Just got this on Steam!

FFXV has been gifted to me and it’s been a blast. I’ve only just started (just got the Regalia fixed) but it’s hooked me. I really like the party banter - all the guys come across as very charming in their own unique ways and feel like they really like each other without overindulging in pointless dialog. It feels natural. I like how important camping and cooking are, since it makes the whole tour just feel very organic. Also, nighttime is actually dark and scary. I didn’t realize how much of an issue Hollywood Darkness is in video games until now.

Will probably update now and again to let you guys know how I’m doing. If you’d like to share your experiences here to keep me company, by all means!

Glad you're finally going to get a chance to play this.

The relationship between each of the guys really was my favourite part of the entire experience. I'd love to hear more as you continue playing through; I'm very tempted to go back and see if I can't polish off some of the things I didn't finish last time, particularly now that there's no more DLC coming (:cry:)

One of my favorite things to do was just drive around listening to the radio. :bigsmile:

FFXV was a solid, decently entertaining game. Just wandering around and exploring was good fun. I thought some of the last parts were a lot weaker, but I don't want to spoil anything. I'll be interested to see how your opinion develops as you play more.

I will probably need to check this out at some point, just to complete the set.

I’m very slowly progressing the main story, but the world is very fun to explore so far, despite being pretty empty compared to, say, the Witcher 3. Hunts aren’t as fun as in XII because of the lack of additional side stories, but it’s still immersive enough because the hunts act as pretty much just pest extermination jobs and that alone kind of enriches the world. Had my first encounter with Goblins and wow were they evil little trouts. One thing that annoys me a bit though is the indicators on the field that keep telling you where what is and how many feet away it is. I wish I could just turn it off.

Overall, so far I feel the game has a very specific focus and is really good at it. It’s different from previous FFs, but that’s not a bad thing. I almost feel like nothing happened between XII and this - it feels like a way more natural progression than with XIII in the middle.

The PC version gives you the blade that does 9999 Dmg when you warp strike right?

Forgot the name. That blade is awesome!! :bigsmile:

Yeah I did get some pretty broken weapons at the start. It’s pretty funny

Yeah it's watching the bro fest unfold as you travel around that is the best part of the game. I wouldn't rush the plot because it's the little interactions among the team that really builds up the relationships.

Reached the end of chapter 1 yesterday, so some story stuff happened. I’m severely over leveled so far since the story mission was level 3 and I was level 11. But I don’t really mind, I always do it in these types of games. The worlds are just too fun not to explore.

Also finished Kingsglaive yesterday and it was... surprisingly decent? Like it’s not exactly my type of movie - I personally would’ve cut it down to half it’s length because those action scenes were overly long imo, but overall I liked it. It was coherent, the main conflict was pretty cool and I liked all the little shoot outs to previous FFs, with stuff like Ultros, Diamond Weapon and Knights of the Round. I do feel like I’m more immersed in the world now, though I have to say that overall Brotherhood was much more to my liking in terms of FFXV supplementary material.

Also just picked it up on steam. I originally played it to chapter 3 on ps4 when it first came out. The combat feels entirely different to me than 4 years ago. I dont know if I just forgot or if they changed it.

But is it better or worse for you? I’m curious because I have no means of comparing

I'm not sure. Its really different for me, almost seems more difficult? I don't know.

Make sure to look at those weapons available from the start. There’s the Ragnarok which like Christmas said absolutely devastated enemies when used in a warp strike

Will do. I didnt get far into it yesterday.

Also, graphically, my PC seems to have issues with the nvidia turf whatever. The realistic grass. I was sad. Guess this just means I can give my husband an excuse to upgrade my PC :D

Yeah I had to go slightly below average for it to run smoothly. But I’m not exactly ambitious when it comes to my PC specs, so as long as I can run it, I’m happy ;)

You’re making me want to play this again. I’m glad you are enjoying it though. All four members of your party are generally excellent, and I love the banter/relationship between them. It’s also a ton of fun to just explore as you do hunts and such. I also liked just riding around in the car listening to the radio. It all just really captures that road trip/camping trip feel pretty well.

My main issue is with the overall story, I think. I felt a number of moments and characters needed to be fleshed out more. Tabata did a good job, but I feel like he could have used more time on the game. It was really a lose/lost scenario for him though considering the long wait for the game, the super high expectations, and probably having to rush the game a bit. It’s honestly a bit surprising it turned out as good as it did in the end.

Got my first two royal blades yesterday. Had a lot of fun with Cor in the party - it’s interesting how the general tone of the banter changed about him. But yeah, overall Cor is very useful, very handsome, and it’s a shame his time with the party was so short. Though I heard there’s more of him in Episode Gladiolus, so I’m looking forward to that.

I only played the original, before the separate character episode DLC came out. So I'll be interested to see what you think of how they add to the game. I'm not sure I'll go back and replay FFXV with them considering everything else that's piling up on my gaming list, but Ive considered it.

I’m still deliberating on how to approach the DLC. Right now I’m thinking of doing episodes Gladiolus and Prompto at the appropriate points in the story, while leaving Comrades, Ignis and Ardyn for later, and then continue with XV’s postgame. But I might still change my mind.

Focused on the main story quest a bit and jumped from chapter 3 to 5. The Titan fight was very cool. Ardyn is really fun to be around, mostly thanks to the voice work. Now I don’t have my car and I’m honestly torn between doing side quests and following the main story. I like the side quests for the most part but I also kinda wanna see what happens next. And then I’m also worried that I’ll just rush through the game too fast if I don’t do more quests. But I guess now that my car is gone, riding around to do quests would be pretty hard. Chocobos are fast but not Regalia-fast.

Oh yeah I’ve also upgraded my Engine Blade twice now and it’s pretty powerful now.

Honestly, you should explore more with the Chocobos. There are quite a few optional dungeons and quest locations that are more accessible by chocobo than Regalia.

I ended up not listening to your advice but that’s really only because I played a bit more before reading if :p But now I’m at chapter 6, so I should be able to do some side questing now

One of the strangest experiences I've ever had with a game. I got it at launch and played a decent amount for the first week or so it was out, then got stuck and busy and didn't touch it again until this May after I finished VIIR. Started fresh and boy did I have a love/hate experience. I would pay good money to watch or read a documentary on the trials and tribulations and drama of making this game, that's for sure.

Got all the way to chapter 8. Did Episode Gladiolus shortly after getting him back on my party. Was nice to know what happened but overall I’m mixed on the episode. It has easily the worst incarnation of Gilgamesh in the entire series, with the worst version of Clash on the Big Bridge to go with it, and it’s really short. Like I don’t care because the Windows version comes with all the DLCs, but I can’t imagine paying for this as a story DLC. Gladdy’s story here overall isn’t that compelling either, but I still like him as a character and if was cool to play as him. He also played quite different to Noctis, which was a nice change of pace. In general this felt much less like an RPG and far more like a character action game, if one that’s a bit barebones. The area you visit was very pretty though and I absolutely loved having Cor in my party throughout and learning more about his backstory. That was easily the best part of the DLC.

Now i just need to beat the Score Trial mode to unlock shirtless Gladio :shifty:

Ok so I got my boat for Altissia ready to set sail. I know the game is about to get extra linear and I know I can come back to the open world later anyway, but it kind of still feels appropriate to do a lot of stuff first? Like I’m still missing four royal arms and three are in the open world, I’ve got quite a lot of quests started and look at all those hunts i haven’t done yet - I’m still just a rank 3 hunter!

So yeah I’m stuck in side quest hell/heaven (depending on your point of view).

Ah man, I know that feeling, but honestly, Altissia is probably my favorite part of the game.

I pretty much cleared out all the side quests I could before moving on. But I'd spent a lot of time messing about doing the side quests instead of progressing with the story so I may have had significantly less.

I also clear pretty much all the sidequests I could before leaving for Altissia, but yeah, Altissia is probably my favorite part of the game too. It's just so great!

Still in side quest he’ll but I just wanted to drop in and say that the soundtrack slaps and I won’t let anyone tell me otherwise. We do not deserve Shimomura

I’ve made it to Altissia. After clearing Costlemark Tower I jumped another ten levels and now I’m level 65 lol. I can’t wait to see the story move forward though so I’m excited!

Well I’ve beaten chapter 9 and was left completely broken. Then I played Episode Ignis and was broken further. Now I’m on the Pain Train and nothing is the same :(

Episode Ignis was thankfully excellent. Mitsuda’s music definitely helped elevate it but it also just made the efents in Altissia all the more meaningful and epic, not to mention just showing us how deeply Ignis really loves Noct. I did have to hold back tears near the end. Ignis is also very fun to play as. One gripe I have with the DLC is that I can’t say when the best moment to play it is. On the one hand, it really enhances the game when you play it right after it’s canonically happened and gives Ravus some much needed character development. On the other hand, it shows you some incredibly spoilery things from the ending. If you’re like me and have already been spoiled on the stuff from the ending, that’s not a problem, but I know my wife wants to play this later too and she’s super spoiled-sensitive. So I could just tell her to leave this episode for after the main game, but then she’d also be missing some of the scenes that were - let’s be blunt - cut from the original game. There is no optimal experience because of that now, sadly.

