Has anyone had the ENTIRE FFXV experience?

[Droidian]

Anyone remember in the demo you were a child in what seemed to be a dream inside room where you were so tiny. That demo was so much fun I replayed it several times before the release of the game. I was a bit disappointed when I completed the game and not once did I turn into a creature like in the demo.
I have the dlc downloaded but havent played it yet.

 

[Gilver]

I played the 3 DLC things for the main boys and stopped but I only really liked Gladios because it felt way better gameplay-wise than any other thing in that entire game also it was well balanced, its like an arcade mode.

 

[Fisty]

Dont forget Monster of the Deep on PSVR!

 

[Musubi]

I think FFXV is digestible as its own piece of media but the anime and the movie and the DLC's do very much flesh out the world around it so it becomes a question of do you care about these characters enough to know more about them?

 

[Rotobit]

I've experienced everything besides the Royal edition additions and Comrades' story. Oh and the VR fishing mess.

Enjoyed pretty much everything, personally. That 2 week period before release where I binged Kingsglaive, Brotherhood, and replayed the two demos was a blast.

 

[Jotakori]

I've watched and played most of it including demos (skipped/didn't play Comrades, King's Tale, Monsters of the Deep, or the mobile games). First time around I had only played vanilla XV a couple months after launch (before the big chapter 13 update) and had watched the movie and anime. Sometime during the past year, though, after all the DLC was finally out and finished, I replayed it in its entirety.

As someone who enjoyed the gameplay and character banter but thought the story was a huge disappointment my first time around, there is some improvement with the inclusion of the DLC and patches/updates. Mostly it improved the bros' stories (well, Ignis and Prompto's, at least), and provided more context for the plot and background lore. It makes the game feel a bit more solid, especially if you play the DLC during their relevant points in the game, and it did better my overall experience with it. However, the story problems are still there; the DLC is really only a bandaid at best. Luna still gets jack all screen time or importance, second half still feels rushed, story still feels cobbled together, etc. If XV had redeeming qualities for you when you first played it, I think experiencing it again with all the DLC and side content included is worth it (and again, especially if you play the DLC as they happen in the story), but if you really didn't like the game in any way to begin with, don't bother. The DLC and updates/changes won't make the difference.

Personally, I'm glad I replayed it with all the extra content, though, even if I'm still overall mostly disappointed with the series. So take that as you will, I guess, lol.

 

[Paperchampion23]

Im just gonna wait for the eventual PS5 rerelease that somehow integrates the FFXV MMO additional stuff

/s

For those that dont know, there is a FFXV Mobile MMO that is

- Expanding the games lore
- Expanding the games entire map
- Maintaining the same gameplay as the console game

Actually really bothered by this. We were supposed to get some extra DLC and that got cancelled. Now they are doing the 2 biggest things I wanted DLC to do in the form of an MMO, nonethess....mobile.

 

[BasilZero]

Haven't done the season pass (gladio, prompto, ignis or comrades) and Ardyn dlc alongside royal edition content but I did buy them recently and planning to do so

I clocked 85 hours in and ffxv was my first platinum trophy so I love it 😂

Bought ffxv pocket edition on PS4 yesterday and planning to buy ffxv windows on steam in the future

 

[Mechaplum]

FWIW I thought the dlcs were more fun than the main game.

 

[newmoneytrash]

i haven't played the DLCs but I watched Kingsglaive before playing (which is essential imo but it's a bad movie) and Brotherhood. I was saving the DLC for the PC version but I just haven't gotten to it yet

I like FFXV and think it's a good game :)

 

[Cyclonesweep]

Kingsglaive makes XV worse. It sets so much up that could be interesting, sets up a really cool and well thought out world and the game basically uses a single cutscene and throws the rest out the window

 

[Astral]

Fuck it I bought it. Just to clarify, the Royal pack brings everything except episode Ardyn right?

 

[Massicot]

I think I did most everything. All the DLC, all the Royal stuff, movie and anime watched, even did the Comrades expansion up to the 1.2 version Bladekeeper final boss (what a great boss btw). I don't know how much Comrades got expanded past that.

I thought Ardyn and Gladio's DLCs were really kinda bad. Ignis felt really silly and contrived. Prompto's was fine.

The only thing I didn't do was some of the tie-in stuff that required chapter selecting to an earlier chapter, like the Terra Wars stuff.

 

[mute]

The closest thing to the "entire" FFXV experience only exists within Nomura or Tabata's minds.

 

[Jaq'or]

I really loved the main theme for Episode Prompto.

 

[No Depth]

Actually enjoyed Kingsglaive and added some very helpful backstory to the core narrative thrust that opens the game. Not ALL of the film is additive, and there is quite a bit of action filling scenes, but what is there in between gives a glimpse into the home kingdom and familial history that the game does a rather poor job representing.

The anime was optional, but useful. It mostly provides background on the four friends and their past together. Some tidbits give broader support and world lore, but not necessary. That said, its not a time sink really.

At this point I was hyped and ready for the game as a longtime FF fan!

