Final Fantasy XV was an interesting game, to say the least. The series’ first entry in the eighth generation of consoles, hopes for this were high, especially since it was ditching the Versus XIII title. Unfortunately, what fans ended up with was a hodgepodge of ideas that left fans with mixed reactions and a story that felt like plenty of material was abandoned on the cutting room floor.
Despite all of this, I do think that Final Fantasy XV is a good game overall. It got even better once QOL patches and some substantive DLC were released to make the story easier to follow. However, if you need paid DLC to make the story easier to follow, that’s not a good thing.
Open-World Final Fantasy
One of the most talked-about elements of this game is how it was the first open-world Final Fantasy. Most of these titles tend to be linear, from classics like X to misunderstood entries like XIII, so seeing this entry go all the way with that was interesting. For the most part, this game’s open world is lively and fun to go through, as it’s neat fighting classic FF enemies in a more modern setting.
Some have also argued that Square Enix wants you to rush through the story so players can explore the open world of Final Fantasy XV more. Considering how a lot of the missions feel more linear and straightforward, this is a decent sign of that argument. It’s a method that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth would follow, albeit with better combat.
Whenever You’re in Trouble, Won’t You Stand by Me?
Easily the best aspect of this game is the bond between protagonist Noctis and his buds, Prompto, Gladio, and Ignis. From that opening segment where they’re pushing a car to the gas station, to their final moments together, their relationship is at the forefront, and that just can’t be overstated.
That’s why it’s so disappointing when their relationship is strained near the game’s end, where a lot of the story feels like it's missing. Once again, this is cleared up in paid DLC, but having missing story elements answered with extra money is why Final Fantasy XV gets a lot of rightful flak.
Regardless, we do like the brotherhood between this party, and spending more time with them in the open world is fun. It’s just a shame that the devs had to cut a lot of material from the base release.
Undercooked Main Characters
While Noctis and his team are treated fairly well in Final Fantasy XV, the same thing can’t be said about everyone else. Lunafreya, Noctis’ fiancée, doesn’t have a lot to do in the story, and her fate felt pretty predictable because of it. Ardyn, the game’s villain, could have been one of the series’ best, but fans needed his DLC campaign to see why.
Both characters suffer from the undercooked development of this title, which is a real shame. They could have been memorable in the long run, and we’re sure some fans love them, but these two and other side characters just don’t compare to the series’ finest.
Even the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy treats its side characters better, which might be a hot take.
Want to Know More? Watch Something Else
The most infuriating thing about Final Fantasy XV is how a lot of important source material that makes this game’s story better has to be experienced somewhere else. Kingsglaive, which details what happens to Noctis’ father, was released as a whole movie. Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV was a prequel anime series that characterized Noctis and his friends even more, so it’s a shame these stories weren’t integrated into the game.
Fans tend to complain about current Marvel movies needing homework done in order to understand them. While that’s true for some projects, films like Thunderbolts* prove that going in with an open mind is enough to appreciate the story. Square Enix could have done something similar with XV, but doubled down in order to make money.
Ask anyone who’s played this game, and you’ll know that they all wanted Final Fantasy XV to do well. Its lead characters are interesting, the combat is fun, and there’s plenty of open-world activities to take part in. But when you get near the end, you’ll see that this game is being held together by rubber bands and glue.
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