Saturday 14 March 2015

Back In Black

Final Fantasy XV

After almost a full decade of waiting, Matthew Pellett goes hands-on with the most ambitious RPG ever created, Final Fantasy XV

Welcome to Final Fantasy XV. After what’s been an excruciating ten-year wait, during which the game has transformed from Final Fantasy Versus XIII on PS3 to a mainline FF title on PS4, you’ll be able to play it this very month courtesy of the free demo doled out exclusively with Final Fantasy Type-0 HD.

Ignore all the rumours you’ve seen on the internet: barring any last minute hiccups you’ll be able to download Final Fantasy XV Episode Duscae to your PS4 using Type-0 HD’s voucher on day one (17 March in the US or 20 March in Europe). And, despite what some news sites may claim, Episode Duscae won’t magically wipe itself from your console when you’ve finished it. You’ll be able to play its three-hour story over, and over, and over again. It’s a vital feature, because you absolutely should be playing it over, and over, and over again. I speak from experience…


From Duscae Till Dawn


It begins in a tent. It’s morning, there’s a phone buzzing, and one-by-one the four main heroes of Final Fantasy XV shrug themselves out of slumber. First to wake is Ignis, then Prompto, followed by Gladiolus and finally, the man of the hour, Noctis.

As the intro text explains, our quartet is already part-way through their adventure and in a spot of bother. When the nation of Niflheim invaded the kingdom of Lucis to try to steal its crystal, Prince Noctis and friends set out to fight back against the Niflheim warriors and recover the source of Lucis’ magic and energy. But their road trip to Cauthess hit a snag. Their car, the Regalia, began spitting oil. She made it to a nearby garage and into the hands of mechanic Cindy, but the repair cost 24,000 gil and Noctis’ pockets were empty. Short of options, the group decided to set up a camp for the night before tackling the problem head-on in the morning.

After a medium-length cutscene (handily skippable for future playthroughs) the gang pulls back the tent flaps and the sunlight spills out of the screen. The lens shifts, the camera zooms out and suddenly the majesty of the Duscae region reveals itself in a moment reminiscent of The Capital Wasteland’s debut when stepping out of Vault 101 in Fallout 3, or Cyrodiil when you exit the starting dungeons in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – albeit it’s far, far prettier here thanks to the power of PS4.

Duscae is gorgeous. In the distance, giant arches of rock compete for my attention with huge astral shard spikes, poking into a calming blue skybox like knives inserted upside down into a knife block. I spin the camera: to my left lies Alstor Lake, nicknamed the jewel of Duscae, its surface shimmering with bright speckles in the morning sun, a thick forest stretching into the distance from its far side; to my right the ground reaches up to a road and then rocks; behind there’s a cabin, a water tower and a green expanse leading up towards a tall mountain. Everything is open and free for exploration. There’s no timer in the corner of my screen. I can breathe in Duscae’s air at my leisure, and do whatever I want.

The game offers a suggestion. After a brief spot of battle training with Gladiolus (he challenges me with a rather aggressive, “SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT!” – you’ll understand why I’m leaving that as capitals when you play the game yourself), my attention’s drawn to a wanted poster pinned to a nearby notice board. “Beware the Behemoth Dead Eye,” it reads. “25,000 gil, Kill or Capture.” A waypoint pops up across fields to my left, and I set off on a light jog in search of the reward money needed to fix the car.

Final Fantasy XV

Fight terrors


I jog head-first into the one feature I’m most worried about: battles. When it comes to Final Fantasy, I’m a purist. I prefer slower, tactical fights circa the SNES and PS1 days, preferably with as many gauges as possible. And I always want to control my entire team. With the exception of the rather entertaining Archylte Steppe region (which feels like an inspiration for Duscae…), I detested FFXIII – and the inability to directly control my teammates played a big part in that resentment.

