Final Fantasy belongs to that rare series of games that many literally grew up with. We experienced dozens of lives together with the heroes, participated in hundreds of battles, died thousands of times in order to be resurrected and rush into battle with new strength. superior forces enemy. Here, the quest to “save the world from the bad guys” has always faded into the background, giving way to small personal journeys of the heroes.

This, perhaps, is the magic of “Finals” - to remain close to the heart of every player, appealing to the emotions, aspirations, desires, fears that everyone is subject to, be it a Shinra mercenary, a cadet at the elite SeeDs academy, a famous blitzball player or an heir to the throne on the run. Final Fantasy XV It follows this canon like no other, telling us the story of Prince Noctis and his childhood friends whose lives are about to go off the rails, changing their goals and aspirations, changing them.

The whole team is assembled and ready for adventure.

My love - "Regalia"

The concept of a “road movie”, which the creators of FF XV talked about so much, is not new to the series, but it is here that it gets its most direct embodiment: our characters spend almost the entire game in a luxurious Regalia - a car that once belonged to Noctis’s father, King Regis . The world of Eos is frighteningly huge, and you can’t get far here on your own, so you can’t get by without the help of this steel beauty.

“Regalia” is the mobile headquarters of our team, where everyone has their own place and role. Noctis can drive the car himself or transfer the steering wheel to the clever Ignis. Night trips are possible, but quite risky: at this time, especially vile demons come out hunting, literally crawling out of the asphalt. Either fight or turn back. Fortunately, you can upgrade your car by installing a more powerful engine and blinding headlights that even the devils of hell are afraid of. If you're going to travel around the world, do so in comfort!

The game has the ability to quickly transition, but sometimes you just want to go for a ride, enjoying the views of Eos.

If somewhere the car is useless, overgrown chocobo chickens, known to all fans of the series, will come to the rescue, which can be rented at any transshipment point. Moreover, in the fifteenth part the ability to change the appearance of your pet was returned. You can upgrade the basic parameters and teach him various tricks, even helping him on the battlefield. At least to individuals blue bloods and it’s not appropriate to drive chickens, but in impassable thickets and swamps, feathered transport is a necessity.

Riding across the expanses of Eos on a chocobo is a pleasure.

New world

The entire mythology of the game is built on the confrontation between the royal family of Lucis (Noctis is the last surviving member of the family) and the evil imperials, eager for world domination. The Royal Family has long kept a crystal - a relic of the mighty power on which Eos is based. But, according to tradition, there is a side that does not agree with this order of things. We find the hero and his friends in a sad hour for the kingdom, and the fate of the crystal and the world as they know it depends on us.

If we forget for a second that our heroes have a “main quest,” then all we have to do in FF15 is to travel across a vast world, hunt monsters, explore dungeons in search of royal tombs that hold ancient weapons kind of Lucis, spend the night under open air, get to know yourself and your friends.

By the way, the rest of our four is an extremely important part of the game, because it is at these moments that the characters gain experience and improve special skills (for Noctis - fishing, for Ignis - cooking, for Gladio - collecting items, and for Prompto - photography).

Typical bloggers were seen in the game.

Eos is full of people who need our help in a variety of pressing matters, be it exterminating a rampaging beast in the surrounding area, checking the steam valves in the city, or collecting red frogs in the swamps. There are an innumerable number of side quests, but make no mistake - they are all monotonous and will quickly get boring even for the most avid grinder.

Another thing is that a trivial task can often lead you to a hidden dungeon with serious bosses and high-quality loot. In addition, this is the only way to quickly level up if you are not at the same level as the boss in the story mission.

This is the first game in the entire history of the series where exploration of the world forms a separate gameplay cycle independent of the main storyline. You, of course, are free to move strictly according to the plot, but be prepared for the fact that such a choice will deprive you of the lion's share of the pleasure from the game.

In this game you can kill almost everything, catoblepas is no exception.

The fascinating world of Eos is bustling with life, there is always something to do: fishing, chocobo racing, gardening, playing arcade machines, tasting Ignis dishes, taking selfies against the backdrop of local attractions.

The latter, by the way, is the responsibility of the blonde Prompto. He clicks everything that happens on the screen, be it a giant fish caught by Noctis or a spectacular shot during a fight. You can look at the pictures, select the most successful ones and add filters to them (how could we do without this in 2016) while relaxing. Eh, the main thing is not to “drown” in these third-party amusements, because we still have to save the world.

Food prepared by Ignis not only replenishes health, but also gives characters bonuses to their parameters. Try to prepare dishes that appeal to different team members.

One for all

Fighting monsters is still the main task of our team, and with this the new “Final” is doing well. Forget about the elections of “paradigms” from the thirteenth part and long chains of actions. The combat in FF XV is somewhat similar to the action-oriented system from Final Fantasy Type-0. Everything is tied to one-button attacks and parries. A successful parry makes it possible to effectively counterattack and stun the enemy.

Let’s not forget about Noctis’ extremely useful ability to teleport to any part of the “arena.” It can be used both for a strategic retreat and for an attack: the prince launches a weapon at the monster and teleports towards it with lightning speed in order to deliver a powerful blow.

Noctis is an avid fisherman, so don't pass by a body of water without doing some fishing.

During the battle, only Noctis can be controlled; all other characters are subordinate to AI. However, you are free to initiate a special attack on your partner, which is possible when the “reception scale” is filled. The developers completely abandoned the ability to program the team's behavior in battle. The “gambit” mechanics have been replaced by joint attacks that work depending on the “context” (your position, the weapon used, etc.).

Just imagine: at one moment Noctis and Gladio find themselves shoulder to shoulder, the faithful bodyguard, using a two-handed sword, launches the prince into the sky so that he crashes like a comet from above. With joint attacks, the battlefield turns into a ballet, where characters replace each other in turns to distribute kicks to their enemies.

