Tweet
Just over a week ago, Chris Bratt and I were able to go hands-on with a new and improved build of Final Fantasy 15 - coincidentally, on the day that would have been its original worldwide launch date. The release had been pushed back two months to allow for extra polish, amid reports that earlier builds suffered from technical issues. From everything we experienced during our playthrough, though, the delay has so far been time very well spent. Here's almost an hour of gameplay if you'd like to see it for yourself.It's the first opportunity I've had to play the game since the Platinum Demo was released in March, and the combat feels utterly changed for me. Before, during both the Episode Duscae and Platinum demos, I just felt overwhelmed - like I was button-bashing with no real control over what was unfolding. Now, I was dodging, blocking, parrying, and pulling off Blindsides and Link Strikes. It all felt beautifully smooth, satisfying, and really quite intuitive. I'm sure at least some of the improvement felt is down to the simple fact that the build we played came with a detailed combat tutorial front-loaded for the very first time, which takes you through the basics from warping and rolling to managing MP and switching weapons and magic on the fly. But everything around you feels that much more reactive, too, and truthfully the combat only comes into its own (and really feels like Final Fantasy) when you're able to incorporate the other members of your party into it as much as possible.
My favourite moments were them collaborating or high-fiving while pulling off ridiculously impressive stunts. Once, Prompto managed to take down three enemies with one Piercer shot, and in another Link Strike move that reminded me of the Final Fantasy 7 film Advent Children, Noct balanced on Gladiolus' sword as he was launched into the air, before crashing down onto the enemy with his lance. And this was only ever while fighting against low-level critters - I'm super excited to see what boss fights will look like. It's far-cry from traditional active time, turn-based Final Fantasy combat, sure, but in 2016, it works. Saying that you simply hold down a button to dodge and another to attack is correct but also misleading; once you start to incorporate the various other layers of combat - the magic, the summons, the weapon-switching - it all becomes so much more involving.
Read more…
More...