Final Fantasy XV (PlayStation 4) Second Opinion Review

One of the main changes that is obvious from the opening moments of Final Fantasy XV is that this latest edition seems to be a soft "reset" on the series, due to the opening screen signalling to be for newcomers to the series and previous fans. This seeps into the combat system, which borrows heavily from Square Enix's other acclaimed series, Kingdom Hearts, the simplistic and focused method of levelling up, as well as attributing to the overall feel as a fresh beginning.

Like Kingdom Hearts, only Noctis is controlled while his companions run and battle alongside him as pure NPCs. Battles occur in real time, with the newly-dubbed Active X Battle system. Gone are the days of fighting a battle using menu screens and multiple branching windows, and instead, Final Fantasy XV showcases the combat seamlessly. Noctis and his allies perform Link-Strikes, which results in extra damage to the enemy, while also adding a boost to the joint Link-Meter. A Link-Strike occurs when Noctis and an ally attack the same enemy at the same time, while the Link-Meter is the three-segmented bar, which is used to perform each of the companion's joint 'Special Abilities' once a portion of the bar has been filled.

Noctis can 'Warp,' which allows him to quickly transition from one point to another during the battle. He can warp directly at an enemy, performing a 'Warp Strike,' or he can warp to a safe point in an otherwise out-of-reach spot, upon which he can regain health and magic a lot faster. In addition, Noctis also performs basic attacks with his various weapons, of which up to four can be equipped and mapped to an arrow on the D-pad. This allows for quick transitions during battle, where he can swap out a sword for a ranged weapon to bring down a flying enemy, and such. Noctis is also trained to parry attacks, or block them with the chance to perform a quick counter-attack.

While potions, hi-potions and elixirs are useful items used to heal the party, health points (HP) also regenerate during the battle, and is sped up when Noctis finds a safe place to hide out. While traditionalists may find this a disservice to the difficulty of managing wares, it does result in some frantic and choice moments where a quick on-the-fly decision between slaying a vulnerable enemy or seeking a safe hiding spot can be the difference between winning a battle or dying. Should Noctis or his companions "fall" in battle, there is still a chance for them to regain their HP if a comrade can quickly get over to them and revive them. However, if no one gets over to him quickly enough, then he will die. That is nothing a phoenix drop cannot solve, though. The health- and magic-based potions and items are not rendered useless as much, although the reliability on using those is lessened as opposed to previous games in the franchise, due to the aided regenerative moments supplied in battle.

The final major change to the battle system is that fights no longer take place in a different "battle screen." Enemies now appear on the open world, and battles will begin should the brotherhood walk into the range of a group of enemies. This adds to the previously mentioned seamlessness of transitioning between battles and trekking through the map. To flee a battle, Noctis must simply run out of the on-screen range that is displayed on the map.

The overhauled battle system is for the better, and at least for this game, it works better than the previous menu-based systems. The change allows for quick and seamless battles, which add to the overall thrill of bringing down an enemy together. For a game that promotes the brotherhood, a lot of trust and reliance is weighted on the three companions, and rightly so, as they can each hold their own, while also sometimes having to act as the saviour in an extremely tough situation. The bonds between the characters is felt through the screens, as each of the characters really cares about their comrades, enough to put themselves at risk during the battles to save each other.

Gladiolus, Ignis and Prompto can be equipped with gear and weapons, while their Link-Ability special is also assigned. This allows for minor flexibility in terms of how prepared they are for battle, but are just that. Whereas in the previous games, such as Final Fantasy XIII, where characters are given specific roles in battle, such as a Healer or Sentinel, Final Fantasy XV does away with that job system for good, which does break from the tradition of the franchise. This is a gripe to an otherwise remarkable game. Characters could have been given specific tasks depending on the circumstances in a battle, such as "Heal A when their life reaches less than 30%," as seen in the Kingdom Hearts series.

Magic is also revamped, with Draw Points (DP) making their return to the series. Rather than performing the traditional magic of shooting fire from their hands, Noctis instead draws fire, ice and lightning from the Deposits found in the world. These elements need to be placed into a Magic Flask, upon which a limited number of uses of that spell can be performed. These flasks also account for weapons, so they can be equipped onto the D-pad, taking up a weapon slot. The way that Elemancy works is confusing to figure out at first; the concept is never grasped tightly, and in fact, magic is not even needed to complete the game, although it certainly makes battles against opposing elemental monsters easier.

Outside of battles, the four have a special skill they can perform exclusively. Noctis can go fishing, Gladiolus can pick up items during and after battle, Ignis can cook food, while Prompto takes photographs with his camera. Each skill serves a useful purpose to the overall style of the game, and if used properly, can be quite helpful. A 24-hour clock system is in place, where the day turns into night time, and the brotherhood requires sleep and refreshments to continue their adventure the next day. Ignis can whip up a meal for the night, which provides temporary stat boosts to everyone, and is useful before a really difficult boss fight. However, the dishes require food delicacies to be collected on the journey, and as such, catching fish with Noctis can greatly assist in cooking some of the more advanced, but highly rewarding, dishes.

