jayish
This review contains spoilers
Final Fantasy XV is an extremely fun romp in the first half and an extremely non-committal tragedy in the second. The plot is okay, but paced very strangely with all of the emphasis put on all of the wrong things. It simultaneously draws attention to the problems of its world and says nothing about them in favor of portraying itself as a typical fantasy epic. The characters have zero agency, as it feels as though they simply go wherever the plot takes them, which I can see resulting in many feeling frustrated and which I personally believe results in Noctis's so-called development feeling unearned.
That all said, GOD, that first half of the game has a feel to it unlike anything else I've played. The open world is expansive and empty, yes, but against all odds I believe this to work in the early game's favor. Bluntly speaking, the main cast is the reason to play FFXV. They're all engaging and lovable characters and their chemistry and banter with one another is off the charts; after playing so many games where you're told the characters are friends and have nothing to prove of it, the palpable sense of love between the boys is like a breath of much needed fresh air. Thus does traversing the world- as long and admittedly tedious as this may be- truly does succeed in feeling like a road trip with your loved ones. There's a reason why I believe the interpersonal drama to be better than that of the main plot. On the topic of agency from earlier, I do feel as though the lack thereof amongst the cast is crucial to the narrative, for as much as FFXV fails to fully capitalize on its own themes. All of the characters are pawns in the cruel and unusual scheme of callous beings far beyond their comprehension from long before their time. They're often given no choice but to follow the path laid out before them like lambs to the slaughter. But check out how cool the Six are! Isn't Noctis so cool? At least Ardyn's a good antagonist and a pretty great parallel to Noctis, in concept.
The presentation of the game is great. It looks good and sounds even better. The gameplay of FFXV ranges from fun to frustrating entirely depending on how ambitious it's feeling at any given point in time, but when it's fun it feels pretty fucking great. Its semi-modernized world never bothered me; in fact, I think that contrast to be found in the combination of aesthetics was one of the cooler aspects of the game. I liked fishing, I liked Prompto's photography, I liked camping... Despite everything, I cannot understate how much I liked Final Fantasy XV. Is the game good? I don't know! Did I, even in all of my critiquing, enjoy my time with it immensely? Very much so. If you happen to spot it on sale, then I would suggest giving it a shot, at the very least.
(Last thing I'll mention is how ridiculous it is how much you have to turn to external material in order to see all that FFXV's world has to offer. Locking some of its best/most important stuff behind DLC and a fucking movie of all things is bokers.)
That all said, GOD, that first half of the game has a feel to it unlike anything else I've played. The open world is expansive and empty, yes, but against all odds I believe this to work in the early game's favor. Bluntly speaking, the main cast is the reason to play FFXV. They're all engaging and lovable characters and their chemistry and banter with one another is off the charts; after playing so many games where you're told the characters are friends and have nothing to prove of it, the palpable sense of love between the boys is like a breath of much needed fresh air. Thus does traversing the world- as long and admittedly tedious as this may be- truly does succeed in feeling like a road trip with your loved ones. There's a reason why I believe the interpersonal drama to be better than that of the main plot. On the topic of agency from earlier, I do feel as though the lack thereof amongst the cast is crucial to the narrative, for as much as FFXV fails to fully capitalize on its own themes. All of the characters are pawns in the cruel and unusual scheme of callous beings far beyond their comprehension from long before their time. They're often given no choice but to follow the path laid out before them like lambs to the slaughter. But check out how cool the Six are! Isn't Noctis so cool? At least Ardyn's a good antagonist and a pretty great parallel to Noctis, in concept.
The presentation of the game is great. It looks good and sounds even better. The gameplay of FFXV ranges from fun to frustrating entirely depending on how ambitious it's feeling at any given point in time, but when it's fun it feels pretty fucking great. Its semi-modernized world never bothered me; in fact, I think that contrast to be found in the combination of aesthetics was one of the cooler aspects of the game. I liked fishing, I liked Prompto's photography, I liked camping... Despite everything, I cannot understate how much I liked Final Fantasy XV. Is the game good? I don't know! Did I, even in all of my critiquing, enjoy my time with it immensely? Very much so. If you happen to spot it on sale, then I would suggest giving it a shot, at the very least.