Yet here I am, facing off against a pack of wolflike sabertusks in a real-time scrap while Gladiolus, Prompto and Ignis all wade in doing their own thing, and I’m grinning like I’ve just won at slots in the Gold Saucer. I love it, and I feel like a dinosaur for convincing myself that FFXV would suffer for its freeform action fighting. Even from the off, fights are busy, so using R1 to lock onto an enemy is crucial. Sabertusks are quick beasts always looking to dart in and out for an attack, so I quickly become best friends with my warp strike move: provided my MP isn’t at rock bottom, hitting X while I’m lockedon to an enemy sees me throw my sword, called Avenger, into its side like a dart, then teleport across the gap to the enemy so I can carry on the offensive with a flurry of strikes.

'Sqaure' is strike (repeated hits nicely comboing together) and O is jump, while jumping and then attacking dishes out a downward slash dealing significant amounts of damage. The final building block of basic combat skills lives on 'triagle'; my special move. It’s called Wyrmfang and is another magic attack that drains energy from the MP reservoir, this time warping my weapon so it hangs above a chosen enemy’s head like Damocles’ sword, then dropping it straight down for heavy damage.

The first few sabertusks offer little resistance. Liberal use of R1 is crucial, otherwise it’s hard to keep the camera focused on the main threats, but I’m soon trading plains for boggier ground, the group’s red-soled footwear splashing through the shallow puddles of the Alstor Slough and creating gawp-worthy ripple effects. Here’s where I encounter my first herd of garulas, quietly grazing in the sun. A cross between woolly mammoths and cows, they’re slightly taller and a lot rounder than any of Noctis’ crew, but they’re gentle creatures happy to let us pass by if we leave them be.

Where’s the fun in that?

I foolishly wade in and discover things aren’t quite so easy this time. I pick on a small garula and we all unleash our attacks, tipping the poor creature onto its side so we can slash at its exposed belly. But there’s a bigger, golden garula nearby that charges us and sends the team scattering. Chipping away at its health bar is relatively slow going, so I start tapping 'left' and 'right' on the D-pad to access different weapons and special abilities.

Final Fantasy XV

Blade dancer


I’m carrying five weapons in total: Noctis’ default blade Avenger, the Wyvern Lance, another lance called Partisan, a one-handed blade called Blood Sword, and finally a giant twohanded weapon called Zweihander. As well as offering different attacking style preferences, every weapon has its own experience level and all five boast unique specials that require varying levels of MP to activate.

Partisan’s Heavy Lance move is a forceful forward thrust that mows down crowds, Blood Sword’s Drain Blade ability is a vampiric skill that siphons health from enemies and into Noctis’ veins, and Zweihander’s Tempest attack sees our hero spin around on his heels and create a whirlwind that damages foes on all sides. But my hands-down favourite is the Dragoon Jump skill when the Wyvern Lance is selected – fans of FFIX’s Freya (or FFIV’s Kain) will recognise this as a classic Dragoon move in which Noctis leaps up off the top of the screen, waits, then comes screaming back down to the ground, pointed end of his lance first.

Cycling through them all is a rapid way to drain all my MP, so I hastily retreat from the growing crowd of angry creatures to lick my wounds and resume the hunt for Dead Eye. The rest of the gang follows. Despite having no control over their actions, I’ve no complaints about their behaviour. They each attack with different weapons – Ignis using a blue sword, Prompto wielding guns and Gladiolus brandishing a greatsword – but follow my lead. If I avoid conflict, so do they. When I flee, they scarper too. And in a really nice touch, a red bar at the top of the screen warns me of nearby enemies. If I quickly back away or crouch behind cover with L1, it’s possible to avoid combat altogether and sneak past.

As I stumble towards the first clue to Dead Eye’s location – paw prints in mud so large I could lie down on the ground and still not cover them – a notification flashes up on the screen telling me my day’s stat boost has worn off. I carry on a little longer, this time discovering a giant boulder with huge gouges raking across its surface from what can only be people-sized claws, and think better of pressing on without a break.

