One and not for the PS4. Finally it was ready and a message flashed up “A final fantasy for fans and first timers.” I am not going to lie that quote got me pretty excited. A game for fans and first timers? It was as if my concerns for the series future was being addressed straight off the bat. A clean slate maybe?
Our story begins in the world of Eos, with Prince Noctis travelling to his own wedding with four of his friends. Gladiolus the brawny and devoted bodyguard, Ignis the educated and wise advisor and Prompto the cheerful teenage friend. Whilst on route to the wedding, the characters then receive some terrible and devastating news that causes them to divert away from their journey. Without spoiling the plot, a chain of events unfold that throw their world into total chaos.
Moving away from previous Final Fantasy games, XV has a vast and stunning open world that is a joy to behold and explore. The scenery really does have a more present feel to it that is quite relatable. Our characters drive around in a convertible muscle car (the main method of transport), sleep in motels, use cell phones and eat in road side style diners. My first hour of gameplay had quite a grease monkey vibe to it, almost as if XV was set in a parallel 1950’s. You can spend hours just exploring the ever changing landscape of Eos, finding all its hidden dungeons and fishing spots without it becoming tedious. It is during this exploration that you can take on one of the many side quests XV has to offer. The world is packed full of characters who want you to go to particular areas to retrieve an item, kill a monster or take a photo. These quests whilst fun can sometimes become a little bit repetitive, however it can be a rewarding change of pace that diverts from ploughing through the main story.
Whilst wandering around Eos you encounter various monsters which you can defeat for experience points, as is the usual Final Fantasy formula. Combat is very similar to the previous instalments in the series but with no return of the popular Active Time Battles which many of the older fan base preferred. Like XIII, control of every character is absent minus your own which is honestly a real shame. There are moments in combat when you can briefly take control of a party member but it is only to perform certain skills such as a heal or chain attack. On a more positive note, the combat is fast paced and is actually very satisfying when you get the hang of it. Also introduced is wait mode which enables the battle to be paused the moment your characters keep still. This allows you to have an in-depth look around the battlefield such as scanning enemies for weaknesses and observing which allies are attacking specific targets so you can jump in and chain attacks together. This is optional and can be toggled on and off as required, yet I found I left it on for most of my battles. This only became a problem when I performed a special move of Noctis to recover HP I found that the wait mode kicked in and stopped me from recovering my badly needed health and magic.
Noctis has an arsenal of weapons that he can use to his advantage and also has the ability to use magic, however you can only equip four weapons or four magic spells so you need to pick wisely for every battle. Magic however is not learnt like in previous instalments in the series. It is harvested from elemental deposits throughout Eos which is then stored in magic flasks to be used when needed. Magic is one of the most powerful abilities you have at your disposal however it can be a double-edged sword. Whilst it is powerful and can turn the tide in most fights, friendly fire is applicable in this game. Noctis also has the power to warp to objects whilst in battle which enables him to recover both HP and MP, this can be very useful during battles when your health and magic start to fall rapidly and you need to make a quick recovery. A lot of the time though I spent rotating the camera to try and find a spot to warp to (such as hanging from cliff ledges and transmission towers). Whilst combat is fun the camera angles can become frustrating as they can unexpectedly move by themselves.
Some weapons can be upgraded but these are only the ones Noctis can use. These are special arms that are scattered throughout the dungeons in Eos. Whilst these are powerful and each one has a different unique ability, only having four slots to equip them and then juggle that with equipping magic can be slightly daunting. Each character does has a secondary weapon that they can use during battles, for example Gladiolus can be equipped with a shield which can offer some protection from enemy attacks but once again this is down to the AI to use these.
Also introduced are Astrals which like in previous games are the characters summons. It is nice to see some old faces like Ramuh and Levithan return to the series, however summoning is not a skill that you can apply in battle. They will only appear when certain conditions are met which for me took some of the enjoyment away from the game. Struggling in a battle when you want to use your summon and you can’t is very disappointing.
As touched upon earlier not only do your characters receive exp they also receive AP. Which can then be spent on abilities for your characters in the ascension grid. This is similar in style to the sphere grid in Final Fantasy X. There are various things you can upgrade here, new abilities for Noctis, how much magic you can harvest from deposits and abilities that increase the amount of AP you receive from doing various tasks around Eos. Occasionally during combat characters will provide you with a different strategy which upon completion you will receive extra AP. As the ascension grid is large and abilities expensiveness you need to choose wisely what to spend your AP on. For our characters to level up you must rest either at a camp or in a hotel. Both have advantages. At camps you can cook meals for your party which can boost certain attributes and at hotels you can receive more exp.
Each character has a unique set of skills which can be applied to your party. Noctis can go fishing, Ignis is a cook, Promoto can take photographs and Gladiolus can find item drops after battles.
Acquiring gil can be a difficult. Monsters you kill during battles do not drop currency so you are going to have to work at the side quests in the game to earn enough to spend on items. A good way to do this, is to accept a hunt quest from a chef in a one of the many diners scattered throughout the world. Whilst you might think this can get repetitive it is not the case. Each hunt is different and challenging and upon completion you receive a big amount of gil. A phoenix down can set you back 1,000 gil and these are item you are going to need, especially when travelling around at night.
Which brings me to XV’s day and night system. A new audition to a final fantasy game in which there is a small timer in the top right corner of the screen. Whilst moving around Eos the timer ticks and cycles from day to night. During the day enemies are weaker and easier to kill but at night powerful demons emerge and pose more of a challenge. Killing these powerful enemies is extremely satisfying and rewarding because of the large amount of exp they give.
The introduction of the Regalia XV’s car is a welcome addition to the game. You have the choice to either drive the car yourself or have one of your party members do it. An added bonus is the fact you can purchase the various soundtracks to the other final fantasy games to listen to them on your journey. Another mode of transportation is chocobos. After doing a quest to receive them early on in the game, you can then call on these bright yellow birds to help you move around the map. There is also the option to race and upgrade these familiar birds for prizes and AP.
Dungeons can also be an interesting and worthwhile side quest for new weapons for Noctis. However the ability to save during these dungeons has been taken away to provide a more interesting and unique gameplay experience. While I do find this a breath of fresh air it can be annoying when you have spent ages inside one to die and be put back at the beginning.
I am around thirty five hours in and on chapter eight. There are fourteen chapters in total. I believe if you did not spend time on the side quests you could easily push through the story a lot quicker then I have been. As for the story its does not seem to be too complicated at this point in time and has not really gripped me so far. The game seems to focus more on the open world gameplay.
It is easy to overlook the games current flaws because Square Enix have done something they have not done for a very long time. They have produced a fun, enjoyable, interesting and diverse game that you can spend hours of your time exploring. The more you play the more the characters start to grow on you and when one leaves the party you really miss them. It is not as diverse as the other open world games out there. But it does have its own unique charm that you can become absorbed in.
Pros:
+ Fun and enjoyable combat system
+ Wide open world with so much to do and explore
+ Interesting missions and side quests
Cons:
– Annoying camera controls make combat frustrating
– No control over party members during combat
– No saves in dungeons
– Poor magic system
Rating: 8/10
Emma Cockroft