Where would we be without Lovecraftian motifs?

Also, the heir to the Lucis line has the magic of his ancestors: weapons borrowed from deceased kings are collected into a stream of light and deliver dozens of powerful blows to the target. How more weapons you collect, the stronger the attack will be. The game also has its own analogue of “idolons” - the so-called “astrals”, which can be called upon for help. I won’t say anything more about this, since their appearance is closely related to the plot.

Treasures and tombs of kings are hidden in the dungeons, but there are also more serious monsters there.

There is no longer a separate loading phase for combat; everything happens in real time. On the map, the enemy’s visibility zone is outlined with a red halo; it also serves as the boundary of the arena during the battle. Often, in the heat of battle, you can accidentally go beyond the invisible boundaries of the zone, and then the battle will be abruptly interrupted, the enemies’ health may be restored (but yours, not so much), and everything will have to start again.

We didn’t really want to find out where “her baby” was.

Another unpleasant moment is associated with the friendly fire added to the game for some reason. This makes it incredibly difficult to use elemental magic in battle: given that Noctis's spells cover a fairly large part of the arena, it is not uncommon for the prince to strike not only monsters, but also his partners with ice, lightning or fire, so he has to cast a spell either at the very beginning of the battle, or making sure that the comrades have moved to a safe distance.

Sometimes the prince just wants a simple hug.

Bro Code

Compared to other parts, there are not so many secondary characters in Final Fantasy XV, and this is rather a plus: all the spotlight is directed at the main four, and no charismatic villains and lovely ladies can distract the attention of real friends from their mission to save the world.

And yet, let's be honest: the main storyline is as simple as felt boots and, in addition, presented very poorly. Most of the time, the player is bombarded with information about the universe as if he already knows everything about it. We highly recommend watching the full-length film Kingsglaive before the start of the game, because the scriptwriters did not consider it necessary to smoothly introduce users to the process.

The Final Fantasy series definitely needs no introduction. Over the almost thirty years of its existence, many games have been released under this name, and there is hardly a person who liked all the numbered releases without exception. Unrelated general plot, they are sometimes strikingly different from each other in setting, mood and even gameplay. And the situation with the fifteenth part is complex and ambiguous.

It began life as an action-oriented spinoff for the PlayStation 3 called Final Fantasy Versus XIII by Tetsuya Nomura. Despite promising trailers and public interest, development was delayed for long years, and few people believed that “Versus” would even be born. However, in 2013, it was announced that the project would be transformed into a full-fledged serialized part, a transition to the next generation of consoles and a change in the composition of the developers, including even Nomura himself, who was removed from the post of director by Hajime Tabata. It is unimaginable to imagine that the original concept of the game would remain untouched after such tricks, and it was not entirely clear what to expect from it.

The first thing we see after the launch of FF XV is a message stating that it is intended for both fans of the series and newcomers. Let's try to figure out how true this extremely bold statement is.

Paradoxically, you can hardly recognize and comprehend the plot from the game itself. It all starts with a scene from the very end, and whoever thought this was a good idea should have been fired immediately. A meaningless and merciless spoiler that adds nothing to the narrative, lasts only a couple of minutes and only causes bewilderment. You will receive virtually no information and subsequently just relax and accept the fact that you are assigned the role of Noctis, the prince of the kingdom of Lucis. As a punishment from your father, you, accompanied by three friends in a luxury car, go to your own wedding.

Actually, that's all. In fact, there are a lot of nuances, for example, a magical barrier that the king is forced to maintain at the cost of his vitality, the fact that the evil, despicable empire of Niflheim is committing atrocities in the world, the fact that Noctis’s bride is an oracle, and so on. However, the game does not consider it necessary to explain all this clearly. Of course, why do you need this, because Square Enix released about eight hundred trailers, showing almost the entire game and spoiling everything possible, from the subtleties of the plot to the basics of fishing. I sincerely hope you haven't watched them.

Answers to some questions can be found in the feature-length film Kingsglaive, which tells the story of major events in the capital, during which our heroes sleep peacefully in a motel, and also in the mini-series Brotherhood, from which you can learn more about the relationship between four bosom friends than in the entire game. And this despite the fact that throughout the journey the inseparable comrades do nothing but chat with or without reason. In general, get used to it, absolutely all the most important and interesting events here happen behind the scenes, and some fateful incidents can only be learned about from an inconspicuous newspaper headline or radio news broadcast. Story presentation is one of the main problems of FF XV, and we will return to this later.

The journey begins in the vast expanses of the kingdom. The car breaks down inappropriately, but Sidney, the lively granddaughter of the elderly mechanic Sid, an old friend of King Regis, comes to the rescue. Having adopted her grandfather's passion for mechanisms, she will happily fix the problems, and our heroes, meanwhile, will get used to hunting and exploring the area. Once the repairs are completed, it will be possible to travel on wheels, although only on the highway. However, you can slow down and explore any attraction that interests you at any time. If you decide to drive at night, it is better to immediately abandon this idea and spend the night in a roadside motel or even an open-air tent. Well, if you still dare to get behind the wheel in pitch darkness, iron giants will crawl out of the asphalt on your way every 100 meters, and fighting with them in the early stages is fatal.

It’s even more absurd that for some reason Noct automatically brakes and gets out of the car, as soon as he sees an Imperial airship in the sky, which has not even landed yet and is not interfering with the passage in any way. In any case, even if you can handle dangerous night enemies, don’t expect a comfortable trip.

Throughout the entire first half of the game, beautiful locations stretch before us, every corner of which can be explored if desired. The team constantly talks, commenting on the wonders they encounter or the events taking place.

