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!