I started FFXV

[Fynn]

I actually really enjoyed chapter 13. Having to rely on the ring was a nice gameplay shakeup. But imagine how much worse it was before the updates streamlined it severely.

[Del Murder]

Yeah I didn't mind that part, but the dungeon is so long and repetitive. Get keycard, open door, repeat, I've done that in games dozens of times. And there are only 3-4 total enemy types that are not very interesting (except that big gargoyle thing). The best thing about that section is Ardyn taunting you the whole way.

My 2 year old actually liked that section because he kept telling me which doors to go to. 'No, not that one. Green one!'

[Fynn]

But yeah, Episode Ignis is very nice, and so are Prompto and Ardyn. It’s really just Gladio’s that stands out as particularly lame. On that note, Episode Ardyn is meant to be played after you’ve beaten the game, ideally after also watching the short anime prologue to that that’s on YouTube.

[Del Murder]

Great, and should I read the manga too? And get the collectible action figures? Would that help me understand this game I already paid for?

[Wolf Kanno]

Great, and should I read the manga too? And get the collectible action figures? Would that help me understand this game I already paid for?

Only if you get the original Japanese version of the figures in their original packaging because the back of the box adds an extra line of story detail that will completely change how you see the game.

I need to invest in the Royal edition and finally replay this game. I feel I've let enough time go by that I can appreciate another run through.

[Fynn]

Hey, at least the anime is free

[Del Murder]

After we got through chapter 13 we decided to go back to the open world since it is more fun. We beat Zu and a few other higher rank hunts. That's really where the game shines for me.

[Del Murder]

I beat the game yesterday. I really liked the boss rush at the end, those were some emotional battles with great cinematics. The ending was also refreshing given that (SPOILER)Noctis actually died and wasn't brought back by the power of love or some BS. Very much unlike most FF games! Messing around in the WOR was also a nice change of pace from the earlier open world.

Overall I liked the game a lot. The first half open world was about as fun as I've had in an OWRPG. The story is a huge mess though. After learning Ardyn's motives I was still very confused by his actions throughout the game. I read through the plot of Episode Ardyn and he actually has a very compelling story. Too bad none of this was in the main game! Similarly, King Lucis, Luna, and Ravus all seemed like important characters but you have to go outside the game to learn about all that, which lessens their impact while you are playing.

Also they gave no explanation for the time skip and even after reading about it I still don't have it figured out. It feels like SE wanted this game to have a complex and overarching plot but ran out of time to get it all in the game. So rather than just simplify the plot to a road trip/coming of age/revenge story, they created all this side content to try and salvage it.

[Wolf Kanno]

Chances are a lot of plot confusion came from them repurposing the plot of versus XIII. Lucis especially felt more like a leftover from the original game that was contractually obligated to be in the game because he was prominent in the few trailers we ever got of the old game. I imagine Ardyn's backstory was also something in the original script that carried over, but the new team wasn't sure what to do with in regards to all the other changes.

I'm glad you liked it though. I was fairly pleased with it despite all the problems, and I've only played the Day 1 vanilla version and none of the DLC, so I'm sure it's a huge improvement over that. The bro trip part is certainly the highlight of the game for me. I feel like the theme of the FNC was to deconstruct the old Crystal theme of the early series by making the crystals/Light gods, just as much of a dick as the bad guys.

[remy5623]

I've only played the Day 1 vanilla version and none of the DLC

The story DLC is sooooo good - particularly Episode Prompto and Episode Ardyn. With each DLC episode, the team got better at storytelling. Those stories may be smaller-scale, but they were actually much more impactful and memorable to me than the base game.

[Fynn]

I mean, while I’ll agree Episods Ardyn is super good both in terms of gameplay and story, its story also has a big problem that mostly stems from the fact that it was supposed to be the first part of the new season of DLCs that lead to a new ending that, as Dawn of the Future has shown, was completely at odds with the game’s themes.

[Wolf Kanno]

I mean, while I’ll agree Episods Ardyn is super good both in terms of gameplay and story, its story also has a big problem that mostly stems from the fact that it was supposed to be the first part of the new season of DLCs that lead to a new ending that, as Dawn of the Future has shown, was completely at odds with the game’s themes.

I'm sure this is what the staff was thinking:

[Example]

I really loved the open world part of the game in Lucis, but found myself enjoying the game less and less the more it focused on its messy and quite clearly incomplete story. The chapter where you had to slowly walk around for blind Ignis to keep up with you was pretty bad, and Gladio became kind of a dick for no real reason.

[Del Murder]

If you watch the Brotherhood episode about him, it explains a little bit of how he can be such a dick to Noctis. However, (1) you shouldn't need a separate anime to explain the motivation of your game's characters and (2) they've been together for several years after that so it was still odd that he went right back to dick mode after Altissia. It's not like Noct sat on the sidelines during Altissia, he was pretty active and suffered a pretty big loss.

One thing that bothered me in the whole game was that if Noctis bumps into him while running around, he gets very snippy with a 'hey watch it!!' which doesn't seem like a good way to talk to one of your best friends.

[Fynn]

Honestly, everything that’s happened in Altissia had been distressing for the whole gang. Gladio has been well established as processing his grief through anger, so it really didn’t seem out of character for him. Did it feel unfair from the player’s or Noctis’ point of view? Sure. But people don’t always behave fairly when in a crisis. I feel it’s less an issue of poor writing and more just genuine character flaws showing through