Final Fantasy XV: First Impressions

I have a confession to make: I’ve never played a Final Fantasy game. Okay, so that’s not entirely true. I did play a little of Final Fantasy III and IV, but I never finished them. I’ve always kept an eye on the series, but by the time we hit Final Fantasy XII or so, it felt like a series I’d never really be able to jump into.

But then I saw a PC demo had released for Final Fantasy XV. It promised a game for old fans and new players, so I figured I’d give it a spin. And despite feeling the game – most notably the combat – had its flaws, the demo convinced me to pick up the full game. I’ve now played Final Fantasy XV for 25 hours and I’ve still got a long way to go, so I thought I’d share my initial impressions.

Graphically, FFXV is a very pretty game. Crank up those settings – the NVIDIA options in particular – and it’s easily one of the best looking open world titles on the market. Performance, overall, is pretty good, but there are issues that need to be addressed. I suspect the game has a memory leak, as performance does noticeably degrade the longer you play – to the point of crashing.

I’ve experienced two crashes – one of which frustratingly cost me an hour of play – and both times came during extended sessions. There’s also an issue with a particular ability in the game which, when activated, triggers the frame rate to crash to about 20 until you exit and reload (Update – now fixed!). The PC edition hasn’t released without its issues, but with a patch or two, everything should be running smoothly.

Okay, so let’s talk about the game. You play as Prince Noctis who is embarking upon a road trip with his three best mates. You’re on your way to your wedding which is part of a peace treaty between your kingdom and a powerful empire. The game does a decent job of introducing you to the world and history, but it’s not entirely perfect.

At one point I was presented with a very odd, disjointed cut scene of a battle that didn’t really make any sense to me. I didn’t know if it was a dream / vision sequence, but it turns out it was actually clips taken from a CGI film intended to accompany the game. This is kind of dumb, because I then had to go and read a synopsis of the film to better understand what was going on in the game. It’s not as if you can’t follow the story without seeing the film, but I wish they’d handled the incorporation of those elements a little less confusingly.

Final Fantasy XV is an open world RPG. You have your core missions which advance the story and your side missions to keep you busy between. The world and creatures of FFXV have been the real highlight for me. There’s a nice variety of terrain and landscapes and a wonderful variety of exotic creatures to marvel at – and then murder.

The majority of the side missions are simple fetch quests, but it’s the monster hunts I really enjoy. These send you to fight tougher variations of the different monsters in the world. I’ve had a real blast doing them, because I really enjoy the big monster fights. Unfortunately, I’ve reached a point where I’ve had to stop doing the side content because it’s so damned easy to over level.

The recommended level for my current core quest is 25, but I’m already level 42. And it’s not as if I’ve been grinding my way through side content – I’ve still got 10 hunts in my log, and there’s another 10 or so I’ve not yet picked up. The game doesn’t pace its side content very well in relation to the core quest. They really needed to unlock the side content a little more slowly as you progressed through the story.

And I’ve liked what I’ve seen of the story, at least so far. Noctis and his trusty boy band are all likeable chaps with some fun banter in and out of combat. You traverse the world in your personal car in which you can sit back, chill out and watch the scenery go by. It’s quite a relaxed adventure, especially with the additions of the fishing mini-game or the photography which lets you build a visual log of your travels.

So let’s talk about combat, which is both fun, stylish and messy. You can set combat to be ‘active’ or ‘wait’ which triggers a combat pause, but I found the ‘wait’ system to be rather irritating to use as it continually disrupts the flow of the action. And it’s that flow to combat that makes FFXV very fun to play.

You can equip up to four different weapons or spells, and enemies are more or less vulnerable to different types. You can build combos, but not in the way you might expect. Your attacks are related not to your button inputs, but more so by the direction of your attack. It certainly takes some getting used to and I’d highly recommend playing with a controller because I found it far easier to handle when using an analogue stick. It’s also a system that becomes more enjoyable the more you unlock the various skills and abilities, expanding your range of options.

You can combine your attacks with your mates to pull off some heavy damage moves, and activate their special abilities for some very stylish and ‘cinematic’ attacks. Combat is fast, fluid and when everything clicks just right – very satisfying and impressive to watch. But it can also be incredibly messy.

If you’re fighting a large group, it’s easy to get ‘lost’ when you’re surrounded by enemies, and fights can devolve into mindless mashing. It’s also a combat system that works best on an open field, but some fights take place in enclosed settings or surrounded by scenery such as trees and rocks which often block your view of the action. It can be frustrating getting stuck into a fight, especially in a wooded / bushy area because you can’t see what the f**k is going on.

I’m also kind of irritated by the random drops of enemy soldiers. They can drop right on your head during the middle of a tough monster hunt. It’s an exciting and challenging surprise at first, but when they’ve dropped 3-4 times in 10 minutes it gets pretty tiresome.

Okay, I’d better wrap this up. I’m really enjoying FFXV so far and I’m eager to see where it goes. The story does seem to be picking up, and I’m looking forward to seeing what new areas and creatures the game will introduce. Despite a few issues here and there, this may be an early contender for my GOTY.

Now Watching: It Comes at Night

I’d seen both very positive and very negative reviews of It Comes at Night, so when I finally sat down to watch it, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. But from the moment it began, the film held my attention, squeezing it with a vice-like grip. It’s rare that I’m so thoroughly absorbed by a film that I can’t look away from the screen.

