Final Fantasy XV
Posted: January 24th, 2017, 1:47
Final Fantasy XV - PS4, XBone
What is it?
Ok, this is a game that was announced way back in 2006 as Final Fantasy versus XIII - an actiony companion game to Final Fantasy XIII, perhaps in the vein of Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- and Final Fantasy Type-0. But it didn't turn out like those games, nor like Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, which despite being a bit actiony was more like the dressphere (dress-up-dolly) mechanic of Final Fantasy X-2. While it retained a few themes from that original announcement, its style and setting have nothing to do with Fabula Nova Crystallis - the FFXIII setting. It is a new entry in the main series, not a spin-off, so while it has some surprising differences, there's a lot that is familiar, too.
Also it looks great, as you would expect
Well that wasn't very helpful at all, what is it actually like?
For those who know their FF games, there'a lot to recognise. The money is gil, phoenix down potions bring people back to life, spirits with familiar names get summoned, chocobos, moogles, cactuars and tonberries feature. People use swords to fight and magic exists alongside actual real gods/spirits, but they also have modern conveniences such as communication devices and transport.
The most jarring difference though is that rather than the cars, TV and phones being explained away as magical, they seem to work the same way as our ones do. Instead of being a pseudo-medieval world that uses magic to replace technology, they seem to be a fallen civilisation that has partly forgotten technology, partly lost it as part of a strange plague and war.
The other is that the combat is now wholly real-time and controlled by pressing buttons at the correct time, rather than selecting menu items in your own time. At first this sounds like they have completely ruined the entire franchise at a stroke, but they haven't. They really haven't - it can take a while to click, and can depend on how many more recent titles you've played, but ultimately it feels like a natural, perhaps even a necessary progression of the ATB system.
Combat looks like this
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80kIqwfOnU8[/youtube]
So, er.. about that combat?
I did not like it much to begin with, but I really grew to love it. I have always preferred turn-based RPGs to Action RPGs (where you are mashing buttons all the time) but the problem with turn-based battles is that they are so slow. What I really like best are hybrid systems like in the Tales of.. games, Ni No Kuni and even Dragon Age where you issue a command or hold a button to start an action, and that continues semi-under AI control while you manage the bigger picture - you don't issue a command for each sword swipe, just for example say attack with sword until I say now attack with magic instead.
You control the main dude, Prince Noct, only. His three AI buddies fight with you and can be issued special moves occasionally, most of which link up with you. There are seven weapon types and four elemental magic types, which you can see me scanning for at the start of the video above - it's a rock-paper-scissors deal - the bees above hate 1H swords, guns and ice. Elemental types can be combined with weapons as well as cast as spells. Then, basically you hold Circle (B) to attack and control movement with the left stick, holding Square (X) to block, followed by Cross (A) to parry. It's perfectly simple without being too mashy, but with a lot of depth hidden in how you work the stick and timing.
There are two more cool mechanics, also shown in that video above. The glowy weapons around me are the magic weapons you collect as part of the story - effectively your limit break in FF parlance. The second is you'll notice I am "point warping" around using the Triangle (Y) button - this is an ability only you have to throw a weapon and teleport to where it lands, increasing damage and causing staggers as distance increases. Both are bloody great fun to use.
not-faaabulous
Ok, I'm bored now what sucks about it?
It is a bit..bromance. It's mostly about your main guy character and his three guy friends and how they interact. Most of the other characters, notably the female ones, are overtly one-dimensional.
Some major characters have offscreen deaths. Not even cut scenes.
Chapter 13 (there are 15) is balls. It's a boring corridor level that removes your offensive abilities in favour of a sneak and hide mechanic. The new thing they give you is buggy and poorly-explained.
Chapters 9 through 15 are very linear and often very short, compared to the gradually-opening world of all the previous chapters they feel out of place and jarring. You can time-travel back to the open world to finish up quests, but it feels shoehorned in - the later chapters should have been missions you go on within the open world. There are some very cool scenes I'm glad they included, but it was a very literal train journey straight to the end game once you complete chapter 8.
Bad guys turn up in drop ships a few too many times at some points when you're searching for things in a vague area.
Some things are night-only and it doesn't always tell you and night is scary.
The camera and fights in tight spaces can be very frustrating, and there are some deliberately tight areas with far too many monsters in.
There is product placement. I mean seriously. It's a fantasy world. FFS.
You don't see the summons very often, some only once and possibly never if you don't trigger the state required for them to be an option.
also not-faaabulous
Anything else?
Um you can customise you car and your chocobos.
The warp strike is a great mechanic.
You can initiate battle just by starting to attack, or just leave the area if you don't want to fight, after checking out the enemies.
The summons are amazing.
I had optional quests to spare but didn't feel I had to do them in order to be powerful enough to take on the endgame.
There's an arena where you can bet on monsters fighting each other, which while not without issues really showcases how the monster attacks work, which you don't always notice when battling them.
Summary
A proper open-world RPG, where the fighting is actually fun. Let down a little as they couldn't quite link up the epic set pieces near the end with the open world bit in the start. No grind for story-related outcomes, mostly very enjoyable.
flaming
What is it?
