note: i havent finished the game yet. this is a review about the gameplay, mechanics, etc.. i will update again once i finish.
TL;DR:
most JRPG fans know of the Tales series..
Tales of Symphonia
Tales of Graces F
etc..
these games generally have meh stories.. but a phenomenal combat system, decent environments, a massive world to explore, and interesting crafting.
thats essentially what we have with Final Fatasy XV... minus the crafting (we'll get into that in a bit).
FULL:
FFXV's world is massive. there is a lot to explore. you can do so in either a convertible or.. if you complete a certain side quest.. a chocobo.
both the chocobo and the car have their advantages and disadvantages.
first.. the car. the car is nice in that it essentially works as your travel hub. from the car, you can fast travel to certain points you've already explored.. it can also essentially work like a town portal from diablo.. as you can teleport to your car from most (not all) locations. so what you can do is park your car at an outpost. do your exploring, questing, and collecting in the surrounding areas.. and then teleport back to the outpost. one cool thing about the car is that it can be upgraded and semi customized.. you can increase performance, repaint the car, and collect multiple decals. the other nice thing about the car is the built in shop. you can buy most of your consumables like potions and elixirs from the car shop.. and you can also sell stuff from the car as well.. very convenient. the other nice thing about the car is that you have an extensive playlist as you are travelling.. there are a ton of soundtracks.. even those from the early games including the original FF and Final Fantasy VII. this is especially nice because sometimes you have to travel long distances, and the soundtracks make the drive bearable. as for driving, you can take the wheel yourself.. or you can let the car essentially drive itself.. unfortunately there isnt much difference between the two, as you cant drive off road. but if you see a treasure chest or cooking ingredient on your mini map and want to stop.. you can do so. personally.. at that point.. i'd rather park the car and go chocobo riding.. which, is what we will talk about next.
regarding the chocobo.. the chocobo gets unlocked after completing a certain side quest in the game.. and i highly recommend doing this as soon as you can. be prepared though.. as you'll have to fight your first real boss in order to complete the quest. once done though, you can rent chocobos for 50 gil a day. it may seem expensive but its way worth it. the chocobo will go offroad and can be summoned from most places with the chocobo whistle. as with the car, the chocobos can be customized.. you can change the colors.. but you can also feed them and enhance their abilities, such as sprint and glide. this is done through consumables which are used at campsites.
both the car and the chocobos offer their own unique benefits to the game and give you plenty of options regarding how you want to explore the vast world of final fantasy XV. say what you want about the game, but one thing that cant be ignored is that the world is big.. and you get access to a LOT of it early... having multiple means of transportation gives you plenty of different ways to explore the world.
regarding crafting.. the only thing, you, the player, craft is spells.. thats right.. you dont purchase or earn spells as you level in FFXV.. they are crafted. beyond crafting spells, you can collect ingredients which are used in cooking recipes which, when utilized, will buff character stats for a certain amount of time.
regarding spell crafting..
you do this by filling "flasks" with elemental energy. if you fill a flask with fire energy.. you create the spell "fire".. if you fill it with lightning energy.. you complete the spell thunder, etc.. you can mix and match the elemental energies to create various effects.. to get Fira, for example, you empty all 99 fire energy into a flask.. then use either continue using either of the other two elements and eventually you'll get Fira. the interesting thing about this is.. it can be done pretty much immediately at the start of the game.. all thats required is that you collect the energy. you dont have to earn AP or experience to unlock the ability.. there's a downside though.. for the first time (that i know of).. there is friendly fire in final fantasy.. so if you use Fira on a group of enemies while you are level 1.. not only are the enemies affected.. but so is your party if you get close enough. also, spells are essentially grenades.. they are thrown like grenades.. and you only have so many charges per spell creation.. generally you get at least 3 to start. elemental energy can be found near pretty much all campsites.. but occasionally you'll find them in other locations on your travels or while completing some of the quest lines.
onto spell casting itself..
spell casting poses an interesting dilemma in that it forces you to think about spell casting in a much different way than what you are probably used to.. from my perspective.. i see spells as situational.. they can be useful in certain boss fights... and can be great for taking out a large amount of imperial troops at once.. but beyond that its a gamble.. you really have to pay attention to how spells are used. im of two minds about spell casting.. i like that spells seem more realistic.. and i like that you are forced into thinking about spells in a different way.. but it does take away from the identity of final fantasy.. one of the hallmarks of final fantasy are mages.. and it seems that mages, at least from a gameplay perspective, are taking a back seat this time around.
onto combat..
