So.. Never played a Final Fantasy game before and have never watched anime or Japanese stuff eh? No worries, I was in the same boat.

Buying this game was a risk, you hear all sorts of different things about FFXV, from disgruntled Final Fantasy fans who can't let go of their childhood memories, first timers feeling confused about why anime hair is still a relevant fashion style and people who actually think this game is good.

Who should I trust? On one hand IGN tells me the characters are great and memorable and on the other, Gamespot says the EXACT opposite..

To keep it short, FFXV is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ great. Do not go into this with any expectations, the eastern market has a different way of making games, for example playing Metal Gear Solid V then playing a western stealth game will very clearly outline differences, not just in terms of gameplay, but mostly in terms of culture, different workflows and quality bar threshold.

This game does have an open world, but not how you'd expect, at first you have a small area that expands slowly, once you reach a certain part in the story though it becomes extremely linear. How do you explore then? There's a really cool mechanic that brings you back to the past, keeping all your gear/progress and resuming where you left off before the linearity, basically it's the game saying that if you had not rushed the main story then you would have done these activities anyway so it makes sense story wise, you can then return to the present. The past mechanic is the true open world, and it feels just as alive as when it was at the present, so no worries on that part, the game is truly open world.

The gameplay is so damn fun! The AI for once is smart most times, it will not be perfect sometimes but hey, give me a game with perfect AI.. You have so many different gameplay styles available, Noctis has so many different weapons at his disposal throughout the game, swords, pistols, greatswords, dual knives etc.. + the 13 royal arms offer a unique playstyle each and you can also switch to other characters each with yet another completely new set of abilities! Never got old, very fast paced and rewarding, learning curve will take a bit in the beginning though!

The game end(No spoilers ahead) mechanic works like Horizon Zero: Dawn, you finish the game then the game state will be right before the final mission, you can redo the final mission as many times as you want. This is a way better approach than the Witcher 3 for example in which the world becomes ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ DEAD after you finish the main story.

The story really got me, especially near the end, there are also DLC Episodes in which you explore major events from different POV's which are really nice, short and cool.

Characters vary in terms of coolness, your 3 awesome bros Gladiolus, Prompto and Ignis will be strangers at first, but throughout the game they'll become very familiar, some will be annoying like Prompto in the beginning, but he in particular has such a deep backstory that you'll love him soon enough.
Other characters will be less interesting, for example Cindy will be the main mechanic of your car: the Regalia.The best way to describe Cindy is that she's basically like Quiet from MGSV.. So you get the point lol

Performance was ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ great, it's called Windows Edition for a reason, no frame drops, no tears, the initial loading screen when loading a saved game will be long, but all other loading times are almost instant.

There is so much more to talk about, like summoning gods to aid you, how your car can eventually become a monster truck or a jet, how some dungeons are incredibly creative(and hard!) and how you will ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ cry when the game ends. But why should I spoil it?

Overall if you have not played any FF games and are not a huge fan of anime or Japanese media in general, then this game can still be a masterpiece in your eyes, you just have to go at it with an open mind!

10/10

P.S. Make sure to watch Final Fantasy: Kingsglaive(An awesome 2 hour CGI movie) and Final Fantasy: Brotherhood(Was the first anime I ever watched lol) before playing the game! Kingsglaive is like a direct prequel to the game's events and Brotherhood will give you the backstory of Gladiolus, Prompto and Ignis(The 3 companions in the game) and it adds so much to their depth!

So.. Never played a Final Fantasy game before and have never watched anime or Japanese stuff eh? No worries, I was in the same boat. Buying this game was a risk, you hear all sorts of different things about FFXV, from disgruntled Final Fantasy fans who can't let go of their childhood memories, first timers feeling confused about why anime hair is still a relevant fashion style and people who actually think this game is good. Who should I trust? On one hand IGN tells me the characters are great and memorable and on the other, Gamespot says the EXACT opposite.. To keep it short, FFXV is fucking great. Do not go into this with any expectations, the eastern market has a different way of making games, for example playing Metal Gear Solid V then playing a western stealth game will very clearly outline differences, not just in terms of gameplay, but mostly in terms of culture, different workflows and quality bar threshold. This game does have an open world, but not how you'd expect, at first you have a small area that expands slowly, once you reach a certain part in the story though it becomes extremely linear. How do you explore then? There's a really cool mechanic that brings you back to the past, keeping all your gear/progress and resuming where you left off before the linearity, basically it's the game saying that if you had not rushed the main story then you would have done these activities anyway so it makes sense story wise, you can then return to the present. The past mechanic is the true open world, and it feels just as alive as when it was at the present, so no worries on that part, the game is truly open world. The gameplay is so damn fun! The AI for once is smart most times, it will not be perfect sometimes but hey, give me a game with perfect AI.. You have so many different gameplay styles available, Noctis has so many different weapons at his disposal throughout the game, swords, pistols, greatswords, dual knives etc.. + the 13 royal arms offer a unique playstyle each and you can also switch to other characters each with yet another completely new set of abilities! Never got old, very fast paced and rewarding, learning curve will take a bit in the beginning though! The game end(No spoilers ahead) mechanic works like Horizon Zero: Dawn, you finish the game then the game state will be right before the final mission, you can redo the final mission as many times as you want. This is a way better approach than the Witcher 3 for example in which the world becomes fucking DEAD after you finish the main story. The story really got me, especially near the end, there are also DLC Episodes in which you explore major events from different POV's which are really nice, short and cool. Characters vary in terms of coolness, your 3 awesome bros Gladiolus, Prompto and Ignis will be strangers at first, but throughout the game they'll become very familiar, some will be annoying like Prompto in the beginning, but he in particular has such a deep backstory that you'll love him soon enough. Other characters will be less interesting, for example Cindy will be the main mechanic of your car: the Regalia.The best way to describe Cindy is that she's basically like Quiet from MGSV.. So you get the point lol Performance was fucking great, it's called Windows Edition for a reason, no frame drops, no tears, the initial loading screen when loading a saved game will be long, but all other loading times are almost instant. There is so much more to talk about, like summoning gods to aid you, how your car can eventually become a monster truck or a jet, how some dungeons are incredibly creative(and hard!) and how you will fucking cry when the game ends. But why should I spoil it? Overall if you have not played any FF games and are not a huge fan of anime or Japanese media in general, then this game can still be a masterpiece in your eyes, you just have to go at it with an open mind! 10/10 P.S. Make sure to watch Final Fantasy: Kingsglaive(An awesome 2 hour CGI movie) and Final Fantasy: Brotherhood(Was the first anime I ever watched lol) before playing the game! Kingsglaive is like a direct prequel to the game's events and Brotherhood will give you the backstory of Gladiolus, Prompto and Ignis(The 3 companions in the game) and it adds so much to their depth!