Final Fantasy XV

When I started playing Final Fantasy XV I could not help but think of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. It had stunning art and was a blast to play but it felt quite unlike its predecessors. Once the credits rolled, however, I could not have been more right. Final Fantasy XV is a beautiful, ambitious project tacked onto an ugly, lazy Final Fantasy wannabe and I could not be more torn over the end result.

In the world of Final Fantasy XV the kingdom of Lucis is at odds with the sinister Niflheim empire. The hope for the future lies in the marriage of the main (and only playable) character, Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum. Sent on a journey with his personal bodyguard, royal advisor, and childhood friend Noctis must set sail to a foreign land to assure peace for his people. However, plans change quickly when an imperial invasion brings an end to Noctis’ home overnight.

The game is at its best when you’re out exploring the world. Lucis has distinct regions that are just so full of ART. They look beautiful with gorgeous beasts that roam in packs, feature vibrant and detailed gas stations, shops, and diners, and are a joy to travel through whether on the road with your dad’s expensive car or on foot (and eventually chocobo). A gameplay loop of gathering cooking materials, staying at camp, making a stat boosting meal for the next day, and then heading out to kill a hunt target for rep, gil, and XP makes Final Fantasy XV a fun Monster Hunter Lite.

What makes it even better is that your three AI controlled companions are actually pretty great. You can issue them to use certain special moves in combat but aside from that they’re completely autonomous and it works almost all of the time. As they travel and fight beside you they banter back and forth and physically interact in ways that are a marvel to behold. They convey a level of humanity and emotion rarely seen in video games let alone a Final Fantasy game. Where things start to fall apart, however, is when it does indeed attempt to be Final Fantasy.

I started to feel uncomfortable the moment that first story beat with the invasion hit. It’s supposed to be the very beginning of the plot, the push to move things forward, but I had spent a great deal of time roaming around the section of the world currently open to me, picking potatoes, finding treasure, and taking hunts from the local cafes. Much like Dragon Age Inquisition and The Witcher 3 I was playing the game without going anywhere and I was very much having a good time. But when news of the invasion came it felt empty and distant. Presented with a clip from the Final Fantasy XV pre-release movie “Kingsglaive” and explained to you by a party member it felt like it had no weight or importance. And each time I eschewed side quests and hunts to hit the next major campaign marker I felt more and more disconnected from what was actually happening in the so-called story.

At a certain point, after pushing the plot forward a few confusing and hollow chapters, I decided to buckle down and see this thing to the end. Reviews and rumors had implied some interesting things happened in the back half and a great ending was even suggested. I thought I would push through to see (and shield myself from potential spoilers as well). The ninth chapter sees you leaving Lucis and the open world behind. It takes you to some neat places and features some cool set pieces but once you leave the open world gameplay loop things move very quickly with little opportunity to catch your breath and by the time the credits rolled (which were surprisingly short) I just sighed and shook my head.

I’ll avoid any specific spoilers but let it be sufficient to say that the back half of Final Fantasy XV goes in many different directions and has some powerful moments, all of which are bogged down by baffling design decisions that left me constantly gripping my controller and muttering with exasperation one word: Why? The final chapter had the tiny gleam of promise, boiling the plot down considerably, but it strips all of what made the whole experience great and throws you against a trio of bosses that are just boring HP sponges that, at recommended level, just downed me and my party with single swipes over and over, making each encounter a potion-popping grind toward the QTE that would end the encounter. They had a chance to have an Ocarina of Time battle but instead provided a frustrating slog from The Division.

This open world is where Final Fantasy XV is and it’s made even more apparent in the stark contrast with the events of the conclusion. One could almost make an argument that forcing the players into a terrible sequence of disappointing, frustrating events is part of the art, making one yearn for the good old times of earlier chapters. It’s a mercy that at most times in this linear back half you can choose to return to Lucis utilizing a magical macguffin where you can continue to gain levels and loot that carry back and forth with you. You’re even directly encouraged to head back and find more stuff once you complete the story, making everything crucial to the plot feel completely meaningless.

So in the end Final Fantasy XV is both a disappointment and a marvel. It’s two completely separate games crushed into a single seater. It’s a fresh and gorgeous monster hunting game stitched to a Final Fantasy that has way too much in common with Destiny in terms of its storytelling. If not for the stuff that unlocks in the open world post-credits I would wholeheartedly recommend that players play XV’s main story only far enough to unlock the full world and the chocobos and just enjoy the hunting loop forever. At the very least seeing the full story presented a few touching moments and mechanical twists that had me smirking and nodding. All that mess aside I still want to go back and play it more, for the meatiest bits still make it one of my favorite games this year. I’m just so unbelievably disappointed that the plot is a complete and utter afterthought.