Overall 7.5/10
Having never before played a Final Fantasy game, and having heard rave reviews of the franchise from friends through the years, rest assured I was really eager to try out Final Fantasy XV, which finally saw its PC release. Rest assured I was not disappointed with my decision to invest so much time into the game as I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in game.
First off, the core of the game revolves around the camaraderie of the four main characters, and their journey as a team. This is one of the greatest strengths of Final Fantasy XV and one of the reasons I got so heavily invested in the game. Each of these characters is believable, their motivations are clear and the banter that exists between them is flowing, organic and at most times downright hilarious. It’s clear that the main characters have been friends for the longest time and the fact that they are willing to sacrifice so much for one another. Essentially it feels more natural and the entire flow of the gameplay benefits greatly from it.
The second strong aspect of the game is the open world itself. It is massive and tackling the monster hunter and tomb raider side quests are a treat. Paired with the amazing banter that flows between the protagonists, the game soon had me forgetting about the main quest line and spending hours in the wilderness just exploring and hunting. The main quest is where the game starts to lose some of its charm. In places it becomes quite linear and the fact that a significant portion of it needs to be done alone, really took me out of the atmosphere that the game had managed to build up this far.
While the gameplay is strong overall with a very standard two-button combat system (one to attack, one to defend and parry), it works. What doesn’t work, and will become a source of constant annoyance, especially in the long, narrow corridors of some the story missions, are the janky camera angles. I found myself dying to the camera more than to the foes, which, if truth be told was really frustrating.
In terms of the PC specifics of the game, it’s a visual masterpiece. Well optimised and with a plethora of NVIDIA Gameworks features that really help the game look stunning, if your hardware is up to the mark that is. Barring the massive download and install size, the PC version has come out quite well.
At the end of the day though I managed to have a blast with Final Fantasy XV, when I wasn’t busy hunting monsters or exploring tombs, I’d just go out fishing with the boys and partake in some casual banter. The open world is simply gorgeous and the combat fluid and exciting when the camera cooperates with you. Would definitely recommend this game to newcomers and veterans alike.
Strengths
Great characters
Stunning visuals
Soundtrack is mesmerising
Weaknesses
Main story gets boring
Combat camera angles are horrible