So I’ve reached the legendary chapter 13 now. We’ll see if it manages to break me. But I have to say, I have not been bothered by the linearity at all so far. It’s almost as if when I care about the characters and you build up an incredible atmosphere through how the game progresses, whether or not it’s linear doesn’t matter at all. I also had Episode Prompto to play with along the way, so that could’ve helped with the variety (it’s also my favorite of the episodes I think, though Ignis’ was also amazing), but yeah, so far I’m still immensely hooked. I’m leaving on vacation on Saturday so I may not be able to finish this now and will have to wait two weeks to finish, but that’s fine. So far it looks like ring magic is immensely broken.

I heard the ring magic was buffed but I remember it was pretty broken to start with. Does it just insta kill everything without a cast time now?

Everything basically dies on the count of three. And while death happens they’re just writhing in place. And then there’s this other spell that activates when I press Y that just nukes everything in sight

Chapter 13 didn’t really bother me before, but I think maybe it did feel like it dragged on for some people maybe? The changes they made did speed it up a bit. I kind of liked the change to the gameplay in that moment and kind of wished you had the option to play without the buffs to the ring to see what you think of the original gameplay.

I really didn't like the end part of the game. The linearity was definitely jarring after the rest of the game, but I also just wasn't a huge fan of the story at that point. Now I didn't have the character DLC chapters that you did, but I'm not convinced that would make a huge difference to me.

Honestly the Royal/Windows Edition is a very different and much better game than what the original experience was.

They fleshed out the story more, and inserted more clips from Kingsglaive in appropriate locations. You have the option of doing the DLCs where they take place in the story (rather than just having confusing gaps where the holes had been left for the DLC). Some of the combat gimmicks from the DLCs were worked into the base game, along with the ability to swap characters rather than just playing as Noctis with the occasional link strike.

Chapter 13 now is a lot better in terms of flow etc. than it was the original with the buffs to the ring and the change in pacing.

(SPOILER)And Insomnia was significantly adjusted too.

Comparing the Windows/Royal Edition to the original release is like comparing apples and oranges really.

I think if the game had released with the story enhancements of the Windows/Royal Edition (even sans-DLC), and the latter chapter adjustments and combat system overhauls, it would've got a much more positive reception in the eyes of long-term fans rather than the "half-baked" feeling it left many with.

So I’ve beaten the main game. That was incredibly well-done.

As I’ve mentioned before and can now confirm with certainty, I did not mind the linearity of the letter parts of the game at all as it was a steady descent into misery that later got beatufilly uplifted with some hope in chapter 14. Chapter 13 was slightly too long for its own good, but it did a great job of building tension and shaking things up, and then chapter 13 verse 2 really did a good job tying up some loose ends for the empire, alongside completing Ravus’ character arc.

And then in chapter 14 we got to see Cor again and that was very cool. I heard this section was pretty basic in the original release but now we really got to feel like we reclaimed Insomnia, what with the leftover bases, the Cerberus fight, and that little quest with the Comrades character I created earlier. That was fun. And then they added three of the former kings and queens as bosses between Ifrit and Ardyn with very nice little scenes with the bros added in there for good measure.

Honestly, as disjointed as it still is, I’d say FFXV feels definitely complete at this point, especially on a thematic level. I cried more than once at the end because it all just hit me so hard. I feel this game kind of does X’s premise better. A hero must go on a journey with their friends in order to save the world, with the price being their own life. Except this time it actually hits harder because there’s no loophole for you to abuse so that you get a happily ever after (that is, of course, until the Dawn of the Future novel came and just turned this into another XIII), the trip feels like an actual road trip with real people and you play a part in how that journey gets recorded (like seriously, I did not expect the photography mechanic to end up being such a guy punch). I already discussed this with WK, but I find it really fascinating how XV was stripped of all elements linking it to the FNC mythos, while thematically still remaining very much a part of it. In a way, XV is still very much what Nomura said it would be on a thematic level - the opposite of XIII. While XIII was all about going against fate (the quality of the implementation of that notwithstanding), XV is all about accepting it. It’s about a person claiming responsibility, despite it being very overwhelming, for the sake of the greater good. Because Noctis himself had nothing to do with the world ending up like this, with his ancestor doing what he did to become the first king, with the Starscourge making everyone around them suffer. He could have just raised the middle finger and said he’s not defined by what his ancestors did or what fate the gods subjected him to. But instead, he accepts it, because he’s a true king who loved his people. And so ends an era.

The most heartbreaking scene to me personally was the scene in the throne room, where Noctis sacrifices himself. Dawn plays here, linking it to the trailer of the same name, and it honestly wouldn’t be as powerful without it. I think being a father myself is a big part of it, but seeing Regis stand there, his back to his son as he’s pierced by the spirits of their ancestors one by one, with me remembering how he held his sleeping son, tears streaming down his eyes - it’s too much to take. And then he has to deal the killing blow. Regis’ tragedy is that he always knew he’d have to kill his son in order to save the world. It’s also a pretty interesting twist as Regis was accused of saving his son at the cost of his people before, but if only shows how he had the bigger picture in mind.

Also, I get why people are upset with Luna’s portrayal, but I actually liked how there was a clear theme to this romance, and that was longing. It’s driven home especially in the new scene they added where Luna post-humously helps summon the Astrals to destroy the barrier on the Citadel, where for that brief moment they have they run to each other, only for Luna to disappear. It all makes that final scene with the kiss and the logo changing all the more satisfying. XV may not be a love story in the traditional sense, as brotherly love takes center stage here, but I’d say Noctis and Luna’s love is beautifully tragic on its own.

I’m still not done with this game though. I’ve started Episode Ardyn and though I wasn’t impressed by the anime prologue in the slightest, the episode itself is actually pretty fantastic so far and I can’t wait to dig deeper into it. The freakiest part so far is Ardyn interaction with young Verstael, which is of course great because the empire deserves more screen time and Verstael only had a little time in Episode Prompto, but him actually having Prompto’s face just feels wrong, even though it’s exactly what it’s supposed to be. After that, I still have to do Comrades, there’s also the second Verse of Episode Ignis for some wish-fulfillment fantasy, and then I’ve got some post-game content to do. Omega, Adamantoise, Pitioss, Mellusine - those are the ones I can list off the top of my head, but I’m sure there’s more. I first have to figure out how to reach level 120 quickly.


Overall though, FFXV is now probably up there with VI and XII as one of my absolute favorites. It’s not flawless by any means, and I know the version I’ve been playing is not the game people who played it at launch we’re stuck with. And I can understand that it’s not for everyone, but even considering all that, I don’t think it’s fair to put it in the same category as XIII when giving examples on how the series has gone to trout. I can’t speak for everyone, but while XIII and it’s godawful sequel made me question why I even liked the series in the first place, XV absolutely rekindled my love for FF. I was reminded why I fell in love with it, why I stuck with it, and why it holds such a special place in my heart. In fact, I feel I may have another marathon coming up, a proper one this time. And it’s all because this game reminded me that Final Fantasy is something special.

Yeah I've long maintained that the Royal/Windows Edition is actually a very solid entry into the series and had it been the state the game was originally released in it would've got a lot less criticism leveled toward specific aspects of it.

I mean for the Windows Edition it was fine as you basically get everything apart from Episode Ardyn as standard. If you bought the PS4 or X1 game at release and plunged on the season pass to get the DLCs, you still had to cough up even more money to upgrade to the Royal Edition changes and content, and then Episode Ardyn on top - which basically summed up to effectively having to buy the game twice to get the better experience. So I can definitely understand some of the salt that still gets showered on XV by console players.

Let's just hope with XVI they get it right first time around and don't need to:

a) Basically rebuild the entire game (FFXIV)
b) Patch in a lot of significant gameplay changes post-release (FFXV)
c) Rely on DLCs and DLCs converted into a book to actually tell the core plot of the game (FFXV)

(Also have fun in Pitioss Ruins. :radred:)

Oh yeah I absolutely understand how people may still be upset with the game because I’ll be the first to admit all of the stuff that’s in the game now should have been in from the start. XV might be the most mangled game in the series, with so many harmful executive decisions made that it’s no wonder the initial reception was kinda sour.