(Last thing I'll mention is how ridiculous it is how much you have to turn to external material in order to see all that FFXV's world has to offer. Locking some of its best/most important stuff behind DLC and a fucking movie of all things is bokers.)
It's fun! That's probably the most I can say about this one. I adore Gladio as I do the rest of the boys, so I enjoyed the extra time with him. I really like how he plays mechanically, and the final boss and optional boss are both engaging, testing your understanding of how combat has worked thus far and rewarding you accordingly. It's short, and it's not very complex- especially compared to the other FFXV DLC episodes- but it's not bad by any means. I don't know if it justifies a purchase, but it is enjoyable for a piece of add-on content, hindered mainly by the fact that it is in fact optional, paid content. The gratuitous amount of Gladio ass shots are pretty fucking worth it though, I'd say.
Episode Prompto is fascinating in concept and unfortunately only partially as great in execution. This DLC is ambitious in scope regarding its narrative- a bit too ambitious, alas, as it only has so much time to tell the story it so desperately wants to tell. That all said, this does WONDERS for Prompto. I was already endeared to him going in and came out the other end a mess over him; I really do think that the absurdity of his situation is a good means to explore his anxiety and loneliness, and it really did resonate with me in spite of its weird, rushed pacing. I can't imagine reaching a certain point in the base game without playing this first, which is regrettably what I believe to bog down Episode Prompto- and all of the other DLC, really- the most. Still, for what it is, it's pretty worthwhile, and the combat/presentation is all very interesting in its own right that I would genuinely recommend playing this if you like FFXV. Quick note: I never really found myself getting into the gameplay, but I know that a) a lot of people did and b) I'm notoriously horrible at any kind of shooter, so I'm opting not to comment on this in any depth.
Episode Ignis is so insane and so very worthwhile. It is very unfortunate how some of Final Fantasy XV's content is locked behind paid DLC and hours of investment, but if you're willing to pay the price, then strap in and give it a shot. Ignis is fun to play as, first and foremost. I struggle to decide between him and Gladio in terms of who I think is the most interesting mechanically but regardless I enjoyed my time as him. Episode Ignis has ever so slightly more of a structure than that of Gladio or Prompto, so it has more standard boss fights and they're all fun. The setting and atmosphere are great and the music is maybe even better. The writing is the real highlight, though. Not only is Ravus finally a character- and an incredibly interesting one at that, for as little screen time as he gets- but the delve into Ingis's character is FASCINATING. It's so, so good. I went in liking him but thinking very little of him, and now I would go as far to say that he's my favorite character in the game.
Okay, so that alternate ending. Quite honestly, I think that everything up until literally the last chunk post-boss is so cool and so, so very good for Ignis's character that I believe its existence is justified. The rest of it is baffling and as non-committal as the rest of FFXV, but it's not canon, so who cares? For me, it only serves to explore Ignis's relationship to Noctis through the lens of his job as opposed to through the lens of their friendship, and I think that's fascinating. No matter the motivation, Ignis will be Ignis in any timeline, and that's crazy. What a wild route. It's super fun, too.
It feels so strange to rate Episode Ignis higher than the base game, but I truly do believe it to be the best FFXV has to offer. If you happen to care even moderately about the story of FFXV, then I can't recommend this enough. If you aren't, then I would suggest at least looking into it. I know for a fact that, of all the various works and material related to the game including itself, this is what I'll be thinking back on the most.
Okay, so that alternate ending. Quite honestly, I think that everything up until literally the last chunk post-boss is so cool and so, so very good for Ignis's character that I believe its existence is justified. The rest of it is baffling and as non-committal as the rest of FFXV, but it's not canon, so who cares? For me, it only serves to explore Ignis's relationship to Noctis through the lens of his job as opposed to through the lens of their friendship, and I think that's fascinating. No matter the motivation, Ignis will be Ignis in any timeline, and that's crazy. What a wild route. It's super fun, too.
