Peaceful kingdom of great magic Lucis, protected by the power of the Crystal, and a technically advanced revisionist state - an empire Niflheim a long time ago they began a bloody war for territory and resources. During the long years of war, Niflheim captured all neighboring states and territories ( Galahd, Tenebrae etc.), and Lucis, realizing that the enemy could easily organize a blitzkrieg to the capital of Lucis - the city Insomnia, built a magical wall around him, fueled by the Crystal.

Niflheim managed to almost completely capture all the cities and territories of Lucis, except for the majestic Insomnia - a reliable wall became an insurmountable barrier for the invaders. A few years ago, when Tenebrae resisted, king Regis together with his son Noctis arrived there to cure him of his illness.

The then ruling elite of Tenebrae - Knox Fleuret(Ravus with her sister Lunafreya and their mother) provided Lucis with military support against the "Nifs", so they kindly received King Regis and his son.

It is worth noting separately that Prince Noctis of Lucis and Lunafreya were raised together and the Nox Fleuret dynasty was never alien to the kingdom of Lucis. However, the Niflheim Empire decided to strike a decisive blow against Tenebrae, depriving both kingdoms of leadership and demoralizing the allied forces. The imperial general Glauka attempted to kill King Regis, but he and his son were saved. Niflheim captured Lunafreya and Ravus, killing their parents, and the kingdom of Tenebre itself fell, falling under the protectorate of the empire.

Much time has passed, Prince Noctis has grown up, Lucis continues to suffer defeats from Niflheim, King Regis’s health has deteriorated, and the “Swords of the King” (trained fighters who use the power of the Crystal in battles with the “niths” (they will be discussed in more detail later) hold back the hordes enemies.

The main character of the film is the “sword of the king” Nyx Ulric, together with his friends Libertus and Crowe, after a battle with the “Nifs”, where they used demons, they find themselves in the last stronghold of Lucis - Insomnia, and serve, guarding important city objects.

"Royal swords" in service.

Nyx Ulric is a tenacious soldier, an example of the defenders of Lucis, he takes the example of his captain Titus Drautos, and the motto is “For hearth and home!” inspires him to further resist in a previously lost war.

Ulrik was essentially molded into a typical protagonist of any serial Final Fantasy, who, despite all the hardships and hardships, stubbornly fights for his ideals and sees the world exclusively as white and black. Nyx's homeland, Galahd, was captured by the "Nifs", but the hero himself always remains faithful to his king Regis, while his friend Libertus dreams of how to recapture Galahd from the empire. At one point, Libertus's faith in King Regis finally collapses, and he goes into the shadows, regretting the recent past.

It is worth mentioning separately the attitude of the residents,

lands captured by the Nifs.

People are indifferent to the war between the two states and sincerely believe that some rulers are no better than others, and Lucis is the same oppressor as Niflheim. This is indeed confirmed by the striking difference in the standard of living in the province of Lucis and the capital of Insomnia, where poverty and hopelessness contrast sharply with beauty and wealth. Even the Emperor of Niflheim, Idolos, was amazed by the luxury of Insomnia, admitting that the cities of the empire paled in comparison.

Such inequality played a cruel joke and turned against the kingdom of Lucis itself.

First, it lost the territories and resources that were so badly needed for further military operations, and then, realizing his future defeat, King Regis completely decided on the humiliating peace proposed by Niflheim. Based on the agreement to end the war, Lucis had to give all of its territory to the empire, except for the capital Insomnia.

After Regis's preliminary consent, Ulric's friend Libertus is forever disappointed in the ruler. Sincerely believing that the king will be able to reconquer the lands where Libertus is from, the warrior decides to quit his service in the Swords and join the rebel movement, the goal of which is to disrupt peace agreements and continue the war of attrition.

Important plot points from the film were transferred into the game, thus further misleading those players who had not watched Kingsglaive.

ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE FILM IN A SEPARATE LINE

Adrian Bouchet not only voiced Drautos, but also “shared” his appearance.

Since large-scale scenes of battles and attacks by the Niflheim army on Insomnia were very expensive to create in the game, Square Enix management decided to move this into a separate project. Also, the developers wanted not to be limited by the graphics of the current consoles and eventually transferred many of their ideas to Kingsglaive, because the costs of implementing large-scale battles in the game would significantly exceed the similar costs of the film, according to Square Enix financiers.

More than 50 third-party specialists from other companies around the world were invited to develop Kingsglaive: Digic Pictures (who worked on Assassin’s Creed), Image Engine (who took part in creating special effects in Game of Tables and Jurassic World).

The development team never stopped working on the film - it was carried out 24 hours a day by different regional teams on different continents. According to Takeshi Nozue

The filmmakers faced a difficult task - to attract more fans, both from among those who were not familiar with the series before, and those who had already grown up and stopped playing Final Fantasy. The main emphasis on the implementation of this task was on cinematic graphics, technology and, separately, character design. When Sakaguchi saw the first footage of Kingsglaive, he made comments about King Regis.

The king seemed too ideal and flawless to Sakaguchi, and his eyes did not express the wisdom and life experiences associated with managing the enormous magical power of the ancient kings. Takeshi Nozue listened to the Master's words and redesigned not only King Regis, but also several other characters, breathing "more life" into them and making them realistic.

The team spent a lot of extra time polishing the film "film".

Sean Bean while working on the voice of King Regis

PARTIES TO THE CONFLICT

• Lucis- a peaceful, technologically advanced kingdom, very similar to the modern world of the 21st century, a mixture of magic, peaceful technology and the monarchy of the Renaissance. Unlike Niflheim, Lucian technology developed in a different, “peaceful” direction. This is primarily due to the wall, thanks to which residents felt safe and concentrated their development around material values, filling the city with material goods.
• Royal swords or "Swords of the King"- This is the main striking force and army in the vanguard of Lucis. Only those soldiers who can control the king's magic go there. The Swords are composed mainly of soldiers recruited from the kingdom's now lost provinces, most of them from Galahd.

For a long time, the main motive for serving in the “swords” was the goal of retaking their homes in the occupied territories, but everything changed when Regis decided to sign a peace treaty. It is not surprising that during the bloody denouement, half of their fighters turned out to be traitors - some were flattered by the promises of the Niflheim leadership, while others pursued personal motives, hoping to gain even more magical power.

Captain of the Royal Swords - Titus Drautos, one of the minor characters in the game, who played a major role in the fate of Insomnia. Drautos is surrounded by royal attention and enjoys almost all the benefits available only to members of the royal family, and his life story is full of secrets, betrayals and deaths.

The hierarchy of “swords” is quite peculiar. In the absence of the captain, any other fighter can take command if the right to command has been delegated to him by the king. Together, the “swords” are capable of controlling collective powerful magic on the battlefield and crushing thousands of enemies.

Emperor of Niflheim - Iedolas.

The Niflheim Empire is a state that plunged the entire world of Eos into chaos and the abyss of war. Technologically advanced, its soldiers are made up of robots and demons, and its officer positions are filled with humans. This allowed the empire to save human resources, which worked in the rear to create new combat units. Emperor Idolas rules Niflheim, and the capital of the empire is the city of Gralea.

Obviously, the name “Niflheim” was borrowed from German-Scandinavian mythology, where it designated one of the nine worlds - the land of giants and ice, one of the first worlds. According to legend, it was in Niflheim that the god Odin defeated the giant Hel. Unfortunately, neither in the game nor in the film, we know practically nothing about Gralea, except that the city has the same high-rise skyscrapers and many research complexes, for the maintenance of which most of the exorbitant taxes of the citizens of the empire go.

The soldiers of the empire are armed with both firearms and bladed weapons, among them there are both robots and people. To speed up the desired victory, Niflheim achieved unprecedented discoveries in xenobiology. They managed to create robots and weapons from particles of demon materials. It all ended with the fall of the capital of Gralea and the reign of eternal night in the world of Eos, where hellish creatures ruled the roost.

The majestic capital of Lucis is the “father’s house” Insomnia.

BACK TO THE GAME. PLOT

Final Fantasy XV starts the day before the film's denouement, where Regis's noble son Noctis, along with a group of friends, leaves Insomnia on the orders of the king. Thus, Noctis manages to avoid the fate of his father and the entire top of Lucis, which was mercilessly slaughtered by General Glauka and the demons from Niflheim.

It’s worth talking separately about the prince’s partners, who later became his closest people:

• Gladiolus (Gladio)- Noctis’s bodyguard, in fact, his entire family are the bodyguards of kings, whose task is to protect the royalty of Lucis. Gladiolus's father was killed in a battle with Glauka (Drautos), but the developers completely ignored this important event. Gladio wields a two-handed powerful weapon, and as an additional one you can put up shields, which are of little use in battles with bosses. Gladiolus, in addition to the function of “the prince’s human shield,” can also give practical advice, and sometimes even bring down the arrogant and whining person from heaven to earth. Possesses survival skills and is the oldest on the team.