The stern Gladio not only cuts his enemies in half with his sword, but also knows where to get useful items. Prim Ignis won't let his friends go hungry by cooking delicious dishes, which, in addition, will also improve performance after relaxing in nature. He is also always ready to take the wheel if the prince is too lazy to watch the road. The eccentric Prompto, although not very strong in battle, is ready to immortalize any moment he likes on camera, so that later he can show his comrades his best pictures. Well, His Highness is addicted to fishing and is ready to sit for hours on the shore of the lake with a fishing rod in his hands, brushing aside mosquitoes and malicious comments from yawning comrades.

Walking through forests and fields is tiring, so it’s worth renting a chocobo, on whose back it’s much more convenient to move off-road. The bird will happily come running as soon as it hears the sound of the whistle, and can even give its enemies a couple of kicks and help them escape from the battlefield with lightning speed.

It really does feel like an adventure trip with close friends and can be a lot of fun. Drive along the road, admiring the passing landscapes with the music of the FF II world map coming from the car speakers (after purchasing the disc, of course), gallop headlong across the plain on a chocobo, enjoy the crackling of a fire against the backdrop of the starry sky and laugh at the photos of adventures taken during the day - all this leaves warm and joyful memories.

The problem here is that the four heroes have known each other for a long time, but the player is not privy to the details of their acquaintance and must take their relationship for granted. You won’t find a single flashback, or a single quest that somehow reveals the characters’ characters or gives a more complete picture of them. Short scenes from the animated Brotherhood provide only minimal information, and why, one wonders, could not have been shown in the game itself? From everyday chatter you can pick up bits of information, and even that is very little. As a result, watching Noctis and his companions is certainly interesting, but it still feels like you've been invited to a party with your best friends where you don't know anyone. What is missing is the usual for JRPG replenishment of the party with new heroes capable of diversifying the usual ensemble, because, in addition to the bosom four, there will be only three episodic guests who disappear criminally quickly.

Awareness of another problem will come later. As you complete tasks and travel from one tiny settlement to another, you will sooner or later realize that the quests are terribly monotonous, and the NPCs are boring and faceless. The sad hunter will send you a dozen times to look for identification marks fallen comrades, a timid restaurant owner is always missing some ingredients, and an eccentric lady will force you, cursing everything in the world, to look for inconspicuous frogs. The vast majority of quests only require you to bring the required item, and even old Sid, instead of simply upgrading a weapon, offers a separate quest for each improvement, and also makes you wait for the results.

Hunting is even worse. Remember the interesting hunts from FF XII, where the Ultros flank appeared only if the team consisted entirely of girls, Gilgamesh met us on the big bridge, and the crazy chocobo Trickster rushed headlong across the snowy expanses, not allowing himself to be caught? So, there is nothing like that here at all. Not only is it impossible to take on more than one hunt at the same time (thank you, Mr. Tabata, that at least this does not apply to quests, as in Type-0), but also almost all the targets are the most common monsters. In a word, an open world It’s impressive, however, that everything that is proposed to be done there is monotonous, faceless and quickly gets boring.

However, the same cannot be said about dungeons. They delight with their nonlinearity, and, most importantly, with unique dialogues between characters who comment on literally every turn and dead end. Along the way you will encounter traps, ambushes and other surprises, and the abundance of loot hidden in the corners ensures that you will not return to the surface empty-handed. The only frustrating thing is the monotony of the enemies within the dungeons - bludgeoning identical goblins in a mine for forty minutes is still tiresome.

The combat system deserves praise only for its impressive visualization. The animation of attacks is smooth, varied and spectacular, and the effects of magic are absolutely magnificent, but once you get used to all this beauty and understand a little about the systems and mechanics, you notice how primitive the battles here are. In the trailers for Versus XIII, it was clearly visible that Nomura was trying to make an action-RPG similar to Kingdom Hearts, and what Tabata’s team ended up with looked more like a mini-game “hold down one button and press the second when the shield icon appears on the screen” .

Noctis can equip any four types of weapons, while his companions are limited to only two - a primary and secondary weapon unique to each of them. By holding down the attack button, you can watch the prince perform all sorts of tricks and slash the enemy with a sword, poke them with a spear, or, at worst, empty the clip of a pistol at them. By pressing the defense button, we get conditional invulnerability, during which, at the cost of MP, any attacks are automatically ignored, but this is only in theory. Some attacks cannot be avoided, so you can't count on anything. If the enemy intends to crush you with a powerful blow, a shield icon will appear, but there is no need to wait, holding down the button is again enough, after which you can make a counterattack. Attacks from behind deal increased damage, and some enemy parts can sometimes be broken, but this doesn't do much good. That's basically it.

Oh yes, there is also magic. It is not cast for mana, but is used individually, like grenades. Having a certain number of special bottles that do not disappear when used, you can mix the essence of the three main elements - fire, ice and lightning - in any proportion, optionally adding some item. As a result, we get a conditionally custom spell, the identity and strength of which depends on the invested essence, and thanks to the additional effect of the item, it can, for example, poison or heal. Don’t forget that anyone who falls within the radius of the spell will receive damage, so don’t be surprised if, after a fight with wolves vulnerable to fire, your chocobo suddenly changes the color of its plumage to black, and an unfamiliar black man in dark glasses reports, that I came up with a new recipe.

Theoretically, you can learn useful combat abilities, but almost all of them are passive, with the exception of the so-called “perfect block”, which, with proper skill, allows you to avoid attacks without spending MP. You should switch weapons depending on what a particular monster is vulnerable to, and to do this you don’t even have to scan it, just make a couple of hits and look at the color of the damage numbers. At the end of the game, you will fight in exactly the same way as at the beginning, except that you will learn a couple of combined attacks with allies (you can activate them at will at the cost of a certain share of the automatically accumulating scale), but this is not necessary. All the most useful things still come early, such as Ignis’ invaluable ability to call the entire team to one point, completely restoring health. Wait mode, available in the menu, introduces a rather controversial element into the gameplay. If you stop during a fight, the world will freeze, and you will be able to look around and assess the situation. A reasonable question arises: why couldn’t this function be attached to a separate button and not be tied to inaction? You still won’t be able to do anything smarter than scanning your adversaries for vulnerabilities, but inaction on any occasion will cause time to stop, regardless of your desire.

