Final Fantasy XV Reviews
Final Fantasy XV had quite a lot to live up to after so many years, and while it may have taken a decade to get here, the journey was worth the wait with this phenomenal entry in the series.
Final Fantasy XV is about adventure and excitement. There are oddities, and it's not the FF you're used to, but it's a good time with some good boys, and has an unexpected emotional resonance to it. Sometimes it seems like it shouldn't work, but it does.
Final Fantasy XV has its problems, but it's filled with enough special moments that you can forgive the issues. The combat is fluid, thoughtful, and cinematic while the open world gives you a ton to do.
Final Fantasy XV is a masterpiece, channeling some of the franchise's best qualities while adding something new and unexpected at every turn.
It's by no means the best Final Fantasy game there's ever been, especially once it forces you to bid farewell to your easy-going road trip and sit on a literal train for the rest of the story, providing tiny, tantalizing glimpses of other open worlds that might have been if only they'd had another ten years to actually finish the damn thing, but I'll eat my chocobo hat if it isn't the most interesting, experimental and important one the series has ever seen.
Flawed but fun, Final Fantasy has made a mostly triumphant return
Final Fantasy XV, despite significant and glaring problems, is still a lovely time that managed to make me like Final Fantasy again. It's a character piece, and the characters we spend our time with are fully realized and play off each other so well. It's a lighter journey that nonetheless knows when to get serious, spurred by a charismatic nemesis and a quartet of lovable, beautiful boys. And good God is it weird.
It's also a monument to the determination and dedication of a team that quite obviously poured an inordinate amount of love and passion into creating a fantastic world that is worth exploring and living, and a lovely quartet of boys that are exceptional in their normality and humanity. I couldn't ask for better virtual friends than Ignis, Gladio and Prompto. I laughed with them, cried with them, and I really love them.
Final Fantasy fans should play this game immediately. It's not perfect, but it has many of the franchise's traditional strengths. If you're new to the series, you may want to try the classics first, or wait for a sale.
"Final Fantasy XV" is at its best when treated as an act of tourism. It's gratingly intrusive when it tries to keep you busy, and transcendentally comforting when it settles for just keeping you company.
Square Enix has taken quite a few risks with Final Fantasy XV to make it different from past installments or even JRPGs overall. Despite some graphical issues, they have pulled off an amazing experience, and it's one that veterans and newcomers alike can immensely enjoy. This road trip has been well worth the wait.
Enthralling and slick, but problems lie beneath
The glimpses of brilliance all stay in the early parts of the game, with the latter portions of the main story being incredibly weak, and shows signs that even after years of development, that Final Fantasy XV still wasn't quite finished.
Not without it's flaws, but Final Fantasy XV is a fantastic comeback for the series and a beautiful love letter to the fans of the series. With a mix of open world, hectic combat and engaging characters – this is the Final Fantasy we have been waiting for.
Review in Swedish | Read full review
Final Fantasy XV is a game of lost opportunities which, once again, proves that Square Enix had to change something a long time ago. Neither of the project elements, except the music, is completely processed, and the game is released raw and incomplete, what is particularly seen after the ninth chapter. If you are ready to stop your progress at the tenth episode, suffering monotonous tasks in a beautiful open world and if you like a simplified clone of Monster Hunter then you can add one score to the total. But if you go further then there are all the chances to be disappointed. Unfortunately, the further we went the more we learnt about all the rawness and incompleteness of Final Fantasy XV. It becomes even more disappointing after watching gorgeous trailers of Final Fantasy Versus XIII. It's too bad we certailny won't see that game ever.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Ten long years have culminated in a game that's a bit rough around the edges, but enjoyable. Kudos to Hajime Tabata for getting this thing done. For me it was enjoyable throughout, and I'll be seeing this one through until I have the platinum trophy, but I think that feat is reserved for only the most dedicated franchise fans.
Final Fantasy XV is a game about a journey between friends and for a journey, it's a fine one. The game has got issues ranging from poor character development to dull combat and generic side quests, but it's also something special thanks to memorable friends and amazing music. The developer wanted to make a game for fans and newcomers alike and they made many changes to the typical Final Fantasy formula. The result is a game that is not like what you would expect, but for those who want to find something to love here, there's something to find.
Square Enix had the gargantuan task of reinvigorating the series with a game 10 years in the making. Final Fantasy XV succeeds.
Final Fantasy XV is a strange, patchwork beast that's made up of countless different components. Having been in development for so long, things could have gone far, far worse for Noctis and the gang, but as it stands, this is an engrossing journey that delivers a unique experience – and that's something that can rarely be said about today's open world games. When its at its very worst, Final Fantasy XV is mind-bogglingly misguided, but thankfully, those moments are very few and far between, and are soon forgotten when you're running off on adventures with such an endearing band of brothers. As a whole, Final Fantasy will likely never recapture its former glory, but Final Fantasy XV fills us with hope that the series can still carve out its own path, even after all these years.
Final Fantasy XV is a true return to form for the series. The main story of the game is passable, but surpassed by the fantastic tale of Noctis and his three friends, Gladiolus, Prompto and Ignis. The world they live in, the interconnectivity and just how alive it feels makes for a great game, warts and all.