Final Fantasy XV Final Game Impressions Detail FF7/8 Like Set Pieces, Naughty Dog Influenced Storytelling

Final Fantasy Fifteen finally launches in all regions on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 10 days, but some lucky players take already managed to get a agree of early copies of the game, as we reported yesterday. While this is definitely a problem for those who are fugitive spoilers like the plague, there are some positives, every bit information technology allows us to acquire more about some of the game'southward most controversial aspects.

A few hours ago, NeoGAF user Verendus shared his Final Fantasy XV impressions in a rather lenghty way, touching a variety of subjects such as the open earth nature of the game, the tonal shift of the second half of the game and more. Verendus also talked about the game's prepare pieces, which he likened to the epic set pieces of Final Fantasy VII and Last Fantasy 8. In that location are some very low-cal spoilers in what Verendus revealed, so read at your own gamble.

[spoiler] In Last Fantasy XV, there are various set pieces of differing calibration. They're brindled throughout the game, and I experience they're a major draw of this title. I don't want to liken them to Uncharted or God of War, although y'all could certainly make that comparing to an extent.

I liken it to the moments in the older Terminal Fantasy titles. I'thou reminded of when you're running up the Sector seven colonnade in Midgar. There's a sense of urgency to what you're doing as your allies are strewn all over the place. At that place'southward besides the Garden Battle in Concluding Fantasy 8 where you're trying to solve dissimilar bug. And many more. These sequences have been present in my favorite Final Fantasy titles. While they were no less memorable in their time, they weren't exactly integrated well.

For the first fourth dimension in this serial, this blend of battle and narrative is more seamless. Yous're always in command of your character thank you to the real time battle organization, and this allows for some very impressive sequences throughout the game. Information technology feels natural, and more chiefly, information technology made some of the narrative moments where these events have identify a smashing function of my experience. You experience like yous're a part of the action and more than in control than always before. When I think of story in a videogame, it's non just about the plot or the writing. It'south that climb and infiltration of Shinra, it's running across the train as you try to hijack one of its cars, and it'southward those moments where y'all're playing something that is office of the narrative, but feels dissimilar to merely killing a bunch of random enemies or reading dialogue. It's a fiddling more guided, sometimes a little more explosive, and in plow, much more than outstanding.

I love that Terminal Fantasy XV has many of these moments. [/spoiler]

Verendus also touched upon the game's narrative mode, which he thinks it'south quite close to the way employed by Naughty Dog in its latest games, such equally Uncharted 4 and The Concluding of The states, also discussing cutscenes. Spoilers are bit heavier here, so beware.

[spoiler] At that place is likewise a very articulate Naughty Canis familiaris influence in the storytelling of Final Fantasy XV. Rather than relying generally on cutscenes, a lot of story and character information is conveyed while yous're roaming the earth or travelling in your car while you have access to information technology. As I don't listen cutscenes at all, I was a petty disappointed that there wasn't more than of them. They're still present, and while the game doesn't lose its story focus if you're sticking to the main narrative, it does feel a little unbalanced early on due to their spaced out nature. Much similar some Naughty Dog games, Final Fantasy XV exchanges plot focus for heavier character focus, and this has its advantages and disadvantages.

The Naughty Canis familiaris games are pretty excellent in this department because they're a lot shorter. When your adventure is going to last x hours, the residue is much easier achieved. When it's going to last most people around 50 hours, information technology can get easier to lose that. I do feel Terminal Fantasy XV could've done with a few more cutscenes because it does a little too much seamless integration for my liking.

The game does a decent chore of keeping story events flowing even if the before parts are building towards something. The fact that there are locks which stop you from progressing without moving forward with the story is also smart. It helps with the forward momentum, and gives a practiced sense of direction to the story as you're introduced to more of the world alongside it. It really feels like the older Final Fantasy titles on modern consoles when I recollect of its design, and too what Concluding Fantasy 12 tried to do only failed. It's just that the scale is now more representative of the earth you travel through between story beats. The world here serves the story, and it's designed that way with linear progression in mind. Information technology's really big, and it's segmented, and the just way y'all tin see more than of it is if you get through the narrative. [/spoiler]

Final Fantasy XV launches on PlayStation 4 and Xbox 1 on November 29th.