TheEndOfItAll
Neo Member
Think your opinion shifted once you got P5? (...I'm assuming you have P5 already)
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LTTP: FFXV - Price Error in your favor. Do pass go, do play FFXV
- Thread starter jdstorm
- Start date
Think your opinion shifted once you got P5? (...I'm assuming you have P5 already)
Dungeons, Dungeons, Grinding and More Dungeons.
Thats what i have been doing since my last post. In general i'm not a huge fan of them, but i have still been in the honeymoon phase with this game and have been doing almost everything. That changed after finishing a particularly tough Dungeon, where getting lost ended up proving more challenging then the final boss.
From then on i decided to do some story missions. Just following these quickly led me to the start of chapter 9. Minus a short detour in
to do some gambling. Man that
is expensive, however the payoff seems worth it.
Notes
Its starting to become aparent why people grow cold on this game. I think many lifelong Final Fantasy players (something i am not) feel about this game the way i feel about Star Wars:The Force Awakens. The Force Awakens biggest problem is that its a mediocre peice of soulless blockbuster entertainment masquarading as a Star Wars film, where every moment it gets right only reminds you of what it gets wrong (and what TFA gets wrong it gets horrifically wrong). To me FFXV isnt ever going to feel that way for 2 reasons. The first is that Final Fantasy XV is actually trying to be unique and have an oppinion, its trying to synthesise big ideas from great works*. It doesnt always work, but FFXV is going to be unique, for better and worse. The second reason is Noctis. FFXV in many ways shares a lot of the same problems as FFXIII when it comes to narative and pacing, and the main party (Ignis, Gladious and Prompto) are basically an average mid tier FF party. Yet Noctis is probably the best Final Fantasy leading man (Aside from maybe Balthier) as he manages to shift between being dour, charming, inteligent and foolish while maintaining an earnest respect of everyone around him.
- Speaking of Star Wars.
felt very much like a Mediterranean inspired version of Empire Strikes Back's Cloud City. Or possibly Casablanca from the Bogart film. Maybe a combination of both.
- This game has a Luna problem, in the same way How I Met Your Mother had a Mother problem. I get that these people are on two seperate journeys and since its a Final Fantasy game the outcome will probably be tragic. However without giving the player any reason to care about the character▪ any big emotional moment is going to feel unearned and cheap.
*Unlike TFA which is more then content to plagarise its own history, sometimes unintentionally and with predictably derivitave results.
▪ I know Kingsglave was meant to fill in the gaps, however the character looks different, has a different VA (in English) and doesnt really interact with Noctis. Just patch in Luna owning a phone and have her call Noctis occasionally. Something like 30 to 60 minutes and a few texts/photos wouldnt go astray.
Thats what i have been doing since my last post. In general i'm not a huge fan of them, but i have still been in the honeymoon phase with this game and have been doing almost everything. That changed after finishing a particularly tough Dungeon, where getting lost ended up proving more challenging then the final boss.
Costlemark Tower is a pretty tough dungeon. Its mostly a linear combat dungeon which is nice, however the final section is a maze to the boss room where turning down the wrong direction will take you to a challenging enemy fight, and each time you fall down there it gets progressively harder. I was unfortunate enough to have that area glitch out, which means i had to return to that challenge space 4 times. That resulted in me having yo fight 3 level 50ish Fire Knights and one of those Snake creatures all at once. After getting bailed out of that by a summon, the final boss was relitively easy.
From then on i decided to do some story missions. Just following these quickly led me to the start of chapter 9. Minus a short detour in
Altissia
magitech generator
Notes
Its starting to become aparent why people grow cold on this game. I think many lifelong Final Fantasy players (something i am not) feel about this game the way i feel about Star Wars:The Force Awakens. The Force Awakens biggest problem is that its a mediocre peice of soulless blockbuster entertainment masquarading as a Star Wars film, where every moment it gets right only reminds you of what it gets wrong (and what TFA gets wrong it gets horrifically wrong). To me FFXV isnt ever going to feel that way for 2 reasons. The first is that Final Fantasy XV is actually trying to be unique and have an oppinion, its trying to synthesise big ideas from great works*. It doesnt always work, but FFXV is going to be unique, for better and worse. The second reason is Noctis. FFXV in many ways shares a lot of the same problems as FFXIII when it comes to narative and pacing, and the main party (Ignis, Gladious and Prompto) are basically an average mid tier FF party. Yet Noctis is probably the best Final Fantasy leading man (Aside from maybe Balthier) as he manages to shift between being dour, charming, inteligent and foolish while maintaining an earnest respect of everyone around him.
- Speaking of Star Wars.
Altissia
- This game has a Luna problem, in the same way How I Met Your Mother had a Mother problem. I get that these people are on two seperate journeys and since its a Final Fantasy game the outcome will probably be tragic. However without giving the player any reason to care about the character▪ any big emotional moment is going to feel unearned and cheap.
*Unlike TFA which is more then content to plagarise its own history, sometimes unintentionally and with predictably derivitave results.
▪ I know Kingsglave was meant to fill in the gaps, however the character looks different, has a different VA (in English) and doesnt really interact with Noctis. Just patch in Luna owning a phone and have her call Noctis occasionally. Something like 30 to 60 minutes and a few texts/photos wouldnt go astray.
Just got finished with Chapter 9. There about a million spoiler heavy things that i want to say about it. Some things i liked, others not so much.
However what i really wanted to talk about is the final cutscene (or is it the first cutscene of chapter 10) The amount of Narative dissonence between the player and character is dumb. In real time its been 5 minutes or so between the key events of chapter 9 and Gladious attempts at inspiration fall very flat due to that.
Its been my first real "low point" so far this game. Luckily there are some more chapters to go, and the game should pick up again soon.
However what i really wanted to talk about is the final cutscene (or is it the first cutscene of chapter 10) The amount of Narative dissonence between the player and character is dumb. In real time its been 5 minutes or so between the key events of chapter 9 and Gladious attempts at inspiration fall very flat due to that.
Its been my first real "low point" so far this game. Luckily there are some more chapters to go, and the game should pick up again soon.
So final fantasy XV finished as it began. Three seperate endings that paid off the three seperate beginings. I will do another post later with my full thoughts. Right now i really just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone at Square BD2 and its affiliate partner studios for all the hard work they put into this game.
FFXV is probably the most technically ambitious game i have ever played in terms of the projects scope. Whats even more amazing is that time and resources clearly ran out before they were able to achieve the full scope of their ambition. Hopefully they get another chance.
FFXV is probably the most technically ambitious game i have ever played in terms of the projects scope. Whats even more amazing is that time and resources clearly ran out before they were able to achieve the full scope of their ambition. Hopefully they get another chance.
nowheretorun
Member
Bought it for the £9.99 price error and I'm utterly underwhelmed by the quality of its graphics. Wow. Almost look like uprezzed ps2 level in 'some' ways. Played the first 2 hours after a good while practicing the combat.
