FINAL FANTASY XV
Cruise control
RELEASED out now! Reviewed on Ps4 Also on Xo Publisher square enix
We’re introduced to Prince Noctis and his black-clad entourage as they struggle to push a convertible along the road. Previous Final Fantasy games have opened with Mako Reactor assaults or futuristic cities being attacked by a giant fish monster; this sequel begins with grunts of exertion, backed by a cover of “Stand By Me”.
It might seem a strange choice, but it’s no coincidence Square Enix went for this song as Final Fantasy XV’s theme. While Noctis and pals aren’t children, there are parallels with the coming-of-age movie where four boys set out on a quest to find a dead body. FFXV also sees a trip away from home teach four boys about friendship, responsibility, loyalty, and sacrifice. There’s a doomsday plot too, but the main story thread’s difficult to follow, with seemingly important characters introduced and suddenly dropped, and influential events happening off-screen. Yet it’s still enjoyable because of its solid backbone – those four pals and their road trip. They may look like Thirty Seconds To Mars got dropkicked through a comic con, but Noctis’s friends are a likeable bunch.
This is the most accessible Final Fantasy yet, and by far the most westernised. Combat is hyperactive, cathartic fun that has you zipping between enemies with teleport dashes, stringing combos together, switching weapons, dodging, parrying and countering, all in real-time. Moving around the world is less thrilling. During long drives, all you need to do is hold R2. There’s only so much time you can spend panning a camera and watching androgynous anime boys’ hair blowing in the wind like some Japanese L’Oréal advert.
So Final Fantasy XV has issues, but still ends up being one of the most enjoyable JRPG experiences of recent times, thanks to how likeable the boys are, how entertaining the combat is, and how gorgeous its fantasy world is. Though the story bewilders and blunders to its conclusion, the human element makes the ending impactful. It’s a bumpy old ride, but it’s worth seeing this road trip all the way through to its final destination. Kirk McKeand
At one point Gladiolus wanders off for a bit; this is to facilitate a forthcoming DLC featuring the mulleted hunk.