Health and MP work differently to how you might expect in Final Fantasy XV. Both regenerate when you’re not in combat (unless you’re poisoned or afflicted with similar status ailments, that is), but camping overnight applies the day’s battle EXP to the party for levelling-up, and cooking breakfast in the morning triggers bonus effects that last throughout the next day. You don’t have to camp if you don’t want to, and pressing on through the night is well worth trying as tougher monsters emerge from caves when the sun’s down (note the different battle music when the stars are out, too), but given that I’m preparing to hunt Duscae’s biggest beast I really want those status boosts.

“IT’S BEDTIME!” yells Gladiolus with surprising enthusiasm when I opt to sleep. And come morning, when I’ve wiped the breakfast crumbs from my mouth, the classic Final Fantasy battle victory fanfare music plays…

Final Fantasy XV

The Campfire Diaries


Black chocobos! Is there a finer sight to which to wake? Two of them are dancing about and shaking their plumage mere metres from the campsite, but try as I might I can’t catch them. I’m not too disheartened though. With a belly full of Eggs In The Basket (made from Gighee Ham and Aepyornis Egg) I’ve two helpful status boosts in effect for the day: ‘Sharp’ and ‘Good’. Sharp increases my critical hit rate, while Good slightly ups my HP recovery and sprint time. Killing monsters and shopping around for ingredients opens up different food options, with ‘Super’ buffs (faster HP recovery and increased sprint time) and ‘Immune’ (immunity to pesky negative status modifiers) triggered by other feasts.

Back to Dead Eye’s clues I go and I’m soon winding my way up a hillside path while trees topple over in the distance and birds take to the skies after being startled from their roosting spots. A puddle of blood on the floor surrounded by snapped tree trunks is a worrying omen of what’s around the corner: ducking into a crawl space beneath some ruins and creeping through a tunnel brings me face-to-snarling-jaws with Dead Eye, a classical quadrupedal interpretation of the recurring series beast. From the comfort of the tunnel I’m able to stealth past the monster for now. In the interest of spoilers I break away from the quest line and leave the Behemoth battle, in which director Hajime Tabata suggests that Dead Eye’s dead eye (see what they did there?) is a tactical weakness players can to use to their advantage, for another day.

But my adventure in Duscae is just beginning. In an expanded version of the game’s fast-travel options that let me jump between camping spots, I opt to warp to the mouth of Fociaugh Hollow and discover a network of caves that descends deep below the surface. A few steps into my potholing excursion a belfry of bats rushes out of the cave, sending Prompto tumbling in surprise. Noctis automatically switches on a torch sitting in his top left pocket and we all creep forward into the gloom.

It’s freezing down here and we’re not exactly dressed appropriately. Everyone’s breath is visible in the nippy air and when we’re not pressing on the team tries to keep warm – Prompto breathing into cupped hands and hopping up and down, Noctis rubbing his arms to chase away the chill. At one point I need to press X and hold forward on the left stick to manually squeeze through a tight gap between rock faces, and as we press deeper into the caves Gladiolus calls me across to a glowing blue orb. It seems my buddies will tell me about nearby items worth grabbing in case I overlook them.

Should I have expected the goblin ambush? Probably, yes. FFXV’s goblins are horrible little creatures – small, sinewy purple critters with glowing eyes, pointy hats and scrappy cloth clothes. They pounce from the ceiling and prove to be incredibly dangerous, attacking in huge groups (at one point I count a full dozen swarming around me) and poisoning FFXV’s stars with alarming frequency.

As much as I enjoy the potion item animations (Noctis elects to crush the glass vials in his hands and absorb the healing juice through his skin rather than swig the nectar), I’m not too happy about burning through my antidote supply. Even a ‘Things That Go Bump In The Night’ Quest Complete notification informing me that I’ve successfully killed ten goblins for a slab of EXP does little to raise my spirits in Duscae’s most dangerous area. Twice I have to rescue teammates whose HP drops to zero – not with Phoenix Downs, surprisingly, but by running over and hitting X to give them some encouragement. I do have Phoenix Downs in my pocket, I should add, but I’m never required to use them.