The saddest thing is that the partners are incredibly stupid. They do something useful only at your suggestion, either by engaging in particularly destructive attacks, or by performing special moves ordered by you. There are absolutely no behavior settings; it is impossible to give an order to concentrate on one target or run away from the battlefield. In any more or less difficult battle, they stubbornly rise to the occasion and die like flies, forcing you to spend healing and resurrection items on them, because without cannon fodder the boss will immediately switch to the prince and, most likely, execute him with some unblockable move. But after a character is knocked out, his maximum health begins to rapidly melt away, and to restore it you have to either look for a place to stay for the night or spend elixirs that have lost their end-game status. At the same time, there are practically no good, honestly difficult battles in the game; they are either incredibly simple or frustrating due to circumstances that you cannot influence.

But let’s assume that the combat system doesn’t upset you, and you enjoy exploring the open world. Well, great, but I hasten to warn that progressing through the plot will only inevitably bring you closer to disappointment of gigantic proportions. Explore the accessible territories of Lucis while you can, because once you leave the kingdom, the open world disappears and the narrative finally turns into a collection of disjointed fragments. The most annoying thing is that while traveling to new places, you can open the map and see all those spaces that the heroes are not destined to get to.

In the stunningly beautiful Altissia, to which Square Enix dedicated entire trailers, you have access to a tiny spot with a store and a bar, and there is absolutely nothing to do there. Tenebrae only shows off a majestic panorama and immediately says goodbye to the heroes. The entire second half of the game is, without exaggeration, a vile and narrow corridor through which we can only walk, holding our heads in our hands and lamenting all that we have lost. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the most important and grandiose events will take place, which NPCs will only briefly mention to us.

Some episodes were clearly barely finished and included in the game simply because they were in the trailers, but they evoke completely different emotions. The culmination of hopelessness will be a huge corridor dungeon in the thirteenth chapter, several hours long, with stealth, without partners and equipment. It's strange that it doesn't have a time limit, isn't filled with water, and doesn't include an escort mission. After going through this segment, you seriously begin to doubt that you are still playing FF XV. The only thing we can say about the ending without spoilers is that Tabata again did everything his own way, because he so loves to squeeze tears out of players. The trouble is that he absolutely does not know how to do this, and pathetic attempts at drama from scratch look hardly more natural than in the worthless Type-0.

The only thing that remained untouched and painlessly overcame the ten-year development period was the divine soundtrack from Yoko Shimomura. The fighting melodies turned out to be especially cheerful, but the lyrical motifs during travel and relaxation in cities are also very atmospheric. The famous Somnus is as beautiful as ever, but the circumstances in which it sounds turn it into a requiem for dreams and hopes. Long trips will be helped by a radio tape recorder, for which you can buy additional packs of tunes from most numbered parts and even some spinoffs for a nominal fee. You can listen to all this on the run, just by purchasing a portable MP3 player.

There’s nothing particularly to criticize the Russian localization for, but there’s nothing to praise it either. The text is translated competently and mostly looks natural, but in some places there are phrases that are incorrectly translated due to a clear lack of context. There are also gags, like “Rich borscht with sour cream,” and here it all depends on your attitude to such liberties, but the word “MAILE,” which appears when the limbs of monsters are destroyed, still causes melancholy.

From the canceled Final Fantasy Versus XIII. Development director Hajime Tabata has stated in many interviews that development began from scratch, leaving only the basics.

But it feels like Final Fantasy XV included little more than key images and ideas. It consists of many successful and not very successful situations, as if collected from completely different games.

Two stories instead of one

Final Fantasy XV can be divided into two large and very different lines. Firstly, this is a story about a road stag party - four friends lost in the open world. Wise Ignis, mighty Gladio and goofy Prompto accompany Prince Noctis to the wedding. On the way, the car stalls - and now they are without money, in the middle of the desert, forced to push their Regalia to the nearest gas station.

So begins one Final Fantasy XV - the one in which you travel through interesting places on the map and execute side quests. The quests mostly boil down to hunting monsters or doing postal errands, but the open world still manages to drag you in because there are some unexpected little things along the way.

There is a separate mini-game about fishing, for example. Or bet on monster battles in the city coliseum. Even collecting ingredients from the fields, a moderately useless activity in itself, has an unexpected reason: Ignis cooks them with the most beautiful food in video games, which is simply beautiful to look at.

But against the backdrop of the travel story, the main plot takes place in the open world. It is against the backdrop that this is a separate entity, a dramatic epic about war, the destinies of people, legends of the world, prophecies and a little bit about geopolitics.

Two stories - and completely different ones

The main story and the open world are two completely different moods. They could easily be made into two separate games, and yet they are always close, although they combine with each other in a very strange way. Even main character they are perceived differently.

From the plot side - Prince Noctis as the arbiter of destinies. The last heir, a hero, speaking with the support of brave companions. His Final Fantasy XV is dark, tragic, but pathetic and sublime.

On the open world side - a frivolous beggar prince and a trio of goofballs of different temperaments, earning part-time jobs and spending the night in trailers. This Final Fantasy XV is light, carefree, often naive and absolutely worldly.

And the game simply does not have time to organically rearrange itself between these two moods. It creates a false impression of haste in the main plot, but then allows you to get distracted and do some nonsense as if nothing had happened.