• Prompto- a character apparently added in order to somehow diversify the gloomy company with sharp jokes and self-irony. In battle, he exclusively uses firearms of various types. Prompto is the only one of the company of main characters who comes from Niflheim and is ashamed of it in every possible way. In Brotherhood (an in-universe serial anime of the same name), Promto met Noctis in high school, where he was already interested in photography.

• Ignis- a courtier who was specially raised as a lifesaver for the frivolous Prince. He is clearly suitable for the role of king instead of the latter, although, unfortunately, he is not from the Lucii family. Knows how to cook deliciously, uses fast daggers in battle. By the second half of the game, due to the negligence of the developers, Ignis is an absolutely useless character, capable of turning the gloom of the passage into depression, although there is never enough cannon fodder. For the vast majority of players, a blinded Ignis serves as a “bait and heal.”

• Noctis- Member of the Lucis family, hereditary king. Closed in himself, a pessimist, because of whom many truly worthy and good people were killed and injured. Apart from his appearance, he cannot boast of anything, because even royal power is not his merit, but most likely a given. During the course of the game, the Prince loses everything he can, in a dangerous situation he abandons his faithful comrades surrounded by enemies, and only the pity of the developers “saves” the trio from death. Evil tongues say that the gods of Lucis initially understood the worthlessness of Noctis and created hell in Insomnia because of this, and the hero Libertus was absent throughout the entire game, although in the film he should play a larger role later in the plot. After the ideal image of the hero in the person of Nyx Ulrika, Noctis looks like a nobody and nothing, and if the main message of the film was, despite betrayal, to lay down lives FOR THE HEARTH AND HOME (the kingdom of Lucis and the king), then in the game they die only for the stupid Prince, who, to the credit of the developers, is able to understand this in the second half of the game, when he has already lost everything.

From left to right: Ignis, Prompto, Noctis and Gladiolus.

Ardyn Izunia– one of the few worthy characters in the game and film. Thanks to his strong character, he rose from insignificance to become the chancellor of a great empire. Fate was unkind to him, but despite everything, he swam against the tide and always achieved his goal. I'm sure 99% of players fought themselves just to follow him.

Emperor Idolas- the ruler of Niflheim, to whom the expression “as he lived, so he died” fits perfectly. Despite the fact that in the film he was the central character representing Niflheim, in the game he appeared only once in human form, becoming a victim of his vanity and greed. Idolas can only be compared with Noctis; if the latter, because of his cowardice and doubts, finished off the legacy of Lucis, the former sacrificed his capital Gralea and its inhabitants in order to establish his own dominance. But the emperor’s gullibility played a very cruel joke on him - in this regard, as they say, “don’t spit in the well from which you later drink.”

Cor Leonis- Immortal Marshall, or simply Marshall, as he is called in Eos. Despite universal respect, as well as strength, he turned out to be a coward and abandoned the prince, saying goodbye to him at the end of the first half of the journey. After the massacre in Insomnia, he survived only because he “reeled in his fishing rods” in time.

Lunafreya- a beautiful girl belonging to the once independent dynasty of Nox Fleuret, who ruled Tenebrae, the future wife of Noxtis, who gave everything dear, including her life, to make it easier for the future rag king to regain the throne. Luna's character is completely opposite to her fiancé; she has experienced many tragic moments and this has strengthened her.

Lunafreya communicates with Noctis through correspondence in a book carried by her dog Umbra, although mobile phones are present in the game.

The plot turned out to be very atypical compared to other numbered “finals”; here the influence of Western culture and self-copying was felt with borrowing history from Final Fantasy VII, and this is a very controversial step, given the opinions of old fans of the series. If you don’t want to get depressed, quit the game, or be very disappointed (if you are one of those who love happy endings and victories for their game characters), I highly recommend not boarding a ship and sailing to Altisia. The second, linear half of the game will be morally humiliating and disappointing.

The only word that can describe the development of events in the second part is despair.

All dreams are crushed, and towards the end a wave of hopelessness rolls in. Probably, the developers thought that it would be very cool to do just that, but a significant difference between the first half and the second would not be able to “restructure” the player to a negative wave. It is also very striking that the linear part was sculpted “at random” with great haste and indifference.

Noctis matured in the second half of the game. It took him 10 years to set his priorities and put an end to the impostor on the throne.

The impression was that the developers' scriptwriters saw it completely differently from how it was ultimately implemented technically. The plot gets smeared, unstuck and bursts like a soap bubble, which raises a huge number of questions, and the first of them is “Why did the gods load Noctis with a burden that he cannot lift?”

After finishing the game, you will feel emptiness and bad mood in your soul, the female half may even feel a little sorry for the Prince.

It is especially worth highlighting the actions of General Cor Leonis, who simply left Noctis to his fate at the most crucial moment. Did the immortal marshal also think that nothing good would come of the boy, and that the kingdom would never be reborn?

A wise commander simply would not have made many of Noctis’ mistakes, but the scriptwriters’ decision cannot be changed. But the above-described plot disadvantages seem worthless compared to the contradictory ending. It seemed to me that two teams were working on the plot at once, and their actions were unsynchronized and different, which ultimately led to “the ending will be like this, but then it will be different,” i.e. Just so you understand, screenwriters have been saying for a long time that the plot will go from point A to point B, but when this happens, they move it from point B to point C, which is on the other side of point A.

And there are no sacred meanings or philosophy here, however, the developers hint in every possible way that think for yourself about the ending, which can be interpreted as depressing or joyful.

Just like that, inexplicably, Ravus rose from the dead. Those who haven’t seen the film don’t care, but the rest are in “quiet” shock. Tabata promised new cutscenes to explain his sudden resurrection.

GAME AND FILM

Final Fantasy XV has quite a few differences from the movie. Despite the fact that the developers positioned Kingsglaive as the prehistory of the game, this is not entirely true.

Yes, in Lunafreya's case the game follows the film's storyline smoothly, but a number of significant Kingsglaive characters were missing from the game. For example, the developers forgot about the “Resistance” and Libertus, about the further fate of Captain Drautos and other notable characters.

The role of Emperor Idolas in the game is completely reduced to a minimum, where he will be shown only once and very quickly. The fate of the surviving Swords also remains unknown. Logically, those who survived the fall of Insomnia and did not betray the king should have joined Noctis and helped him, but there is no mention of them at all.

Besides all this, there are a lot of little things in the game that do not match the film. So, for example, Noctis’s companions dress in Swords costumes, although they do not possess royal magic and power, and Noctis himself is a king only on paper, not to mention the fact that they were not members of Swords before. In general, the plot of the film turned out to be solid and firmly put together in comparison with the game: there is practically no supernatural stuff and the film does not go all out, sliding into extremes and contradictions.
If the film pleased us with a truly royal scale, beautiful battles, amazing locations, characters (with whom we empathized), then the game slipped into a small-town routine. All these advantages of the film were completely crossed out in the game. At the risk of watching the movie before evaluating Final Fantasy XV, a certain category of players will be disappointed.

After the high-profile release of Kingsglaive, everyone’s mouths dropped open in surprise and epicness, and the thought crept into their heads about how a Japanese RPG would “do” the Western Witcher, but the expectations were in vain - the game does not correspond to the film in any way, except for a few plot elements.
A separate paragraph is worth writing a couple of lines about the version on PS3 and the late development of the game, where the developers demonstrated the beautiful streets of Insomnia with large-scale battles on them. This is not here: partly it was shown in the film, partly it was cut. The battle in Insomnia will be remembered by you for absolutely nothing, except for the hopeless darkness and idiocy in the form of “defeat mobs 20 lvl higher than you,” and the whole atmosphere of Kingsglaive is not felt at all in the game. You will not see the neon-lit beauty of the streets and avenues of the royal capital, and the royal palace and throne room will cause you nothing but a feeling of disgust.

GAME WORLD AND GAMEPLAY

The developers have significantly simplified the game's combat system, and for the first time made it a single controllable character throughout the entire game. By the way, fighting enemies is only interesting in those battles where their level exceeds your character. Some enemies turned out to be very unbalanced: for example, you can meet a monster that is low in level, but deals huge damage and is tenacious, although before that you killed 10 levels more without problems.

The combat system is a game of compromise between older fans and the modern gaming audience at large. The battles themselves are interesting only at first, where you still admire Noctis’s warp attacks and team attacks with one of his companions, but a little later it’s just boring and uncomfortable. By the second part of the game, the entire combat system slides into a dull 10-15-minute “gouging” against a tenacious monster with regular healing, because the story bosses there are very aggressive and cause critical damage even at level 50 of the main character.

Noctis can choose between all the weapons available individually to his companions, as well as use a one-handed sword. Separately, there is magic, but its significance in this game somewhere below is closer to zero. Therefore, get ready to “peck and hold” one button of enemies throughout the game, occasionally alternating with the duo’s attacks and the squire’s skill.

