Final Fantasy XV Reviews
At the end of the day, Final Fantasy XV is a great first step into an open world action RPG. However, its various systematic issues and poor story hold it back.
Twelve years of development haven't stopped the odd issue and a patchy narrative from rearing their head, but they aren't enough to spoil a beautiful and endearing RPG experience. With action-packed combat and plenty of post-game content, players who take their time exploring the world of Eos will discover that Final Fantasy XV is more about the journey – and the memories you make along the way – than the destination.
It's important that you know about the issues present in the game before you're told that in spite of all that is wrong, it's still an incredible adventure.
A new direction for the series, with an interesting and rich world, great graphics and music, and a fast paced and intense battle system, albeit one that requires a bit of getting used to. The cast might not be to everyone's taste, and, surprisingly for the series, the story is the game's weakest aspect, which might be the price of going open world, but ultimately the game succeeds in presenting most of the series' core values in a modern format while keeping its identity intact.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
When it's at its best, generally during the latter third of the game, the results are often phenomenal. At its worst, you'll wonder how it can pass as a Final Fantasy game. On the whole though, the good far outweighs the bad, making Final Fantasy XV a flawed but essential title for fans of the long-running series.
It's difficult to judge Final Fantasy XV. It bears all the scars of troubled development, and it has a list of nagging issues a mile long, but it's more than the sum of its parts. It's fun to play and has plenty of charming and likeable moments that balance out the frustrating time-wasting elements and weak plot. FF15 is a solid entry into the franchise and is as accessible to newcomers as it is to longtime fans. It might have some rough patches, but FF15 shows that it cares about the most important thing of all: fun.
Is Final Fantasy XV everything it ought to be? For fans, yes. Without question, this is the Final Fantasy game you've been waiting for. That's actually surprising given how tumultuous its decade-long development as been. For first-timers, it depends how tolerant you are of narrative failings. Look past that, and you're treated to fantastic moment to moment gameplay, and an intricate set of systems that will have you coming back for more.
A wonderful new foundation to build on
It's still messy and there are problems, but Final Fantasy XV is appealing to most, fascinating and, most of all, the new approaches make a great recipe.
Final Fantasy XV is imperfect, but the high points of this journey outweigh the messy bits. I recommend you learn to go with the flow, spend some time with your bros, and really get lost in the game.
Bold and brave, Final Fantasy XV brings back some of what made FF special to begin with. It's rough around the edges, but that's okay: where it counts, it's got heart.
Final Fantasy 15 is the best single-player Final Fantasy in a decade. The new combat system is more action-oriented, but still surprisingly tactical, while the new focus on open-world exploration brings the game and its world to life. Crammed with character, choice and interest, it's an RPG where the good times keep on rolling down the road.
Final Fantasy XV overcomes its narrative lows with gameplay highs that consume the player's time with engrossing optional quests and frenetic battles. As a whole, it does not represent the best in the series, but it delivers just enough to deserve a place in the mainline series, which is an achievement for a game that originated as a Final Fantasy XIII spin-off.
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 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.
With such a lengthy and troubled development cycle, it was really anyone's guess how FFXV would turn out in the end. Even though I'm relatively pleased with the outcome as the four friends carry the moment to moment gameplay with grace, the disjointed and lackluster storyline leaves an indelible mark on what is otherwise an incredibly well crafted RPG well worth experiencing.
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.
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 is a unique offering, both for the franchise and RPGs in general. Placing the onus on the relationships of your party, rather than the narrative, has meant that this is a game that strikes not just an emotional chord, but a personal one. While Final Fantasy stalwarts will likely balk at the action-heavy combat, the spirit of the franchise remains, and is better served here than it has been in many years.
What Final Fantasy XV succeeds at more than anything is providing an unpredictable and memorable adventure. Captivating story and characters were sacrificed along the way, but more than anything this game needed to prove that Final Fantasy can still execute greatness while taking risks.