The game was bleh. Much of it was poorly explained or seldom did a great job justifying current goals. The movie and anime don't offer much help in the service of the core story, but fill in gaps regarding the protagonists place in the world and where they come from. The actual game story was kind of all over the place and not well handled.

The DLC episodes...well Gladios was not that useful for anything outside of a personal little quest. Prompto I quit halfway through out of a lack of interest any longer. Never bothered with Ignis or Ardyn. If you get THIS far, either you remain invested to see them through, or like me, you are long checked out. I struggled to stay invested despite really disliking the game, I wasn't seeing much worth sticking around for in the DLC.

 

[CRIMSON-XIII]

I love XV. For me, the dialogue, exploration and combat that all intertwine makes it for me. It just clicked for me and I found it very enjoyable. I liked what they talked about, and it was cool to see them interact during combat together. It felt cool to fight and to warp. (VIIR feels even better for me). In any case, all I could have asked for was more of the world and towns to explore regarding XV.

I think Kingsglaive is great as an intro cutscene, even if it is 2 hours long. This is obviously not the game that Nomura+ Nojima were going to give us as a whole with parts cut and parts changed, but it is a cool experience. There is some emotion to be found in the story and ending, in my opinion.

I am looking forward to replaying it sometime after VIIR this year.

 

[Valkerion]

Going through it now-ish.

Played on release with no patches, did the anime and movie. Mostly curious about the dlc, won't be hunting the novels or w/e. Like the OP, I thought it was just fine, nothing special though. The whole 15, experience is a mess though. Hope SE tones this multi-media extravaganza Final Fantasy nonsense down. It was too much with 13 and completely exploded in their hands with 15.

 

[ZeroX]

I only played at launch, and boy that was not a great experience.

I might replay a content complete version someday, if it's as improved as people say.

 

[AbsoluteZero0K]

This game and it's shitty cut content DLC is the nightmare scenario of those old fearmongering DLC memes. Sections of the game where party members disappear and come back later with some life-changing event happening off screen and then they ask you to pay to see it lmao. I really hope they get their dev management under control so shitty situations like this never happen again.

Click to shrink...

Sounds gross. Ok, I think I won't buy this after all. Thanks.

 

[pleaseinsertdisctwo]

Im just gonna wait for the eventual PS5 rerelease that somehow integrates the FFXV MMO additional stuff

/s

For those that dont know, there is a FFXV Mobile MMO that is

- Expanding the games lore
- Expanding the games entire map
- Maintaining the same gameplay as the console game

Actually really bothered by this. We were supposed to get some extra DLC and that got cancelled. Now they are doing the 2 biggest things I wanted DLC to do in the form of an MMO, nonethess....mobile.

Click to shrink...

I doubt it's going to be anything substantial anyways. The "story/lore" updates we got after launch were all pathetic and didn't really change much.

 

[Hzsn724]

I have played and watched every piece of XV to date. I'm also a major fan of the franchise who has beaten every game and spin off. Here's my take:

I beat the vanilla version when it came out (pre-ordered the $90 special edition) and I absolutely hated this game. It was linear, the characters were obnoxious, Chapter 13 was tedious and abysmal, I beat it in less than 20 hours, i had absolutely no idea what in the hell was going on or why i cared about what happened at the end of the game... I wished this game would have went and died in a fire. By far the worst entry in the series.

Earlier this year I revisited XV and experienced the entire package in order as well as the royal pack of the base game (season pass, comrades)..., and now this is now one of my favorite FF stories to date.

Ardyn is incredible and his story of bringing the starscourage (the night which brings demons) to Eos is quite good. It's about revenge, loss and sacrifice and the ending of XV makes the entire game and Ardyns story worthwhile. I actually didn't know who i was rooting for anymore.

Comrades was a fun albeit short and hallow experience. You make a character and go out on missions to fight the night, awaiting the king to return from his slumber. Might have been fun with real people but no one is playing it, luckily you can solo the missions. Hey there's girls in this game now!

The extra story dlcs made me appreciate the boys more and their own worlds. And it made me finally understand who Ardyn was and why he was so important. Incredible villian. The anime was enjoyable in learning who the boys were and Kingsglaive explained the ring, the shield of the crystal and the kings army... the Kingsglaive.

But you'd never know any of this from the base game. Which is sad, and it makes me wish that Square just released the entire thing as a game and not an anime, a full length feature film, a novel, 4 dlc story add ons, a coop multiplayer story.... And more..

But, if you're wanting to give this game another chance like i did (i really think all Final Fantasy fans should) then you'll be happy to find more end game dungeon, a better chapter 13, new bosses, a new powered up Armiger which is badass.... Just an all around better experience and a clearer and more concise story. Which is actually good.

Episode Ardyn also has one of my favorite battle themes from the entire franchise:

 

[Normal]

Fuck it I bought it. Just to clarify, the Royal pack brings everything except episode Ardyn right?

Click to shrink...

Yes.

 

[Astral]

So what's the recommended order? I know Brotherhood has some episodes that take place some time during the game or something and that Platinum demo is a dream and Episode Ignis ending spoilers. It all sounds like a mess.