A wonderful open world game. It can be explored endlessly.

The second part of the game exposes these problems very much and turns the passage into endless torture, and Chapter 13 can easily turn you away from Final Fantasy XV forever.

Separately, I would like to note that if you sailed to Altissia with a low level of 30-45, then you can safely load saves in the Big World or start the game again, because this game is not about balance, and the period when you can return to the past again will not come yet soon.

In the linear part of the game, you will not have the opportunity to level up your character, and the entire race and fight with bosses like Ravus and ordinary demons of Insomnia will turn into a brutal rape of the gamepad by you and Noctis by the demons in the game. In Insomnia you will meet opponents level 70+, but do not delude yourself by rushing into battle with them. These enemies kill to death (without the possibility of using treatment) with one hit.

This is the price for an unfinished product. The developers only managed to balance the final boss with 0 lvl, but before you get to him, you will have time to change your mind 10 times and stop loving the game. Square Enix boasted of a large number of monster opponents before release, but these were empty words and ordinary “childish boasting”.

The main characters travel in the royal car Regalia, which will then “learn” to fly. You can customize it and color it however you like, collecting the necessary stickers in a variety of places.

Despite the fact that there is some variety in the open world of Eos, immediately after setting sail, the work of the designers responsible for the monsters and other opponents in the game ends.

“Corridors” will be crammed with the same enemy soldiers, diluted with 2-3 types of demons, and a shameful mission 10 years later and a nighttime arrival in “Hammer” will make even the most unpretentious fans cry. All the way from the pier to the “Hammer” you will see exactly 2 types of demons, throughout the whole damn 3.5 kilometers of the way.

Another proof of the hasty riveting of the latest missions “to fuck off”, which is unacceptable in the creation of AAA projects at the present time in the West. It’s amazing how foreign gaming publications give the game high marks, given the above...

Many of the readers will rightly ask the question: “Is everything so bad?” Of course no. The game is beautiful in the Big World of Eos, where you are free to travel anywhere and make great discoveries. What's not there!

This is truly amazing, because unlike Western RPGs, the open world is so beautifully designed that you will always want to return there and take on new challenges or discover something new. The large world subtly hides the problems of the combat system, making it feel more adequate and the enemies are very well balanced than in the second part of the game. Here you will have to not just kill in order to move along the “corridor” further, but kill for the sake of pumping, loot, hunting ranks, experience and much more.

Sometimes the car gets a little cramped, although this doesn’t bother Noctis at all when his childhood friend, Gladiolus’ sister Iris, is sitting next to him.

It is impossible to describe the adventures in Eos; everyone who, after reading above, decides to pick up the game must personally try it out. Believe me, even in this state, it costs absolutely more than all the games released this year combined, attracting first of all the huge number of sandbox features.

It is here that your disappointment will definitely be replaced by that first feeling before the first launch and completion of the game, and when the Umbra again takes you back in time and you can continue to explore Eos after completing the main story.

MUSICAL SCORE

Everything is almost perfect here. You can buy new music albums in stores while traveling around Eos, and also listen to tracks from the anime and film of the same name, final fantasy I, V, VII, XIII on the Regalia radio, which creates a truly grandiose choice. Otherwise, beautiful background music appears in the second part of the game, when story cutscenes follow one after another. In general, the background turned out worse than in the “finals” of the 90s.

King Regis also loved to travel, but in the company of Cor Leonis, Cid and Father Gladiolus.

CONCLUSIONS

The first half of the game made us think seriously about a second revival of the Japanese gaming industry (after all, Final Fantasy XV is its “face” with a huge budget and 10 years of development) and its return to the Golden Age, and even superiority over the Western one, but this did not happen.

All your dreams and impressions are shattered in the second half of the game, where you will overcome kilometers of identical corridors, fighting the same type of enemies and observe an undisguised shameful hack, which arose either due to lack of time for development, or due to the negligence of the developers over the past 2 years. However, if you close your eyes and stay forever in the Big World of Eos, then the game is almost perfect.

Final Fantasy XV can and should be played... but only when the price tag drops by 60-70% will I risk recommending this game at full price only to dedicated fans of the series.

If you're still wondering whether Final Fantasy XV is worth your time, this might be the place for you. Today we will weigh the PROS and CONS, and also try to assess the level of quality of the game as a whole.

Telegraph

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Intro

Around March, the PC version of Final Fantasy XV finally reached the Steam service. However, I was able to write a review on it only now, because like any self-respecting RPG, FFXV has a certain depth, and starting to write a review of the game without really understanding it is somewhat stupid. Among other things, by now the hype around the game has died down somewhat and now you and I will sit down in a calm atmosphere, with a cup of hot tea or coffee (here, whoever you prefer) and figure out whether this game is worth the money, and why .

It just so happens that a certain layer of video games is not very popular among CIS players. The “console” roots, so to speak, played an important role in this. How many people, for example, remember the Battletech universe? How many people know about Road Rash? Or maybe EarthBound? Legend of Zelda? Most of those reading this article have no doubt heard of the above universes, but how many of the readers actually had the opportunity to ourselves play at least one game in the series, that is the question.

The heroine of our today's review suffers from a similar illness - being a very popular series of games all over the world, it nevertheless remains practically unknown in Russian-speaking circles. This illness did not spare the author of the article, however, since there is no plot connection between the different parts of Final Fantasy, entering the new universe, as well as understanding and studying it, is relatively easy.

Cinema and games

In general, in addition to a fairly large number of all its advantages, Final Fantasy has long been known for having full-fledged animated films using computer graphics, which in one way or another introduce viewers to the universes of different parts of the series. In our case, the original film is called "Kingslave: Final Fantasy" and tells about the background of the events of the game, as well as the world of Eos as a whole.

If we touch on the plot briefly, avoiding spoilers, the picture turns out something like this:

For many years now, the kingdom of Lucis has been fighting for possession of the crystal with enormous power, with the empire of Niflheim. Despite the fact that the crystal belongs to the kingdom of Lucis, it is nevertheless on the verge of defeat. The situation is further complicated by the fact that the empire first learned to create combat robots - warriors without a soul, and soon even managed to subjugate powerful demons to their will. The crystal, in turn, has colossal magical power and with its help, King Regis Lucius Caelum XCIII fenced the capital of the kingdom, Insomnia, with a magical wall. True, only on one side. On the other side of the kingdom are fortified forts, where the defense is held by warblades - warriors who use powerful magic, and also rely on their outstanding physical skills in close combat.

On one of the least prosperous days for the kingdom, the empire, with the help of demons, they manage to almost completely destroy the protective fort, but instead of finishing off the survivors, the Niflheim warriors simply retreat. And a few days later, the consul of the empire arrives in Insomnia (let me remind you, the capital of the kingdom) and requests peace, naturally, on a number of conditions. One of these conditions is the transfer of territories belonging to the kingdom of Lucis to the control of the empire and the wedding of the young prince, Noctis Lucius Caelum, to Lunafreya Nox Fleura, a representative of the noble family of another, now captured kingdom, Tenebrae.

The film itself has several plot blunders, as well as a couple of moments that are not very easy to understand (the latter relates mainly to the battle scenes), but as an intro to the game it looks quite suitable. Moreover, it is made at a high graphic level - sometimes the viewer can catch himself thinking that he is watching a movie, and not an animated film.

Atmosphere

And we will begin the analysis of the game, perhaps, with its strongest, and at the same time somewhat ambiguous part.

Why ambiguous? It just so happens that Final Fantasy XV is an RPG from the Japanese. In fact, this means characters straight from anime, with very shocking hairstyles, battles in the style of “jump and hit the enemy while you are in the air” and a whole bunch of other details that anime is so loved for. I would not call this moment controversial, but in the CIS countries many people have a somewhat ambiguous attitude towards this genre. So if you can’t stand such things, then here is your first and very serious reason to think about it. In addition, especially sensitive individuals may catch a hint of some kind of homosexuality in certain characters (although, I dare to assure you, there is not a single “gay” person in the game).

Well, if you are calm about all of the above, then a huge, rich and superbly written world will open up to you, in which you want to believe and in which you want to live, despite all these strife and political squabbles.

Actually, we should start with the fact that the reader should not be deceived by the word “kingdom.” In fact, Eos is a fairly advanced world, in which there is a place for firearms, cars, and high technology in principle, and which is close in level of development to our planet in the 20th century. Only in our world there is no magic, and at night demons do not crawl out of the ground, from which people are forced to protect themselves with a huge amount of light.

As in any self-respecting RPG, the world in Final Fantasy has its own history, which can be learned from books, stories from friends and other NPCs. There are even local resorts and attractions where our protagonist can find a crowd of interested tourists, or just vacationers.