In a way, I guess I’m lucky I waited. But the pacing is still off because of the disjointed nature, but I still can’t help but adore what this game is? I think the closest comparison I have on what I feel is with Xenogears - both we’re games that were too ambitious and had to be cut down, especially in the later half - and yet I still wouldn’t change how the game looks now. It’s something that touches me on a deep, emotional level, but it’s not really in spite of its flaws, as those flaws are inherently a part of what makes this a unique experience.

But yeah, here’s hoping SE learns their lesson and just makes XVI complete at launch. I’m just happy they seem to have moved away from the games as a service model haha

This thread has inspired me to pick up the Royal Edition at some point. It's also incredibly cheap right now.

FFXV had trouble from the start with all the delay in Versus then to be mostly remade to get to FFXV. But it's unfortunately not uncommon to see a release of an unpolished product to meet business targets only to patch it up over time. I guess I'm glad I waited on it!

As I said earlier, I really didn't like the last chapters of the game and the ending, but I also played it on launch and haven't played it since. Most of the rest was pretty entertaining though. I've been toying with the idea of getting the full edition though it's also dumb that that should be necessary in the first place. You gave a rather glowing review, so maybe that'll nudge me to actually do it.

I still can't imagine comparing it to VI or XII.

Tiny update on Episode Ardyn: I’m surprised at how much lore get explained here. I expected this to be more of a character study - and it is, and I’ll comment on that once I’m done with the episode, but I’m very happy with that aspect so far as well - but there’s a section in this game where you get to learn so much more about this world and it’s actually pretty great and makes the whole XV universe feel even richer. Again, all this should have been in the main game, but I’m happy that at least now we’re getting it.

One more thing that worries me though is that this game’s main segment takes place during Regis’ reign. I don’t recall anyone ever mentioning an attack by Ifrit and some super powerful dude on Insomnia at that time, nor does Regis seem to recognize Ardyn in Kingsglaive, so I have to wonder whether this retcon will be justified enough to not conflict with the main story. Unless this is just meant to set up the alternate timeline that season two was supposed to cover and is now only covered in the novel.

@Raistlin - yeah, I can definitely see it being a stretch and I am setting a high bar here. Too high perhaps. It’s very likely that most people won’t be as positive about it as I was, but to me personally, it just gave me a similar level of joy and satisfaction with the gameplay and themes. VI and XII are obviously still on top for me, but XV came closer than I ever imagined would be possible.

Ok, that’s Episode Ardyn done. I have some gripes but overall I really enjoyed it! The gameplay was actually really fun. Ardyn is just really fun to play as, being similar to Noctis but different in a few notable ways. Shadowstepping made him feel much more speedy and finishing off enemies through daemonification felt super rewarding. I also mostly really appreciate the story. As I’ve mentioned before, a ton of the lore is expanded and the game feels that much more complete thanks to that. I also think they’ve done a really good job with Ardyn’s characterization and backstory. I usually find it frustrating when a deliciously evil villain is given a tragic backstory to make him more sympathetic, but here it really works. Not only is Ardyn’s entire arc absolutely tragic in the classical, Greek sense (much like Noctis’ story is - seems to be a running thing here), but seeing him be kind in the past doesn’t take away from his cruelty later on. Part of the reason Ardyn is so fun to play is because it’s so cathartic. This dude is going on a rampage basically out of spite and you get to enjoy every minute of that violently gleeful revenge spree. Ardyn remains as bad as he was in the original game even with his tragic backstory expanded. So kudos for that since I really feel that’s hard to pull off.

Another cool thing that I liked was that we got to explore an un-ruined Insomnia. Feels like fan service for those who followed the game since it was announced as Versus. But herein lies the biggest problem of the game. Ardyn invades Insomnia with Ifrit in tow a good thirty years before the main game’s finale. There’s absolute chaos, and yet this is an event that no one remembers or mentions later on? It makes sense that his face isn’t recognized later since he’s in disguise, but it still feels like a pretty big deal that this happened. And then there’s the fact that you get to fight a younger Regis. I was under the impression that this wasn’t possible because Regis didn’t recognize Ardyn later on in Kingsglaive - but then I remembered he made a face as he saw him that could mean he did recognize him but said nothing due to his dangerous Ardyn was. Still doesn’t explain why Noctis got no warning. But then, Regis didn’t really get to tell Noctis a lot anyway, so ok, we can let that slide.

