Final Fantasy XV review

A STORY BROUGHT TO LIFE BY THE PEOPLE

Aside from that, it’s a while before you really learn too much of note.

Noctis and his friends Ignis, Gladiolus, and Prompto, are on a road trip to meet his bride to be Lunafreya (whom he seems fairly delighted to be marrying, as they’re childhood friends). She just so happens to be something to do with enemy nation Niflheim, and this is a key to a peace treaty (which, obviously, goes wrong immediately) between the two warring countries.

Such a middling story is genuinely elevated by some of the characters. We say some, because XV also suffers from a very Eastern-designed approach to females. Cindy, the daughter of series-stalwart Cid, is the first we get to talk to, and she’s wearing a crop-top coat barely covering a bright yellow bra.

It’s jarring to see such backwards design in an otherwise delightful world, and it’s unnecessary.

Elsewhere, the mixture of accents and names (from Prompto and Gladiolus to… well, Dave. No, seriously) is bizarre. Cindy and the people in her region speak in a Southern American drawl, yet in the same area you meet a reporter with the most New York of New York accents we’ve ever heard, that could only be more New York if his catchphrase was “Forget about it!”.

ROAD TRIP, THE GAME

Forget all that, though: the core four-piece gang is just delightful.

Each is stereotypical in their own way, but they work as a unit because they genuinely come across as friends. They all talk about what’s going on in their lives as you travel around, and actually come across, well – exactly like a bunch of friends on their first road trip would do.

One thing you can’t complain about, is how Final Fantasy XV sticks to its guns. Levelling up has changed, and it’s really interesting. Now, you bank XP after a fight, and it all levels you up when you rest at a camp. 


These moments don’t just provide you with a chance for you to strengthen your group, but another opportunity to see the lads interacting with one another as friends, playing cards, or just having a laugh, as well as bookending a lovely day of adventuring.

WANNA FIGHT? FIGHT ME!

Everything about the combat system feels designed to create a more streamlined version of a series we’ve been playing for decades, so potions and elixirs are just things you can quickly take during a fight, rather than dig for through the menus.

This extends to your interactions, too.

While you only control Noctis in a fight, you can have your buddies help out by telling them to do special moves. If you time a button press right, and are positioned well, Noctis will jump in for a strike at the end of the attack.

On first inspection, there’s a temptation to say that the combat is just “hold the button to attack”, but as you progress, weaknesses and strengths appear, and you’ll have to switch between your four chosen weapons to get the most effective attack.

HURRY UP AND WAIT

Enemies won’t wait for you to take a turn, so you’ll get attacked while planning your next move.

Holding a button will defend, and if you time it right you can even parry the enemy. While it never goes all the way towards being a full Devil May Cry or Bayonetta-style combat system, you can certainly surprise enemies with a backstab, or a combo from your team-mates. It’s rewarding, and looks amazing on-screen.

For those yearning for the days of old, Square Enix has included “wait” mode. Here, you can pause combat and study the enemy, allowing for a more slow paced, methodical combat system. Unfortunately, it really doesn’t feel as though any of the encounters have been designed with this in mind, and most people will go with the default system.

Since so much of Noctis’ warping uses magic, you can always phase to high vantage points to recharge instead. These vantage points serve another purpose, too: planning out a battle ahead of time, if you can sneak up and gain the higher ground to see the lay of the land.

The combat feels quite unique, and is something you’ll love or hate. We loved it, it’s exciting and offers so much customisation thanks to the usual amount of accessories, weapons, and magic that the series is known for.

SO MUCH TO DO, SO MUCH TO SEE

The story is a little shorter than expected from a Final Fantasy game, but XV‘s brilliance is in its wonderful open world. It feels vast and, especially in the early game, allows for exploratory rewards.

People will offer you mundane side quests, sure, but there are also the hunts – basically a mini version of Capcom’s Monster Hunter series, somehow shoehorned into a Final Fantasy game. 


Every party member has their own skills which play into the open world: Noctis is a keen angler (all young lads love to fish, right?), while Prompto is an amateur photographer who actually takes selfies and snaps pictures at random as you play, allowing you to pick and share the best ones at camp each time.

Ignis is a chef, and you can find new recipes for him to cook for you at the end of the day. These also give you a stat boost, so that adds another layer. Then there’s Gladiolus, the big burly dude who is an expert survivalist and can find you useful supplies.

LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION!

Unfortunately, whenever you leave the colourful outdoors for a dark dungeon, lit only by the torchlight of Noctis and friends’ mobile phones, the battles can tend to descend into a battle with the camera.

It doesn’t always happen, but losing sight of yourself in a fight that’s not turn based is a problem. It’s not unique to this game, of course, but a tighter reign on the sweeping camera would work wonders inside.

Elsewhere, you can see the money dripping on the screen. On a PS4 Pro with HDR turned on, and the settings on “High”, this is a gorgeous game. It may have taken ten years to make, but this is a game that, visually, can compete with anything else on the console.

Final Fantasy XV Verdict

There are moments where XV feels like Final Fantasy only in name – that’s how fresh a take on the series it is. This is a story about four young men, and it’s full of heart.

Despite the fact that the over-exaggerated, almost J-pop, boy band-like friends should annoy us, they just don’t, and you find yourself in the moments away from the game wishing you were back with it.

It’s a mix of ideas that feel sandwiched together, but the combat remains fun throughout, and there’s something incredibly compelling about the world it all takes place that begs you to take your time and explore all the nooks and crannies.

While the story is standard fare for the series (the pacing is a little strange after the first few chapters, and it gets rather linear towards the end), Final Fantasy XV stands tall as a welcome return to form, and an exciting look at the potential future for the series.

It might not have seemed possible, but Square Enix really has delivered a game that is for fans and newcomers alike. Bravo.

Buy the Final Fantasy XV game here from Amazon

How does it work on PC?

Finally, Final Fantasy XV finds its way to our fancy and frighteningly powerful gaming PC. Naturally, like any snob PC gamer, we choked the life out of our benchmark PC to see if it can take on the visual grandeur of Final Fantasy XV. Here’s what we conclude.

After cranking up the visuals to an eye-pleasing 4K at the highest settings, the Nvidia GTX 1080 seemed it was ready to take on the pixel-punishment that would wreck most setups instantly. Sadly, even the mighty (read costly) GTX 1080 could do so at a wonky 30fps.

Not half bad I would say, given we even maxed out the list of Nvidia GameWorks effects that support this game (NVIDIA Turf Effects, NVIDIA HairWorks, NVIDIA Voxel Ambient Occlusion, NVIDIA ShadowWorks and NVIDIA Flow technologies). Too technical? Yes, and in conclusion it’s better to sacrifice some of these for a much better framerate.

Toning down to 2K resolution at ‘High’ settings is a better choice unless you’re equipped with an SLI system, then by all means, burn it up like the roof is on fire. Or, if you have one of these out of 300 behemoths from Acer that can swat away graphical demands in a blink. Hitting that sweet 60fps spot was reserved for the base 1080p resolution at max settings, and at 2K, it managed around 50fps. I would recommend prioritizing the installation on an SSD because it mitigates a lot of unnecessary load time and helps with general memory based lag and juddering.

And finally, yes! The game does look fantastic, and on our 4K BenQ display, it ‘pops’ even better. I was especially intrigued by the Nvidia Turf Effects, keep it on if it’s not too demanding for your setup.

Words: Khumail Thakur