During the game, our protégé will have to travel a lot. And since he is the crown prince of the kingdom, no one, naturally, will send him on a dangerous journey full of adventures. The player will be accompanied by three more friends, who are also loyal servants of the crown, ready to give their lives for the main character, if necessary. Naturally, each of the heroes has his own fighting skills, character, and even hobbies, so let’s take a closer look at the hero’s companions (and the hero himself):

• Noctis Lucius Caelum (or simply Noctis) is the crown prince of the kingdom. Almost all his life he was pampered, so at the beginning of the story he is a kind of representative of the golden youth, the sons of rich parents, who is not used to denying himself anything.
• Gladiolus amicitia- Noctis's childhood friend. For many years, his family has protected the king, so, as you might guess, he acts as a kind of bodyguard for the prince, as well as his mentor in the combat unit. He simply loves physical exercise and considers survival in the wild to be his main hobby. Armed with a heavy sword and shield, he is the “tank” of the party.
  
• Ignis Sientia- Another childhood friend of Noctis. Unusually serious, he nevertheless has a very subtle sense of humor (although, alas, he does not joke often). In the party, he is responsible for ensuring that everyone is fed and the prince has clean clothes. Actually, cooking for Ignis is not just another tedious task, but a full-fledged mania, since literally immediately after the next battle he may suddenly be inspired by a new recipe, which he may hasten to implement at the next stop at the camp (the main thing is not to poison anyone inadvertently, hehe). Ignis is armed with blades and a spear, making him something of a melee assassin.
• Prompto Argentum- a friend of our character since school days. Unlike previous heroes, he is, rather, a simple person who does not serve under the king. He appears before us as a simple, carefree and always cheerful guy. Again, unlike the rest of the party members, according to the plot, he does not bring much benefit. She loves taking pictures of everyone and everything. He carries a firearm, as you might guess, and is a warrior who deals damage from a distance.
  

Actually, the game begins with the fact that our brave heroes leave the territory of Insomnia for the first time and discover that outside the capital, it turns out, a completely different currency is in use (in the English version -gil). In order to earn this currency, the heroes will have to hunt various animals, help not the most successful drivers with car repairs, deliver goods, fish, or participate in races on a Chocobo (a cross between a giant chicken and a turkey, analogous to a horse in our world). In general, nothing particularly unusual, although it should be noted that the variety and huge selection of activities still clearly benefit the game. Moreover, the player, in one form or another, participates in the hobbies of his friends as well. So, for example, it directly depends on the player what kind of food Ignis will prepare (and since one dish often requires several components at once, you should periodically run into stores and buy certain ingredients). And Prompto will kindly provide photographs taken during the day to the public court.

And the heroes set off on their journey in the royal car - a Rolls Royce Regalia. This vehicle is a unique specimen, so it is easily comparable to any supercar. And like any supercar, the Regalia has a whole bunch of not-so-convenient parameters that our hero and his friends can improve by searching for parts and installing them in the workshop.

In general, since we are talking about the car, it should be noted that traveling on it feels somehow special, not like in ordinary arcade games or RPGs. The player just wants to drive and gape, looking around, and not concentrate his attention on the road. Fortunately, the developers have provided a special opportunity - to entrust the driving of the car to your friend and enjoy the view.

What can we say to summarize this chapter? Is the game atmospheric? Definitely yes. Colorful secondary characters, friends of the main character, constantly making fun of each other, or a girl auto mechanic who speaks with a slight “southern” accent, a bunch of unique places, a deep study of the universe. Apparently more than one talented screenwriter had a hand in the game - everything around is imbued with the atmosphere of some road movie.

Plot

Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to talk about the plot in this case, because Final Fantasy XV is a game that places considerable emphasis on the story, and talking about the plot in an article of this kind is like giving you a book and forcing you to read it from the end. But this does not mean that nothing will be said at all, no.

During the game, Noctis will travel around the world, stopping at various hotels and eateries along the way, or setting up tents for the night, in search of the tombs of dead kings. Each such tomb contains a number of enemies and bosses, as well as special unique weapons. Such weapons are more powerful than conventional ones, but when using them, our alter ego’s precious health bar is wasted. The plot itself is presented with the help of well-staged dialogues and interestingly presented scenes. Sometimes Noctis has a choice of answers, although, alas, one cannot count on constant variety. Towards the end of the game, we will be completely protected from the open world and forced to follow the script strictly. And here the game delivers a very painful punch in the gut (however, not for the first time, because we haven’t touched on the gameplay part yet): why, one wonders, were some of the territories fenced off? Apparently, the developers did not have enough time and effort. They missed it. And this is actually very unpleasant, especially for an RPG game.

Subsequently, back in the era when Final Fantasy XV was only on consoles, the developers tried to correct the situation with four story DLCs. One of them even introduces multiplayer, which takes place in the so-called “dark” times. The other three allow you to play as each of Noctis's companions and learn their story in a slightly more vivid volume.

In addition to the last point, players were also promised four more fairly large-scale DLCs until 2019, so who knows, maybe new locations will be added there? In any case, we still have to live until that time.

Well, to sum up the plot - yes, there is one, and quite well made at that (after all, when did the Japanese ever have non-atmospheric games with a weak plot?). At certain points in some additional quests there will also be an opportunity to reveal a new side to the characters, which is good news.

Gameplay

Everything here is more or less traditional for the RPG genre: We run, kill opponents, gain levels, spend experience points on developing certain skills in our company.

The combat component deserves a separate discussion. First of all, it really looks a lot like anime. Noctis runs close to the ground, jumps a good meter (or even higher), can strike while hovering in the air, or parry directly at the enemy from a certain distance, while still in the same air. In total, the main character has 8 types of weapons, three types of magic and the same number of loyal allies in use.

Each enemy uses its own tactics and also requires an individual approach. So, for example, some enemies like to set up ambushes, waiting for the player in different places, others, on the contrary, do not bother anyone unless you start pestering them.

Naturally, each enemy has its own strengths and weaknesses: Some animals are very agile, and therefore can easily dodge the blow of a heavy sword, but are very susceptible to polearms. Some monsters are completely calm about fire magic, but cannot tolerate ice or light. Among other things, most enemies have different damage zones. For some people, missed blows to the head hurt more, while others don’t like being hit in the body. In theory, all this forces the player to experiment and look for new approaches even to already known opponents, but in practice, in most cases, the gameplay may well slide into the elementary “jamming” of the enemy.

Allies also play a fairly important role: The game provides a sort of battle scale. When receiving and dealing a certain amount of damage, this scale slowly but surely fills up. Then we can choose which ally to use, and together with him use a fairly powerful combo that deals additional damage to the enemy. As in any anime, sometimes in order to be more effective, friends need to stand next to each other and together concentrate the attack on one target (one of the teammates also has a separate skill for this). The skills themselves also grow with use and, accordingly, cause more damage over time.

And finally, magic. Actually, the magic itself is a kind of fireballs that we throw at the enemy, and which we can create from the elements. The prince can keep only a small part of these elements with him and accumulates them in special places, around the conditional camps. Also, magic can conditionally include teleportation, as well as Noctis’s special combo attacks using weapons. This task requires mana. In order to replenish mana and health, you just need to throw the sword into a special place, away from the battle and teleport to it. Thus, our hero will take a short break and replenish his strength.

As a result, even despite the rather detailed description, some readers may still have questions, so here’s what a “live” battle looks like (because, alas, it won’t be possible to convey it with screenshots).

Quests.Yes, as already said, there are really a lot of additional quests, but their elaboration... In a nutshell - some of them are simply terribly worked out. For example, a driver’s car broke down, he pulled it aside and is waiting for help. It seems that everything is logical. Only at night deadly demons wake up in the game world. On a local scale, one giant may be quite enough to roll a whole group of relatively well-prepared hunters alive into the asphalt, but for some reason the monsters avoid peaceful drivers. And the drivers are happy to get up and wait a year for help. What adds spice to this situation is the lack of adequate dialogue. You just meet the driver and he literally complains in one sentence that the car is broken. Well, it’s true that even MMOs haven’t used this approach for a long time! And I’m not even talking about the logic itself - in one day you can meet up to three drivers, with a certain amount of luck. What is this, generally low quality cars? Total carelessness? Why do half of the drivers stand on the side of the road?
The other part of the quests is divided into “get to point X and kill everyone,” “find me such and such an ingredient,” and “get to point X, kill everyone and find ingredient Y.” Variety as it is!

As a result, we get a very strange situation when, on the one hand, we want to praise the quests, and on the other, we want to criticize them. Why? Yes, because there was not enough time and money! Because they didn’t do it enough! How much better everything could have been done, but, alas and ah...

In addition to quests, one more very unpleasant point should also be noted: the game really, really likes to throw “meat” at your party. Apparently, one of the developers thought that Noctis would be bored simply exploring the world, so when traveling on foot, you will be attacked with enviable regularity by a number of enemies. The difference between waves can be literally a couple of minutes. In the end, you end up not exploring the game world, but fighting for 24 hours. This is especially noticeable at night, when in one battle, in parallel with a giant demon, you will have time to defeat about three parties of simpler monsters, and enemy soldiers who will appear literally under your nose.