But then at the very end Bahamut shows up and he’s got a completely different air about him as he talks to Ardyn, and then everything clicked. This isn’t just a prequel to FFXV - this sets up Dawn of the Future. It is kind of infuriating to see Bahamut go from a legitimately incomprehensible god that seems mostly benevolent towards humanity, if demanding big sacrifices, to a generic tyrannical JRPG deity that says the characters have to fulfill their destiny while said characters say smurf it and proceed to defy destiny and destroy god with the power of friendship. If the taste of what happens in DotF has to linger, despite how I loved it, I think XV could’ve actually been better off without Episode Ardyn. Besides that’s it’s also just a reminder of how badly SE wanted to milk XV for the most money they could make of it instead of just creating the best piece of art that they can. But what can you do.

That said, I’m still happy XV had genuine artists on board who tried to create something poignant despite SE’s attempts to make FFXV into a service. Aside from it just being a fun game to play, I really love how the story plays out. Episode Ardyn is no different, despite my criticisms. Also, it’s got music that really surprised me, since I really didn’t know anything about who the guest composer was beforehand, so I didn’t really know what to expect. Turns out it’s Kenji Hiramatsu, who is the “+” part of ACE+, who were responsible for some of the music in Xenoblades 1 and 2, alongside Manami Kiyota, as well as Yasunori Mitsuda and Yoko Shimomura, who have contributed to XV themselves. There’s another guest composer, Taku Iwasaki, who is mainly known for his anime work (e.g. Gurren Lagann and Noragami) The music has been enjoyable throughout. I’m gonna finish this off by linking three tracks I feel stood out the most. Conditioned to Hate is what’s heard throughout most of the game and it’s a surprisingly gripping rap featuring none other than Lotus Juice. Then there’s the very Xenoblade-sounding guardian battle theme and I’m gonna finish this off with the very Mozart-esque main theme. Enjoy!

Well, that’s the main campaign of Comrades done. Overall, I liked it. I mostly enjoyed making an avatar and decking him out with cool clothes. But even though I pretty much just rushed through the story - which was quite minimal as most of my playtime was just grinding for the necessary map unlocks - I don’t think I’ll be coming back to see the side content here. This is for the pure and simple reason that this game is dead. During all the hours I spent here not once did I manage to connect to actual players, having to rely on AI companions. And while they were fine for the most part (though I still carried this team), I imagine it would be pretty impossible in the more challenging missions.

But while I’m kinda sad I’ll never be able to appreciate this expansion as intended, I’m still glad I played it. Made me feel even more connected to the world of FFXV, and it was a pretty nice bow to tie the whole thing together. So now I’ll just see the alternate endings to Episodes Ignis and Gladiolus and I’m back in the post game.

So I’ve finished up pretty much everything I wanted to. Did Pitioss, those dungeons for Dave’s mom, the hunts and Adamantoise and Omega. Ended up at level 112 by the end. Overall, I’m pretty impressed with this post-game!

Pitioss was immensely frustrating, but it was also so satisfying to beat. We’ve really never had a dungeon like this in an FF, and it’s really refreshing. It was pretty beautiful too, though personally I kinda wanna personally murder whoever thought those 45° platforms in the dark were a good idea. I was pretty sure I’d throw up most of the time. Still, it was endlessly engaging and stimulating and j never want to do it again.


The side quest with the dungeons was pretty long and tedious, but it was also kinda fun to get all the stuff there, and the Ring of the Lucii pretty much trivializes it all - if something isn’t vulnerable to Death, 99% of the time it’s vulnerable to Alterna. If anything, those dungeons were a great way to gain EXP since they were long but had camping sites, so it was easy to cook up some Lasagna al Forno for bonus EXP. the dungeon underneath Costlemark Tower was by far the most interesting as it didn’t allow me to use items. Since I could t cheese Alterna there, so it was nice to have to do it differently for once.

I wish there had been fewer hunts and that they’d be more fleshed out a la XII’s, but you know what didn’t suck? The Adamantoise. Not really the battle itself since Alterna worked on it (lol), but the buildup was incredible! It was so nice to see all the side characters come together, and you can finally see what all those vague little tidbits were all foreshadowing. The Adamantoise felt like big not just because of its huge size, but just because it was a big deal to Lucis in general.

And then we have Omega, the cherry on top. While it’s nowhere near as challenging as other FF super bosses, it is certainly the most engaging fight in the game. I had to use up pretty much all of my items - no cheesing Alterna this time - and I felt I just had to adjust my tactics at every turn. FFXV is a very easy game in general, but even though I didn’t lose to Omega once, it still felt like I really needed to pay attention. Also, it’s battle theme is a remix of the FFV battle theme! How cool is that!