 

[Senator Rains]

I watched Kingsglave and the anime before FFXV release. They were very forgettable. I played Vanilla FFXV, was a chore but I enjoyed it at some times (if only for the music). Then I realized that it too was forgettable, which made me quite upset.

I didn't bother with the DLCs and after watching a playthrough of all of them, I think I made the right choice.

 

[DSP]

I played the story and like two of the DLCs I think. I didn't care to do secrets and other side stuff because I didn't enjoy the combat at all to sink more time into it. Prompto's DLC is actually pretty enjoyable, I really liked that. I wish the whole game was like that with its pacing and feel overall.

Honestly, I played it for the graphics and wanted to know what actually this rocky project ended up like in the end just for science. Terrible story, I can forgive but it is just not fun to play.
One thing I give it to them though that it's not like any other game that I had played in how it does its open world stuff. Not saying it is great but it was a bold attempt to try and make it feel like a road trip and I think it succeeds for like first 30 minutes to create that illusion. It was pretty cool until you get to the first town but then they just don't have the content to carry that momentum, it falls apart, your trip turns into groundhog day.

Sometimes I wonder if it would have been more successful if it wasn't really an open world but a decently wide tunnel like level instead that you always move forward but you can go side ways if you feel like it, like a park ride, you always see new things on the way and you don't just circle around to places you have been to already, that's much more like a trip that what the game does. The second half is trying to be like that but it fails in other ways, it is too narrow now and the car is gone so what is even the point.

edit: I watched the movie too before playing.
edit2: and anime, fml so much time wasted.

 

[Phoenixazure]

Kingslaive was only nice in that it gave Lunafreya something to do.

 

[Illusion]

I didnt bother with episode Arydn. And I bought the Royal edition but never bothered to play anything it added. I kept telling myself I would replay XV but I just haven't pushed myself enough to play through it.

The initial release really soiled my view of the XV brand and the DLC's were very lacking.

XV is partly dead for me. It was a okay game, but it's clear the concepts and ideas Nomura wanted to do that had my interest were gutted, poorly executed or scrapped entirely for a buddy road trip game.

FF7:RE looks great so far, KH is introducing Yozura and the concepts of Versus 13 that had me captivated initially, and whatever direction Final Fantasy 16 goes I'm just satisfied if the final product is good.

 

[Normal]

So what's the recommended order? I know Brotherhood has some episodes that take place some time during the game or something and that Platinum demo is a dream and Episode Ignis ending spoilers. It all sounds like a mess.

Click to shrink...

Release order.
1. Kingsglaive film
2. Brotherhood anime. (All are flashbacks and show how Noctis met each bro when he was a kid)
3. Main game
4. Gladio DLC (Or you can play it after Chapter 7)
5. Prompto DLC (Or you you can play it after Chapter 13)
6. Ignis DLC (Post game.)
7. Ardyn anime episode
8. Ardyn DLC

9. Comrades. If you enjoyed the game and want to play with friends.

 

[lemonade]

Well, the complete experience is not out yet for English version because the novel has not been released yet.

 

[Normal]

Double post.

 

[Jotakori]

So what's the recommended order? I know Brotherhood has some episodes that take place some time during the game or something and that Platinum demo is a dream and Episode Ignis ending spoilers. It all sounds like a mess.

Click to shrink...

If you wanted to include some of the extra media and demo, too, I would go in this order:

Platinum Demo/Omen Trailer (either order's fine)
Kingsglaive/Brotherhood (order not super important, although I'd probably lean towards the movie first, anime second)
FFXV chapters 1-7/8
Episode Gladio during chapter 8, while Gladio's out of your party
Episode Ignis right after he leaves your party (forget which chapter this is -- but only do this if you've already beaten the game before as it spoils ending stuff; play after the game if it's your first time)
Episode Prompt during chapter 13 (when you're at the warehouse/factory place, but before he rejoins your party)
Comrades / Ardyn Prologue Anime and Episode Ardyn between chapters 13 & 14 (if its your first time playing, wait to do the Ardyn stuff until after the game tho, it has spoilers) (and I actually skipped Comrades though myself as I felt it was too much trouble by that point lol)
Finish game

If you wanna get REALLY picky you could wait to watch Kingsglaive until after chapter 1 and the anime around chapter 8, though. I think the little Luna episode specifically takes place around that time.

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

Release order.
1. Kingsglaive film
2. Brotherhood anime. (All are flashbacks and show how Noctis met each bro when he was a kid)
3. Main game
4. Gladio DLC (Or you can play it after Chapter 7)
5. Prompto DLC (Or you you can play it after Chapter 13)
6. Ignis DLC (Post game.)
7. Ardyn anime episode
8. Ardyn DLC

9. Comrades. If you enjoyed the game and want to play with friends.

Click to shrink...

I was about to ask exactly this. Thank you.
I too bought the original game and season pass. Then they released the royal edition a week later and never played any of it. So with this OS store promos I bought what was missing and I'm going to play this later this month.