Steiner_Zi
Member
Uprezzed PS2 graphics? This is objectively wrong.
Its now been a few days, and my thoughts on FFXV have had a chance to settle. Over the next few weeks I am planning to do some relitively indepth analysis on what worked and what didnt regarding the story, gameplay, level design. There will be some minor open spoilers (character Names, Narative structure elements) Ultimately i think that i am personally going to look back on this game very fondly. However i think most will look at FFXV as a nessecary step towards getting FFXVI which will be vastly improved having built on the groundwork established in FFXV.
The Story
On the outside FFXVs story might seem like somewhat of a mess. The game begins with three seperate cold opens. One a flash forward to an intense future battle, the 2nd a fairytale goodbye between father and son, and lastly an inauspicious begining with four friends pushing a broken car down a derelict highway. These differences seem somewhat incoherent and jarring at first. Yet to understand FFXV's story is to understand its development. Final Fantasy XV is ultimately a game of 4 stories. The game it was, the game it became, the game it wanted to be and the game players wished it was. For now lets go back to the very begining and adress the game that it was. FF versus 13.
The Game It Was - Final Fantasy Versus XVIII
After a long and very successful career Tetsuya Nomura was handed the keys to the Final Fantasy franchise, and after an unknown period of development Versus 13 debuted at E3 2016. Begining with a quote by William Shakespeare about moral relitivity and showing a world that mixed modern and fantasy settings. Versus 13 was to be a fantasy based on reality. To the audience its dimly lit metroplis filled with soilders armoured chain mail but weilding modern weaponry such as guns seemed to harken to director Baz Lurhman's popular 1996 interpretation of Shakesphere's Romeo and Juliet which featured a similar modern medieval setting. This idea was further reinforced in 2009 when another trailer for Versus 13 released. This trailer showcases the character of Stella, who visually bears a striking resemblance to actress Claire Danes. Danes was the actress who portrayed Juliet in Romeo +Juliet. These similarities are further reinforced by the large fish tank appearing in the background of Noctis and Stella's first meeting as shown in a 2011 trailer. This meeting harkens back to the most famous scene from Romeo + Juliet where Danes' Juliet and Leonardo Di Caprio's Romeo meet for the first time, each on opposing sides of a fish tank. That same trailer also includes a shot of Stella summoning weapons from out of thin air in a manner similar to Noctis placing them as equals and alluding to a fight.
This trailer more then anything else set audience expectations for what they thought Versus 13 was or would be. A Romeo + Juliet tale of two tragic but equal lovers who were pulled apart by circumstances out of their control. People who society had placed at odds and forced into a fight that would be the game's final confrontation. This would be despite their love for each other as individuals.
Versus XIII's visuals seemed to also hint at Versus XIII's gameplay. Many assumed its use of Cars, Guns and a somewhat gritty city filled with desert, ports and stunning gothic arcitecture would be a synthesis of California and Medieval Europe, with gameplay similar to the 2008 released GTA 4 which also featured a stunningly realistic (for the time) metropolis that was completely interactive.
Thanks to hindsight we now know that the origional Versus 13 concept was nothing close to that.* Yet the positive reception of those trailer's seemed to indicate that people were excited for the version of FF Versus 13 which existed internally at square. Something that couldnt have been further from the truth. This failure of communication is ultimately what sent FFXV down its illfated narative path where FFXV tried to honor and transform a collection of concept art that never really existed into the story that new creative lead Tabata wanted to tell.
VERSUS 13 E3 2006 reveal teaser https://youtu.be/kuWmF0uBgqQ
VERSUS 13 unknown 2009 trailer featuring Noctis and Stella https://youtu.be/19gDjDEKA2g
Baz Lurhman's Romeo + Juliet "Fish Tank Scene" https://youtu.be/8JoOpx6VwHk
* Versus XIII's alledged leaked plot had
Many of these threads clumsily pay off in the final game, so there is a pretty good chance that the leak was true.
Ok. That ended up much longer then i thought it would be. Thats all for now.
The Story
On the outside FFXVs story might seem like somewhat of a mess. The game begins with three seperate cold opens. One a flash forward to an intense future battle, the 2nd a fairytale goodbye between father and son, and lastly an inauspicious begining with four friends pushing a broken car down a derelict highway. These differences seem somewhat incoherent and jarring at first. Yet to understand FFXV's story is to understand its development. Final Fantasy XV is ultimately a game of 4 stories. The game it was, the game it became, the game it wanted to be and the game players wished it was. For now lets go back to the very begining and adress the game that it was. FF versus 13.
The Game It Was - Final Fantasy Versus XVIII
After a long and very successful career Tetsuya Nomura was handed the keys to the Final Fantasy franchise, and after an unknown period of development Versus 13 debuted at E3 2016. Begining with a quote by William Shakespeare about moral relitivity and showing a world that mixed modern and fantasy settings. Versus 13 was to be a fantasy based on reality. To the audience its dimly lit metroplis filled with soilders armoured chain mail but weilding modern weaponry such as guns seemed to harken to director Baz Lurhman's popular 1996 interpretation of Shakesphere's Romeo and Juliet which featured a similar modern medieval setting. This idea was further reinforced in 2009 when another trailer for Versus 13 released. This trailer showcases the character of Stella, who visually bears a striking resemblance to actress Claire Danes. Danes was the actress who portrayed Juliet in Romeo +Juliet. These similarities are further reinforced by the large fish tank appearing in the background of Noctis and Stella's first meeting as shown in a 2011 trailer. This meeting harkens back to the most famous scene from Romeo + Juliet where Danes' Juliet and Leonardo Di Caprio's Romeo meet for the first time, each on opposing sides of a fish tank. That same trailer also includes a shot of Stella summoning weapons from out of thin air in a manner similar to Noctis placing them as equals and alluding to a fight.
This trailer more then anything else set audience expectations for what they thought Versus 13 was or would be. A Romeo + Juliet tale of two tragic but equal lovers who were pulled apart by circumstances out of their control. People who society had placed at odds and forced into a fight that would be the game's final confrontation. This would be despite their love for each other as individuals.
Versus XIII's visuals seemed to also hint at Versus XIII's gameplay. Many assumed its use of Cars, Guns and a somewhat gritty city filled with desert, ports and stunning gothic arcitecture would be a synthesis of California and Medieval Europe, with gameplay similar to the 2008 released GTA 4 which also featured a stunningly realistic (for the time) metropolis that was completely interactive.
Thanks to hindsight we now know that the origional Versus 13 concept was nothing close to that.* Yet the positive reception of those trailer's seemed to indicate that people were excited for the version of FF Versus 13 which existed internally at square. Something that couldnt have been further from the truth. This failure of communication is ultimately what sent FFXV down its illfated narative path where FFXV tried to honor and transform a collection of concept art that never really existed into the story that new creative lead Tabata wanted to tell.
