It's been a long time since Final Fantasy XV's reveal 10 years ago. But here we are, just one day before the release of Final Fantasy XV. Will it finaly restore the franchise's former glory? Let's find out in the first review for the game done by Gadgets 360.
Final Fantasy XV begins with a screen proclaiming that this game is for old fans and for first timers. Players take control of Noctis, the heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Lucis. Noctis along with friends Ignis, Prompto, and Gladiolus embark on a road trip to get married to Luna, an Oracle and former princess to fulfill a peace treaty. In what should be a straightforward story of a road trip with friends quickly turns bad when monsters, armies and gods are sent to make Noctis' life difficult. And just like past Final Fantasys, a huge catastrophe is about to happen and only Noctis can save the world.
According to the review the story is by far the weakest aspect of the game as players might need to watch a full length cgi movie Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, and a six-part Brotherhood Final Fantasy XV. The game still provides players some exposition on the story via cut scenes and some on the dialouge but Final Fantasy's narrative is huge that these are not enough. Certain events are shown through text in loading screens instead of of actually happening. This all makes following the story a pain even for long time fans.
But story aside, the game is phenomenal. The graphics and presentation are top notch. Players are given a huge world to explore and discover at their own pace. This a huge contrast to what Final Fanstasy XIII produced.
The main star for the Final Fantasy XV has to be the battle system. Following its predecessor, in applying a more action oriented battle system, Final Fantasy now has a real time battle system similar to the Kingdom Hearts series. Players only have control of Noctis, who can switch weapons on the fly. The weapons are all varied and feel different from one another. It adds another layer of strategy for players in battling. Noctis can also trigger special attacks with his friends resulting in an action spectacle the series is known for.
Character stats progression happens after sleeping at an inn or camping in the wild. Experience is gained through battle but only through sleeping that these experience points are allocated to stat growth.
Gadgets 360 gave the Final Fantasy XV 8/10 praising the game's combat, characters and progression. It criticized its confusing story and unmemorable music.
From the looks of it, Final Fantasy XV is better that last entry of the main series. But comparing it from the classic Final Fantasys, Final Fantasy XV does not hold up to them. A classic Final Fantasy provide great combat, graphics, characters, music and most importantly a memorable story.
