Final Fantasy XV: Episode Duscae has arrived.
Is it a step in the right direction for the franchise?
Square Enix smartly tried to force everyones hand by sweetening the package with the Duscae demo.
Then, Final Fantasy XIII and its sequels were not universally acclaimed, and theVersusgame was repeatedly delayed.
The game tells the story of Noctis and his bros Ignis, Prompto and Gladiolus.
you’re free to change your weapons and attack options or techniques on the fly.
No need to page through a long menu of options.
There is no second screen to go to when its time or combat.
The transition from exploration to combat and back again is seamless.
Given that everything is so fluid, you might expect to be kept on your toes for most battles.
you’ve got the option to also guard or parry.
But I still found myself getting walloped early on in the demo, as I learned the controls.
Yeah, I know.
Learn 2 Play, Noob.
Whenever I did manage to pull off a decent combo, it felt great.
Graphics
First, a disclaimer.
I was much more concerned with the frame rate.
But I thought there were an alarming number of times when the frame rate badly stuttered.
With all of that said, I thoughtEpisode Duscaehad plenty of visual charm.
The most graphically impressive moment for me was when I managed to get the summon available in the demo.
This particular summon, Ramuh also has a very helpful activation mechanic.
You only summon him when Noctis falls to 0 health.
In a very big way.
Each of the four main characters have their own unique personality and that shines through in their voice.
The dialogue is well written, with bits of humor worked in to great effect.
Although I did notice the characters repeating some of the same phrases during combat.
But youll find out very quickly if youve wandered into an area that you are not leveled up for.
It will not end well.
Speaking of leveling,XVs system adds a bit of a twist to what you might be used to.
Camp appeared to be the only way to save as well.
Most are triggered by just running around the map and stumbling upon something that will start the new objective.
Hopefully, the zones outside of Duscae will be set up in similar fashion.
Overall, I enjoyed my time with theFinal Fantasy XVdemo.
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