VERSUS 13 E3 2006 reveal teaser https://youtu.be/kuWmF0uBgqQ
VERSUS 13 unknown 2009 trailer featuring Noctis and Stella https://youtu.be/19gDjDEKA2g
Baz Lurhman's Romeo + Juliet "Fish Tank Scene" https://youtu.be/8JoOpx6VwHk
* Versus XIII's alledged leaked plot had
Noctis descend into madness and kill his platonic female rival before the game began. The actual game would be about Noctis battling Ardyn who was responsible for the crystals disapearing from the world, and the game ended in an afterlife type plane.
Many of these threads clumsily pay off in the final game, so there is a pretty good chance that the leak was true.
Ok. That ended up much longer then i thought it would be. Thats all for now.
The Story Part 2. The Game FFXV Became
Final Fantasy eventually released it opened with a title card that expressed that this was a game both for fans of the series and new first time players. Gone were the convoluted time travel mechanics of the poorly recieved FFXIII sequels. FFXV was going to be something that, was going to challenge and reimagine the series conventons. To borrow a saying comonly spouted about another japanese game series going through the same process.* What BD2 had correctly deduced that people loved about Final Fantasy games was its large scale sense of adventure and fairytale notions of classic romance. With this in mind, FFXV's openings dont seem so strange. FFXV's first opening is that of a a battle set in an Uncharted 2** style flash forward that sets up to pay off the original story set out in the Versus concepts. The second is the a begining that harkens back to classic farytales as a yong prince says goodbye to his father and the throne room to meet his bride. Finally the third opening is the royal party pushing a broken car down an empty highway while joking around. This implies that the tone will be that of a classic buddy comming of age film in the veign of a Goonies, the more recent Stranger Things, and the film with the same title as FFXV's Title track. Stand by me.
This opening sets the tone for the whole game as these 3 experiences often tonally clash and ultimately the game pays off all 3 beginings with 3 largely seperate endings. I quickly found while playing through the game that if i felt the game was wrong, i was probably just viewing it through the wrong lens as it was likely emotionally paying off one of those beginings at that moment. This is perhaps best exemplefied by a mission partway through the game where you briefly lose access to your car, so you and your friends sneak into a millitary base to get it back. This is completely out of place in 2 of FFXV's openings, yet it is something that would feel completely organic in a comming of age comedy. Learning to roll with these changes was key to my enjoying the game as a whole.
Ultimately the thread that ties this game together is Noctis. In many ways i feel like FFXV's story is some sort of meta commentary about the game's development. The Villan is a mysterious man of great power and who will take away the worlds resources should they fail. The King, the man meant to shepard this process and lead the world is gone and without as much as a roadmap of what to do, and its all left to the younger chosen king to save and guide the world. Towards the end of the game there is a
. Normally this would personally bother me, as i prefer works that are much more outwardly focused on the world they are created in. However FFXV still in many ways seems to maintain a socially relevant story, with its tale of boys trying to grown into men without any real guidance and following how they navigate these challenges. Its high point is probably Luna's speech in chapter 9.
What drags down FFXV's narative is how it rarely earns any of its emotional beats. The frantic changing of tone that permiates through FFXV's story leads to essentially every single emotional beat falling flat. Normally the greatest misstep a narative can commit is where they tell the player rather then show them, and have the player experience the event for themselves. FFXV unfortunately rarely does either, and that time and budget constraints are likely the reason doesnt make this pill any easier to swallow. The worst offender is probably how underdeveloped Noctis' and Luna's relationship is due to limitations seemingly arbitary imposed by structural elements in Versus XIII that werent carried through. This became especially silly towards the end of the game where
Despite its many flaws i personally feel that the plot holds together well enough. This is largely due to FFXV's many influences being of such high quality. FFXV seemingly aspires to works like Shakesphere's Hamlet, Casablanca, Lord of the Rings, as well as many past final fantasy games and many classic coming of age stories. This allows FFXVs patchwork story to be filled with high quality moments and ultimately pay off as better then the sum of its parts.
*I find it somewhat amusing that Zelda:Breath of the Wild ended up naratively very similar to Final Fantasy XV, yet with the gender and player roles reversed. Although Zelda is more focused and coherent.
**Final Fantasy XV is clearly drawing inspiration from Uncharted 2 and the Assasin's Creed series. I personally quite liked what they did. Well mostly FFXV/UC2 Spoilers
Final Fantasy eventually released it opened with a title card that expressed that this was a game both for fans of the series and new first time players. Gone were the convoluted time travel mechanics of the poorly recieved FFXIII sequels. FFXV was going to be something that, was going to challenge and reimagine the series conventons. To borrow a saying comonly spouted about another japanese game series going through the same process.* What BD2 had correctly deduced that people loved about Final Fantasy games was its large scale sense of adventure and fairytale notions of classic romance. With this in mind, FFXV's openings dont seem so strange. FFXV's first opening is that of a a battle set in an Uncharted 2** style flash forward that sets up to pay off the original story set out in the Versus concepts. The second is the a begining that harkens back to classic farytales as a yong prince says goodbye to his father and the throne room to meet his bride. Finally the third opening is the royal party pushing a broken car down an empty highway while joking around. This implies that the tone will be that of a classic buddy comming of age film in the veign of a Goonies, the more recent Stranger Things, and the film with the same title as FFXV's Title track. Stand by me.
This opening sets the tone for the whole game as these 3 experiences often tonally clash and ultimately the game pays off all 3 beginings with 3 largely seperate endings. I quickly found while playing through the game that if i felt the game was wrong, i was probably just viewing it through the wrong lens as it was likely emotionally paying off one of those beginings at that moment. This is perhaps best exemplefied by a mission partway through the game where you briefly lose access to your car, so you and your friends sneak into a millitary base to get it back. This is completely out of place in 2 of FFXV's openings, yet it is something that would feel completely organic in a comming of age comedy. Learning to roll with these changes was key to my enjoying the game as a whole.
Ultimately the thread that ties this game together is Noctis. In many ways i feel like FFXV's story is some sort of meta commentary about the game's development. The Villan is a mysterious man of great power and who will take away the worlds resources should they fail. The King, the man meant to shepard this process and lead the world is gone and without as much as a roadmap of what to do, and its all left to the younger chosen king to save and guide the world. Towards the end of the game there is a
Time jump of about 10 years which is roughly the same amount of time it took to develop the game
What drags down FFXV's narative is how it rarely earns any of its emotional beats. The frantic changing of tone that permiates through FFXV's story leads to essentially every single emotional beat falling flat. Normally the greatest misstep a narative can commit is where they tell the player rather then show them, and have the player experience the event for themselves. FFXV unfortunately rarely does either, and that time and budget constraints are likely the reason doesnt make this pill any easier to swallow. The worst offender is probably how underdeveloped Noctis' and Luna's relationship is due to limitations seemingly arbitary imposed by structural elements in Versus XIII that werent carried through. This became especially silly towards the end of the game where
I almost chose to take a photo of Cidney through to the end, since that relationship had been developed wonderfully by the french voice actors and Localization team, unaware that one of the endings would pay off on the Noctis and Luna relationship, given how little time the game devotes to it.(not sure how it was in other languages)
Despite its many flaws i personally feel that the plot holds together well enough. This is largely due to FFXV's many influences being of such high quality. FFXV seemingly aspires to works like Shakesphere's Hamlet, Casablanca, Lord of the Rings, as well as many past final fantasy games and many classic coming of age stories. This allows FFXVs patchwork story to be filled with high quality moments and ultimately pay off as better then the sum of its parts.