It feels so strange to rate Episode Ignis higher than the base game, but I truly do believe it to be the best FFXV has to offer. If you happen to care even moderately about the story of FFXV, then I can't recommend this enough. If you aren't, then I would suggest at least looking into it. I know for a fact that, of all the various works and material related to the game including itself, this is what I'll be thinking back on the most.
This review contains spoilers
Final Fantasy XV DLC that single-handedly made me reevaluate my rating for everything else FFXV-related because I cannot in good faith rate it anything below a 3 and cannot in good conscious rate it anything above or on par to the rest. Episode Ardyn is messy and edgy and I had a great time with it, honestly. To give it some actual credit, it had some interesting concepts and imagery in there that kept me genuinely hooked. I think that the ending was a pleasant if not strange surprise that addressed FFXV's themes in a way that I had wanted from FFXV for a long, long time. Ardyn himself is fun to play as and fun to follow once the third chapter kicks in, and that third chapter is hilariously ridiculous, so much so that I was without a doubt having a great time all throughout. Lotus Juice is there! You can blow up cars and jumbotrons for shits and giggles! You can buy Ardyn different hats! Raw as hell. I would recommend Episode Ardyn on this basis alone, but fortunately for me I can say that it personally scratched an itch that may or may not appeal to you as well, if you're anything like me.
Unfortunately, the beginning to Episode Ardyn is deceptively boring. The best part for me was a familiar face, you could say, and that realization eclipsed pretty much everything else going on at the time, which is dire. Its dramatic moments are laughably predictable and uninspired, but I suppose that there's SOME things you could thematically extrapolate from the fridging of a female character introduced specifically to make Ardyn sad. As for later on, I consider the sheer edge of it all to be delightfully silly, but I suppose it could be what others might call grating. Even I think that the gameplay is repetitive, for as long as I spent running around Insomnia making sure I fought and broke anything and everything that I could. That final boss has the same problem that all of the other giant-sized bosses in FFXV have, which is to say that they're janky as hell. All in all, I'm not sure if I would call Episode Ardyn good. However, I would say that it's worth it, even if for all of the wrong reasons and maybe one or two of the right ones.
Oh, and my final note is that the optional boss is fun as hell. It's goofy. Highly recommended, but I'm a guy who genuinely enjoyed Episode Ardyn, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
Unfortunately, the beginning to Episode Ardyn is deceptively boring. The best part for me was a familiar face, you could say, and that realization eclipsed pretty much everything else going on at the time, which is dire. Its dramatic moments are laughably predictable and uninspired, but I suppose that there's SOME things you could thematically extrapolate from the fridging of a female character introduced specifically to make Ardyn sad. As for later on, I consider the sheer edge of it all to be delightfully silly, but I suppose it could be what others might call grating. Even I think that the gameplay is repetitive, for as long as I spent running around Insomnia making sure I fought and broke anything and everything that I could. That final boss has the same problem that all of the other giant-sized bosses in FFXV have, which is to say that they're janky as hell. All in all, I'm not sure if I would call Episode Ardyn good. However, I would say that it's worth it, even if for all of the wrong reasons and maybe one or two of the right ones.
Oh, and my final note is that the optional boss is fun as hell. It's goofy. Highly recommended, but I'm a guy who genuinely enjoyed Episode Ardyn, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
My feelings on Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions have been so tumultuous that I fear I won't be able to properly convey them, but let it be known that this game is insanely good. Everything about Tactics is purposeful. Even if I had ended up deciding that I didn't like it, it's so thoroughly successful it was in accomplishing everything that it had set out to do that I'd struggle to rate it any lower than at least a solid 4.5 stars. However, as it stands, thankfully, I had a great time playing it and an even greater time dissecting it as I tried to wrap my head around everything that I had just experienced. I would say for this alone that Tactics is a very, very worthwhile experience.