Overall, I think it bears repeating that I really loved XV. Like really loved. It was a fantastic experience for me overall and it actually completely reinvigorated my love for this franchise. It reminded me why after so many years I still just can’t let go of FF. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me feel like I was part of something big. I’m a bit sad that a game with such an incredible world, lovable characters, and incredibly strong themes gets such a cold reception from the fan base, but I firmly believe that in time, it’ll become vindicated, much like other once-polarizing entries like XII.

So I’ll probably write an article about it soon, I guess. I’m also actually planning another marathon of FF in the near future - though I’ll be finishing some other games in the meantime as a palate cleanser. But before I start those new threads, if anyone is still here, let me know - what was your absolute favorite thing about FFXV?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fynn

But before I start those new threads, if anyone is still here, let me know - what was your absolute favorite thing about FFXV?

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I absolutely loved the world they created. It really felt like a real place to me. Even though it was criminally underused in the final game and you didn't get to see as much as they'd obviously planned originally (having only 2 real towns is a sign something's gone wrong in the planning), I just enjoyed exploring it so much.

I was so gutted when they canceled the second round of DLC, because I was hoping we'd end up seeing a lot more of the world. I wanted a Luna DLC set in the outskirts of Altissia, and I wanted an Aranea DLC set in Tenebrae when its invaded in the second half of the game! Those would've been great to explore.

Considering the content from those cut DLCs has been turned into that novel thing, and the fact the novel is a complete retcon that absolutely undermines the incredibly strong themes of this games, I’m actually happy those DLCs got cut. At least I can ignore the novel.

I didn't bother reading it. I thought they originally said that only the Noctis DLC was going to offer an alternate ending?

Did the Aranea and Luna ones do the same? If so then I'm glad they didn't bother too. I don't like any alternate ending stuff.

Yep all three (plus Ardyn to an extent) were meant to set up Bahamut as a big bad and a Screw Destiny plot.

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Originally Posted by Fynn

Yep all three (plus Ardyn to an extent) were meant to set up Bahamut as a big bad and a Screw Destiny plot.

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Yeah that's pretty much what Ep Ardyn did. Which I thought worked great as an explanation for Ardyn's character, but didn't really fit with the rest of the main story very well. It seemed to make Noctis' role in the whole story almost accidental. Like he was only the "chose one" because that's the time at which Ardyn woke up/escaped.

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Originally Posted by Raistlin

As I said earlier, I really didn't like the last chapters of the game and the ending, but I also played it on launch and haven't played it since. Most of the rest was pretty entertaining though. I've been toying with the idea of getting the full edition though it's also dumb that that should be necessary in the first place. You gave a rather glowing review, so maybe that'll nudge me to actually do it.

I still can't imagine comparing it to VI or XII.

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If you only played it on launch, you absolutely need to replay it with all of the DLC as part of your playthrough. I really didn't like it on launch, would've said it was just very average. Would've given 7/10. But the DLC fixes nearly everything. Fixes the massive plotholes, fixes the extremely short length of the game, and fixes the terrible pacing in the second half.
After all the DLC, I'd say it's more of a 9/10.

You have to make sure you play all of the DLC chronologically within the game though, that really works so much better.

Still, I feel episode Ardyn wasn’t enough to truly undermine it. Like yeah, Ardyn absolutely got dealt a troutty hand but Bahamut still doesn’t strike me as a malevolent entity. The Astrals kind of operate on a different set of morality than humans, but it’s still pretty clear Bahamut’s plan is all a means of ridding the world of the Starscourge completely. That Ardyn was the one that had to play such a thankless role - that’s just the part that makes XV a tragedy.


As for your advice to those who only played it at launch, I can’t decide whether I agree. I guess that largely depends on what exactly you missed from the original release. Like yeah it’s better to play, the plot is better told, there’s more world building, but if you were like mostly disappointed that Luna wasn’t a central character? Not so much. Two characters - Verstael and Ravus - really got their characters expanded to the point that they feel really important, but other than that, I’m not like absolutely certain every person who didn’t like it at launch will be on board now. The gameplay is the same - it’s much more refined but if you didn’t like the original like on a fundamental level, you still likely won’t change your mind.

Yeah it does depend on exactly why you didn't like the launch version. If it was because of Luna's largely pointless role in the game, then nothing will have changed. But it did fix both of my main 2 problems I had on launch day:
1) The story in the second half of the game was a complete mess, with so many important events just happening off screen, which meant you never really felt any of it was actually happening. It felt more like a weird nightmare you were going through.
2) The pacing was such a mess with the massive switch from open world exploration onto a very linear on-rails section up until the end.

