After almost ten years of development, Final Fantasy 15 is almost here, and series fans await Square Enix’s newest magnum opus with bated breaths- after almost a decade of missteps and misguided entries, will this be the game that brings the series back on track?
The problem is that, even this close to release, the question remains difficult to answer. While everything that we have been told of the game makes it sound like one of the best, most exciting, and most progressive games to have come from not just Square Enix, but indeed, Japan, in the last few years, the actual showings of the game have consistently underwhelmed, including the two at E3 this year.
And, well, that remains inescapable- the actual demonstrations for the game, not to mention the two demos we have had for it so far, have been pretty bad. And maybe the new information that we have for the game, courtesy of Gematsu, won’t change your mind on that- but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited after reading all that.
It’s the smaller things that are making me excited- they seem to paint the picture of a well realized, immersive world that it will hopefully be easy for me to get lost in. For instance, there will be multiple kinds of shops in Final Fantasy 15– this isn’t news, and this has always been true for the series (even Final Fantasy 13, which removed just about everything else that the series is known for, retained traders and merchants). However, the notable thing here is just how many kinds of merchants there will be in the game, and how they will all add to the world and experience’s authenticity.
So you’ll be able to buy potions and ingredients for meals, but there will also be stores where you can outfit yourself in better armor or gear. There will be multiple diners in the game, where players can sit down to eat a meal, and take care of their hunger, instead of preparing a meal for themselves; and then there will be gas stations, which is where you’ll refuel your car. Considering that your car will be your primary means of transportation in the world, it will be very important for you to keep track of gas stations on the world map.
There will also be multiple side-quests in the game that players can take on, providing a break from the main story, as well as an alternative route to progress. Side quests will net rewards that players will not be able to find anywhere else in the game.
Finally, some new characters were also confirmed for the game- there is Ravus Nox Fleuret, who is Lunafreya’s lder brother, and who will debut in Kingsglaive; there is also Iris Amicitia, the younger sister of Gladilous, who lives in Lestallum. Square Enix have also confirmed dialog choices for the game, meaning that interactions with other characters will come off as meaningful and organic, instead of being scripted and pre-defined.
Final Fantasy 15 is due out worldwide on September 30 on Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