Tabata teases rewards in the form of Phantom Swords hidden throughout the demo, and after a few battles I discover a dull double-edged blade lodged in a rock. Unfortunately, picking it up doesn’t seem to unlock anything from the off. There’s more to Tabata’s hints than meets the eye…

While the cave system continues I want to tick off some of my other Duscae bucket list tasks. Top of the list: wildlife spotting. My first port of call is the Chocobo Farm at the south side of the map, where a slow, bluesy saxophone rendition of the iconic chocobo theme drifts through the air.

Final Fantasy’s favourite giant yellow birds are all noshing on baskets of Gysahl Greens and Krakka Root in their outdoor pens. Sadly I’m unable to ride them for now what with Behemoth still loose somewhere in the region, though I can’t help but smirk at the storekeeper’s racks of Gysahl Greens crisps – the bitter chocobo favourite has been turned into a popular snack.

Final Fantasy XV

Field of Dreams


I may not get to speed across Duscae’s plains on a giant bird, but returning to the earlier campsite, slowly pushing through some incredibly detailed bushes on the way, lets me fast-travel to other camps in the area. I select Alstor Lake to the north, wade out into the lake until I’m ankle-deep in the water, put down my pad and watch for a moment as two colossal long-necked herbivores splash around a stone’s throw from my position.

It feels like an homage to a Jurassic Park scene. These aren’t adamantoises, but one-eyed brachiosaurus-like creatures. The nearest one has a hairy chin, two large jagged tusks, four flapping leaf-like skin flaps behind each one, three spikes on the top of its head, giant hip bones stretching the skin over its back upwards almost to the point of splitting, and a shaggy bob at the end of its tail – its full glory reflected on the surface of the lake along with the rest of the environment. As it lowers its face towards me I can make out tiny crinkles in the skin around its nose when its nostrils flare. It then throws its head upwards on a neck like a seesaw and lets out an indifferent roar, hundreds of tiny water droplets falling from its mouth in the process, every one sparkling as it hits the setting sun’s rays.

At the northern tip of Duscae lies my final destination: the Coernix gas station and the Regalia. I manually set a map marker and begin trekking my way between pasturing garulas when a giant shadow washes over the grass. Expecting to see a giant winged creature in the sky, I’m momentarily paralysed when what looks like a giant barber’s trimmer floats down to the ground. A cargo door opens, out marches a squadron of gun-toting androids and one flag bearer, and with a burst of plasma from its huge rear thruster the dropship whizzes away to parts unknown.

Paranoid android


Given that bullets promptly start racing my way I can only assume my new friends belong to a Niflheim scouting force. The group approaches with mechanical, almost clockwork, animations and when I start swinging my blade I’m able to hack off not just their armour but entire limbs, and smash parts of their green porcelain faces clean off.

It transpires the north-east part of Duscae is a hotbed of dropships and androids. I watch with fascination as some of the craft drop down to the surface to deploy forces while others simply hover a good hundred metres above the surface and open their doors, the robotic cargo stomping out and plummeting to the ground like anchors before moving on, clearly suffering no ill-effects from the mid-air deployment.

Unlucky for them, their disciplined marches are their downfall. Between warp strikes and sprints in and out of their range I cut through their ranks and finally make it to the gas station to complete the ‘All Work And No Play’ quest in the Quest Log.

Cindy’s on all fours tending to my car, and I struggle to envisage a situation in which Square doesn’t take some flak for her design. Given the series’ notoriously diversified roster through the years I actually have no problem with the fifteenth entry wanting to break the trend and tell the tale of a close-knit group of guys, but when the camera isn’t dwelling on the mechanic’s mostly-exposed chest it’s focusing on hotpants so short there’s an argument for reclassifying them as a belt. It all feels a touch lecherous.

Despite my many glorious battle victories I’m still over 23,000 gil shy of Cindy’s bill, so I must accept the fact that fixing the car and wrapping up Episode Duscae’s three-hour story segment must wait for another day. There’s little I need from the gas station’s shop (though I spend a good few minutes admiring the remarkably detailed interior: the white plastic garden furniture that looks like it was purchased at Wilko’s; the retro metal fan; the stacks of casks and piles of hessian sacks; the coffee grinders, vials and coffee machines on the shelves; the hanging strings of garlic and, most of all, the round porthole window frames) so I decide to partake in a little experiment before my time’s up: ever the optimist, I try running down the road outside to escape Duscae’s limits.

