Final Fantasy XV - Part 1

You know what I like? Road trips. I also like Final Fantasy games. Though both have been elusive. Road trips cost a decent amount of money and take a good amount time to do. Most Final Fantasy games have been hard to come by on PC (up until recent years) and also take a good amount of time to play. Lucky me that the newest offering in the series, Final Fantasy XV, has come to PC in a prompt manner and is a road trip game! So let's hop in the passenger seat and enjoy the sights.

It's been a long time since I played a game with a scope as large as FFXV. There is a level of commitment that these huge open world rpgs have that I don't really dip into much anymore, rather I spend my time with shorter more concise experiences. Regardless everything I had heard and seen about FFXV really made me curious.

The game drops you in hard with little explanation of what is going on. I haven't seen the prequel movie or read the prequel manga so...well actually it's not that hard to figure out what is going on. You play as Noctis, son of the king and the game starts with you heading out on a journey to the neighboring kingdom to marry someone their who will help foster peace between the two lands. Also you brought your friends with you. 

They hit all the archetypes with this one (as is more or less usual for FF games). There is Gladiolus, the strong but gentle one. Ignis, he wears glasses so you know he 's the smart one, also is a cook. Your entourage is rounded out with Prompto, seemingly the youngest, who is both lazy and excitable and also the photographer of your road trip. As the main character Noctis is sadly just the overly stoic and serious one. 

For this first part look I am just going to write about the first two chapters, basically the intro to the game. I will go light on story spoilers.

FFXV sets you up good right from the start. Amazingly well rendered cut scenes, beautiful in-game graphics, music that is both new and familiar to FF fans. The first 20 minutes of the game play out like the start of movie, even giving you a title card. The level of quality is crazy thick. I am not sure if the english voice acting is any good as I switched it to japanese voice with english subs before even starting, because I am not a heretic, but I can assume for those of that ilk it's as well done as can be in a video game.

Systems, JRPGs are full of them, combat, leveling, magic, items and more with FFXV being no exception. This game does a great job of introducing them slowly and with lots of info, even the very well done tutorial can be re-accessed any time during the game if you need a refresher on anything. Hints and tips pop up consistently when relevant to help keep the needed knowledge up front. It has the depth that long time fans want but the accessibility for those newer to the world of FF games.

The core game play has you running and driving around a large open world starting area gathering quests and exploring. Some quests are important and move the story along, others are just the epitome of side activities. The map and other navigation systems work great to help you get where you want to go. 


There is a lot of combat in FFXV, and initially it will be against a small variety of enemies, as these game tend to be at the start. It is kept fresh by how quick and dynamic the battles are. Unlike most older FF games the fighting is all real time (well except for the "Wait" function - my advice - turn this option ON!) with you controlling Noctis and your buddies acting on their own. I variety of attack options, including combos that execute when you are near said friends and even interactive special moves keep it exciting. A variety of weapons and a spell crafting system add more to your arsenal.

Successful battles earn you experience, but you don't cash in on those right away, instead you have to rest to get it. With a full day/night cycle (and a very dangerous night cycle at the games start) spending those late hours in a hotel or rented trailer will give you an experience boost and pass the time till morning. As an alternative you can find camping spots, where Gladiolus will set up the tent and gear (sponsored by Coleman, not even kidding) and then Ingis will make dinner from his ever increasing recipe book (as long as you have the ingredients). 

Going to stop now and talk about the food in FFXV. Yes each meal gives you bonuses for a certain amount of time but that's not really anything special. What is special is the level of graphical detail the food is rendered in. It's insane. If eggs that if rendered any higher would make you cry. Every time you eat it gives you a mini cut scene featuring the food. It is both awesome and bizarre. 

Once dinner is ready you get to look at all the photos that Prompto took during the day. These are dynamically taken screenshots from when either the game thinks something cool is happening or just when interesting elements match up. Also selfies. Prompto likes his selfies.

While chapter 1 introduces the players to the world, the characters and the systems, chapter 2 is where the game kicks off and sets the ball in motion story wise. You go from having a nice road where you hang out with buddies and have a good time to deep in it. The conflict and the....oh never mind. Yes the story takes a turn at the start of chapter 2 but like all big open world games outside of actually doing the specifically related quests you are still free to run around do explore the world in any way you want. It is a silly trope, but I still appreciate being to do things in my own time in a game like this. 

At the time of this writing I have finished the first two chapters and am now in the much larger more open chapter 3. I am still amazed at how much unique content I am running into, there is so much specific dialogue - even just between you and your friends when running/driving around. Yes I could fast travel, but the 2-3 minute drive is both nice looking and relaxing and as an added bonus I get to mess with the radio and listen to character conversations. Ignis has bugged me about fixing a button on my shirt 3 days in a row now, with different dialogue that is a continuation of previous days responses. 

So far FFXV has been a huge open world RPG, but I have seen those before, but the added level of bespoke content is ridiculous. And I am enjoying every minute of it. As I play through more I will be writing additional parts.