Image via Complex Original
Final Fantasy XV began as an offshoot of Final Fantasy XIII for PlayStation 3, but it has evolved into a full-fledged title and will be the franchise's flagship for the new console generation. Tomorrow, a downloadable demo of the new game, called Episode Duscae, will be released with Final Fantasy Type-0 HD. The demo has about three hours of content, and I got to spend an hour with it at the video game convention in Boston known as the Penny Arcade Expo East. FF XV was a highlight in one of the many innovations in video games happening at PAX East. Based on my hands-on experience with the game, here is everything you need to know about Final Fantasy XV, from the franchise's first instance of real-time combat to old school tropes that remain intact.
It's the first official Final Fantasy game to use real-time combat.
Some Final Fantasy spinoffs have experimented with real-time combat, but FFXV will be the first of the main series to use it. Instead of turn-based combat, players will use a fast-paced combination of basic and special attacks to bring down enemies. The playable character, Prince Noctis, can summon various weapons that each serve distinct tactical purposes. Players can key special attacks to the Triangle button to do things like siphon enemy health, make Noctis lunge long distances over the battlefield, or inflict large amounts of damage on a single target. Using special attacks will slowly drain Noctis' Magic Points, and when he's out of MP he enters a “Stasis” condition where he moves awkwardly and has to rely on basic attacks.
You can teleport during combat.
Noctis' most interesting ability is that he can throw his sword, then instantly “Warp” to wherever it strikes. He can throw it into walls or ledges above the fight if he needs to escape an enemy. He can also use this strategy to get a tactical view of the battle from high above. If he throws the sword at an enemy, it is called a “Warp Strike,” which not only damages the target, but also teleports Noctis into attack range. Warp Strike allows players to quickly take down weak enemies at the beginning of combat, and to catch fast-moving creatures. It also has tactical purposes, allowing players to navigate the field of battle and team up on targets with Noctis' companions. The Warp Strike uses MP, and players have to keep an eye on their MP or they might exhaust all of their points when Warping to an enemy, then end up unable to continue the attack.
Defense requires more skill than in previous games.
Magic Points are used to power Noctis' defense. If the player holds down the left trigger button, Noctis will enter a defensive mode and will automatically dodge incoming attacks. The MP pool will slowly drain when the trigger is held down, so players can't simply stay on defense indiscriminately. They will have to maintain a balance of offense and defense.
There is also a parry system that offers the chance to counter attack. When enemies are about to pounce, a warning icon appears. If Noctis dodges the attack, the player has a split second to parry, and can then launch a special counter move that does extreme damage.
You're not alone, and you can rely on your AI companions.
Noctis is the only playable character in the demo, but he has three friends who assist him, and they are controlled by AI. The tough guy, Gladiolus, fights with a two-handed sword. Ignis is a calm intellectual who uses a smaller swords. Prompto fights with guns. When a member of the party is near death, they can be revived by other characters. If Noctis looses all of his HP, the player can make him slowly limp around the battlefield until one of his friends comes to revive him. Unfortunately, if he continues to take damage after losing his all of HP, he will suffer permanent damage to his health bar, and will eventually die unless one of his companions rescues him.
There's so much to see in this open, free-roaming world.
Episode Duscae has a main mission that will take about an hour to complete, but players have the option to explore a large section of the world, which is about the size of the smaller maps in Dragon Age Inquisition. Locations and creatures can be seen from a distance, and, at certain places, one of Noctis' companions will notice something interesting and offer up a side quest. These quests can be accepted or ignored as the player likes.
Monsters roam around the landscape and can be also pursued or avoided. When enemies are confronted, the combat begins with no load screen or special battle map like in other FF games. Here, it all happens in real time with no discernible transition.
Sometimes taking cover is your best option.
In combat, players can take cover behind objects to avoid attacks and let their companions handle the fighting. This isn't a Gears of War sort of mechanic, where players are expected to take potshots from around corners. Instead, taking cover lets Noctis regenerate his MP at a drastically increased rate so that he can get back in the fight quickly. Outside of combat, Noctis can still take cover to recharge his MP between fights. This helps the player navigate congested areas where enemy groups are so close together that MP won't fully regenerate before aggroing the next pack of monsters.
Stealth is necessary to kill giant monsters.
Enemies can be sometimes be avoided if Noctis and his friends give them a wide berth; however, one section of the demo involves stalking a giant monster called a Behemoth. The party is trying to track it to its lair, and this sequence requires them to take cover behind boulders while following the ponderous beast through a thick fog. It's a brief mission that bridges the free-roaming section with an indoor area where the team tries to kill the Behemoth, but more of this sort of play might be available in the full game.
During nighttime, you might just want to camp out.
When the party is roaming around outdoors, night will eventually fall. The party has the option of pushing on during the night and fighting animals by the light of their glowing weapons, but there are also campsites scattered around the level, and there are bonuses for making camp. At a campsite, the gang can cook meals which will give them stat bonuses the following day based on what food they ate. These bonuses wear off at the end of the day, so players are encouraged to camp at every opportunity. As an inside joke for fans of the series, the “Victory Fanfare” music plays when hunger is defeated.
Giant monsters are everywhere.
As the team narrows in on their Behemoth quarry, they find a roadside warning sign that reads, “Behemoth in area,” which implies that giant monsters are a commonplace hazard in this world. Despite the fact that Noctis and his friends are from a civilized kingdom with cars and advanced technology, the rest of their world is filled with gargantuan beasts and other savage perils. The demo focuses on hunting the Behemoth, but other dinosaur-sized creatures can be seen around the level too.
OG Final Fantasy fans will not be disappointed.
Even though it deviates from the traditional Final Fantasy mechanics in many ways, Episode Duscae is still crammed with the distinct traits of the series. Noctis and his team look like a Korean Boy Band, Gladiolus swings a gigantic sword nearly a tall as he is, and the world is a blend of science-fiction and fantasy, right down to a group of enemies called Magitek Troops. Final Fantasy XV seems like a good entry point to the franchise for people who have been intrigued by the aesthetics of the series, but not the traditional turn-based “JRPG” mechanics.