*I find it somewhat amusing that Zelda:Breath of the Wild ended up naratively very similar to Final Fantasy XV, yet with the gender and player roles reversed. Although Zelda is more focused and coherent.
**Final Fantasy XV is clearly drawing inspiration from Uncharted 2 and the Assasin's Creed series. I personally quite liked what they did. Well mostly FFXV/UC2 Spoilers
Elena Dying/almost dying and then being magically healed in UC2 is just as bullshit as Luna getting fridged in chapter 9 only to reappear in an ending set in the afterlife.
The Game Final Fantasy XV Wanted to be.
Its fair to say things didn't go as planned on Final Fantasy. Apart from the outside knowledge that the game spent 10 years in development hell, FFXV indicates multiple times that FFXV was the game Square could get to release and not the game of their dreams. This is shown in 3 major ways. Incongruent plot elements from Versus XIII that seem naratively opposed to the story FFXV is trying to tell. FFXV also features akward time skips and sometimes story skips that feel out of place. Finally the most obvious hint that FFXV was the game Square BD2 could finish is the world after
where as you travel along you have access to a map that seems to hint at another large open world section that couldn't be finished in time.
Many of FFXVs Narative problems stem from the ways Versus 13 wasnt compatible with Tabata's vison for FFXV. This tended to manifest itself most with the character of Luna/Stella who was little more then an object in Versus XIII's leaked story and was
This meant that the team likely had very little footage of her and with the majority of resources going elsewhere likely didn't have time to do more then a character model switch and keep the best of what they had. This is especially obvious early in the game when you are
and an optional missable cutscene focusing on Luna's journey is hidden as what appears to be a sidequest. Aditionally Luna's use of a magical dog to communicate with Noctis when everyone else is calling him on his phone is incredibly strange. This change also greatly impacts the character of Ravus, Luna's brother. Early in the game Ravus seems hellbent on eliminating Noctis for mostly unexplained reasons.(that are perfectly explained by Versus XIIIs plot Synopsis
Yet by the end of the game this has been somewhat retconned into a plot about Ravus seemingly working undercover within the empire, aiding Luna in helping Noctis and finally making sure he personally delivers the
to the party before sucumbing to his affliction. Lastly Noctis is also somewhat minorly affected by the sins of the Versus XIII concept towards the end of the game he finds himself becoming alienated and isolated from his friends. It somewhat works as the story places seemingly greater responsibility on his shoulders, yet tonally it feels like the game suffers from this choice as later cutscenes seem to indicate that the bond between Noctis and his friends should only be increasing in strength throughout the game.
When FFXV isnt akwardly trying to incorporate unwanted plot, its character development is being interupted by time skips. These time skips usually occur after key moments and undermine both the gravity of the situation and the player and character's time to process these big events. The first notable time skip is
this is the players first experience with a
and yet the player is quickly moved past it without having a chance to contemplate and take on board what actually happened. This also occurs
where instead of attending
and having the authentic emotional reactions of the party play out, you are time skipped forward a few weeks and given a completely inappropriate and out of context speech by a party member telling you to not care litterally 5-10 minutes after the key event asks for the players emotional investment. Finally the
This one was probably the most effective of the three, since it was designed to be jarring, but again a lack of time for the impact to hit hurts the narative pacing of the scene.
Lastly the most obvious sign that this game was somewhat underdone is the map screen you open when you get to
which reveals a
and yet only lets the players access limited area's. The final few chapters are an
through a world that is clearly meant to be much larger then the game allows the player to explore. This is further supported by the final boss confrontation which occurs in a
This narative decision while fitting seems influenced by the fact that it would be infinitely more work to render a fully realised
rather then having
to allow BD2 to hide the
With all these challenges in mind, to me it seems far more impressive to acknoweledge what Square actually achieved. Which was, despite some tonal inconsistencies a functional coherent plot, a fully realized open world and some wonderful set pieces. FFXV may not have been anyone's dream game, but the fact it released as polished as it did is a minor miricle and both the team working on it, and the executives who let it be continually delayed at the end of development deserve a lot of praise for their commitment to releasing a quality product.
A bit off topic
In many ways Final Fantasy XV feels like the JRPG version of the Netflix series "The Get Down" which somewhat ironically is directed by Baz Lurhman who's past work seemingly was quite influential in the early stages of FFXVs development. The Get Down is a hip hop origon story that is tonally inconsistent but is held together by a likeable group of friends banding together to change the world in a period of turmoil.
Its fair to say things didn't go as planned on Final Fantasy. Apart from the outside knowledge that the game spent 10 years in development hell, FFXV indicates multiple times that FFXV was the game Square could get to release and not the game of their dreams. This is shown in 3 major ways. Incongruent plot elements from Versus XIII that seem naratively opposed to the story FFXV is trying to tell. FFXV also features akward time skips and sometimes story skips that feel out of place. Finally the most obvious hint that FFXV was the game Square BD2 could finish is the world after
Chapter 9
Many of FFXVs Narative problems stem from the ways Versus 13 wasnt compatible with Tabata's vison for FFXV. This tended to manifest itself most with the character of Luna/Stella who was little more then an object in Versus XIII's leaked story and was
murdered by Noctis before the game even began.
driving with Ardyn to the crater
Noctis kills his sister and Ravus wants revenge.
last royal weapon
When FFXV isnt akwardly trying to incorporate unwanted plot, its character development is being interupted by time skips. These time skips usually occur after key moments and undermine both the gravity of the situation and the player and character's time to process these big events. The first notable time skip is
after the titan boss fight
summon
after Luna's death
Luna's funeral,
10 year world of ruin time jump
Lastly the most obvious sign that this game was somewhat underdone is the map screen you open when you get to
Chapter 10
train line running through a whole other continent
express whistle stop tour
World of Ruin with perpetual night.
Insomnia during daylight hours
The black of night
full scope of the city.
With all these challenges in mind, to me it seems far more impressive to acknoweledge what Square actually achieved. Which was, despite some tonal inconsistencies a functional coherent plot, a fully realized open world and some wonderful set pieces. FFXV may not have been anyone's dream game, but the fact it released as polished as it did is a minor miricle and both the team working on it, and the executives who let it be continually delayed at the end of development deserve a lot of praise for their commitment to releasing a quality product.