Wars break out and people die. And I? And I stop to feed the kitty. This kitty is very picky, you can’t just pick her up and feed her. First I fish - myself, because here you can fish. Then I go to the chef of an expensive seafood restaurant so that he prepares fish food for the kitty. And while he’s cooking, I go catch another fish to pay the chef with it.

Wars are unfolding. People are dying. And we? We're having as much fun as we can.

The main plot is full of holes

Even if you ignore the dissonance between the central story and the open world, the plot of Final Fantasy XV is a magnificent, luxurious, but still a mess.

Many key characters clearly don't have enough screen time. Where it went becomes clear if you watch the anime series Brotherhood, the movie Kingsglaive and the prologue. These stories were positioned as expanding the universe for those who wanted to know more. In fact, only Brotherhood expands the context, and everything else is its forms. These are necessary parts of the story that show why things happen. really important.

If you don't know about didactic material, it turns out that almost all the key events happen behind the scenes. “Noctis, while you were going through the dungeon, something important happened here and there, so urgently pack your things and go somewhere else,” is the most used scenario tool in the first ten to twenty hours.

The fifteenth Final Fantasy gives surprisingly little reason to care about anyone.

Why did Iris's death in Final Fantasy VII hurt so many people at the time? Because you spend a whole quarter of the game with her. The first act is full of interesting scenes and interactions between the characters, Iris and the world around us. As a result, by the critical moment you have experienced a lot together, and it becomes much easier to take what is happening to heart.

Here they are trying to establish a similar connection not through personal interaction, but through flashbacks. They are like someone's stories about someone you have never met. It's clear why everyone gets upset after a character dies. But it is clear only because the cause of the disorder is explained in plain text, instead of helping you to feel it yourself.

Halfway through the game changes

At the same time, what begins around the fifteenth or twentieth hour (or much later, if you bother with side quests) shows a completely different game. The open world ends, side missions practically disappear - a fast path to the denouement begins, with a series of linear, epic staged scenes.

And then Final Fantasy XV seems to come together. The contrast between the two moods finally starts to work, because instead of going back and forth erratically, the script clearly focuses on a specific goal. No noodles related friend with a friend, situations find structure and receive real development. For the first time, the difference in the characters of the main characters clearly appears and pits them against each other. The first tangible internal conflict in a long time finally forces worry.

And the best part is that the long, uneven period in the open world after the linear part begins to feel truly necessary. It created an emotional connection between the player and the characters that could not be established with other characters. Therefore, the events of the last acts hit much, much harder.

Great on its own - weird when combined

There are a lot of things that Final Fantasy XV does that are great on their own, but don't fit well or even clash with the larger picture.

For example, one of the most spectacular and interesting villains for the series in general. He has motivation, he has style, his story makes you question the structure of the whole world. But right up until the final acts, he plays the role of a deus ex machina: appearing out of nowhere and magically solving problems that are hindering the development of the plot. He is given a few hours to really play with the player's perception and really prove himself.

Another example is the combat system. Fly across the battlefield, alternating fast sabers and heavy ones iron rails, it’s always pleasant to walk through the air, to dissolve in one place and appear in another. Magic is in short supply, but it gives a feeling of enormous power and destroys everything in its path, including allies who turn up in the explosion zone. And at the same time, although the mechanics support free movement, fine positioning and quick maneuvers over long distances, battles often have to be fought in very small spaces. The tightness turns the pleasant, airy, sometimes tense, sometimes relaxing combat into ordinary, hard-to-read chaos.

Or chocobo rides. These overweight, but dexterous ostriches scream, drop feathers, struggle, are distracted by their own affairs - they seem alive. But how appropriate does it look for Prompto to gleefully drag the team on a bird ride “because it’s something I’ve always wanted to do” when one of the game’s biggest tragedies happened five minutes ago?

And so on. Final Fantasy XV creates vibrant, magical situations - but they often exist in a vacuum rather than supporting each other. Just now you were delighted, now you are indignant and don’t understand how this can be done in 2016, and ten hours later you are crying at how beautiful everything is and taking screenshots every three seconds.

Date of publication: 09.12.2016 14:27:57

Huge beautiful and detailed worldDynamic combat systemBattles with huge enemiesDeveloper's attention to detailRealization of the company of four main charactersAvailability of music from previous parts of the series

Long downloadsImplementation of the use of magic in battleCamera operation in battlesMonotonous side quests

Game rating: 4.0 /5

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Experienced Gamer

Post edited by user 01/21/2017 08:38:15

Dimas8071 wrote:

This is the paradox, it infuriates me like a FF, although I completed it with pleasure, but will I replay it like I did 7,8,9 times after time? No. somehow it didn’t catch on. there is not a single moment that truly sank into the soul (even in the village of black magicians in the 9th FF there was more philosophy and meaning than in the entire 15Y)
THIS IS SO LOGICAL! THIS IS SO LOGICAL! etc

I agree, you can spit for a long time. You can find fault with everything, except, perhaps, the combat system.

At the beginning I thought: “eh, but in 8 the grass was greener,” and I replayed it after the 15th... It’s not as green there as it was in the first 2 playthroughs... that’s what it’s all about , and the combat system in 8 is simply horribly unbalanced. In general, in final fantasy there are often problems with complexity. Often it simply isn't there. FF 8 is a freebie, ff XIII and XIII-2 - press x to win (okay, with the turtles in XIII you will have to press the buttons for speed), ff x - there are several completely NOT free chocobo races and in general there are brain-bending quests like " Dodge lightning 100 times in a row without saving." In the 15th difficulty, the difficulty is just optimal - there is a dungeon for hardcore players (cheappoints and without items), in other cases you can also get stuck in constantly using resurrections and running around while hammering magic furtively from a long distance.

The soundtrack didn’t grab me at first... But then I tried it, now I listen to it and even feel nostalgic.