the combat system rivals any JRPG combat system i've seen before. yes, its not turn based.. but its a ton of fun, and there is a lot of depth. its not mindless hack and slash. in fact, if you go into the game thinking it is mindless hack and slash.. you will die. in combat, you have two modes.. active and wait. wait mode allows you to (semi.. there is a timer) pause the fight to assess your surroundings.. you can scan enemies to get their weaknesses.. you can also use this time to target an enemy while battle is paused. the other mode is active.. which, as the word states.. you dont pause the action. the combat stays real time. IMO, either method is viable. but one nice thing about wait mode is the ability to know what weapon the enemy is weak to before attacking. there are skills that help with scanning as well.. but the nice thing about wait mode is you get that ability to scan right away.
but, of course, thats just the tip of the iceberg regarding combat.. one of the coolest parts about the combat system is warp.. you can utilize warp to teleport to various parts of the map and recover HP/MP (MP is consumed after using warp).. you can also use warp to attack foes and get a damage bonus. the mechanic is a little challenging to get used to if you have trouble aiming (like i do lol).. but if you can get the hang of it.. it can make combat a lot of fun.
the second really cool thing about combat is that your character can easily switch between four different weapons.. in the lower left corner of the screen you see 4 weapon slots.. just hit the corresponding d-pad button, and you instantly have access to the weapon. you can put any of the weapons in those slots you have access to.. and they can be switched out during combat. its a small but welcome addition to the combat system.
the other thing about combat is blocking, dodging and parrying.. there isnt a ton new regarding the system in FFXV... its pretty standard if you've played a JRPG before, but its executed well, the controls are responsive and not clunky, and it will force you to pay attention during combat... thats because, while this system isnt really needed at the beginning of the game.. it will become necessary as the game progresses and the mobs get tougher.
and if that werent enough.. there is a team mechanic.. as you progress in a fight there is a green bar that fills up. this bar allows you to execute the various abilities of your team members.. these can be anything from hard hitting sword skills.. to support skills which can recover HP and MP. also, the better you are in combat, the more likely it is that youll team up with your allies for an attack on your enemy.. particularly, when you successfully parry watch the animations carefully. some of the attacks are pretty cool.
if the above still werent enough.. at some point during the main story, your character unlocks the ability to empower his weapons.. basically he combines the powers of his royal relics and, for a short time, grants huge bonuses to attack and HP recovery. this kind of skill is nothing new.. but, as with dodge/parry, it was implemented well and it adds an additional strategic element to the game.
and if that STILL werent enough, the above doesnt count the amount of weapons you have access to.. accessories.. SUMMONS (they make a return), etc.
so, while the combat isnt turn based.. there is a lot to it. it combines familiar final fantasy elements such as summons and limit breaks (thats essentially what the team skills are.. along with your character's ability to empower his weaponry).. but the action oriented combat adds a new element to the series, and if you are a fan of JRPGs, a familiar, yet fresh system thats far from boring.
onto the graphics..
the graphics are what we've come to expect from a final fantasy game.. say what you want about the final fantasy XIII series.. the games might have been crap.. but they sure looked good.. FFXV looks even better.. and generally plays good too. the environments are awesome.. the character models are well done.. and the mobs are varied. the world feels alive, and even on a 1080p TV (not 4k).. it just looks awesome.
onto the characters..
are the characters jpop? yeah. thing is.. name ONE JRPG or heck even ONE final fantasy game that ISNT jpop in one extent or another. to me, this game doesnt seem all THAT different from the tales games ive played or seen.. it doesnt seem that different from star ocean.. it doesnt even seem that different from final fantasy VII or X.. obviously the graphics are much better now.. so the characters LOOK more jpop than ever before.. but beyond that.. not sure what the fuss is all about.
the one thing i am a little disappointed in though.. i wish one of the characters in our party was female. not because of some social justice warrior nonsense.. but because its a staple of the series. female playable characters have always been a big part of not only final fantasy.. but JRPGs in general. it just doesnt feel right when that's missing... and yes, technically there is a point where a female temporarily joins the group.. but its only for a short time.. and there is no customization for her.
overall
RECOMMENDED.
i still need to complete the story..and i want to see how the other boss battles are.. but what i've seen so far is REALLY good from a gameplay perspective.. yes, we have jpop characters.. yes, story is meh at best.. but the gameplay.. at least up to this point is extremely well done.. and thematically it looks great.. and the graphics overall are some of the most impressive in the series to date.
i will update this review once i finish the game.. but, at least for now, this a great addition to the series.