In my opinion both of those were pretty much fixed. Between the Ignis and Prompto DLC, the "13 Verse 2" chapter, the added cutscenes and story section they added into Chapter 12 (I think that's where they added them), all of the story made so much more sense. As you say Ravus and Verstael feel properly fleshed out. The emperor actually shows up again, instead of just vanishing without explanation, and I also really appreciated having Cor (Gladio DLC and Royal Pack) and Aranea (Prompto DLC) getting a lot more screentime. They were both really interesting characters who just disappeared in the second half of the original game.

Then there's the linearity issue. This is probably the biggest improvement they made for me. Pretty much every DLC they added that takes place in the second half of the game makes it less linear. Ignis DLC is very open (bizarrely more open than Altissia in the main game, Lol), Prompto DLC is quite open, Comrades is extremely non-linear, and then the Royal Pack version of Chapter 14 made it a lot bigger and a lot more open. Even the upgrade they added to the boat makes the game feel less linear because now you can sail around the sea, and leave Altissia if you want (in the original you can only leave by fast-travel).

I’d still argue Luna wasn’t pointless. This game just didn’t have a traditional FF love story and Luna wasn’t a traditional FF heroine. The romance is there but the purpose is different. the focus is on the brotherhood and kingly duties, so Luna’s character is important, just not central to the plot.

Pointless is definitely the wrong word, but she has a really uneven place in the story. She's built up as being incredibly important, but then dies before we can really get to know her at all, and see any kind of real connection between her and Noctis. The death feels pointless relative to the story because we don't yet know as much about her as Noctis does, so we can't possibly share his reaction to it. Compare that to something like FF7 where we share 100% of the relationship between Cloud and Aerith, as we've seen every single interaction they ever had together.

But that’s the point - she’s not Aerith. Her role is completely different. She is the sacrificial lamb and she gets a lot of work done for Noctis so that he can progress. She knows that they both have to die for the world to be saved and has already made her peace with the fact that this is the part she must play - something Noct won’t accept until much later. The intimacy of their relationship isn’t core to the story, but it’s there and I honestly enjoy how subtle it is. The notebook, the dress viewing - the entire central thing about their relationship is unfulfilled longing, which I think is very nicely resolved in the post-credit sequence.

So yeah, her importance as a character with a personality is not that big due to the focus, but she still has a really big role to play and Noctis literally would not be able to progress without her.

Was it definitively stated that she HAD to die to save the world? I wasn't entirely clear on that.

Whether she did or not, I’m like 99% certain she knew. And she was definitely ready to do so.

I just liked exploring the world and enjoying the friendship of the party. They had great chemistry for the most part. I wish we could have got some more of the world, but yeah. I also really liked the monster designs. Again, I wish we could have got some more monsters, but I liked what we got.

May have to play some more tomorrow. Been playing it again off and on before i sit down to do Episode Ardyn.

It's annoying that they did direct sequels for FFX and FFXIII, neither of which really needed them but didn't do a FFXV-2, which could've been pretty damn good.
I'd have loved a second game set in the same world that added all of the areas that they didn't get round to finishing in the original. Essentially turning the entire world of Eos into an open-world environment. So you could be driving the streets of Insomnia and take off if your car-airship and then fly all the way over to Tenebrae. I'd absolutely love if they'd managed that. It feels like that's what they wanted originally.

Personally, I feel like XV is a perfect package as is and don’t think a sequel could add anything. I liked the world but I don’t really think it has that much going for it outside this game’s story, since if you do the side content, the lore is covered pretty extensively at different at points. I may have liked to explore more of the other continent, since I imagine that’s what they wanted to do before settling on the train, but tbh that latter half of the game was perfect in terms of pacing and just heightening that sense of despair.

And yeah, I did the monster designs too. Gotta love how pretty much all the daemons are based on classic Amano designs. I think most of them are taken directly from V - hello Garula! I’ll definitely take these designs over the overdesigned crap we had in XIII.

Well yeah but look at FFX and FFXIII. No indication at all that those required sequels. And their sequels were largely unrelated to the original games, except tying the story back in at key parts.

I could never get behind XIIi’s monster designs either. That was the first thing that drew me in from the XV demo though. I was super excited to see more Amano-based designs with the full game.

Looks like this section of the forum needs a new category people. FF16 is here!