Final Fantasy XV - (very) Initial Thoughts
Dec. 4th, 2016 11:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nansliceSo first off: I'm going into this game completely blind. I didn't play the demo. I haven't been keeping up with news about it (except for its ridiculous mishandling of female characters). I went in knowing that the main character is a prince and his three bros are going with him on what appears to be a cross country trip in their car. That's all I knew.
So first off, the battle system. Very engaging and there's a lot to remember! I'm great at attacking and dodging, terribly at blocking and parrying. AND WARPING. So bad at that! But I'm getting better at the blocking/parrying.
Also, there's a bit of a focus on teamwork; if you successfully do a blindside attack, one of your teammates will do a fancy attack with you. If you're in danger, they'll help you out (basically a rescue) and you can do the same for them. There's party banter while battling and that's delightful. There's actually a lot of banter in general; these characters clearly have known each other for some time and are comfortable with each other. I really, really like how closely knit they are.
(Also, dang, Prompto sings Noctis' praises a lot, just saying, also Gladio called Ignis "Iggy" also they get super mad at you when you accidentally hit them with a weapon or magic, which...I've already managed to set everyone on fire at least once, whoopsies)
So far the only part of the world I've experienced is Hammerhead and the area around Hammerhead. And let me tell you, this place feels very familiar. I've been to garages like this. I've eaten in diners like this. I've been around people like Cid. He actually really reminds me of my dad, which, aaaaahhh, emotions. Cindy is absolutely adorable (even though her clothes are Not Great). I know people are like "where's all the fantasy in this Final Fantasy title?!| and look, I get that, but there's something really nice about being in a location that feels so dang familiar to me, haha. And it's only the start area, I'm sure things will get more fantastical, and also there are glimpses of more fantastical elements (you know, like the monster roaming the area and the use of magic). I think it's a pretty nice blend in that regard.
I had no idea hunts were a thing in this game! I LOVE HUNTS. I will lose my place in the main story to go hunting, lmao. I also had no idea each character had a particular skill. Right now Prompto's photography is my favorite but I adore fishing in every game it's available in so you know, I'm going to want to mess with Noctis' skill soon. Ignis' cooking skill is also pretty adorable and I love the screen where you decide which meal to make because he looks so thoughtful about it. ;3; Gladio's survival skill is a little boring, tbh, although it'll probably end up being super useful.
Also, the game is just freaking beautiful, which honestly should come as no surprise.
So yeah, so far, so good. I'm really enjoy it.
Speaking of beautiful, I've been taking screenshots!
So first off, the battle system. Very engaging and there's a lot to remember! I'm great at attacking and dodging, terribly at blocking and parrying. AND WARPING. So bad at that! But I'm getting better at the blocking/parrying.
Also, there's a bit of a focus on teamwork; if you successfully do a blindside attack, one of your teammates will do a fancy attack with you. If you're in danger, they'll help you out (basically a rescue) and you can do the same for them. There's party banter while battling and that's delightful. There's actually a lot of banter in general; these characters clearly have known each other for some time and are comfortable with each other. I really, really like how closely knit they are.
(Also, dang, Prompto sings Noctis' praises a lot, just saying, also Gladio called Ignis "Iggy" also they get super mad at you when you accidentally hit them with a weapon or magic, which...I've already managed to set everyone on fire at least once, whoopsies)
So far the only part of the world I've experienced is Hammerhead and the area around Hammerhead. And let me tell you, this place feels very familiar. I've been to garages like this. I've eaten in diners like this. I've been around people like Cid. He actually really reminds me of my dad, which, aaaaahhh, emotions. Cindy is absolutely adorable (even though her clothes are Not Great). I know people are like "where's all the fantasy in this Final Fantasy title?!| and look, I get that, but there's something really nice about being in a location that feels so dang familiar to me, haha. And it's only the start area, I'm sure things will get more fantastical, and also there are glimpses of more fantastical elements (you know, like the monster roaming the area and the use of magic). I think it's a pretty nice blend in that regard.
I had no idea hunts were a thing in this game! I LOVE HUNTS. I will lose my place in the main story to go hunting, lmao. I also had no idea each character had a particular skill. Right now Prompto's photography is my favorite but I adore fishing in every game it's available in so you know, I'm going to want to mess with Noctis' skill soon. Ignis' cooking skill is also pretty adorable and I love the screen where you decide which meal to make because he looks so thoughtful about it. ;3; Gladio's survival skill is a little boring, tbh, although it'll probably end up being super useful.
Also, the game is just freaking beautiful, which honestly should come as no surprise.
So yeah, so far, so good. I'm really enjoy it.
Speaking of beautiful, I've been taking screenshots!
no subject
Date: 2016-12-06 07:33 pm (UTC)I'm loving Final Fantasy XV, but that would be awful. If it's any consolation, though, I think it's unlikely. Final Fantasy XIII had a wobbly reception (more wobbly than it deserved, I think), but Square didn't go 'well, female-led games don't work'; they brought out two female-led sequels, they took on Tomb Raider, and they were willing to give Life Is Strange a chance when most other publishers said 'we won't take this unless you change the lead character to a boy.'
They're not perfect when it comes to female representation, of course! (The world won't end if you put a woman who's over thirty in your games, Square, I promise.) But they're better than most game developers, so I'm prepared to trust that this is a 'we wanted to tell a one-off story about dudes' thing, rather than 'we got tired of women and now it's nothing but dudes unto eternity'.
(It helps that it's a hugely enjoyable story about dudes, and I get the impression that aspects of it are consciously catering to me as a woman. I feel much more welcomed as part of the audience when playing Final Fantasy XV than I did when playing Final Fantasy X-2, which had an all-female party.)
That... that was quite a long comment to suddenly drop on a stranger, wasn't it? Sorry. Er, hello!
no subject
Date: 2016-12-06 09:50 pm (UTC)Hah, yeah.
I'll probably worry about it until whenever FFXVI is announced.