Ok, this is a game that was announced way back in 2006 as Final Fantasy versus XIII - an actiony companion game to Final Fantasy XIII, perhaps in the vein of Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- and Final Fantasy Type-0. But it didn't turn out like those games, nor like Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, which despite being a bit actiony was more like the dressphere (dress-up-dolly) mechanic of Final Fantasy X-2. While it retained a few themes from that original announcement, its style and setting have nothing to do with Fabula Nova Crystallis - the FFXIII setting. It is a new entry in the main series, not a spin-off, so while it has some surprising differences, there's a lot that is familiar, too.
Also it looks great, as you would expect
Well that wasn't very helpful at all, what is it actually like?
For those who know their FF games, there'a lot to recognise. The money is gil, phoenix down potions bring people back to life, spirits with familiar names get summoned, chocobos, moogles, cactuars and tonberries feature. People use swords to fight and magic exists alongside actual real gods/spirits, but they also have modern conveniences such as communication devices and transport.
The most jarring difference though is that rather than the cars, TV and phones being explained away as magical, they seem to work the same way as our ones do. Instead of being a pseudo-medieval world that uses magic to replace technology, they seem to be a fallen civilisation that has partly forgotten technology, partly lost it as part of a strange plague and war.
The other is that the combat is now wholly real-time and controlled by pressing buttons at the correct time, rather than selecting menu items in your own time. At first this sounds like they have completely ruined the entire franchise at a stroke, but they haven't. They really haven't - it can take a while to click, and can depend on how many more recent titles you've played, but ultimately it feels like a natural, perhaps even a necessary progression of the ATB system.
Combat looks like this
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80kIqwfOnU8[/youtube]
So, er.. about that combat?
I did not like it much to begin with, but I really grew to love it. I have always preferred turn-based RPGs to Action RPGs (where you are mashing buttons all the time) but the problem with turn-based battles is that they are so slow. What I really like best are hybrid systems like in the Tales of.. games, Ni No Kuni and even Dragon Age where you issue a command or hold a button to start an action, and that continues semi-under AI control while you manage the bigger picture - you don't issue a command for each sword swipe, just for example say attack with sword until I say now attack with magic instead.
You control the main dude, Prince Noct, only. His three AI buddies fight with you and can be issued special moves occasionally, most of which link up with you. There are seven weapon types and four elemental magic types, which you can see me scanning for at the start of the video above - it's a rock-paper-scissors deal - the bees above hate 1H swords, guns and ice. Elemental types can be combined with weapons as well as cast as spells. Then, basically you hold Circle (B) to attack and control movement with the left stick, holding Square (X) to block, followed by Cross (A) to parry. It's perfectly simple without being too mashy, but with a lot of depth hidden in how you work the stick and timing.
There are two more cool mechanics, also shown in that video above. The glowy weapons around me are the magic weapons you collect as part of the story - effectively your limit break in FF parlance. The second is you'll notice I am "point warping" around using the Triangle (Y) button - this is an ability only you have to throw a weapon and teleport to where it lands, increasing damage and causing staggers as distance increases. Both are bloody great fun to use.
not-faaabulous
Ok, I'm bored now what sucks about it?
It is a bit..bromance. It's mostly about your main guy character and his three guy friends and how they interact. Most of the other characters, notably the female ones, are overtly one-dimensional.
Some major characters have offscreen deaths. Not even cut scenes.
Chapter 13 (there are 15) is balls. It's a boring corridor level that removes your offensive abilities in favour of a sneak and hide mechanic. The new thing they give you is buggy and poorly-explained.
Chapters 9 through 15 are very linear and often very short, compared to the gradually-opening world of all the previous chapters they feel out of place and jarring. You can time-travel back to the open world to finish up quests, but it feels shoehorned in - the later chapters should have been missions you go on within the open world. There are some very cool scenes I'm glad they included, but it was a very literal train journey straight to the end game once you complete chapter 8.
Bad guys turn up in drop ships a few too many times at some points when you're searching for things in a vague area.
Some things are night-only and it doesn't always tell you and night is scary.
The camera and fights in tight spaces can be very frustrating, and there are some deliberately tight areas with far too many monsters in.
There is product placement. I mean seriously. It's a fantasy world. FFS.
You don't see the summons very often, some only once and possibly never if you don't trigger the state required for them to be an option.
also not-faaabulous
Anything else?
Um you can customise you car and your chocobos.
The warp strike is a great mechanic.
You can initiate battle just by starting to attack, or just leave the area if you don't want to fight, after checking out the enemies.
The summons are amazing.
I had optional quests to spare but didn't feel I had to do them in order to be powerful enough to take on the endgame.
There's an arena where you can bet on monsters fighting each other, which while not without issues really showcases how the monster attacks work, which you don't always notice when battling them.
Summary
A proper open-world RPG, where the fighting is actually fun. Let down a little as they couldn't quite link up the epic set pieces near the end with the open world bit in the start. No grind for story-related outcomes, mostly very enjoyable.
flaming