The game is good, it just wasn't finished.

P.S. Of ff VIII, X, XIII and XV, I liked the XIII part the most)

Post edited by user 01/09/2017 04:16:34

Platton24 wrote:

What are you saying? Everything you said is a complete criticism of the game without any buts - after which you say that you are ready to give the game a 4?)

This is the paradox, it infuriates me like a FF, although I completed it with pleasure, but will I replay it like I did 7,8,9 times after time? No. somehow it didn’t catch on. there is not a single moment that truly sank into the soul (even in the village of black magicians in the 9th FF there was more philosophy and meaning than in the entire 15Y)
with a beautiful world I agree with 20%, the remaining 80 is: here’s a volcano, but nothing grows within a kilometer radius THIS IS SO LOGICAL! and here we have a meteor, but nothing grows within a kilometer radius THIS IS SO LOGICAL! etc
remember 9 (if you played (or look at the art) how many cities: Alexandria (city of knights), Treno (city of eternal night and tramps), Lindblum (steampunk), Burmecia (city of eternal rain) such different, dissimilar but soul-stirring locations . is there anything really memorable original in the 15th? NO? desert tunnel, forest tunnel, swamp tunnel, etc.

Dimas8071 wrote:

They throw us neither fish nor fowl, without a clear plot and a miserable world. Everything in the game is annoying (except musical accompaniment). I'm not saying the game is bad!
Remember what the developers said about the plot of the 7th: “we decided to reconsider our vision of the RPG, why does the knight always have to save the princess?” NO damn it, here is the prince CHOSEN BY THE GODS, here is the SCENE WITH IRIS, here is the MIRACLE CRYSTAL, etc.

What are you saying? Everything you said is a complete criticism of the game without any buts - after which you say that you are ready to give the game a 4?)

As for Final Fantasy XV, I agree with the author... Final Fantasy 15's invisible tale of contradictions is still captivating and immersive! Personally, I really liked the game, it’s still the same fairy tale in an incredibly beautiful world which you want to remember!!!

Post edited by user 01/08/2017 16:54:35

Finally I saw a normal rating. I honestly don’t understand where Western publications get “excellent”, “amazing” 99 points, etc. I would agree if it came out in 2011, but after the standard Witcher (yes, yes, I know the Witcher again) which was developed for three years and with a much smaller budget, which gave us a huge living world, they throw us neither fish nor fowl, without a clear plot and a poor world. Everything in the game is annoying (except the music)
I'm not saying the game is bad but it's a step back compared to 7,8,9,10 and 12 FF. Remember what the developers said about the plot of the 7th: “we decided to reconsider our vision of the RPG, why does the knight always have to save the princess?” NO damn it, here's the prince CHOSEN BY THE GODS, here's the SCENE WITH IRIS, here's the MIRACLE CRYSTAL, etc. The whole FF15 is one continuous borrowing. IMHO.
as a game: 4 points
like FF: 3 points
GPA: 3.5

Added later:

1NGIBITOR wrote:

I completed almost everything in the subject, except for Pitious Ruins

I doubt that anyone has passed it (if only on YouTube)) personally, I turned it off at the 3rd hour, I thought a little more and I’ll launch it into the monitor with a gamepad

Experienced Gamer

tunight wrote:

If you pay who knows how much money for this, but not for the sake of graphics and 50 hours of gameplay))) But for the sake of the normal gameplay of the story and the open world so that you can complete the game for sure not in 50 hours but in 300.

I completed almost everything in the subject, except for Pitious Ruins (there is a dungeon with labyrinths without mobs, boring for me), in 130 hours. In 50 hours you won’t even reach the level cap, I’m already silent about gaining ability points, in 130 hours I was still quite far from fully leveling up my characters. Another 30-50 hours... But the post-game content, alas, is already over.

They would make all the post-game dungeons with the ability to use items disabled... And it would be another 20, or even 50 hours with swearing and broken joysticks, if we were to make it completely hardcore, and, as practice has shown, it’s easier to make hardcore from a subject. turnips

But the plot is certainly weak for final fantasy. Part 13 was better. The sandbox is simple. But with such a combat system, you can run endlessly and hammer away at mobs)) It is beautiful and very spectacular.
Eh, I wish there were more buns and more mobs))

sanAsan wrote:

Are you saying that you can’t judge what a game is like by watching it on YouTube?

Watching someone else's game anywhere will never give you the opportunity to fully appreciate the gameplay. There is no substitute for personal experience. But this is going offtopic. If you want to continue the topic, it’s better to write in a PM.

Message edited by user 12/16/2016 12:09:23

Dukas wrote:

Are you saying that you can’t judge what a game is like by watching it on YouTube?

Post edited by user 12/16/2016 11:59:59

Dukas wrote:

So why say that the game is boring and short? Did they say that on YouTube?

I don’t look towards part 15, as soon as I saw it I realized that the game would be unsuitable, as I wrote below, the further they do it, the worse it gets. If I had a PS4, I wouldn’t take it even because of the graphics. There are no advantages to this game. If you pay who knows how much money for this, but not for the sake of graphics and 50 hours of gameplay))) But for the sake of the normal gameplay of the story and the open world so that you can complete the game for sure not in 50 hours but in 300.

tunight wrote:

My friend, I would play the world of final fantasy, but I don’t have the necessary consoles for such games, and I never will, I’ll go through it on YouTube.

So why say that the game is boring and short? Did they say that on YouTube?

NeoFlash wrote:

For hardcore FF fans, World of Final Fantasy was released not too long ago. Very good.

My friend, I would play the world of final fantasy, but I don’t have the necessary consoles for such games, and I never will, I’ll go through it on YouTube.