The only other difference between day and night patterns is that the enemies that appear at night are at a higher level and tougher than the day creatures. Many towns feature an inn that the group can sleep at for a fee, or the many camp sites littered throughout the wild are also a handy addition. Using their camping skills, the group can recuperate while Noctis sorts through the photographs that Prompto has taken on the journey. This a nice way to document the adventure, and while it doesn't contain story-based text to accompany the photos, it does pay off if enough attention is paid to this feature.

The story begins with a simple premise, which quickly turns into a convoluted plot that fans of the series may come to expect. Where FFXIII had a handy in-game library that allowed for further knowledge into the world-specific terms and locations to gain a better understanding of the story, Final Fantasy XV lacks an equivalent. However, the quests give a good synopsis of the events and how everything leads into each other. The characters met along the way are full of life, and the dialogue on show here with the performance of the voice actors is the best for a Final Fantasy title thus far. Paired with the awesome music that explodes into a cacophony during pivotal moments, this is definitely a story worth experiencing.

The character development between Noctis, Gladio, Ignis and Prompto - from how they begin their quest, to the very end - follows a believable route. Nothing feels forced in their relationships to each other, and how they bounce off each other with their different personalities is a fascinating thing to follow. The weight that was put onto their shoulders in terms of nailing their voice performers paid off in a big way, with each character having a ton of personality behind them, as they adjust to the changing circumstances brought on by the main stories, as well as the side quests.

Radios are a good source of information to see how people are reacting to the changing news that occur from the main stories, and listening to the citizens talk amongst themselves about the hot topics help build the world of Eos. This is a world that is truly alive with real people going about their normal lives, and Final Fantasy XV makes it believable. As each chapter progresses the story and as the main characters change, so, too, does the rest of Eos, and following along with the progression of such elements is another feature that makes this latest game in the series such a marvel to behold.

To trek around the world map, the brotherhood has their trusty metal steed: the Regalia. The time spent in this car cannot be stressed enough, as a lot of the adventure consists of either manually driving the car to various locations, or getting Ignis to drive instead. Shops sell various CDs consisting of music tracks from all the previous Final Fantasy games, while the décor can be decorated to better reflect the personality of those driving the car. The Regalia is useful because it can also fast travel to towns that were previously visited, saving great portions of traveling time.

An abundance of side quests is on offer, as opposed to the main questline, and there is never a shortage of things to accomplish. Whether it's collecting items for a chef to cook a new meal, or for a farmer who wants enemies cleared off his farm, Noctis learns that many NPCs need assistance. While many may frown at the constant 'fetch quests,' completing these tasks solves the issue of having to grind instead. Money and experience are handy rewards, in addition to items and equipment, and completing these tasks can quickly result in many level-ups. Collecting dog tags of dead monster hunters, recovering Royal Arms from strong and difficult dungeons, and slaying monsters who threaten nearby towns are plentiful excursions away from the main story, and they greatly encourage exploration into the vast world of Eos.

The graphics on display in this technological wonder are of pure amazement. The realism in the way that the jackets and hair flow during battles or while running on the map, or the way that water flows down a stream is alluring to watch. The attention to detail at every turn is simply remarkable, as Noctis' stance changes when he walks down a hill, to climbing up a hill, to his recovery once he reaches a flat plane. The way Noctis turns his head in town to look at passing civilians or to read signs on the walls or on shop windows just adds to the realism of Eos being a truly living and breathing world with real people in it. While nothing is perfect, and slowdowns occur when Noctis runs through a bush, or graphical glitches where a man has two faces performing two different actions on the same body cause a few temporary setbacks from truly buying into this world, they are very rare. The cut and polish performed is a great feat forward for the franchise, especially if Square Enix can keep up with minimising the glitches.

However, such a technological marvel is accompanied by an extremely long load screen that occurs whenever loading a save, or during chapter transitions, or even fast travelling to previously visited locations. These can range from over a minute to sometimes a good two minutes of waiting, which greatly impacts on the otherwise "seamless" experience—but it's a minor gripe due to the enormity of what Final Fantasy XV offers. Another constant gripe that detracts from the gameplay is that the Cross (X) button is used to pick up an item off the ground or to interact with things. However, X is also used to jump, and trying to find that line between the two can be infuriating when Noctis keeps jumping instead of picking up the item. Trying to find that 'sweet spot' shouldn't have to be a further battle to take part in to perform what used to be simple actions to implement.