I remember seeing the very early trailers for FF versus back in 2006 and adoring the concept of Noctis and his warping abilities, the dramatic cut-scene of him tearing his way through clusters of troops , and the encounter with 'Stella Nox Flueret'. I was so hyped as a new final fantasy fan at 13 , despite never owning an actual gaming console until I was 16 , and would spend hours trying to find more cut scenes and trailers online. So bearing this in mind I'm sure many of you shared my frustration when the game was cancelled after many long periods of silence from the media , however in 2013 they re-announced the game as FFXV. Looking back at the original cut scenes , in particular of the main 4 , they made a LOT of visual changes. Here's a video showing all the original cut scenes leading up to the released content. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkVYVpxNarU
As for the review , my goodness. Being a gamer who loves a good story line and an open world with plenty of side quests at every nook and cranny this game ticks all those boxes 10 times over. So here's my first ever proper attempt at a games review ( bare with me here )
BATTLES
From playing XIII and using turn based attacks i was slightly skeptical on how the change to free roaming attacks would affect my game play. I didn't want the game to be a button mashing blase of battles , as i wanted to feel like strategically gaining victory and not tapping my way through it - and I wasn't disappointed. Looking back on it now I'd far more want future series to have free roaming attacks , or at least have the option to have both that and turn based UI depending on what style the player prefers. One of my favorite features in battle is using your other teammates attacks just as an enemy is about to use a more powerful one - as nearly every time it prevents the enemy doing any damage. The link strikes are also very satisfying to unleash that final blow. That an of course the epic cut scenes when you activate your summon to completely destroy , or at least seriously injure your opponent. As a plus to get a really quick charge for your Armiger , i always use my Durandal for quick hits.
OPEN WORLD
The open world is beautiful and vast , I've many a time in a game session spent a good few hours walking round certain areas just to admire the hard work put in. This was something that in FF13.1 I was so annoyed at - as they had all this glistening scenery and you had a completely linear walk space (thank goodness they changed this in p.2 and lightning returns). I love the concept of time and how the scenery changes from day to night , allowing a new cluster of enemies to spawn and makes a perfect balance of completing quests and just farming for XP. Walking / driving around the open space may trigger Promptos photo spot opportunities so use those to get some nice snaps.
CAMPS/HOTELS
How this game differs from others is that you level up by taking a rest. There are camp sites located all over the place and will stay on your map after you visit it. Campsites and caravans offer Iggy to cook, that delicious meal he's been telling you about, to give you buffs and perks for the following day. For those of you who really want a big EXP cash in i'd suggest farming up atleast 100,000 exp and then visiting the hotel in Altissa for a 3x bonus.
DUNGEONS
Everybody loves a good dungeon. And there are plenty of them to explore around the map, ranging in difficulty up to level 99. I tried to attempt a level 99 dungeon at level 43 (please for the love of god and for your well being don't do that) and didn't get very far. Along with all the normal dungeons you also have the more tougher ones behind those secret doors you may have come across while farming. These doors require a key that you can obtain after clearing out all the regular dungeons and then speaking to Ezma at Hunter HQ , which will trigger the new line of quests. Please be aware these dungeons are far more tricky and DO NOT have map vision so you have to navigate purely on your compass to advance through. The enemies are tough but you do get some nice rewards after each battle , plus there are camping sites in each so if you're tired of fighting or loosing the will to go on they make good break points. For those of you who have heard about Pitioss , you poor poor souls , i would highly recommend looking at some guides as the interior is extremely complex and requires a lot of navigation to reach the end. I completed the dungeon in just under 2 hours, but bearing in mind i did a speed run and made the quickest route to obtain the genji gloves and black hood ( which is really the only items people seem to want ). Here's a video link for anybody who isn't so fussed about acquiring the smaller treasures , the guys really clear and gives good tips. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YxwHfnndPs&t=697s
SIDE QUESTS
What really makes me admire this game is the infinite amount of side quests that you can obtain, some of which are triggered after completing a main quest and others which you just so happen to come across after exploring an area. It great being assigned a mission and then immediately completing it as you realize 'oh , that's the object i picked up several chapters back and had forgotten about'. It's also nice that none of these quests have time constraints so you can pick and choose your schedule and switch whenever you want. Some side quests do offer some rather tasty rewards , so I would highly recommend following the quests for Dino who offers some sweet accessories for your team , and Randolph located in Lestallum who gives you some pretty hard fights but does give you the 5 legendary weapons on completion.
REGALIA
Ok , so this is where i have slightly more mixed views about the Regalia and driving mechanics in game. I was slightly disappointed to find out that on the initial release of the game that off - road driving was not a thing, which i understand at the time could be substituted with chocobos but still. ( Thankyou developers for your off road mode now you guys are awesome). Upgrading to Regalia Type F was both a blessing and a curse for me - as yeah it's fricking awesome taking off and flying around the map to view the scenery but it's the landing. THE LANDING. How it works is basically this , you cannot have ignis operate the regalia in flight mode - it is all down to you. In order to land you have to align yourself up with the approaching road and slowly ease yourself in - sounds easy right? Well for some yes it is , but for people like me who aren't particularly good with precision or direction - it is a 50/50% chance of death. If you inflict too much damage to the Regalia when landing the game is OVER and you ALL DIE. This did put me off using type F for a while , and as such made it impossible for me to complete certain objectives. However me being me i decided to face the fear and take her and the boys for a spin... to ... Pitioss... yes... mistakes.. ... In order to attempt the dungeon you have to land on a very very small stretch of road secluded by mountains and bumpy terrain , and it is probably the one thing that i nearly abandoned and vowed never to attempt. It took me 25 tries, and no that is not an exaggeration. How did i manage it? By somewhat a glitch in the system. I landed with the opposite of grace into the road and the car gave out an explosion, to which point im thinking - oh well i guess that's game over, but no. The car had taken 100% damage , so much so that after completing pitioss and returning to it I couldn't even activate flight mode. Thank the maker that the game has a 'tow car' option , because i would have been stuck there forever. I hope that in future updates they maybe change the severity of damage you inflict just to make some of us not shudder at the thought of landing in confined areas. But on the plus side i LOVE the customization features you can make with colors and stickers and such. Mines sparkly pink.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT
Those of us who played the game first time around had probably noticed a fair chunk of missing narratives here and there throughout the main story lines. Gladiolus decides to ditch you for a while and doesn't really give any information as to why and Prompto falls off the train and you don't see him until rescue. And then the episodes arrive! Episode Gladiolus and Episode Prompto have so far been great additions to fill in those narrative gaps, although i feel Promptos episode was slightly more in depth this time round. Many have asked for an episode Ardyn or episode Luna - and i too would definitely love to play from these character perspectives - however Lunas narrative is more clear in the Kingsglaive film. We're currently waiting on Episode ignis , which from other resources online have said 'they've saved the best till last' and apparently his episode ' has a large impact on the story of FFXV' , so needless to say I'm quite excited for this one.
IN SUMMARY
This is my favorite game of all time , currently starting my 7th play through and attempting to farm up at least 5 chapters of exp before caching in ( leveling up beyond 100 is a serious amount of grind!!) I hope my review has somewhat given you a positive outlook on the game, and i really suggest playing this if it appeals to you!
11/10