Since its release on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One It's been about a year and a half now. Since then, the product has been significantly improved, adding many new features, details and expansions, including both story additions and one multiplayer option. We now have in front of us the most complete edition of the game, which has received the subtitle. Well, let's get to the review of this edition and find out whether Square Enix was able to polish the rough edges of the original, which were a major drag on the game back in the day.

Plot

Before moving on to the main features of the Royal Edition, I would like to briefly talk about the plot side and the main feature of Final Fantasy XV in general. The game has almost no connection with the previous parts of the series, with the exception of some Easter eggs, but more on that later. The plot is based on a large-scale confrontation between two sides: the kingdom of Lucis and the empire of Niflheim. The main character of the game is the prince of that very kingdom named Noctis.

One day, Noctis's father, King Regis, negotiates a truce with his enemy, which is only possible if his son marries Princess Lunafreya from the imperial province of Tenebrae. The father agrees to the terms of the deal and sends his son to the beautiful city of Altissia, where the prince will have to marry his betrothed. Noctis himself practically does not resist, since he has known Lunafreya since childhood and really wants to see her again. His best friends accompany the prince on his journey: the skilled magician Ignis, the pumped-up big man Gladiolus and the provincial photographer Prompto.

The heroes say goodbye to the king, get into the luxurious car Regalia and set off on an adventure that will ultimately change their lives forever. This is where the game itself actually starts. After a little backstory, events that are far from rosy for Noctis’ life begin. Father is betrayed hometown The prince, Insomnia, is captured by enemies, and a heavy burden falls on the shoulders of the still fragile young man - to save his kingdom and fulfill his destiny.

We will not tell all the plot plots in detail, so as not to ultimately spoil the impression for gamers who have not yet played Final Fantasy XV. It’s worth mentioning that you shouldn’t expect unpredictable plot twists and clever intricacies from the game. An important thing in the perception of the game it has precisely to do with some of its elements. The product is not some kind of arthouse designed to show the player something hidden and deep. Final Fantasy XV is a fairy tale, a beautiful fairy tale, if you will, which gives a positive impression not from the development of the script, but from immersion and admiring the game world.

In places, the game, of course, presents us with that very “Japanese” drama that everyone is probably so eagerly waiting for, but we shouldn’t expect too much from it. First of all, Final Fantasy XV will tell about the friendship between the heroes, the versatility of each of the four characters and the transformation of carefree youths into strong and strong in spirit heroes. Many may think that all this, one way or another, has already been shown in other RPGs, but probably no one does it the way Square Enix did it. There is some difficult-to-explain note of uniqueness and depth in the game that is captured if the player carefully approaches all elements of the gameplay.

Combat system

If classic games The Final Fantasy series had spectacular battles only in cutscenes, but in the case of the fifteenth part everything changes in a positive direction. Turn-based battles are definitely over now. They have been replaced by a combat system that takes slasher mechanics and combines them with some tactical and party elements. The battles take place very vigorously, although they require pressing only two buttons: for attack and automatic block.

There was also a place for QTE moments in the battles. For example, in some situations, a parry icon lights up on the screen, which requires the timely pressing of several buttons. In theory, such a system should quickly get boring, but in practice, fighting even relatively weak enemies is very interesting. Moreover, in fights with strong enemies you need to include tactics. Firstly, for most of the passage we fight in the company of three friends, each of whom has unique skills. Ignis is an excellent magic user, Gladiolus serves as a tank of sorts, and Prompto is an excellent marksman.

During the battle, there is a special scale, when filled, we have the opportunity to use the special technique of Noctis’s companions. When performing this move, Noctis often interacts with his followers, resulting in a powerful and very spectacular combination of attacks. It should be noted that the ability to teleport to any point also adds dynamism to battles. Thanks to this, the prince can perform attack teleports, evade opponents and quickly move to cover.

In order for gamers to first of all think about how to fight in the game, the developers implemented a mana scale. With its help, Noctis uses magic, teleports and dodges attacks. Mana is automatically restored, and therefore when fighting serious opponents like titans or demons, sometimes you have to transfer to high point or to a shelter to regenerate skills. The game makers also did not remove the tactical pause from the game, which allows you to stop the gameplay at any time and give the characters a certain potion to improve certain properties.

Unfortunately, due to the fast dynamics and too many different elements on the screen, sometimes in battles you get very lost and do not understand what is happening at all. Most often this problem occurs in narrow spaces like dungeons. The area there is very small, there are many heroes and opponents, and it is extremely difficult to quickly find with our eyes who is who and what we need to press. Fortunately, that same tactical pause sometimes saves the situation, but the problem is still present. In addition, battles have special zones, beyond which the battle ends. Everything would be fine, but sometimes when fighting several groups of enemies, you can accidentally leave the battle zone, after which you have to start all over again.

In terms of weapons, Noctis can use almost any type of swords, axes, and spears. In addition, the prince has magic, and therefore can use it in battles. Magic, in turn, is divided into several elements, including lightning, fire and ice, but you cannot use spells endlessly in one battle. Firstly, special vessels have been invented for spells that need to be filled with the elements. Secondly, each spell has a cooldown time, which makes it difficult to cast several of the same spells at once. magical attacks it is forbidden. Generally magic spells They serve in the game as something like grenades, only they have a more sophisticated effect when used.

Each enemy in Final Fantasy XV has its own specific weaknesses, requiring the player to constantly think about which weapon to use. Fortunately, changing weapons in the game occurs without any problems, and in some cases it is also complemented by cool combo attacks. For example, some enemies are immune to fire, and therefore using this sphere against them will be a useless exercise. On the other hand, such a system serves as an excellent way to force players to use the maximum that is present in the game's combat system.