A bit off topic
In many ways Final Fantasy XV feels like the JRPG version of the Netflix series "The Get Down" which somewhat ironically is directed by Baz Lurhman who's past work seemingly was quite influential in the early stages of FFXVs development. The Get Down is a hip hop origon story that is tonally inconsistent but is held together by a likeable group of friends banding together to change the world in a period of turmoil.
The Game People Wished it was, and other adventures in confirmation bias
One of my favourite things about gaming this generation is how creators are not just content with making playable movies, but are trying to use systems exclusive to the medium of video games to elicit the desired response from the player. One of the most effective of these systems is dialogue choices in Linear games. The game will still continue on the same path regardless of what you choose. This system adds flavor to the writing and ultimately makes it seem better to the player due to the players own confirmation bias, that reinforces their own dialogue choice as the objective best. Despite their not being an objective best choice. Final Fantasy XV does a number of these choices very well. My favourite was a conversation between Noctis and Iris, where Iris hints that them hanging out alone could be considered a date. There were 3 options one positive, one negative and finally a joke to ease the tension. I personally chose the joke and was happy with the decision. Others who chose other options likely were just as happy.
The Final Fantasy tends to inspire a lot of thought and imagination, and 10 years is a long time to imagine scenatios of what could be. I think this led to some negative confirmation bias where some of FFXVs more vocal critics were more disapointed that the game wasn't what they expected.
Now after saying all that. It somewhat bothered me that i thought i could see the cohesive narative within FFXV that never quite came together. I once described FFXV in another thread as aspiring to be a synthesis of Shakespherean plays Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet. It seemed like they made Romeo (featuring Orphelia) as opposed to Hamlet and Juliet.
My next post will probably detail how these naratives could have been synthesized, mainly because i need to type them out.
One of my favourite things about gaming this generation is how creators are not just content with making playable movies, but are trying to use systems exclusive to the medium of video games to elicit the desired response from the player. One of the most effective of these systems is dialogue choices in Linear games. The game will still continue on the same path regardless of what you choose. This system adds flavor to the writing and ultimately makes it seem better to the player due to the players own confirmation bias, that reinforces their own dialogue choice as the objective best. Despite their not being an objective best choice. Final Fantasy XV does a number of these choices very well. My favourite was a conversation between Noctis and Iris, where Iris hints that them hanging out alone could be considered a date. There were 3 options one positive, one negative and finally a joke to ease the tension. I personally chose the joke and was happy with the decision. Others who chose other options likely were just as happy.
The Final Fantasy tends to inspire a lot of thought and imagination, and 10 years is a long time to imagine scenatios of what could be. I think this led to some negative confirmation bias where some of FFXVs more vocal critics were more disapointed that the game wasn't what they expected.
Now after saying all that. It somewhat bothered me that i thought i could see the cohesive narative within FFXV that never quite came together. I once described FFXV in another thread as aspiring to be a synthesis of Shakespherean plays Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet. It seemed like they made Romeo (featuring Orphelia) as opposed to Hamlet and Juliet.
My next post will probably detail how these naratives could have been synthesized, mainly because i need to type them out.
My thoughts on how to make FFXV a more cohesive narative experience
In my previous post i compared the plot of FFXV to an amalgam consisting of Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and Final Fantasy. Luckily all three elements are very similar as all consist of important teenagers in a medieval type environment. Yet in order to blend things properly we should look at individual characters and how they work.
The Male Lead-Noctis.
Hamlet and Romeo are actually very similar characters. Both are the sons of important powerful men who are heir to an empire. Both are introverted sensitive types and both are capable warriors. What seperates them is Hamlet largely focused on solving a mystery and choosing the right path, with the act of making a choice Hamlets biggest obstacle. This is expressed in the two most often quoted lines of hamlet. "To be or not to be. That is the question" and "This above all to thine own self be true." These quotes are a simple way to express Hamlet's character growth from a lost boy carrying the weight greif and questioning his own path forward, to a man confident in himself and his ability to make the right choices to effect positive change.
Romeo is much more impulsive then Hamlet and that is ultimately his undoing. When we first meet Romeo, he about to go to a party with his friends, while still pining after a girl Rosaline with whom he is very much enfatuated with. Yet meer hours later Romeo is pledged to be married to Juliet, and the play continues to follow the ramifications of Romeo's perchant for the impulsive. Whether it be his marrige, the murders of Tybalt and Paris or his own eventual unnessecary suicide.
So in order to make Noctis square would need a protagonist who's world had been thrown into caos (check) who was thoughtful, caring and tried to do the right thing (check) who had to face the consequences of big decisions (check) and then repeat this loop until the end of the story.
Noctis' friends
Both Hamlet and Romeo have 3 friends each. None are really that well developed between being Arctypes.
Final Fantasy XV gets these elements 100% correct, and they are the main reason FFXV works.
The Female Lead -Luna
Ophelia is the female love intrest in Hamlet. Her journey begins as Hamlets childhood friend and presumed future wife. Ophelia is a conservative, pure good hearted girl who wants to do the right thing by herself and her family. At the start of the play both Ophelia's father and brother warn her against dating Hamlet as they are afraid he just wants to use her. Ultimately Hamlet and Ophelia's love is pure and true, yet the young couple are torn apart by a societal forces out of their control. These forces create distrust and cause a disconect between the couple that leads to their tragic fate.
On the other side of the spectrum is Juliet, an only child raised more by her nursemaid then her parents. She is thoughtful, determined, bold and seems to actively rebel against the societal expectations that she should get married without love. This can best be summed up when she refers to Romeo by saying "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet" showing that Juliet has an open mind as is willing to look past any percieved predjuice, to the point where she would love and marry a man who society told her was her enemy.
Synthesizing these characters is harder as Ophelia's character is inwardly focused on family and her tragedy is caused by society seeking to break that apart, meanwhile Juliet is a stronger individual who would risk everything for love. The only comon theme is that both are pure and true.
This difference would ultimately be the source of the game's complication. The character of Juliet/Ophelia would be a constant that represented goodness, truth and light. She would be a character trying to unite the world towards peace, but brave and bold enough to put herself into danger and even against the wishes of her own family to achieve this. Yet the other characters would only see Juliet/Ophelia as a member of her family, a rival group responsible for the death and destruction of Noctis' kingdom. This association would paint Juliet/Ophelia as an unreliable source of information (despite that being untrue) and push the main characters further towards the side of the main Villan.
The Antagonist...
The character most likely responsible for the "Complication" that acts as a tipping point for when things go south. In Final Fantasy XV this is a singular person who is largely obsessed with the Hero's for no apparent reason.(it was a 2012 Cinema trend that sucked) In both Romeo and Juliet, and Hamlet. This role is actually split into 2 roles. The first is "The Stirer" the second is to borrow a badly used term "The Catalyst".
