It's been a long time coming. I've been foaming at the mouth to play Final Fantasy XV and now that finals and classes are over with, I can dive into this game fully.
I was already hyped for the game due to the Florence + The Machine cover of "Stand By Me" and it's such a beautiful song for this game that perfectly sets up the game's main cast of party members: Noctis, Gladiolus, Ignis and Prompto.
To me, the chemistry between all these characters is what makes this game. They are four friends on a journey at first to head to Noctis' arranged marriage but when they find out their homeland has been invaded and taken over, they set out to take it back.
But what is so amazing about them is that I can imagine them similar to my own circle of friends. Gladiolus is the big brother of them all, the muscle, he is the foundation everyone relies on. Ignis is the calmer, cool headed one that keeps everyone in check and offers smart advice and Prompto is the energy of the group, keeps everyone on their toes and there's never a dull moment with him. Noctis is the one that surprised me the most out of his character. His design screamed emo avenger to me and I was ready to write him off since his supporting cast was much more interesting but he plays off of everyone else well. He makes jokes to make his friends laugh and he cares about them and takes his fair share of jests as well.
The chemistry between them all makes playing the game fun and I haven't even gotten to the combat yet.
The music in the game is fantastic. I thought Final Fantasy XIII had the best music of the series but 15 has stolen the cake. I can appreciate a good violin and this soundtrack delivered on all fronts. Getting into battles never felt so good.
Combat is one of the most satisfying experiences of the game. It plays a little like Kingdom Hearts but instead of a command list you get to switch weapons on the fly.
Noctis can use any kind of weapon ranging from spears to handguns. Each weapon has different effects and offers different strategies against enemies. One of the main facets is using Link Strikes where Noctis teams up with either Ignis, Prompto or Gladiolus to perform a special attack and deal more damage.
You can also use tech bar which lets Noctis command his friends to use a special attack that he can also tag in on and deal bonus damage. It feels good to command in the heat of battle and perform awesome moves. Magic is also a weapon but it can damage your teammates which I find to be an interesting effect not seen in a Final Fantasy before. Fire will burn and Blizzard will slow down and etc. It may be an annoyance to others but I kind of like it.
What hurts this game the most is the inability to take on multiple sidequests.
A mere quest to go hunt monsters that would take like 10 minutes now takes 30 or more because you have to report the completion back to the quest-giver and that includes running back to the location and then starting a new one.
I'm one for just loading up on quests and completing them all at the same time in the field and then returning to reap the whole bounty. You gain the ability to ride chocobo but that still takes a long travel time.
There's a part of the game where you lose the ability to drive your car and do side quests. That time is a NIGHTMARE. If it weren't for the beautiful landscapes and conversation between everyone while traveling, I'd be less forgiving of it.
Final Fantasy XV is an amazing game, the wait for all these years has been worth it in my opinion and I urge you all to play it yourselves.