Open world

The real strength of Final Fantasy XV, aside from its combat system, is its open world. There is one unpleasant little thing in it that can spoil the impression a little. It's about about the design of some locations. For example, in mountainous areas we are often given tasks to get to some place located behind the rocks. In any other modern RPG, we simply climb over the obstacle and get to the desired point. Things work differently in Final Fantasy XV. We need to run around the entire mountain, look for a small opening and only then get into a specially designated area. This could be seen in games ten years ago, but now it’s difficult to get used to such movement. Apparently, the Luminous Engine game engine has some limitations, which is why the developers had to resort to tricks.

Everything else Final world Fantasy XV is what makes the game worth playing through. The locations in the game are varied and memorable, starting from the very first minutes of the journey. During the passage we can visit desert areas, dense forests, industrial cities and even a fantasy version of Venice. But it’s immediately worth noting that towards the end, the open world in the game turns into closed corridor locations, devoid of beautiful scenery and freedom of movement. As a result, a certain contrast is created from different feelings. On the one hand we have a superb environment that is really fun to explore. On the other hand, we see endless corridors, the action in which involves stealth mode. Fortunately, in the second half of the passage, a more vigorous plot narrative takes on the empty cup, but still the integrity of the game collapses.

The entire passage takes place in a world called Eos. This is an amazing universe that combines magic and advanced technology. Only Final Fantasy managed to combine Cell phones, cars and spaceships with demons, magic and ostrich-like creatures (Chocobos) serving as transport. Those unprepared for the game may think that all this must have turned out to be an awkward mess, but in reality everything is completely different. Square Enix has been working on its own fantasy universe for several years now, which has allowed it to develop the world in as much detail and depth as possible. As a result, as you progress, you approach many things without initial skepticism, and even the main characters, who look like members of some punk band, arouse intense and, most importantly, genuine interest.

I was very pleased that Final Fantasy XV retained everything best elements Japanese role playing games. One of these elements is the approach to detail. While traveling through the open world, the heroes must eat, sleep and simply have fun playing video games and enjoying the local attractions. It is important to note that you want to try all these elements one way or another, and not run through the main plot in order to see how it all ends. Even cooking, which in itself may seem like a boring activity in a video game, takes place in a format that makes you run with burning eyes to every eatery in search of a new recipe.

Characters should rest from time to time. This happens either in certain camps created by the heroes manually, or in hotels. In the second case, the characters receive an increase in experience, and this is explained by more comfortable living conditions. In addition, the heroes should sleep and rest for a reason, since this is explained in the gameplay. Firstly, at night the world of Eos turns into a haven of dangerous demons, encounters with which almost always end unsuccessfully for our heroes. Secondly, food gives characters an increase in characteristics, and therefore, without it, completing tasks and destroying enemies is sometimes very difficult.

Now I would like to dwell in more detail on the characters. Atmosphere true friendship between all four heroes throughout the game simply breaks through the TV screen. The characters are constantly making fun of each other, sharing advice, talking about their dreams and goals, and in every possible way trying to make us believe in their authenticity. Fortunately, they manage this with ease. Final Fantasy XV is that rare case when you want to read the description of each hero, learn more information from the lips of our companions and simply dive deeper into the role of the prince of a captured kingdom. Perhaps the game's plot is not as epic as we would like, but the well-developed characters more than make up for all the damage.

Each hero, in addition to his combat characteristics, has unique skills. For example, Noctis loves to fish, Ignis is an excellent cook, Gladio is a master of survival, and Prompto takes photographs of all significant moments, which can be examined in detail during the rest in the camp and saved in the library. Even fishing in Final Fantasy XV is quite a fun activity. We constantly set records when fishing, looking for some rare species, and also just relax between completing tasks to destroy monsters and save the kingdom. All this definitely creates the right atmosphere in the game, thanks to which the product turns into the most diverse journey with many internal adventures.

Additional quests in the game cannot be called something particularly well-developed, but thanks to the changing locations, even completing them allows you to get new experience. In addition, random events often occur in the game, which somehow remain in memory even after complete passage. For example, we can run towards a goal, when suddenly we meet a small kitten, which with its appearance and cute meows makes it clear that it is very hungry. This is where it begins new quest- feed the animal, and then get moral pleasure from the work done. There are plenty of such moments in the game to enrich general process passing.

Traveling around the world of Eos takes place mainly on a unique in-game transport - the Regalia. This car is unique not only for its appearance, but also possibilities for customization. We can change the color of the car, add unique properties to it, and even turn it into a full-fledged aircraft. In the Royal Edition, we are also given the opportunity to make an SUV out of the car, thanks to which the heroes can drive not only on a specially designated road, but also off-road. Well, what if iron Horse someone will get bored, there is always the opportunity to ride a Chocobo, which is a reference to all previous parts of the series.

Results

If someone was extremely dissatisfied with the original Final Fantasy XV, the Royal Edition is unlikely to significantly change the situation. This edition is more likely to be a sip fresh air for those who at one time doubted and did not dare to call the fifteenth part the very game that everyone was waiting for. Royal Edition includes many innovations and changes. All three released additions are available in the game, in which we are allowed to play as Ignis, Gladio and Prompto, and there is also multiplayer, which, frankly, not everyone will like due to its limitations.

Now you can fight enemies in first-person mode, which also turned out to be more of an unnecessary option than something radically fresh in terms of gameplay. However, the most important thing that the Royal Edition gives is a complete Final Fantasy XV, complemented by small but important details, such as in-game cutscenes and dialogues. Where there was emptiness before, now there is something new that was missing at the start of the original. There are even more in-game items, not to mention new locations.

The disadvantages of Final Fantasy XV: Royal Edition, in addition to those already listed, include the lack of Russian localization (voice acting for characters), which for some reason is available on PC, but not on consoles. In all other respects, Final Fantasy XV: Royal Edition is definitely an edition that is now not scary to pick up at the start. In addition, the price for a set consisting of the game and all add-ons is quite reasonable.