What can we say in the end? Perhaps the gameplay is the weakest part of the game and is often made better by the atmosphere and the interesting way some moments are played out. It's not that this is too bad, or that the game turns players away due to the meager variability and stupid grind. No, playing Final Fantasy XV is quite interesting and fun, but just like with the previous points, the same ailment manifests itself - there was not enough time and energy. It could be much better!

In some justification for the developers, however, I would like to note this: In fact, Final Fantasy XV is a long-term construction project. During development, the game changed its concept, setting, and even combat several times. So, for example, it was initially assumed that the player would control the entire party at once, and, if desired, would be able to switch control from one character to another and make deadly combinations in this way. And with the transition to Prompto, the game had every chance of becoming a full-fledged third-person shooter.

However, concepts changed, people responsible for development changed, years passed, and as a result, some very outdated game mechanics remained in place precisely from those times, almost ten years ago, when having such features was not considered something kind of shameful or shameful .

Alas, it’s already 2018 (well, or 2016, if we take the original release date of the game on the console), and what was acceptable then is not always acceptable now. Perhaps I’m pressing too hard on the shortcomings, but if in most respects the game scores a solid eight, then the gameplay itself, in its “cleansed” form of dialogues and other crutches, scores about six to six and a half points, and that’s actually actually quite sad. However, let's not talk about sad things.

Graphics, animations and physics

What Square Enix really got right with was the graphics! Final Fantasy XV looks very beautiful and quite realistic even on the standard configuration, but for fans of high resolutions they have delivered a free patch with textures in HD resolution. Screenshots in 8K are still circulating on the Internet. And they look, I must say, quite decently. Also worth noting are the simply breathtaking panoramic views that our heroes encounter every now and then on their difficult journey. However, the Japanese are praised not only for their epic views. After all, Japanese games pay great attention to detail almost all the time! And FF XV is no exception. Even at a simple gas station, you can find a whole bunch of small details that add a kind of charm and uniqueness to the already wonderful atmosphere!

Animation probably deserves a separate paragraph. They are really made in an interesting way, with attention to detail. So, for example, when running fast, our protégé will jump over the fence himself. And there are many such examples. However, if you wish, you can make our protagonist walk like a disabled person in peaceful zones, and this somewhat spoils the picture.

Of the obvious disadvantages, perhaps only physics can be noted, which relates to graphics very indirectly. And I’m not talking about anime jumps, but specifically about the physical model of the game as a whole. So, for example, you have some possibility of getting stuck in the bushes, since their physical model is made in a very specific way, and Noctis can simply get caught on one leaf, which will not allow him passage. However, in fairness, it is worth noting that even the most curious player will rarely climb into such bushes.

Well, continuing the theme of physics, the player cannot control the car. All that is available to him is a car that drives strictly along the road, like on rails, like a tram, and if you want to turn around, Noctis will make a sharp and spectacular turn with a slight skid. And everything would be fine, only at slow speed it looks very clumsy and completely unrealistic.

With a certain number of upgrades, however, this drawback will go away (a flying car moving strictly above the roads would be a joke), but a small sediment, as they say, remains. In any case, these are all minor quibbles and visually the game leaves only pleasant impressions.

Music and sound

Another gem in the game is the music. Each location has its own theme, and upon entering the building the treatment changes, and now the same melody is played on completely different instruments. The melodies do not hurt the ears and, in principle, sound quite pleasant, especially for lovers of calm compositions on the piano. In general, Square Enix did not skimp on music, not only in terms of quality, but also in quantity. The developers have provided players with five hours of continuous soundtrack! Just think about this figure! It’s clear that no one will let you fall asleep to monotonous melodies.

Well, for lovers of facts, perhaps the name Yoko Shimomura will say something. She is considered the most famous female video game composer in the world, and already has over twenty years of experience under her belt. Among the most outstanding works are the music for such masterpieces as Street Fighter II, Kingdom Hearts, several games in the Super Mario line, and even a couple of tunes for Final Fantasy III.

The sound in general also does not lag behind in terms of quality. Above, I already gave an example of a girl auto mechanic speaking a South American accent (alas, I can’t say anything about Russian localization). And little things like that happen in every character. So, as already mentioned, the Japanese approach to detail is always on top!

The only somewhat weak point is the small number of unscripted dialogues between characters during travel, and the same poorly developed quests, where some NPCs can only speak one line of text. But this is a problem, rather, of the general plan for working out quests, rather than the sound in particular.

Results

Well, that's all. We got acquainted with the advantages of the game, some controversial issues, as well as its disadvantages. What more can be said? Just to briefly summarize:
Before us is a very worthy representative of the RPG genre, well seasoned with anime elements. Very atmospheric, moderately linear and with a great sense of immersion. Unfortunately, it is worth noting that the company failed to fully realize the full potential of the game and some mechanics in it work with a loud creak.

So, according to the facts:

Graphic arts - 8.0

A great designed and looking game. High-resolution textures were delivered especially for the PC release.

Gameplay - 6.5

Unfortunately, the weakest part of the game. Somewhat outdated mechanics, lack of quality of development in a certain (relatively small) part of the quests. Basically, everything is played out at the expense of various kinds of crutches, but the gameplay in its “pure” form still leaves much to be desired. Yes, there are quite original ideas with the hobbies of the main characters, and there are a couple more very interesting ideas, but alas, these ideas are not enough.

Music and sound- 8.5

Great soundtrack, huge variety of compositions. Some tunes, of course, appear much more often than others, but the main impression is strictly positive.

Atmosphere - 8.5

The game is very atmospheric. A whole bunch of details and little things are superbly maintained. Here you can explore huge hi-tech cities, small gas stations, and even abandoned structures that resemble some kind of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. The idea of ​​a selfie, the idea of ​​setting up a camp for the night, the idea of ​​cooking food or spending the night in a hotel, spontaneous additional quests from party members, all this adds charm, comfort and uniqueness to the game.

Plot - 7.0

An interesting presentation, several interesting points, even the most discerning gamers will definitely find it. Revealing some characters through additional quests (however, nothing particularly new).

Overall rating - 7.5

Verdict:

A very good game that will not leave the average player indifferent, especially those not very familiar with Final Fantasy games. Yes, many argue that Final Fantasy X was much better, but back then the sun was brighter and the grass was greener.

Telegraph

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Creators Managers Tetsuya Nomura
Hajime Tabata Producers Yoshinori Kitase
Shinji Hashimoto Game designers Yuichi Kanemori
Takayoshi Nakazato Screenwriters Tetsuya Nomura
Kazushige Nojima Programmers Hiroshi Harata
Kentarou Yasui Artists Tetsuya Nomura
Tomohiro Hasegawa
Takayuki Odachi Composer Yoko Shimomura Technical data Platform PlayStation 4
Xbox One Game engine Game mode Single-user Carrier Blu-ray Control DualShock, Gamepad Official site Final Fantasy XV on Wikimedia Commons

Final Fantasy XV (Japanese) XV fainaru fantaji: fi:futi:n) , formerly known as Final Fantasy Versus XIII is an action role-playing video game developed by Square Enix for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles. A game called Final Fantasy Versus XIII was announced at E3 on May 8, 2006; it was announced that, like Final Fantasy XIII, it was being developed for the then-unreleased PlayStation 3 game console.

Final Fantasy XV not related to previous games in the series Final Fantasy. The plot focuses on a young man named Noctis Lucis Caelum, the crown prince of the state of Lucis, where the world's last remaining mysterious magic crystal is kept. At the beginning of the game, the crystal is tricked into being stolen by the invading, hostile nation of Niflheim, sparking a global conflict with other nations who desire the crystal. Noctis and his closest friends embark on a journey to try to recover a lost magical relic.

The game became the longest-developed game in the series Final Fantasy, having spent ten years in production hell. As Final Fantasy Versus XIII the game was developed as part of a subseries Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy together with Final Fantasy XIII And Final Fantasy Type-0 united by a common mythology. In 2013, at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, it was announced that the name of the game would be changed to Final Fantasy XV. The game's development was initially led by Tetsuya Nomura, who also developed the character designs and draft script concept; at the final stage of development, he was replaced as head by Hajime Tabata. In addition to the game itself, the full-length animated film Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV and the anime series Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV were created.

Downloadable game demo for both platforms called Episode Duscae published March 31, 2015. The download voucher came with the first installment of another game in the series, Final Fantasy Type-0 HD. Both owners of a physical copy and a digital copy received access to the demo, but only those who either bought the game from the first batch or made a pre-order.

On June 4 at Active Time Report 6.0, Hajime Tabata and Akio Ofuji announced the release of an update for the demo Episode Duscae 2.0, which was implemented as a patch and became available to owners of the original Episode Duscae June 9, 2015.

