“A Final Fantasy for fans and first-timers.”
Having never played a Final Fantasy game, I fit into the later category. I had seen some game footage, watched a trailer, and decided that I wanted to give this long time franchise a shot. The player assumes the role of Prince Noctis and has control of 3 additional party members Gladiolus, Ignis, and Prompto. The game plays like a movie. Players will spend as much time watching cut scenes as they will actually playing. I found this style to be very refreshing. Having played so many games recently that lacked a strong story, it was nice to get a huge dose.
(Early Game Story Spoilers Ahead) Prince Noctis begins his adventure by undertaking a mission from his father. Sent away he does not realize that his home is soon to be destroyed. As Prince Noctis moves along his party members chime in with funny remarks, and nothing seems to go right. He soon finds himself far from home and looking for transportation. This part of the game can take as long or as short as the player wants. There are a lot of side missions that the player can undertake. I even spent some time just getting accustomed to the combat and party controls.
I found the combat systems to be the best part of this game. They appear simple at first but quickly gain complexity. The idea is to use combinations of moves to outsmart and outplay opponents. The addition of party members makes for some very cool combo moments. At the end of every fight, the player gets a scoreboard report. This report grades the player on things like speed and style.
The game is set in a very open world, but access to a personal car and other forms of transportation allow the player to move quickly. You can even jump back to places you have already visited. The map shows explored areas and has mission tracking features. One of my favorite features though, was the ability to have a party member drive. Sitting in the back seat while an NPC drives in real time was an interesting experience.
Some of the best moments in this game were dialogue. I found every character to be unique and interesting. Many of the characters were comical, and not just in a traditional sense. Some characters were sarcastic. I am not sure if I will ever beat this game. I’ve played quite a bit of it, and I enjoyed it all so far. I will continue to explore this awesome world of fantasy for quite some time, but saying that this is a long game is an understatement.
Release Date: November 29, 2016
Rated: M
Platforms: Xbox One & PS4
HFR Rating:
