Between the success ofFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthand the highly anticipatedMagic: The Gatheringuniverses beyondcrossover set, Square Enix has been highlighting some of its most iconic moments from across the franchise. With such a long-running series having so many fantastic high points over the years, it’s only inevitable to have its share of disappointments as well.
From overly campy writing, repetitive gameplay design, or simply being unfinished,a few lackluster entries are par for the course for such a long-running franchise likeFinal Fantasy. Despite their issues, even the most heavily criticized entries in theFinal Fantasyfranchise have plenty to enjoy, with one of its most infamous releases having a disappointing amount of untapped potential.
Final Fantasy 15 Could Have Been The Best Game In The Series
Having All The Staples Of A Fantastic JRPG
Even if it still remains one of my most fondly rememberedFinal Fantasygames to this very day, there’s no denying thatFinal Fantasy 15is far from a perfect entry in the series.Aside from having its share of bugs and glitches on release, both the convoluted story and gameplay offered byFF15were incredibly inconsistent, with long stretches of lackluster content and confusing difficulty spikes galore.
There’s no denying thatFinal Fantasy 15is far from a perfect entry in the series.
What makes these problems even more apparent is howFinal Fantasy 15’s most fantastic elements still shine through the cracks of the overall experience.Even the premise ofFF15is the most ambitious in the series yet, offering a true open world for the first time in the franchise that hasn’t been repeated since, even if it would eventually inspiresimilar aspects inFF7 Rebirth.
Even if the climactic fights of the series still live on in its successors,the build-up and boss battles inFinal Fantasy 15are some of its most shining moments. From duels with unbelievably massive titans, deadly rivals, and theever-iconic final bossof the story,Final Fantasy 15is filled with its share of unforgettable moments in between its longer stretches.
Even arriving in each ofFF15’s ever-expansive cities is a breathtaking sight to take in for the very first time, which is only made bittersweet by how underused the majority of these detailed environments inevitably are.
Given the rocky development cycle ofFF15,much of the cut content from the story was left to be told in its follow-up DLCs, which were eventually canceled before the last few were able to release and tie up the loose ends of the story. Unfortunately, unlike the overwhelming amount of support games likeFinal Fantasy 7have received in recent years, it’s unlikely thatFinal Fantasy 15will ever get afollow-up likeRebirth.
What Went Wrong With FF15?
An Unfortunate Combination Of Behind The Scenes Disasters
The biggest challenges that resulted in the disappointing and half-baked state ofFinal Fantasy 15’s story were the sheer number of rewrites that occurred during its development.Originally titledFinal Fantasy Versus 13, the project would have been a tie-in game with the game world ofFinal Fantasy 13, before eventually being scrapped in favor of creating a new setting on a new game engine.
While some elements from the original trailer and gameplay footage can still be seen inFF15, the end still appears drastically different, with a whole new story to go along with it. Spending years in development hell with several direction changes and hardware advancements, much ofFF15’s identity didn’t make it past the cutting room floor.
The scars ofFF15’s development are difficult to ignore.
Even if I prefer the direction and premise that Square Enix eventually took with its story, focusing more on the protagonist Noctis, the scars ofFF15’s development are difficult to ignore. From relationships that don’t have enough foundations to be believable, underdeveloped characters, and rushed story segments,Final Fantasy 15’s satisfying gameplay and ambitious concepts are ultimately left hanging in the end.
Making matters even worse is how Square Enix chose to presentFinal Fantasy 15’s unfinished story. Rather than a self-contained game narrative, the full storyline was split into the prequel filmKingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, an animated series, and several follow-up DLCs that fill the gaps between major story beats.
Final Fantasy 15’s most essential DLCs were canceled before making their debut.
Even though these measures were likely taken to still deliver the full experience despite its development struggles,Final Fantasy 15’s most essential DLCs were canceled before getting their debut, including an epilogue that would have acted as a true ending for the game.Even ifFF15’s director Hajime Tabata regretted cutting the game’s planned DLC, despite describing the decision as being"completely unavoidable", as noted byTwistedVoxel’s interview translation.
You Can Still Experience The True Ending Of Final Fantasy 15, With A Catch
A Saving Grace For Dedicated Fans Of The Series
While the first set of DLC revolving aroundGladiolus, Ignis,andPrompto,respectively, helped to breathe more life into its supporting cast, it’s an undeniable shame that the same can’t be said for its follow-ups. As it stands, only the Ardyn-centric DLC was ever released for the second season pass, leaving the expanded story of Noctis, Lunafreya, and the true ending ofFF15to never make it into the full game.
The final two DLC were eventually adapted into the second half of the officialDawn of the Futurenovel.
Despite the grim fate ofFF15’s story, the final two DLC were eventually adapted into the second half of the officialFinal Fantasy 15: Dawn of the Futurenovel, made by the creators of the gamethemselves. Acting as an alternate ending similar to the events of Episode Ignis,theDawn of the Futurenovel explores a world where its cast discovers and rebels against the true mastermind behind the events of its cataclysmic disaster.
Not only does the novelized version offer a much-needed spotlight on some ofFinal Fantasy 15’s most underdeveloped characters, but it also provides a more heartwarming epilogue for Noctis and his loved ones. Even ifFinal Fantasy 15’s tear-jerking ending is still a core part of the experience, the alternate ending is a much more satisfying conclusion that does a better job at tying up the loose ends of the story.
Even if we won’t ever see the ending ofFinal Fantasy 15realized in a playable form, hopefully, the next entry in the series canavoid its biggest mistakeswhile still borrowing some of its more ambitious elements that make it such a memorable experience all these years later, even with its flaws.
