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Final Fantasy XV: Believe the Hype

Final Fantasy XV: Believe the Hype

Although I’m a huge fan of both Japanese and Western RPGs, I have to admit that the Final Fantasy series isn’t central to my fandom. I’ve enjoyed some of the games ( IX and XII are my faves) and have been lukewarm on many others, so I’ve been watching the torturous development of Final Fantasy XV with a sense of idle curiosity more than nervous emotion. The original Versus XIII trailer piqued my interest with its unique style, promise of political intrigue, and Romeo and Juliet story. Once it turned into Final Fantasy XV , however… well, I figured I might enjoy the Chocobro Road Trip the same way I enjoy Final Fantasy X-2 : purely for the camp factor. Otherwise I can’t say I was terribly hyped – until Square Enix gave the game its official coming out party on March 30.

While previous stabs at promoting Final Fantasy XV came off as timid and diffident, the Final Fantasy XV Uncovered event was self-assured and proud of its subject. Square Enix has finally decided to confidently support its flagship title, providing it with a trailer that feels exciting and announcing a slew of side projects like the Brotherhood anime mini-series and the impressive-looking Kingsglaive CG movie. Though the event itself was occasionally painful (event hosting is hard and should be left to the pros), I came out if it with a sense of excitement and interest in engaging with the world’s lore.

I had my first chance with the Platinum Demo, which I’ve affectionately nicknamed “Baby Noctis Goes to Traverse Town.”  I mean, doesn’t that background music sound rather Kingdom Hearts -y? The demo certainly cemented the game’s good looks, though it did a poor job showcasing the combat mechanics until the boss fight at the very end. I finally started getting into the flow after triggering a (more difficult) rematch with the boss, though attacking and defending don’t flow naturally into each other as much as I’d like. I suspect you Dark Souls fans will enjoy the pace of combat more than I did, as I prefer my RPG action combat to be swifter and smoother ( Ys Celceta and Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning are my favorite examples of the form, for you RPG nuts). I can see myself getting very attached to warp attacks, however.

Watching the first episode of the Brotherhood anime provided a similarly tiny toe-dip into the story and characters of Final Fantasy XV . I can already tell that I’m going to enjoy Ignis and Gladiolus and be annoyed by the over-exuberant Prompto. Noctis largely remains a mystery, though I’m hoping he’ll be the kind of shy guy who slowly opens his character to his friends and the player, turning out to be somebody we really become attached to. There are four more episodes to go, and this one ended on a cliffhanger, so I’m excited to see how the full mini-series pans out. I do wish we could have heard the English voice actors at work to see how they’ve improved from Episode Duscae ( Brotherhood is in Japanese and subtitled), but that probably would have been too much of an expense.

Final Fantasy XV: Believe the Hype

These side bits have proven fun and interesting, but Square Enix pulled a bit of a sneaky trick on us by highlighting them. Despite all the excitement, Final Fantasy XV Uncovered barely “uncovered” anything about the final game. We saw a stylish new trailer, some neat looking environments that were inspired by places from around the world, and that awesome reveal at the very end of the chocobro car morphing into a flying Batmobile. Still, you know what?  I’m ok with that.  Thanks to the new trailer, the demo, and Brotherhood , I feel like I have a better handle on the themes behind Final Fantasy XV now, and I don’t want too much more spoiled before I get the game in my hands.

Final Fantasy XV Uncovered did a good job bringing the hype back to Final Fantasy XV.  I still have a few concerns – will the final game truly explore the nature of male friendships, or will it stay too surface-level? Will the few female characters be treated with respect and given power and agency in their own rights?  We’ll be getting a better answer to these questions as later episodes of Brotherhood come out and when Kingsglaive features the exploits of Noctis’ betrothed, Lunafreya. In the meantime, as a half-fan of Final Fantasy , I now consider myself half-hyped. I’m intrigued, at least, and that’s a damn sight better than I was feeling about the game before.

P.S. Ignis is my chocobro. Prompto is Vaan 2.0. Put up yer dukes.

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