March 30, 2016 at the event Uncovered Final Fantasy XV It was announced in Los Angeles that Final Fantasy XV will be released worldwide on September 30, 2016. Also on the same day the second demo version was released Platinum Demo. It was later announced that the game's release had been postponed to November 29, 2016.

Plot

Setting

Action Final Fantasy XV takes place in a world reminiscent of the present time. The Kingdom of Lucis, of which the main character, Noctis, is the prince, is a technologically advanced power, surrounded by other kingdoms that are not superior in development to the Kingdom of Lucis. The reason for this is the ongoing war for the crystals, the last of which is owned by the royal family of Caelum. Other powers also had their crystals, but they were all lost during the fighting. Due to the loss of crystals, nations focused on the production of weapons, which is why their level of culture and general development dropped to the level that the game shows.

Story Final Fantasy XV originates from an incident after the signing of a peace treaty between the kingdoms regarding the end of hostilities and the subsequent use of the crystal for peaceful purposes. The conflict flares up again after the neighboring kingdom of Niflheim treacherously attacks the capital of Lucis, Insomnia, forcing Noctis and his friends to escape. Having successfully unleashed a new round of war between the realms of Solheim, Tenebrae and Accordo, Niflheim's troops seize the last crystal, but Noctis and his friends try to recapture it.

Characters

• Noctis Lucis Caelum(eng. Noctis Lucis Caelum) - central character Final Fantasy XV, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Lucis. He is a member of the Calum family, which has owned and protected the crystal for centuries. Noctis wields the power of the Crystal, which allows him to summon several types of melee weapons, control them and teleport depending on their location. When Noctis uses the force, his eye color changes to red. He is calm in character and prefers actions to words; tries to hide shyness behind “cold” behavior. Tetsuya Nomura noted in an interview that the prince would not be similar in character or behavior to Cloud; rather, it will be a character archetype that has not yet been seen in the Final Fantasy series and that Nomura has "wanted to try for a long time." In an interview Dengeki Magazine The project manager noted that Noctis is a young man with a strong character, and that the current circumstances and responsibility for his kingdom force him to act boldly and sometimes thoughtlessly, which is why he sometimes does not calculate his strength and acts without a second thought. His name from Latin can be translated as "light of the night sky". Japanese voice acting - Tatsuhisa Suzuki.
• Ignis Scientia(eng. Ignis Scientia) - Noctis's childhood friend, the chief strategist of the Caelum family. Ignis is extremely smart and serious, even cold in his own way, which does not prevent him from caring in every possible way about Noctis as a close friend. The young man received the best education in an institution for gifted children, and therefore easily got into public service and directly into the position of adviser to the prince. In battle he uses paired daggers or a spear. If the player decides to move out of the driver's seat of the car and engages Autopilot, Noctis will be replaced by Ignis. His full name is a common string of words, like Noctis's; translated from Latin meaning “fire” ( "ignis") and "knowledge" ( "scientia"). Japanese voice acting - Mamoru Miyano. Stupeo's middle name was dropped after the game's March 30, 2016 release date was announced.
• Gladiolus amicitia(eng. Gladiolus Amicitia) - another childhood friend and combat mentor of Noctis, is the “shield” of the Caelum family. Tall and strong, cool in battle, but cheerful and open with friends. He is the eldest son of a family that has protected the royal couple for several generations. He is very attached to Noctis, to whom he is practically a brother. In battle, Gladiolus is significantly superior in physical strength to Noctis, mainly using a huge sword. His name is a reference to the Roman sword gladius (but can also refer to gladiolus, whose petals are shaped like a sword blade), and his surname means "friendship" in Latin. Japanese voice acting - Kenta Miyake.
• Prompto Argentum(eng. Prompto Argentum) - Noctis’s friend since school days, a foreigner who is not related to the royal circle. Prompto is a carefree guy, extremely cheerful and frivolous, but true to his ideals and ready to help at the right time. He has been friends with Noctis since school; In order to gain courage and make friends with the prince, he worked for a long time on his appearance and character. Respects Noctis's strength, but worries that his friend has not yet reached his maximum strength. The shooter uses various firearms in battle, which help him hit various weak points of his opponents. The character's name translates to: "fast" or "cutting", and the surname comes from Latin "silver ". In combination, may refer to an attempt to translate the word into Latin « » , referencing the principle of liquid metal, and indicating the character's speed and love of firearms. Japanese voice acting - Tetsuya Kakihara.
• Cor Leonis(eng. Cor Leonis) - one of the three strongest fighters in Lucis, a stern strategist and warrior. He treats Noctis and his friends rather coldly and sometimes rudely, but inside Cora is dominated by patriotism for his native kingdom and the desire to protect it at all costs. Although he does not always share the goals and aspirations of the four friends, Cor is obliged to watch over and protect Noctis. Leonis is 42 years old, which may serve as a kind of reference to the number 42, which is considered bad in Japan, and it is believed that at this age bad luck happens to a person. The character's name translates to "heart of a lion", which indirectly refers to a frequently used expression in the Final Fantasy series (the surname Leonhart, for example, was borne by the main character of Final Fantasy VIII, Squall). Japanese voice acting - Tochi Hiroki.

Minor characters

• Lunafreya Nox Fleuret(eng. Lunafreya Nox Fleuret) - a girl from a high-ranking family of the kingdom of Tenebrae, Noctis’s childhood friend and his bride, with whom the prince was supposed to enter into a political marriage to consolidate the truce between the states. A new character introduced late in development as a replacement Stella Knox Fleuret(eng. Stella Nox Fleuret), which, according to the initial plans, at certain points in the storyline was supposed to confront the main character, which was shown in the early trailers of the project. "Fleuret" is the French designation for a fencing sword, which refers to the type of weapon Luna uses - a rapier. According to Hajime Tabata, Luna will play a larger and more important role than its prototype Stella. It was also mentioned that Lunafreya has a stronger and more strong-willed character than Stella, and based on this, she is ready to go with all her might towards the designated goal; In addition, the development director emphasized that the heroine will be somewhat more morally stable than the protagonist. After the attack of Niflheim's forces on the kingdom of Lucis, Lunafreya, like Noctis himself and his father - King Regis - was considered dead, while in reality she managed to escape to Altissia, where she awaits Noctis. Japanese voice acting - Rina Kitagawa.
• Gentiana(eng. Gentiana) - companion of Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, who plays an important role in the storyline. He is an archaean in human form, and not an ordinary servant of the oracle of the Moon. Her name was borrowed from the gentian flower, the healing properties of which were recognized by King Gentus of Illyria, in whose honor the plant was later named. Japanese voice acting - Sayaka Kinoshita.
• Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII(eng. Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII) - 113th king of the state of Lucis, father of Noctis. After Niflheim attacked the kingdom, Lucis was killed by General Glauka. Japanese voice acting - Tsutomu Isobe.
• Iris Amicitia(eng. Iris Amicitia) - the younger sister of Gladiolus. Since childhood, she has known Noctis, who helped her get out of the grove at the royal citadel and later took all the blame upon himself, allowing her to escape punishment. He has a romantic interest in the protagonist, although he carefully hides it, turning it all into a joke. In one of the chapters he is a temporary companion. Japanese voice acting - Megumi Han.
• Iedolas Aldercapt(eng. Iedolas Eldercapt) - head of the Niflheim empire. At one time, he concluded a peace treaty with Lucis and personally with King Regis, but, as it turned out later, this was a deceptive maneuver in a plan to capture the last crystal. Japanese voice acting - Iizuka Shozo.
• Ardyn Izunia(English: Ardyn Izunia) - the main antagonist of Final Fantasy XV, Chancellor of the Niflheim Empire, removed from political affairs due to the actions of Emperor Idol Eldercapt. A somewhat comical but insightful character who plays an important role in the main storyline. It was thanks to Ardyn's initiative that Niflheim expanded the production of Magitek infantry troops, which were developed by Verstael. Using Magitek troops, Ardyn tries to recreate and strengthen the power of the empire with their help, but in reality he pursues his own personal goals. Japanese voice acting - Keiji Fujiwara.
• Aranea Highwind(eng. Aranea Highwind) - mercenary, captain of the Third Army Corps of the 86th Air Division of Niflheim. A skilled dragoon specializing in aerial combat. During the storyline, he acts as both a boss and a temporary companion for Noctis. Japanese voice acting - Miyuki Sawashiro.
• Ravus Nox Fleuret(eng. Ravus Nox Fleuret) - Prince of Tenebrae and Lunafreya's older brother. Since in his eyes Regis Lucis Caelum was to blame for the death of his mother, Ravus, in order to preserve Tenebrae, joined the imperial army of Niflheim, where he later became commander-in-chief. After losing his left arm due to the Lucii ring that rejected him, the empire upgrades Ravus's body with a magitek prosthesis, which gives him crushing strength and power. Japanese voice acting - Yuichi Nakamura.
• Cindy Aurum(eng. Cindy Aurum), in Japanese voice acting Sydney(eng. Cidney) - a mechanic girl who helps Noctis and his team during their journey, repairing and modifying the Regalia. Is the granddaughter Sida Sofyara . Japanese voice acting - Yu Shimamura.
• Sid Sofyar(eng. Cid Sofiar) - the elderly owner of the Hammerhead auto repair shop and an old friend of King Regis. During the storyline, he looks after Noctis and also improves his weapons. Japanese voice acting - Nobuyuki Katsube.

