With all the talk surrounding the upcoming release of “Final Fantasy XV”, players and critics alike have been very excited to see how the franchise has moved forward. And now, at PAX East, the game’s developers finally gave some people a chance to see the title with their own eyes, and so far responses to the presentation have been overwhelmingly positive.
The biggest change for the franchise was also the one that got the most attention – the game’s combat style has evolved quite a bit since its earlier versions, and it’s no longer turn-based, bit instead entirely real-time.
There was initially quite a bit of skepticism about the changes to the combat system, as many fans had grown accustomed to the turn-based mechanics over the years and and saw them as an integral part of the game’s core.
The main character can be moved freely, accompanied by his AI-controlled partners. Noctis has a special mode that allows him to completely dodge incoming attacks, costing him Magic Points while he’s using it. In addition, some attacks can be blocked and countered with a quick time event.
According to most reviewers, the new combat system actually works quite well and requires some careful thinking and planning. Players have to think ahead about the kinds of attacks that they want to use, as every attack has its own unique timing properties, and additionally leaves the player vulnerable for a brief period.
On the other hand, there are various types of special attacks that the player can use in combat, but these all come at the cost of Magic Points, forcing the player to conserve their energy and use it only in special situations. This adds an extra layer of strategy to the game, according to those who’ve tried it, and it definitely hasn’t lost the depth that the franchise was known for.
A particularly interesting mechanic allows the player to teleport by throwing their sword, again at the cost of Magic Points. This can be used in many different ways, from retreating from a battle that’s gone wrong, to aggressively chasing after speedy enemies, and of course taking a short pause to recover some Magic Points if the situation gets too dangerous. This alone has changed the game significantly, according to reviewers, and it opens up many unique possibilities for how the game can be played.
In the end, the conclusion that most drew from the game is that it combined the best features of all previous “Final Fantasy” games, while also adding its own unique touch that makes the whole experience memorable and worthy of the time investment. At this point, we can only hope that the final release of the game will meet the expectations set by this preview.