Final Fantasy XV (“FFXV”) is an open world, action-adventure, role-playing game (“RPG”) published by Square Enix and released for both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles. The game comes 10 years after the last Final Fantasy game and is one, which fans the world over, have been desperately awaiting.
The game takes place in the fictional world of Eos, in which all of its countries are under the rule of the empire, Niflheim, except one, the kingdom of Lucis. On the eve of peace negotiations between Niflheim and Lucis, the domineering nation seized power over Lucis and its magical Crystal. Noctis Lucis Caelum, heir to the Lucian throne, goes on a quest with his three companions, Gladiolus, Ignis and Prompto, to retake his homeland and its magical Crystal. However, the Crystal is discovered to be at the heart of a much greater threat to Eos, and Noctis’ role as the future king is key to averting an apocalypse from taking place.
Players play as Noctis, the only directly controllable character in the game, as he and his companions journey across Eos, a large connected landmass that can be explored by foot, car (the car in which the party travels with is called the Regalia) or by chocobos (a fictional, large and flightless bird in the Final Fantasy series). The opening sequence, which takes players immediately into a wide, open landscape, allows players to explore areas right from the get go, which is a nice introduction into the world of FFXV. The game also allows players to explore towns, purchase equipment using the in game currency, Gil, and speak to non-player characters (“NPCs”), who provide information on quests as well as enlist players into side quests.
The game uses an action-based real-time combat system, as opposed to the more traditional turn-based system, and the gameplay is fairly simple, which makes for a relatively nice and smooth experience for players new to the game or series. Players are now able to select commands directly from the buttons on a controller rather than having to rely on the menu interface. By simply holding down a button, Noctis is able to ‘Attack’ and ‘Defend’ as well as utilise ‘Magic’, and ‘Items’. One of the cool new features of gameplay is the ‘Wait Mode’, which is perfect for when battles become overwhelming as it essentially allows a cool down period which provides players the opportunity to take a short time-out. In ‘Wait Mode’, if all player input ceases, the battle pauses and players are able to select new enemies to attack or choose different actions to take within a limited time-frame.
Characters within the game are interesting, each with their own unique skills and likeable personalities. The close bond and relationship Noctis has with his companions are immediately evident, in that, they appear to be extremely close and share a strong bond. This can be seen even during rest periods, where characters laugh, joke and talk with each other as if they were brothers.
While completing the main quest is tantamount to completing the game, the many side quests mean that there’s always something to do within the world of FFXV, which is different to simply killing enemies. There are a huge range of monsters and enemies, from wolves to giant mountain turtles, to defeat in this game along with plenty of fun experiences such as chocobo racing, which shows us that sitting back and being bored is not an option.
Visually, FFXV is exceptionally stunning. From character design to gorgeous scenery, the game is a visual treat. Playing through the game certainly gives the impression of time with the original Final Fantasy games being in pixelated 8-bit form.
Two key features of FFXV that will have Final Fantasy fans excited, while taking them on a trip down memory lane, is the many throwbacks of previous games in the series, which FFXV includes. An example of this is the return of familiar faces from older Final Fantasy games. Another is in the form of soundtrack, in which players are able to listen to classic Final Fantasy soundtrack from previous games while driving. Isn’t that cool?
FFXV is a game that certainly captured my attention. Not only is it value for money in terms of being able to spend countless of hours in game completing various quests but it is a game that welcomes gamers both new and old in a way that reinvigorates the classic and extremely popular series.
FFXV also has its own expanded story told through multimedia projects which allows fans to keep up with the game’s mythos and lore through an animated series, a film (Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV) and future virtual reality downloadable content.