Gameplay

Combat system

Game world

The main theme of the game is traveling with friends. IN Final Fantasy XV a gigantic world will be recreated, available for exploration at any time. The world will be seamless, and loading will only occur during transitions between large locations. At the same time, players simply will not know that the area will be loaded - the effect will be disguised as story scenes. Initially, the developers planned to introduce fixed locations and a partially open world for exploration, but after changing platforms to more powerful ones, it was decided to introduce a fully explorable world. At the same time, the player is given complete freedom; According to Hajime Tabata, if the player sees something on the horizon, then he can get there. At the same time, if the player gets tired of exploring the world, he is free to go to a story event to advance further in the story. Character animation varies by location; for example, after a long run they will stop to catch their breath.

The game has a dynamic system of day and night cycles and weather conditions. Both the time of day and the weather directly affect gameplay - special monsters appear at night, and rain or heat, for example, will affect the effect of magic. Due to the realistic passage of time (one day in the game is equal to an hour in real time), the characters are forced to stop for rest to eat and sleep. Characters after a sleepless night will behave worse in battle and complain of fatigue; the maximum maximum movement without sleep is three in-game days. You can make a stop almost anywhere, but due to the abundance of monsters, it is recommended to do this at gas stations along the way. Experience for killed monsters and completed side quests will be counted after the end of each day.

The focus of the game will be covering long distances in Noctis' car. The player can use transport at almost any time, but not on any terrain. Players can change the appearance of Regalia according to their preferences. The machine is controlled either manually or automatically. The car has a limited fuel supply; if the gas tank is completely empty in the middle of the road, the heroes will be forced to either push the vehicle to the nearest gas station themselves, or call Sydney, who will tow the Regalia to the gas station for an additional fee.

In addition to ground transportation, the development team is interested in implementing airships; on Gamescom 2015 Hajime Tabata confirmed that they are currently looking for a way to implement the idea into the game, noting that if they fail to implement the air transport in time for release Final Fantasy XV, then they will definitely release it as DLC .

The player will be able to interact with the environment not only through battles with monsters. Large cities will be present in the game, houses with local residents will be found in the forests, and it will be possible to while away the time by fishing near bodies of water.

Development

Technologies

Initial version Final Fantasy Versus XIII ran on a modified Crystal Tools engine, which was used to develop the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy and the online game Final Fantasy XIV. The modification used by the original version was called Ebony Engine.

After the game's development moved from PlayStation 3 to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and the name was changed to Final Fantasy XV, the team began a gradual transition to Square Enix's new internal technology called Luminous Studio. According to the developers, the engine is easy to use and allows you to use more effects with better optimization. As of November 2014, the game is 80% translated to Luminous Studio 1.4, but by release the developers plan to switch to the better version 2.0. Final Fantasy XV is optimized for each platform separately to ensure the same level of quality on both versions.

Music

Composer Final Fantasy XV Yoko Shimomura, who previously worked on soundtracks for the Kingdom Hearts series, as well as Super Mario RPG, Parasite Eve and Xenoblade Chronicles, will perform.

The central theme of the game will be the song "Somnus"(Russian “sleeping”). The name is a reference to the ancient Roman god of sleep, who is often depicted as a sleeping youth - something similar can be seen in the game's official logo.

Reviews and criticism

Reviews
Summary rating
Aggregator	Grade
GameRankings	82.14% (PS4)
Metacritic	82/100 (PS4)
Criticism	76/100
Foreign language publications
Edition	Grade
Destructoid	9/10
Game Informer	8,5/10
GameSpot	8/10
GamesRadar
IGN	8,2/10
Polygon	9/10
Russian-language publications
Edition	Grade
3DNews	7/10
IGN Russia	7,0/10
Kanobu.ru	6,0/10
PlayGround.ru	9,0/10
Riot Pixels	63%
gambling addiction	8,5/10
[email protected]	8,0/10
BAT	8,8/10
Catonauts	8,5/10
Strategy	85/100

Game tested on PlayStation 4

Oh, the fifteenth Final Fantasy. For ten years she mocked fans of Japanese role-playing games - several times it even seemed that the project was canceled altogether. However, it would be foolish to think that the game was in development for so long. The active phase probably began only 3-4 years ago, when Square Enix, having wasted resources on the worthless trilogy of the thirteenth part, realized that it did not have the next numbered issue. Then they pulled Final Fantasy Versus XIII out of “production hell,” pinned the number XV on its chest, and finally allocated the necessary resources. True, along the way, they threw out Tetsuya Nomura from the post of director and put Hajime Tabata there.

The latter did not cause much optimism, since he is known not only for his love of meaningless pathos and cheap drama, but also for the fact that he had never worked with such large-scale projects before. However, despite the changes, hope glimmered somewhere in my soul. I wanted to believe that the famous long-term construction would still be able to stand on a par with the best representatives of the “finals” and again return the series to its former greatness. Sadly, this did not happen.

⇡ This faceless, faceless world

And it’s not even a matter of graphics or gameplay - the first is good in some places, excellent in others, and the second is not bad, but we’ll talk about it a little further. The fact is that the developers do not care at all about the narrative and the universe they created. After all, it’s not in vain that people read science fiction or fantasy, they don’t just spend tens and hundreds of hours on RPGs - they go on a journey to another world, unlike ours, that exists according to its own rules. And, of course, they want to know as much as possible about it, to live there, albeit virtually, to become imbued with the characters and the atmosphere. Yes, in Japanese role-playing games the plots are often stupid and naive, but in most cases they can still be explained.

Therefore, it was logical to expect some kind of world development from Final Fantasy XV. Probably not on the level of Yasumi Matsuno and his Ivalice from Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy XII, but at least something adequate. However, throughout the entire passage, the game does not make any special attempts to tell either about the kingdom of Lucis, or about the Niflheim empire, or about other countries. Even the friends of the main character Noctis are just there. If you're lucky, you might stumble upon a random scene where one of the guys will talk a little about his past, but for example, I came across such an episode at the 35th hour, after the finale of the story campaign. The suspicion creeps in that these important pieces were left for DLC. The narrative itself, this feeling, generally starts from the middle of a large-scale story - figure out for yourself why this happened and what is going on here. If you open thematic Wikipedia and look at what was originally intended, the picture will become noticeably clearer, but why does the game itself provide absolutely no information?

In addition, FF XV diligently avoids answering the question: “Who are these people and what are they here for?”, preferring to deny and slip in one fragmentary scene after another. It gets to the point of insanity: the death of a character who was given only a couple of minutes upsets and angers one of the heroes much more than the loss of a relative. There is mourning on the screen, and you are trying to remember who caused the tragedy. After something like this, you don’t want to follow what’s happening, much less believe it. The narrative, when it suits it, simply introduces a character, makes a stupid drama with it, and throws it out as if it never existed, not caring that such cheap tricks evoke absolutely no emotion.

It is interesting that the plot of the fifteenth part was split into several parts. There is a CGI film Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, which tells not only the reasons for the conflict between the two countries, but also shows the fall of the kingdom and reveals a little mythology. There is an anime series Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV about the acquaintance of the main character with his future loyal companions Ignis, Gladio and Prompto. However, if you do not watch the full-length film and cartoon, then it is simply impossible to understand what is happening in the “tag”. For some reason, a strange cut from several episodes of Kingsglaive was inserted into the game as an “explanation of events,” but for those who have not seen the entire tape, they will explain absolutely nothing.

It would seem that what prevented Square Enix from spending millions on photorealistic graphics for a two-hour film, but making these events gameplay and including them in the prologue of the game itself? Then the introduction of the “tag” would become much more lively and at the same time would prepare the ground for further play on feelings. Show little Noctis and his relationship with his father, because you found the resources to create a Platinum Demo. Give a normal background story, at least in text form. However, the Japanese decided not to do this, which turned the already leaky plot of FF XV into a real sieve.

Finally, the open world itself, which the developers boasted so much about, turned out to be dead when tested. Lucis is literally a land of parking lots, gas stations and roadside eateries. Do you want cities? Ha-ha, there are one and a half of them for the whole game - one for three streets, and the second is just decoration. Kilometers of empty space are not filled with anything - you can run for several minutes and not even meet enemies. A year ago, when the Episode Duscae demo was released, there were fears that the environment would remain lifeless - well, they were confirmed, Square Enix simply made scale for the sake of scale.