Luckily the drivers of the ’50s-style Buick cars and Chevy trucks don’t try to Grand-Theft-Auto-me flat onto the road and politely stop for my reckless defiance of the Highway Code, but the roads leading out of Duscae are all blocked by blue forcefields. “End of the road… for now,” a pop-up message tells me. “To be continued in Final Fantasy XV!”

Final Fantasy XV

Lost and hound


Let’s continue it now though, shall we? While Episode Duscae is by no means a small demo, it’s just a tiny portion of the full game. And, true, I’m not allowed to jump behind the wheel and drive to the nearby city. But we have seen footage of these areas in action, and it’s well worth getting excited about them.

Loading, and the absence of it, sounds like such a boring technical thing to dwell on, but the seamless transition between FFXV’s in-car and on-foot sections seriously impresses. Sure, it’s easy to gasp when driving past a massive, screen-filling adamantoise creature out on the country roads in one of many Shadow Of The Colossus moments in FFXV, yet it’s the ability to roll through the bustling city of Lestallum, park up, throw open all the Regalia’s doors and start running around the streets that should be applauded. FFXV’s locations are vast, bustling hubs that hark back to the older FF days when it was necessary to take a few moments in every new location to just stop and stare at things: details such as the huge freight cable cars that roll up and down high above the streets, or the effect of the day/night cycle on the city atmosphere as shadows grow longer and, one by one, lights ping on to fight away the gloom. We’ve spoken about FFXV’s impressive weather systems in previous issues. Rain clouds form, water splashes down, clothing gets soaked, puddles form (in heavier showers city steps almost become waterfalls as the liquid rushes downward) and everything slowly evaporates away in the sunlight. But one new feature we’d be remiss to not mention is FFXV’s animals.

No, not the creatures you fight, or the birds that are forever flying around in the skyboxes to help convince you this world is perpetually alive, but the dogs and cats roaming the streets. Because one of Tabata’s favourite tricks is to assume control of them and then showcase the game’s environments through Dog Cam or Cat Cam.

Will these four-legged heroes be playable in the final game? Tabata says no, though given the favourable reaction to both from fans I wouldn’t be shocked if they made it in there somehow. Cat Cam in particular enables Tabata to access areas that aren’t reachable as Noctis – networks of pipes hanging over the tracks of a giant railway station, for instance. Clearly these cat-friendly platforms have already been built and exist for a reason, so don’t yet write off the ability to assume control of a furry friend, even if it’s just for a quirky Easter egg.

And still the wait continues. If you pick up a copy of Final Fantasy Type-0 HD this month (and you probably should, see Zero To Hero) you’ll get a download code for the Episode Duscae demo to sweeten the deal – though it’s only available with the first wave of Type-0 copies or if you grab Type-0’s digital version inside its first two months on the PSN Store. Just don’t get your hopes up and take it as a sign that FFXV is close: Tabata estimates the game’s still only 60% complete, although development is ramping up considerably.

The great news is that FFXV is on track to become the best new Final Fantasy in generations with considerable ease. Episode Duscae is a brilliant goldmine of features and experiences that will probably keep you occupied for longer than some full games (I’m looking at you, The Order).

Tabata’s action-focused Active X Battle combat system, the culmination of years’ worth of experiments with Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy Type-0, feels natural and refined, and while debates will always rage when it comes to FFXV’s character roster it took just a few minutes for me to warm to Noctis’ gang and realise a road trip buddy story makes for a great, fresh approach to Final Fantasy lore – even if the overarching ‘defeat the evil empire’ quest is a familiar one.

It’s been a long, twisting road for Final Fantasy XV, and there will still be development bumps to ride out. But after years of trouble, Square Enix is finally heading in the right direction. Episode Duscae gives me hope that the Final Fantasy name is once again becoming as precious as it was in the PS1 and PS2 days. Against all odds, XV has every chance to etch its name alongside the very best of Final Fantasy.