To say that I found watching It Comes at Night a tense experience would be an understatement. I had a mild headache at the end of it – I’d been sitting so rigidly, my eyes focused on the screen.

It Comes at Night is a horror/psychological thriller set following the outbreak of a mysterious virus. Paul (Joel Edgerton), his wife Sarah and son Travis live a cautious but safe existence in an isolated house – until a stranger arrives at their door. I won’t say more on the story, because this isn’t a film I want to spoil, but I do want to touch upon why I think it’s so good.

I’ve seen people say the title is misleading, but I disagree – I think it’s wholly appropriate. Because at its core, It Comes at Night is a film about paranoia. It’s about the fear of what we don’t know or understand – and how we react. The title is perfect in that regard, as it immediately puts the viewer on edge – just like Paul.

And what’s more, the film brilliantly restricts the viewer to the same level of information as the characters. We know as much as they do. There’s no disconnect from their experience – we’re right alongside them, every step of the way.

The film is wonderfully shot, with an appropriately unsettling score. It feels claustrophobic to watch, an effect that grows ever more uncomfortable as the film progresses. As far as any criticisms go, I’d say the ending does get a tad muddled as it tries a little too hard to be ambiguous. But overall, I thought It Comes at Night was excellent, and easily one of the best horror films of recent years. Recommended.

8/10

Now Playing: Ikaruga

I wasn’t sure if I should do a review of Ikaruga. It’s a shoot ‘em up I originally played on the GameCube in 2003, but recently picked up again on PC. Ikaruga is generally regarded as one of the best of its genre, but it’s not a genre I’m particularly familiar with – so keep that in mind, because this review is going to be written from a more casual point of view.

Ikaruga is a game that’s easy to beat, but very hard to master. There are only five levels, and each can be cleared in about five minutes. If you’re new to the game I highly recommend heading straight to the settings and enabling infinite continues for your first run – by default, you get zero continues.

It won’t record your scores if you alter the default, but you really shouldn’t be worrying about score, but about learning each stage and becoming familiar with the mechanics. The game won’t teach you as you play, so it’s also worth watching the ‘How To Play’ video, found in the options menu.

Your ship has two polarities – white and black – which can be switched on the fly. Enemies also come in either a white or black variety. By firing bullets of one polarity, you can do more damage to those of the other, but if you’re struck by a bullet of the opposite polarity you’ll be destroyed.

So far, so simple, but this is where things get more interesting. You can also absorb the energy of the bullets matching your current polarity, charging your special attack – a multi-missile strike. So it can actually be beneficial for you to soak up enemy fire in order to use it against them.

But learning the mechanics is only part of the challenge. You can also be killed by coming into contact with enemy ships, or by crashing into pieces of scenery – and on a couple of levels, it’s attempting to navigate the constantly shifting/rotating scenery that can prove as difficult as dealing with the hundreds of bullets heading your way.

Ikaruga requires time, patience and dedication if you want to ‘git gud’. Memorisation of each level is key if you want to aim for higher scores. You can multiply your score by building ‘chains’ – destroying multiple enemies of the same polarity in a row. If you want to do more than simply ‘beat’ Ikaruga – which you can do in about thirty minutes – and achieve the highest ranking, then be prepared to replay every stage multiple times. As I said – time, patience and dedication.

And that’s why I wasn’t sure if I should do a review of Ikaruga, because I just don’t think I have the patience for it. I’ve played through the game four times, clocking up a couple of hours play. I’ve tried replaying the first chapter several times to improve my score and hit a higher rank, and whilst I am getting much better at building my chains, the system is pretty punishing to the point that a single slip can ruin an entire run.

Fans of the genre seem to love it, and I can certainly see the addictive appeal. The short levels do encourage repeat play, but as someone who’s not really a fan of the genre, I don’t really feel the need to do so. Visually, the game looks great, and it has a suitably killer soundtrack. I do like the mechanics and think the polarity system is pretty clever, but I just don’t know if I want to keep playing for score alone.

I might keep jumping into Ikaruga to see if I can hit those higher ranks. I’m already watching videos of people who know what the f**k they’re doing to see if I can pick up a few tips. Hitting those higher ranks is a challenge that appeals to me, but I’m just not sure if I have the patience to keep at it.

7/10

Work in Progress: TF, TM & TE

I’m in the process of wrapping up Part 2 of TF, TM & TE. I’m a little behind schedule – in my original Work in Progress post regarding this project, I said I’d hoped to be finished by the end of April. And if I’d stuck to my original outline, I wouldn’t be too far from hitting that target.

But plans change, and my outline for TF, TM & TE has now expanded from 4 Parts to 5, so it’s going to take an extra month or so to write. I’m now targeting late May / early June. With Part 2 complete, I’ll begin fleshing out my Part 3 plan.

I’m pretty happy with how the project is progressing. I’m doing a lot of heavy editing as I go. I spent a week scrapping, editing and rewriting entire chapters in Part 2 because I wasn’t entirely happy with them. It’s not easy scrapping hours of work just because it doesn’t feel right. But I knew I had to, and after many long and tedious hours I finally knocked those troublesome chapters into shape.

If my blog posts seem a little slow this year, it’s because this project is taking up a lot of my time. But I’d like to keep things ticking over, and I’ve got a handful of posts written and ready to go, at least for this month. Next month might be a little thin, but we’ll see how it goes.