The Stirer: this character can be a benevolant or malevolant force, however their motivation is to manipulate and reshape the world the way they would like it to be. In Romeo and Juliet, the role of "Stirer" is a benevolent priest who seeks to wed Romeo and Juliet in order end the war between the Capulets and Montagues and to bring peace to Verona. In Hamlet its King Claudius (Hamlet's uncle) a newly appointed King who has just married his brother's widow (Hamlet's Mother) after the recent and suspicious death of the former King.
In both Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet, this character has a preexisting relationship with the protagonist as its much easier to explain their role when they have a pre existing relationship with the main characters, since this character needs a certain amount of protagonist trust to be effective. This is demonstrated akwardly in FFXV where Ardyn has to creepily stalk the main party and constantly has to make illogical decisions for the narative to work. For example
Final Fantasy XV either needed to make Ardyn a previously known and somewhat trusted entity to Noctis and his friends, or replace him with someone who was. Ironically FFXV has in Cor a character who perfectly fits this description and with a nickname like "The Immortal" he could be perfectly used to pay off on Ardyn's story arc.
The Catalyst: This person is the character who triggers the begining of everything going bad. In Romeo and Juliet, this character is Juliet's cousin Tybalt. Tybalt murders one of Romeo's friends in response for their attendance at the Capulet party (yeah he's a giant ass). In Hamlet the catalyst is the ghost of Hamlet's dead father who haunts his son (Prince Hamlet) into confronting is brother(King Claudius) in an act of vengence. Although Shakesphere's prose gives those events much more elegance then my breif description.
In Final Fantasy XV this role is also played by Ardyn. Combining these two seperate roles into one can work. Iago in Shakesphere's Othello is a good example, or someone like Loki (Thor/The Avengers) in the marvel universe. However more often then not combining these two leads to clumbsy results especially when accompanied by a bait and switch like Kahn (Star Trek into darkness) Bane/Talia (The Dark Knight Rises) The Mandarin (Iron Man 3) Lex Luthor (Batman vs Superman) Forgettable Generic Villan (Captain America: Civil War) ect
Other Characters that would be in a mashup version of the story.
Juliets Nurse: FFXV has Genetia it works fine
Ophelia's Brother: FFXV has Ravus, he needs a tweak.
Ophelia/Juliet's Father: Doesnt appear in FFXV. Its somewhat problematic
In my previous post i compared the plot of FFXV to an amalgam consisting of Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and Final Fantasy. Luckily all three elements are very similar as all consist of important teenagers in a medieval type environment. Yet in order to blend things properly we should look at individual characters and how they work.
The Male Lead-Noctis.
Hamlet and Romeo are actually very similar characters. Both are the sons of important powerful men who are heir to an empire. Both are introverted sensitive types and both are capable warriors. What seperates them is Hamlet largely focused on solving a mystery and choosing the right path, with the act of making a choice Hamlets biggest obstacle. This is expressed in the two most often quoted lines of hamlet. "To be or not to be. That is the question" and "This above all to thine own self be true." These quotes are a simple way to express Hamlet's character growth from a lost boy carrying the weight greif and questioning his own path forward, to a man confident in himself and his ability to make the right choices to effect positive change.
Romeo is much more impulsive then Hamlet and that is ultimately his undoing. When we first meet Romeo, he about to go to a party with his friends, while still pining after a girl Rosaline with whom he is very much enfatuated with. Yet meer hours later Romeo is pledged to be married to Juliet, and the play continues to follow the ramifications of Romeo's perchant for the impulsive. Whether it be his marrige, the murders of Tybalt and Paris or his own eventual unnessecary suicide.
So in order to make Noctis square would need a protagonist who's world had been thrown into caos (check) who was thoughtful, caring and tried to do the right thing (check) who had to face the consequences of big decisions (check) and then repeat this loop until the end of the story.
Noctis' friends
Both Hamlet and Romeo have 3 friends each. None are really that well developed between being Arctypes.
Final Fantasy XV gets these elements 100% correct, and they are the main reason FFXV works.
The Female Lead -Luna
Ophelia is the female love intrest in Hamlet. Her journey begins as Hamlets childhood friend and presumed future wife. Ophelia is a conservative, pure good hearted girl who wants to do the right thing by herself and her family. At the start of the play both Ophelia's father and brother warn her against dating Hamlet as they are afraid he just wants to use her. Ultimately Hamlet and Ophelia's love is pure and true, yet the young couple are torn apart by a societal forces out of their control. These forces create distrust and cause a disconect between the couple that leads to their tragic fate.
On the other side of the spectrum is Juliet, an only child raised more by her nursemaid then her parents. She is thoughtful, determined, bold and seems to actively rebel against the societal expectations that she should get married without love. This can best be summed up when she refers to Romeo by saying "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet" showing that Juliet has an open mind as is willing to look past any percieved predjuice, to the point where she would love and marry a man who society told her was her enemy.
Synthesizing these characters is harder as Ophelia's character is inwardly focused on family and her tragedy is caused by society seeking to break that apart, meanwhile Juliet is a stronger individual who would risk everything for love. The only comon theme is that both are pure and true.
This difference would ultimately be the source of the game's complication. The character of Juliet/Ophelia would be a constant that represented goodness, truth and light. She would be a character trying to unite the world towards peace, but brave and bold enough to put herself into danger and even against the wishes of her own family to achieve this. Yet the other characters would only see Juliet/Ophelia as a member of her family, a rival group responsible for the death and destruction of Noctis' kingdom. This association would paint Juliet/Ophelia as an unreliable source of information (despite that being untrue) and push the main characters further towards the side of the main Villan.
The Antagonist...
The character most likely responsible for the "Complication" that acts as a tipping point for when things go south. In Final Fantasy XV this is a singular person who is largely obsessed with the Hero's for no apparent reason.(it was a 2012 Cinema trend that sucked) In both Romeo and Juliet, and Hamlet. This role is actually split into 2 roles. The first is "The Stirer" the second is to borrow a badly used term "The Catalyst".
The Stirer: this character can be a benevolant or malevolant force, however their motivation is to manipulate and reshape the world the way they would like it to be. In Romeo and Juliet, the role of "Stirer" is a benevolent priest who seeks to wed Romeo and Juliet in order end the war between the Capulets and Montagues and to bring peace to Verona. In Hamlet its King Claudius (Hamlet's uncle) a newly appointed King who has just married his brother's widow (Hamlet's Mother) after the recent and suspicious death of the former King.
In both Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet, this character has a preexisting relationship with the protagonist as its much easier to explain their role when they have a pre existing relationship with the main characters, since this character needs a certain amount of protagonist trust to be effective. This is demonstrated akwardly in FFXV where Ardyn has to creepily stalk the main party and constantly has to make illogical decisions for the narative to work. For example
As Emperor of the imperial forces that wiped out Noctis country. Why wouldnt Ardyn just Imprison Noctis, take him to recieve each blessing an then execute him when the process was complete. He had no problem killing Regis at less then full strength.
