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00:00:00 – 00:23:43
The video offers a comprehensive review of "Final Fantasy XV," exploring various aspects from gameplay to character interactions. The speaker reflects on their enjoyment of the series, particularly appreciating the open-world design and iconic elements such as chocobos and classic music. The multifunctional Regalia car and the camaraderie among the main characters, Noctis and his friends, are highlighted as essential components of the experience. However, the review critiques several aspects including the fast-paced and confusing storyline, simplistic and repetitive combat system, and problematic gameplay mechanics like the jump and interact button configuration. Despite these issues, elements like the character development during drives, Ignis's cooking skills, Noctis's fishing, and the enjoyable if unbalanced magic crafting system bring depth to the gameplay. The open-world and quest mechanics, while addictive, are criticized for lacking innovation. The visual and aesthetic elements draw mixed reactions, with the Americana-inspired setting providing a unique backdrop. Overall, "Final Fantasy XV" is seen as a flawed yet joyful addition to the series, ultimately earning a low B tier ranking from the speaker. The video concludes with an announcement for the next review, focusing on "Final Fantasy VI."
00:00:00
In this segment of the video, the speaker expresses excitement about nearing the completion of playing every Mainline Final Fantasy title, with only one game remaining. They discuss their positive experiences with the series, noting specifically their enjoyment of Final Fantasy XV, despite the mixed reception from long-time fans. They appreciate XV’s open-world design, likening it to the “Xenoblade” series, and highlighting that this style of gameplay began with Final Fantasy XII. The speaker enjoys recognizing elements from previous titles, such as iconic characters, chocobos, crystals, and classic music, which contribute to the nostalgic experience. The new feature of traveling by car, specifically the “Regalia,” is appreciated as it enhances exploration and enjoyment of the game’s vast world.
00:03:00
In this segment of the video, the focus is on the multifunctional role of the Regalia, the vehicle in Final Fantasy XV, which serves as the main form of transport and a portable hub. Players can fast travel, shop, and drive with it, and even use its off-road option in the Royal Edition. Driving the Regalia enhances open-world exploration. The car also ties into the storyline, particularly with the main character Noctis and his friends frequently operating out of the Hammerhead gas station. The Hammerhead and other gas stations have a distinctive Americana vibe, featuring elements like the 50s-themed Crows Nest diner. The game includes a significant emphasis on car culture, with long car rides essential to the storyline, emphasizing the camaraderie of Noctis and his three friends, who form a tight-knit party.
00:06:00
In this segment, the video discusses the development of characters in “Final Fantasy XV,” noting that interactions and dialogue during drives are more engaging than the main story scenes. The plot revolves around Noctis, who is sent by his father, the king of Lucis, to marry Lunafreya, with hopes of brokering peace with an evil empire controlling their continent. The story’s pacing is criticized for being too fast and confusing, especially a critical cut scene in Chapter 1 that requires watching a prequel movie, “Kingsglaive,” to fully understand. The video also highlights the game’s issue of introducing characters and their backstories too quickly while neglecting them later. Additionally, the game’s map opens up early, allowing players to become overpowered.
00:09:00
In this part of the video, the speaker critiques the combat system of Final Fantasy XV. They express mixed feelings due to spending 25 hours leveling up, making the remainder of the game very easy. The game’s combat is described as simple, easy, and janky, with basic actions like attacking and dodging feeling poorly executed. The warp strike mechanic, while enjoyable, highlights these issues due to inconsistent triggering and clumsy enemy signaling. Party members’ contributions are minimal unless their skills are commanded directly. This leads to repetitive combat strategies: relying heavily on warp strikes and specific powerful attacks from AI companions, which makes most battles boring. The speaker prefers the combat systems of other Final Fantasy games and suggests that Square Enix should have refined existing systems instead of combining various mechanics.
00:12:00
In this part of the video, the speaker criticizes the gameplay mechanics of Final Fantasy XV, particularly the problematic jump and interact button configuration which often leads to frustrating moments. The game’s visuals are described as satisfactory but not exceptional, comparing unfavorably to earlier titles like Final Fantasy XIII. The structure of the game and its embracing of the Western open world formula are also critiqued, highlighting repetitive quest hubs, an abundance of unremarkable hunts, and the tediousness of only being able to track one hunt at a time. The speaker expresses disappointment with these aspects, noting that despite engaging in numerous hunts for earning in-game currency, the process felt unnecessarily time-consuming and unenjoyable.
00:15:00
In this part of the video, the speaker discusses the open world and quest mechanics of “Final Fantasy XV.” They find the system addictive, despite it not bringing much new to the genre. The speaker particularly enjoys riding chocobos for exploration, as they provide access to areas the regalia car cannot reach. The dungeons are highlighted as a strong aspect of the game, offering seamless transitions without load screens and varying challenges due to the lack of level scaling.
The discussion shifts to the magic system, which the speaker finds both absurd and enjoyable. Magic is crafted by combining elements like fire, lightning, and ice with various items to enhance effects. The speaker prefers crafting powerful spells like quadcast to maximize damage during battles. Despite finding the magic system easy and unbalanced, they appreciate its unique approach in this installment of the game. The segment concludes with a mention of the Chocobo attacks, which the speaker deems situational and less impactful in combat.
00:18:00
In this part of the video, the speaker discusses the various specialty skills of the party members in the game, highlighting Ignis’s cooking skills and the detailed cut scenes of food preparation, which are particularly captivating. The game’s structure, which incentivizes staying in hotels for experience points (XP) bonuses over camping, detracts from fully enjoying the camping experience. Despite this, the speaker still camps frequently to enjoy the character interactions. Noctis’s fishing skill and Prompto’s photography skill are also mentioned, with fishing being surprisingly enjoyable and photography providing autogenerated pictures after leveling up. Gladiolus’s survival skill is largely an automatic mechanic tied to battle rewards. The speaker acknowledges a mix of criticism and appreciation for the game’s subjective qualities, emphasizing its immersive “vibe” despite some structural flaws.
00:21:00
In this part of the video, the speaker discusses the unique qualities of Final Fantasy 15, including its Americana-inspired JRPG road trip experience, intriguing events, and pleasant banter. Although the game features repetitive environments, it still earns a respectable spot in their tier list. The speaker mentions completing the game and highlights the in-game cup noodle advertisement as amusing and fitting within the game’s setting. They praise the game’s music, noting its contribution to the overall enjoyment and its inclusion in their personal listening rotation. While acknowledging the game’s flaws, the speaker appreciates its core of joy and optimism, ultimately ranking it as a low B tier. They also announce their next review, focusing on Final Fantasy 6, and encourage viewers to engage with the channel.