Final Fantasy XV

[Shadow Fire]

Director: Hajime Tabata

Producers: Shinji Hashimoto

Music: Yoko Shimomura

Starring: Ray Chase, Amy Shiels, Chris Parson, Adam Croasdell, Robbie Daymond, Jim Pirri, Daryn De Paul

Rating:


Plot

For many years, the Kingdom of Lucis has been at war with the militaristic Niflheim, who has brought nearly all of Eos under its dominion. Lucis's capital city of Insomnia remains unconquered due to the Wall—a magical shield powered by the Crystal that keeps Niflheim's Magitek army at bay, but drains the king of his life-force. An armistice is declared between the two nations, and a political union is proposed via a marriage between Prince Noctis of Lucis and Lady Lunafreya of Tenebrae. However, while Noctis, along with Gladiolus (his bodyguard), Ignis (his driver and cook), and Prompto (his schoolyard friend) are on their way to Altissia, where the wedding is to take place, he learns that Niflheim has betrayed Lucis, and attacked, and that his father, Lunafreya and himself have been announced as dead.

 

Now tasked with retaking his homeland, Noctis must traverse treacherous lands. Only time can tell if he will succeed.

Review
 

10 years. That's about the length of time this game has been in development for. As someone who's been fond of the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy, I was excited when the game was announced as Final Fantasy Versus XIII, and would tie in to the FFXIII universe. However, the game was delayed time and time again. Finally, a few years ago, we received a trailer, which rebranded the game to Final Fantasy XV. Needless to say, I was even more excited. When I finally got my hands on my copy (the Deluxe Edition, heheh), I couldn't wait to get started. I'd played all the demos that were put out before the game's eventual release, and I knew that if they were anything to go off, this game would be amazing.

 

Firstly, the visuals in this game are breathtaking. The environments have amazing depth to them, and the attention to detail is quite immense. Once again, this series shows off its gravity defying hair, and gorgeous (though somewhat strange) outfits. Monster models are stunning.

 

The gameplay is wonderful. I wish I could say flawless, but there have been a few bugs I've run into which have either caused the game to crash, or force me to reload because of a glitch. Thankfully, it hasn't happened too much. The controls are pretty simple to get used to, and with an immersive, open world to explore, it's easy to lose track of time. Also, you can drive a car, and while it is somewhat on rails, with limited controls, it's still extremely fun, going on a road-trip.

 

The music, composed by Yoko Shimomura (she's also the music composer for the Kingdom Hearts games, so bonus!), is quite fitting, and can really help to accompany the emotions of a scene. The voices are wonderful, and for once, you get the choice of four languages to choose for vocals: English, Japanese, French, and German. In what is something rare for me, I have played the game with English vocals, and find them to be quite pleasing to listen to. The icing on the cake is the ability to listen to a playlist of tracks from previous Final Fantasy games, while driving. While it doesn't have all the tracks I'd have liked, there is still an amazing selection.

 

The combat system has been likened to Kingdom Hearts, and while that is somewhat true, there's also a vast difference. The battle menu is (mostly) non-existant. Similarities are that you only control Noctis, and if his maximum HP reaches 0, it's Game Over. Noctis can hold 4 weapons at once, which you select with the D-pad, by pressing the assigned direction. Enemies are usually free-roaming, though at night-time (and in dungeons), daemons will appear. Depending on circumstances, you can leave combat by running away from the combat area.

 

Magic is handled quite differently, in that you must craft it. Out in the world are deposits of fire, lightning, and ice elements, which you can absorb and use to craft your spells. Naturally, the more elemental energy you use, the more powerful the spell. However, items can also be fused into the spell to change its effects. For example, fusing a Potion into an elemental spell will cast said spell like normal, but you will also heal Noctis of battle damage. The more items you use, or the more powerful the item, the more powerful the effect.

 

Finally, how could I talk about a Final Fantasy title without mentioning its story? While I'm not going to spoil anything, I will state that it is extremely powerful, and has the sole achievement of making me cry, unlike other games, which have brought out tears of rage. The game throws out twists and turns, and can be quite overwhelming, but it wouldn't be a Final Fantasy title if it didn't. However, the more engrossed you become, the deeper the connection you have, so there is genuine emotion. Square Enix put a great deal of care into this story, and I was very happy with it.

Overall

I knew Final Fantasy XV would be a great game, but it has risen to become my favourite of the main numbered, single player titles of the series. That's not to say that it's perfect. Like I mentioned before, there were some critical bugs I encountered, but in addition, there are some parts of the game which became infuriating for me. Granted, it was end-game content, and admittedly, I suck, especially when I'm trying to get through content quickly. Nonetheless, I enjoyed this game immensely, and have already put in almost 150 hours at the time of this review. If you're a fan of the series, I recommend this game. Hell, if you're not, I recommend it anyway.

[mzxrules]

it amazes me how long it's taken to release this game. I remember reading about it in the same magazine covering Twilight Princess before it's original release.