Final Fantasy XV either needed to make Ardyn a previously known and somewhat trusted entity to Noctis and his friends, or replace him with someone who was. Ironically FFXV has in Cor a character who perfectly fits this description and with a nickname like "The Immortal" he could be perfectly used to pay off on Ardyn's story arc.
Ardyn is an immortal former King of Lucis who wants to die and needs Noctis to kill him. He is also bitter and wants to kill the crystal who he blames for all his problems.
The Catalyst: This person is the character who triggers the begining of everything going bad. In Romeo and Juliet, this character is Juliet's cousin Tybalt. Tybalt murders one of Romeo's friends in response for their attendance at the Capulet party (yeah he's a giant ass). In Hamlet the catalyst is the ghost of Hamlet's dead father who haunts his son (Prince Hamlet) into confronting is brother(King Claudius) in an act of vengence. Although Shakesphere's prose gives those events much more elegance then my breif description.
In Final Fantasy XV this role is also played by Ardyn. Combining these two seperate roles into one can work. Iago in Shakesphere's Othello is a good example, or someone like Loki (Thor/The Avengers) in the marvel universe. However more often then not combining these two leads to clumbsy results especially when accompanied by a bait and switch like Kahn (Star Trek into darkness) Bane/Talia (The Dark Knight Rises) The Mandarin (Iron Man 3) Lex Luthor (Batman vs Superman) Forgettable Generic Villan (Captain America: Civil War) ect
Other Characters that would be in a mashup version of the story.
Juliets Nurse: FFXV has Genetia it works fine
Ophelia's Brother: FFXV has Ravus, he needs a tweak.
Ophelia/Juliet's Father: Doesnt appear in FFXV. Its somewhat problematic
So how does this change the story, and could it be done with existing assets?
1. Not a lot. The story still remains about 90% the same. The biggest change is that the game evolves from a story about a king growing into a man with his friends and reclaiming his throne and deliver enduring peace better structured and more topical.
Final Fantasy XV would now become about a prince who is lost, torn between a lover from the country who invaded his homeland, murdered his father, and some hard truths. These are set against a trusted confidant who is seducing him(Noctis) with power and advising him that strength through war, violence and power are the only ways he will ever achieve peace. There is some truth to the notion that you need strength to rule, so Noctis goes about collecting the Royal Arms, and slaying Gods in a quest for enough power to maintain peace. Eventually Noctis learns that
However that comes later.
Since this is a game it should be structured like a game with various boss fights and leveling up mechanics taken into consideration.
Act 1
1. Not a lot. The story still remains about 90% the same. The biggest change is that the game evolves from a story about a king growing into a man with his friends and reclaiming his throne and deliver enduring peace better structured and more topical.
Final Fantasy XV would now become about a prince who is lost, torn between a lover from the country who invaded his homeland, murdered his father, and some hard truths. These are set against a trusted confidant who is seducing him(Noctis) with power and advising him that strength through war, violence and power are the only ways he will ever achieve peace. There is some truth to the notion that you need strength to rule, so Noctis goes about collecting the Royal Arms, and slaying Gods in a quest for enough power to maintain peace. Eventually Noctis learns that
There are different kinds of strength, and that with great power comes great responsibility.
Since this is a game it should be structured like a game with various boss fights and leveling up mechanics taken into consideration.
Act 1
Setup. Noctis and his friends are broke and have a broken down car
Part 1. Invasion and aftermath
Part 2. Gang meets up with Luna at Golden Quay looking information about the war. Luna has Shiva give Noctis her blessing but has to quickly return to the empire.
Part 3. The Gang now meets up with Ardyn who gives Noctis the Ring of Lucis. The gang take revenge on an imperial base (magic tutorial) before heading up the volcano to defeat the relocated Ifrit and recieve the first royal weapon.
This has now set the plot. Luna's family/kingdom are bad, while Luna has shown hints of going against them to help Noctis do what is right. Ardyn/Cor is a friend/Advisor who is at his most trustworthy after giving you the ring, a royal weapon and imbuing you with the responsibility of being king.
Act 2.
Part 1.Luna reunites with the gang now featuring Ardyn at Duscae and attacks them, trying to kill Ardyn. She claims that Ardyn has a darkness inside him, and begins winning easily. However after Noctis sides with Ardyn, Luna relents and lets Ardyn leave the party as Luna doesnt want to hurt Noctis. The Gang goes with Luna to recieve Titan's blessing since she can let them past security. Noctis recieves Titan's power, but things go bad, imperial troops show up and the gang are caputred by Ravus. Luna's Brother.
Luna's combat mechanics are just Aranea Highwind's copy pasted and named as Luna/Stella (or make Aranea's model the female lead)
Part 2. The Gang now find themselves in a secret imperial prison (The Game's Final Dungeon Copy pasted forward. They are rescued by Ardyn and escape with The Regalia after learning the empire's dark secrets, fighting Ravus and taking back Regis' sword. From here Ardyn guides the gang to
yet somewhat suspiciously stops at the entrance and leaves the gang to enters alone while he proceeds to scout out Leviathan in Altissia. On completion of the dungeon, Noctis recieves Bahamut's power and the ability to use the Armiger.
Part 3. Now with the use of Armiger there are 2 summons left to get. So the gang begin searching for Ramuh, adventuring around Duscae and searching for the mysterious final "Royal Arm" since now the game clearly guides you to all but one of the Royal Arms.
Summary. At first Luna seems just as complicit as her family and appears to set Noctis up. Luckily Ardyn saves them. Yet Ardyn keeps behaving in an increasingly suspicious manner and trying to pull Noctis down a more violent path.
Act 3.
Part 1: After exploring more of the open world, Sidequesting and finding most of the Royal Arms and having a meet cute between Prompto and Iris in lestallum.* The gang head to the lighthouse and their one way trip to Altissia. This is the point of no return.
After adventuring around Altissia, Noctis and Luna go together to meet Leviathan. Its very romantic, swirling music, the ocean backdrop ect. Yet there is a disconnect. Noctis seems different and Luna is significantly weaker then she has previously been. The Leviathan battle happens and Ardyn jumps in to help. Luna feels betrayed and attacks Ardyn but in her weakend state can no longer match him. Ardyn tries to finish Luna but is sent away by Noctis. Both Noctis and Luna are rescued seperately by their allies from this battle and there is a 2 week time jump for everyone to recover.
Part 2. The Race to the Capital.
Noctis and his friends
journey to the site of the final Royal Arm, Past Luna's Home and towards the capital. This plays out as a linear combat section that is Akin to a boss rush. (Or the final section of Bioware game Mass Effect 1 after the meeting with Vigil) The Guys are faced with seeing the illeffects of the growing night on the country side and develop an even sterner resolve to end the war with Luna's people and band together against the growing darkness.
Part 3.
