Final Fantasy 15 brings rewarding satisfaction

Square Enix has been my favorite game development company for over a decade now and one of its most well-known games is the Final Fantasy series. Sure enough, the newest release of Final Fantasy XV has been a major hit.

The stunning visuals; complicated, yet very real, interactions between characters (especially the main four); the combat system; and the story come together to provide an amazing piece of art.

The primary character you control is Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum, the skinny, black-haired, edgy, emo teenage boy we all knew back in high school. The Prince is on his way to wed The Oracle, and childhood friend Lady Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, and to finalize a peace treaty between the nations of Insomnia and Niflheim. Noctis and his three closest friends and companions for his adventure run into some problems booking a boat to take them where the wedding is to be staged. During this time they also find out that Insomnia has been attacked and taken over by Niflheim and Noctis’s father has been killed. Now out to avenge his father’s death, reclaim his throne and wed his true love, he must seek the power of the Lucis bloodline and the royal arms used by his ancestors during their rule.

On to actual gameplay: It’s a real-time combat system similar to Final Fantasy XII and the Kingdom Hearts series. You don’t have much time to plan an attack once a fight begins. Promoting quick thinking and planning any sort of strategy before a fight feels extremely rewarding. If you came prepared for a hunt, you were rewarded; if you weren’t prepared, you’ll probably either die or end up running away to avoid dying.

Leveling up is also different this time around. You still gain experience points for defeating enemies and completing tasks, but you hold on to those points until you decide to cash them in at a campground or inn. Staying at an inn grants a bonus amount of experience gained, depending on where you stay. For example, if you stay in a fancy hotel on a beachfront you will earn two times the amount of experience you gained. Staying at an inn will also cost Gil, which is the game’s most common form of currency. Gil is also acquired through different methods than before in the series, as well. Instead of receiving Gil after defeating enemies you encounter, you have to accept hunting contracts from tipsters, defeat the hunted enemy, and then return for your reward.

Overall, I’ve really enjoyed playing Final Fantasy XV. There are four downloadable content packages planned for the game. The first three will give us more information and story related to Noctis’ three traveling companions, and the fourth is to include a multiplayer option. Besides a few plot holes in the story that I hope are explained in the DLC and which I won’t get into because of spoilers, I truly believe this is a Final Fantasy to greatly enjoy, for veterans and first–timers.