Dozens of side quests tell absolutely nothing about the characters or the kingdom itself - you, Noctis, heir to the throne, will run for beans, look for frogs, feed cats and perform other monotonous tasks. For example, in last year's Xenoblade Chronicles X, additional tasks were also not particularly varied, but each “find-bring” there was compensated by a small piece of information about a specific NPC, interesting features of his race or its relationship to other species. In FF XV, everything is limited to receiving a reward, a couple of standard phrases and issuing a new assignment. And they will have to be fulfilled, since there is no other opportunity to earn enough experience and money. Although those who like Assassin's Creed, the latest Far Cry titles and other games with hundreds of markers on the map will certainly feel at ease.

Final Fantasy XV

⇡ Video:

About the advantages and disadvantages of one of the largest jRPGs in history

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Direct text

concept Final Fantasy XV over the course of ten years, development was reworked many times: initially it was a project Final Fantasy Versus XIII, and it was created to contrast the thirteenth numbered part, but in the end the game received a full-fledged subtitle “XV”. Oh, there were times, but I was waiting for the game from the very first announcement.

Trailer "Versus XIII"

Final Fantasy XV is out now PlayStation 4 And Xbox One the year before last. Large-scale jRPG from Square Enix became for me the most beautiful and enchanting fairy tale about true male friendship. More recently, the game appeared on PC. IN Windows Edition improved graphics, added mods, Gordon Freeman's costume, first-person mode, all previously released DLC and the ability to move on water. And now, after a year and a half, personal computer users can touch the sensational and rather controversial “tag”. Therefore, I decided to remember what is good about Final Fantasy XV and what are its shortcomings.

Release trailer

Fairytale straightforward plot

The main character named Noctis is a prince whom his father sent with his friends to celebrate a royal wedding. But while the company is away, the enemy empire Niflheim captures the country of Lucis and a magic crystal that grants power to its owner. Noctis and his three loyal friends will have to avenge the death of the king and return the throne with the magic stone.

But first you need to gain strength and go through difficult tests.

In FFXV, sometimes you just want to walk and admire the beauty

The plot turned out to be too straightforward and stingy in detail. To find out the details, I had to watch a small anime series Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV and CGI film Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV. If you skip these works, the characters may remain just puppet dummies for you: in cartoons, the authors talk in detail about the conflict and the formation of the heroes. And this, in my opinion, is the main disadvantage of the FFXV universe. Modern technologies make it possible to present the plot of any game in a colorful way. So why use spin-off films and anime series in this way? The answer is simple: to earn more money, and not to make it easier for players to understand the plot.

Take the story of Prompto: why is the fair-haired youth so brave and strong-willed? His “chronicle” is revealed in one of the Brotherhood episodes. In his youth he was chubby and was very embarrassed about it. But thanks to the influence of a friend-prince, he overcame himself and began to eat exactly as much as his body needed. Result: Prompto became slimmer externally, and more strong-willed internally. But this can only be learned from the anime; the game does not even mention this event in passing. How can you care about a character who is not described to us?

Weapons can be changed right in the middle of battle

Additionally, this episode is a great example of a hero overcoming himself and his weaknesses to become stronger. Such moments help to endear the user to the character. So why present them separately from the game's plot?

Road Adventure

Final Fantasy XV is the biggest road movie game yet. Its plot is centered on four friends: the brave, but not yet mature enough Prince Noctis, the smart and strategically thinking Ignis, the two-meter good-natured Gladiolus and the young hipster photographer Prompto. The guys travel around the world in a stylish Regalia car, which, like the characters, can and should be upgraded.

The game also features ostrich-like chocobos, traditional for the series: they are much easier to ride off-road. Of course, this is pure fan service. I will never forget riding chocobos and their long leveling in Final Fantasy VII!

Epicly staged sequences with titans and huge magical creatures outshine all the minor shortcomings of the game

In the first half of the story, four comrades can endlessly complete a lot of monotonous quests, go through difficult dungeons and... level up.

There are a lot of side quests, they are all of the same type and boring, they cannot be compared with the quests in "The Witcher" or last "Zelda". FFXV's spin-offs don't tell the stories of those who deliver them, and that's depressing. The essence comes down to collecting vegetables and frogs, killing large and small monsters, boringly checking the equipment of the city power plant, etc.

Most likely, third-party quests were inserted into the game solely for the sake of grinding and... in order to allow us to walk longer around the incredibly beautiful world and ride in a luxurious car, the radio of which has a disc with music from all previous parts of the game series (some tracks must be purchased separately ).

The car can be upgraded in all respects: change the color of the interior, body and rims. The drive itself from point “A” to point “B” will begin to tire over time, but the game allows you to move along the paths already taken automatically. I highly recommend attaching wings to the car - the bird's eye view of the kingdom is mesmerizing.

The setting in Final Fantasy XV is impeccably stylish and combines the aesthetics of 50s America with modern futurism and the magic of anime fairy tales. The world is beautiful, but hostile; at night it is better to stay overnight in a hotel or camp. At night, particularly strong demons prowl the local expanses. It’s better not to encounter them in the first hours of the game - they’ll trample you in one or two minutes.

Unfortunately, there are almost no cities in the game world, but those that exist are beautiful

In the evening, when the guys are relaxing, their experience is converted into leveling up. Even while relaxing, you can refresh yourself with food skillfully prepared by Ignis - the artists depicted the dishes especially well. In the cultural code of the Japanese, an important place is occupied by the love of food as an art; they love it when it is both beautiful and tasty. Remember the luxurious dishes from Monster Hunter: World? In Final Fantasy XV, food looks like more more appetizing.

The creators brilliantly implemented the communication between Noctis and his comrades: in addition to idle talk, they constantly remind you of everyday problems. Prompto, for example, often asks to stop at a diner and kill a worm, Ignis reminds him in the late afternoon that it is dangerous at night and it would be better to park for the night and fill up the tank. Little things like this are pleasant - through them you feel unity with your virtual friends, their care and devotion.

Unimaginably beautiful action often happens on the battlefield

Challenging two- and three-button battles

Friends are united by a joint journey and constant battles with enemies. The combat system is both good and bad. A kind of slasher with elements of simple tactics. In the main storyline, the player controls Noctis. The prince has a standard attack, the ability to parry blows, teleport and magic. Noctis' friends attack, heal, and replenish the prince's health on their own.

The team also has a special attack gauge, which fills up during the battle: the “charged” Ignis can throw knives spectacularly, the “reinforced” Prompto shoots from a revolver, and Gladiolus slashes enemies with a huge sword, causing a large amount of damage. The four are capable of using joint special attacks, and each of these boosts or combos can be improved. The combat is staged well, the action looks nice and, in places, very pretentious. Not every game benefits from this, but here the epic fights look really cool without slipping into farce.

In console versions, the game sometimes slows down in urban locations. There are no such problems in Windows Edition

But the combat system also has problems. Firstly, it is shamelessly simple both in appearance and in mastering; there is no scope for tactical thinking. In addition, any enemies try to kill the heroes only when the protagonists are within reach. If you leave the battlefield, the enemies will not pursue the guys, but will begin to mind their own business. It looks weird and a little annoying.

The goal of the Path is the process itself

The game has a crumpled second half of the story. At some point, Noctis leaves the open world and finds himself in endless corridors with enemies. The narrow labyrinth leads to the denouement, the finale of the FFXV story, and it is shamelessly boring and monotonous. It's like Square Enix finished the game in a hurry. Closer to the end, of course, there are story scenes, and in the recreation area I returned to the open world more than once to finish leveling up.

Riding a chocobo was implemented with a bang

After the finale, the desire to return to open spaces and simply live in the magical world of Final Fantasy XV awakens. Because it was there that I felt the emotional connection of friends and the charm of the kingdom of Lucis.

In addition to the whimsical and beautiful world, FFXV has an amazing musical score. Yoko Shimomura, the game's composer, came up with some truly memorable music. During battles, an epic, spine-chilling musical theme plays; during walks, the sounds of nature complement a perfectly constructed waltz... Final Fantasy XV can be criticized for many things, but its soundtrack is excellent in all respects.

The long-running cult Japanese fairy tale is contradictory: it has a strange combat system and a straightforward narrative, but a very cute world, memorable music and well-realized character interaction. The game contrasts with itself. The protracted development affected the quality of the product, but still, hand on heart, I advise everyone to play it.

The monsters and animals in FFXV are amazing

The PC version was voiced by professional Russian-speaking actors, whom Hajime Tabata personally selected. Moreover, this is the rare case when a huge jRPG received full Russian localization. And support for 4K and 8K resolution and NVIDIA technologies, coupled with HDR 10, made FFXV even more beautiful and technically advanced. Thanks to the HairWorks system, you can see every hair on the characters, and the physics of hairstyles has become much better. NVIDIA Flow significantly improves the simulation of fire, smoke and water, and NVIDIA VXAO makes all shadows in global illumination much more realistic. Passing by such beauty is a sin.

And I'll probably play Final Fantasy XV again.