In terms of presentation. Final Fantasy Tactics really stands out. The designs and spritework are cute, as counteracted by the game's tone, and the cutscenes and voice acting in War of the Lions in particular are surprisingly well done. Needless to say, the soundtrack is great as well; there are some really strong pieces and a nice use of leitmotifs throughout. To pivot, suddenly, the gameplay is very satisfying. It's tough to get into, given how tight battles usually end up being, but I very much appreciated the challenge. There's a shit ton of optimization and customization that's really fun to get into- for me, at least- and exploit. While I was never not at risk, the slow progression from feeling as though I was barely scraping by to confidently planning around the enemy AI and disadvantageous positioning gave me an unparalleled rush. The first half of the game is likely the hardest and most tactically interesting, and I found it very rewarding down the line.
With everything else out of the way, all there is to talk about are the narrative aspects of Final Fantasy Tactics, in which I can confidently call it brilliant. The choices that Tactics makes in this department can sometimes feel unsatisfying and polarizing and dare I say that that's the point. This isn't to say that I would blame anyone for not enjoying them, but I'd be hard-pressed to call out Final Fantasy Tactics for doing everything right, thematically, on its end. I hesitate to call Tactics "grimdark" on account of its charm and moments of respite and hope, against all odds, but it certainly is bleak. All of the names, motivations, and allegiances can be hard to memorize and all blend together as political jargon. Even if it had me captivated, I struggle to refer to the story as fun, for a lack of better ways to put it, and that's okay. Once, I've wondered if it was possible to make an anti-war game "fun" while still maintaining its anti-war theming. Tactics as a game IS still fun, don't get me wrong, and referring to it as "anti-war" is both misleading and an understatement, but it will leave you feeling empty by the end nonetheless. The characters had gone through so much, strung along from plot point to plot point, with little payoff. To me, there's no greater sign of success than that.
This is all to say that Final Fantasy Tactics is an excellent game that may not be for everyone but that I highly recommend giving a shot nonetheless. War of the Lions is likely the best version with the most referenced localization through other official material, so give it a go if you're at all interested! It gives you a lot to chew on, at the very least, and that's the best thing a game could do for me.
In terms of presentation. Final Fantasy Tactics really stands out. The designs and spritework are cute, as counteracted by the game's tone, and the cutscenes and voice acting in War of the Lions in particular are surprisingly well done. Needless to say, the soundtrack is great as well; there are some really strong pieces and a nice use of leitmotifs throughout. To pivot, suddenly, the gameplay is very satisfying. It's tough to get into, given how tight battles usually end up being, but I very much appreciated the challenge. There's a shit ton of optimization and customization that's really fun to get into- for me, at least- and exploit. While I was never not at risk, the slow progression from feeling as though I was barely scraping by to confidently planning around the enemy AI and disadvantageous positioning gave me an unparalleled rush. The first half of the game is likely the hardest and most tactically interesting, and I found it very rewarding down the line.
With everything else out of the way, all there is to talk about are the narrative aspects of Final Fantasy Tactics, in which I can confidently call it brilliant. The choices that Tactics makes in this department can sometimes feel unsatisfying and polarizing and dare I say that that's the point. This isn't to say that I would blame anyone for not enjoying them, but I'd be hard-pressed to call out Final Fantasy Tactics for doing everything right, thematically, on its end. I hesitate to call Tactics "grimdark" on account of its charm and moments of respite and hope, against all odds, but it certainly is bleak. All of the names, motivations, and allegiances can be hard to memorize and all blend together as political jargon. Even if it had me captivated, I struggle to refer to the story as fun, for a lack of better ways to put it, and that's okay. Once, I've wondered if it was possible to make an anti-war game "fun" while still maintaining its anti-war theming. Tactics as a game IS still fun, don't get me wrong, and referring to it as "anti-war" is both misleading and an understatement, but it will leave you feeling empty by the end nonetheless. The characters had gone through so much, strung along from plot point to plot point, with little payoff. To me, there's no greater sign of success than that.
This is all to say that Final Fantasy Tactics is an excellent game that may not be for everyone but that I highly recommend giving a shot nonetheless. War of the Lions is likely the best version with the most referenced localization through other official material, so give it a go if you're at all interested! It gives you a lot to chew on, at the very least, and that's the best thing a game could do for me.