The gang reach Insomnia and the cutscene/dream sequence of Noctis at the train station used in the Omen trailer plays out in real time. Under the cover of night (useful for hiding any draw distance technical limitations) the guys defeat another mech base and head towards the Throne Room. After slaying most of the Imperial forces a cutscene shows Noctis demanding a peace via surrender and have the agreement sealed by his marrige to Luna. Luna rejects this proposal, still harboring a distrust of Noctis after what happened at Altissia.
The player is given a choice. Throw the Ring of Lucis down in Anger/sorrow and walk away, or try and fight the imperial court including Luna and Ravus to get what they want through force. (Luna's fight mechanics are still Aranea Highwind's) if you choose the 2nd option Prompto switches sides and tells Noctis/the player that this is wrong.
It is at this point Ardyn re enters the picture. Explains his Malevolent goals and sets up the fight with Noctis. This happens in one of 2 ways depending on how you chose to deal with Luna's rejection.
1. Noctis accepts it and walks away.
Noctis, Prompto, Ignis and Gladio meet Ardyn outside the throne room. Ardyn reveals his intent. Noctis friends fight Ardyn and buy Noctis enough time to apologize to Luna, have a romantic moment and help the imperial court escape, before Luna fights off Ardyn as Noctis safely enters the Crystal
2. Noctis vs Luna
A battle ensues within the throne room that is complicated by Ardyn's entrance. Its a bloodbath. Everyone dies and Noctis barely makes it to the crystal.
Both Scenarios move forward the same way. Noctis enters the Crystal, powers up and exits 10 years later. Ardyn is waiting outside to finish the job. Noctis and Ardyn fight. Noctis wins, Yet both die.(just like Hamlet) Ardyn's death ends the plague of the stars and the world is restored, albiet in a damaged state.
In a manner true to Shakesphere's plays. FFXV ends as it began. The supporting characters who lived to see the end (Iris, Cidney, Talcot and a few other NPCs) are assembled in Hammerhead. These characters witness the first sunrise in a decade, and set out to rebuild the world.
Part 1. Invasion and aftermath
Part 2. Gang meets up with Luna at Golden Quay looking information about the war. Luna has Shiva give Noctis her blessing but has to quickly return to the empire.
Part 3. The Gang now meets up with Ardyn who gives Noctis the Ring of Lucis. The gang take revenge on an imperial base (magic tutorial) before heading up the volcano to defeat the relocated Ifrit and recieve the first royal weapon.
This has now set the plot. Luna's family/kingdom are bad, while Luna has shown hints of going against them to help Noctis do what is right. Ardyn/Cor is a friend/Advisor who is at his most trustworthy after giving you the ring, a royal weapon and imbuing you with the responsibility of being king.
Act 2.
Part 1.Luna reunites with the gang now featuring Ardyn at Duscae and attacks them, trying to kill Ardyn. She claims that Ardyn has a darkness inside him, and begins winning easily. However after Noctis sides with Ardyn, Luna relents and lets Ardyn leave the party as Luna doesnt want to hurt Noctis. The Gang goes with Luna to recieve Titan's blessing since she can let them past security. Noctis recieves Titan's power, but things go bad, imperial troops show up and the gang are caputred by Ravus. Luna's Brother.
Luna's combat mechanics are just Aranea Highwind's copy pasted and named as Luna/Stella (or make Aranea's model the female lead)
Part 2. The Gang now find themselves in a secret imperial prison (The Game's Final Dungeon Copy pasted forward. They are rescued by Ardyn and escape with The Regalia after learning the empire's dark secrets, fighting Ravus and taking back Regis' sword. From here Ardyn guides the gang to
Costlemark Tower
Part 3. Now with the use of Armiger there are 2 summons left to get. So the gang begin searching for Ramuh, adventuring around Duscae and searching for the mysterious final "Royal Arm" since now the game clearly guides you to all but one of the Royal Arms.
Summary. At first Luna seems just as complicit as her family and appears to set Noctis up. Luckily Ardyn saves them. Yet Ardyn keeps behaving in an increasingly suspicious manner and trying to pull Noctis down a more violent path.
Act 3.
Part 1: After exploring more of the open world, Sidequesting and finding most of the Royal Arms and having a meet cute between Prompto and Iris in lestallum.* The gang head to the lighthouse and their one way trip to Altissia. This is the point of no return.
After adventuring around Altissia, Noctis and Luna go together to meet Leviathan. Its very romantic, swirling music, the ocean backdrop ect. Yet there is a disconnect. Noctis seems different and Luna is significantly weaker then she has previously been. The Leviathan battle happens and Ardyn jumps in to help. Luna feels betrayed and attacks Ardyn but in her weakend state can no longer match him. Ardyn tries to finish Luna but is sent away by Noctis. Both Noctis and Luna are rescued seperately by their allies from this battle and there is a 2 week time jump for everyone to recover.
Part 2. The Race to the Capital.
Noctis and his friends
board the train,
Part 3.
The gang reach Insomnia and the cutscene/dream sequence of Noctis at the train station used in the Omen trailer plays out in real time. Under the cover of night (useful for hiding any draw distance technical limitations) the guys defeat another mech base and head towards the Throne Room. After slaying most of the Imperial forces a cutscene shows Noctis demanding a peace via surrender and have the agreement sealed by his marrige to Luna. Luna rejects this proposal, still harboring a distrust of Noctis after what happened at Altissia.
The player is given a choice. Throw the Ring of Lucis down in Anger/sorrow and walk away, or try and fight the imperial court including Luna and Ravus to get what they want through force. (Luna's fight mechanics are still Aranea Highwind's) if you choose the 2nd option Prompto switches sides and tells Noctis/the player that this is wrong.
It is at this point Ardyn re enters the picture. Explains his Malevolent goals and sets up the fight with Noctis. This happens in one of 2 ways depending on how you chose to deal with Luna's rejection.
1. Noctis accepts it and walks away.
Noctis, Prompto, Ignis and Gladio meet Ardyn outside the throne room. Ardyn reveals his intent. Noctis friends fight Ardyn and buy Noctis enough time to apologize to Luna, have a romantic moment and help the imperial court escape, before Luna fights off Ardyn as Noctis safely enters the Crystal
2. Noctis vs Luna
A battle ensues within the throne room that is complicated by Ardyn's entrance. Its a bloodbath. Everyone dies and Noctis barely makes it to the crystal.
Both Scenarios move forward the same way. Noctis enters the Crystal, powers up and exits 10 years later. Ardyn is waiting outside to finish the job. Noctis and Ardyn fight. Noctis wins, Yet both die.(just like Hamlet) Ardyn's death ends the plague of the stars and the world is restored, albiet in a damaged state.
In a manner true to Shakesphere's plays. FFXV ends as it began. The supporting characters who lived to see the end (Iris, Cidney, Talcot and a few other NPCs) are assembled in Hammerhead. These characters witness the first sunrise in a decade, and set out to rebuild the world.