Final Fantasy XV is a huge open world release game which replaced Final Fantasy 13 Versus. The game had been in development for ten years. I have to say it has totally been worth the wait. Despite the cancellation of FF 13 Versus, the game is still set within the Crystal Novalis series. So without further ado, it’s time for our Final Fantasy XV review!

Before we get started, let’s talk a bit about the game’s characters:

NOCTIS: He the main protagonist, the crown prince and future king – a destiny which he has rejected, much to his father’s disappointment. His loyalty to those around him is unwavering and unquestionable. Noctis has an ability to sense the deaths of others as a result of a childhood accident.

PROMPTO: He is the baby of the group, born into nobility. He can easily get carried away, and loves photography. He will happily take photographs at every step of your journey, even at inappropriate times when in a battle! He is an interesting character.

GLADIOLUS: He is a Lord who has sworn to protect the crown. Because of this, the bond between Noctis and Gladio isn’t friendship – they are more like brothers and will do anything for one another. Gladio is a huge fan of the outdoors, so he loves being close to nature.

IGNIS: He is the most logical of the group, and he and Noctis share a close bond. He also has a flair for cooking. I have to be honest: some of the dishes he cooks up look mighty delicious!

The game is for all types players, for those who are getting their first Final Fantasy experience or for seasoned players who have played every release in the series. Final Fantasy XV is split into chapters, each one packed with lots of things to do, plenty of areas to explore, and many secrets to find – not to mention plenty of ugly monsters you’ll need to slay.

The story is slightly incoherent, making it seem as if some content was removed or cut before being fully fleshed out for it to be part of the DLC content available I the Deluxe Edition or for Season Pass holders. The story is slow to start, but it does pick up the pace a bit at around chapter three when things start to open up. The best thing I loved about the game is that you can do pretty much whatever you want. You can do story missions, or you can do side missions and hunts before going back to the story.

Now for the combat portion of the game. Prompto, Ignis and Gladio can handle themselves pretty well while you control Noctis, but do be mindful of where the others are at all times so that you can heal them as needed! You can equip a maximum of four weapons and swap them around with the simple press of a button. Having several options is nice since there are several moves to activate during a fight and weapons provide different stat boosts that can definitely turn the tide of battle. As for fights, I suggest that you learn how to properly learn to warp, parry and dodge if you want to say alive.

The warp ability is incredible, and you will be using it a lot for attacking and defending against monsters. On top of this, you can also use warp at the many warp points dotted around the game world- Just hold down the triangle button to warp to these spots, and while there you can recover your HP/MP and plan your next attack. You will love the warp ability!

Combat is real-time, and can be hectic at times depending who you fight against. All four of your characters have special skills which you can trigger, along with dual moves which are kind of like ultimate attacks. The amount of damage dual moves can deal is amazing, and the animations look great, giving the game a very cinematic look.

If you’re into magic, there is definitely a lot of that available in Final Fantasy XV. You can find elemental energy from procure points around the world, and you can store a max of 99 points of fire, ice, and lightning energy. You can create spells via the Elemancy and create elemental grenades that you can throw at enemies. You can mix and match or use single elements if you wish.

The enemies will start small so that you can get the hang of things, but as you progress and level up the enemies you will meet and encounter will soon be gigantic… like the Adamantoise! Nothing screams danger like a giant turtle, so you better be careful before you even try to face the mighty beast! The power of the PlayStation 4 makes it possible for Square Enix to give us the massive monsters described in previous entries in the series, blown up into massive proportions.

There are lots of side quests to do, but worry not since you only need to complete 80 of them for the Platinum trophy – along with other requirements. Yes, there are certainly more than 80 side quests, so if you want to complete all of them, you’ll spend several extra hours doing so. Side quests are not the only optional stuff you can do in the game since you can also take on monster hunt missions which offer mighty rewards for your actions.

The cherry on the pie, for me, is your skill tree. You earn AP from killing monsters in certain ways like kill from behind, as well as for other things like going on long drives or camping. You can spend your AP to increasing your stats and skills in your skill trees. You can even boost each character’s native skills like, such as Prompto’s Photography, Gladio’s Survival Instinct or even Noctis’s Fishing skill. There is a lot of fun to be had with the skill tree for each character.

Final Fantasy XV has a ton of surprises for you. We have been waiting a very long time for this game, but now that the wait is finally over, I can certainly say it was worth it. There are many things to do in a game with gorgeous environments, massive monsters and a ton of side-quests, so I’m sure you’re going to love this one.