Final Fantasy XV: Road Trip! (Part One)

Hello, it's me, Gabe, from Huffle N' Stuff. We here at this YouTube channel/social media thing have decided to expand a little by writing some new somewhat more journalistic pieces. Namely, me and Ben R. want to explore writing in some of our favorite video games. Or even just writing in games we remember in particular. So without further ado, (and while Ben is working on his own piece!) here are my thoughts on the writing in Final Fantasy XV. It is three parts long so enjoy!  

Final Fantasy XV, after roughly a decade of being in development, finally released on November 29th, 2016. 

As a result of being in development for so long, I get the distinct feeling that a lot of content was left on the cutting room floor. The game play shines despite its relatively simple and fast paced orientation in contrast to previous entries in the series. But we're not here for the gameplay, and we're especially not here to discuss how bad I may or may not be at it. 

Suffice to say, my skills were good enough to beat the game at level 60, obtain nearly every royal arm, and understand the frustration of not catching that king fish in Vesperpool. I refuse to go back, don't tell me it's worth it because I don't believe that! 

Also, if you're curious about what one of the demos looked like before release, Mercedez and I had a fun time taking at it. We even recorded it so feel free to check it out. Sorry about the audio quality, it's one of our older videos.

So, without further ado, let's talk about the writing of Final Fantasy XV... or rather, what part of it is actually in the game. 

Spoilers Ahead! (And because this ended up being so long, I'm likely splitting it into three parts)

First, let me clarify something. While Final Fantasy XV is a video game, it also has a prequel movie, a short anime called Brotherhood, and download-able content. All of this serves to fill in blanks of the narrative that otherwise remain conspicuous omissions. And while we live in an era where post launch additions are common, I think I'm not alone in wishing more products didn't feel unfinished at launch or simply on their own.

Final Fantasy XV, the game, starts out with our protagonist, Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum. His friends call him Noct and his relationship with them is probably the best written thing in the game.  

Let me line up the plot from an overall viewpoint. The world is called Eos and like the XIII series, the magical element of this world involves the use of crystals. An enemy nation called Niflheim is threatening Noctis' kingdom, Lucis, with war. In order to bring about peace, Noctis is obligated into an arranged marriage with an important woman from the neutral land of Tenebrae which is under the control of the Niflheim empire. 

Now that sounds rough but luckily, this woman, Lady Lunafreya, is of a magical Oracle family; those who commune with the gods. And even luckier is that she's actually a childhood friend of Noctis'. It's heavily implied that neither of them really mind the arrangement at its core but rather the circumstances surrounding them. 

Noctis' royal bloodline has been defending the world for at least thirteen generations (thirteen royal arms exist, one for each king). They do so with the power of a special, magic crystal that ward away daemons (demons/monsters) that normally come out at night. The kingdom of Lucis are the only ones with access to this crystal so you can imagine that other nations, like Niflheim, don't look too kindly on this concentration of power based on nepotism. 

Aside from being power-hungry villains, there actually is a decent subtext to Niflheim wanting to take power away from Lucis. They're tired of one nation having this divine power and in threatening them, they're also forsaking the Gods of the world who gave it to Lucis in the first place. 

However, that subtext loses some meaning when you find out that Niflheim is just being manipulated by an outsider and it ends up justifying Lucis' divine right when it's shown that no one else knows how to use the crystal properly. 

But, back to the main story beat! Noctis' dad sends him off to get married with the awesome family convertible and his three best buddies who are also his King's Glaive; his body guards.

First up is Gladiolus Amicitia; the tall, tough, blunt, and huge sword wielding big brother of the group. Gladio's job is to toughen Noctis up as he prepares to one day become king. Gladio's family has been guarding the royal family for as long as there has been a family to protect. Gladio's tough love can be grating but he does it because he cares. 

And then there's Ignis Scientia; the smart, prudent, and conscientious one in the group. Ignis is the only one aside from you, who drives the Regalia (the aforementioned sweet convertible) and he cooks the most delicious meals when you camp out in the wild. Ignis is more than willing to be the party pooper if it means that you don't take an unnecessary risk or end up hurting yourself. 

And last, but definitely not least, is Prompto Argentum; our fun-loving, peace-keeping, low self-esteem having photographer. Prompto doesn't think much of himself compared to the his friends but that doesn't stop him from being there when it counts. His photography skills are an essential and touching point of this narrative that cannot be understated. The chance to reflect on dumb or heart-warming pictures does so much to highlight what kind of adventure this really is. 

Despite the deeper lore or larger plot, the part of this game that deserves victory fanfare is the relationship with your buddies. I think it's fair to say, these might be the most relatable characters in the entire Final Fantasy series. The game itself starts out with the four of you pushing your broken down car up the road and everyone moaning about it. It feels authentic and places me perfectly into their dynamic. 

Noctis has had these friends all his life and they stick by his side no matter what comes between them. This emotional grounding will go on to save the plot when the narrative starts getting messy. 

With wedding bells in the air, the entire world seems to be looking forward to this wedding. When you turn on the radio, announcers are touting the latest rumors. When you're walking with the boys, they tease you about your future fiance. The plan is to drive down to the shore and take a boat to Altissia, another Niflheim controlled nation, where the wedding will take place. 

Unfortunately, things don't go as planned. The ports have been locked down and the boys find out that Lucis was attacked the night before their stay at the ocean side hotel. Niflheim seems to not really care about Noctis getting married so I can't hazard a guess about why that arrangement was agreed upon in the first place. 

But the twist is obvious, of course the villains will show their true colors but damn does it happen fast in this story. It makes me wonder why bother having the one chapter where the empire is just doing nothing. It seems like they were biding their time, maybe lulling Lucis into a false sense of security? But then, we find out later that Noctis' dad knew Niflheim would attack anyways and sent Noctis away on purpose, so that he would survive the attack. 

The writer wants to get to the exciting part of the story but also wants to have you feel the fun of an innocent road trip. So we end up with both and it's jarring. 

Noctis and friends go back to the border of the capital city of Lucis, Insomnia (the name seems like it should tie into something with the plot, but it doesn't), and can see the city burning with their own eyes. Noctis gets emotional, as he should, and Gladio tells him to get over it. 

So, here's the thing; that's really messed up. Considering Noctis' dad just died, Gladio comes off like a jerk. But here's the other thing (that the game never tells you); Gladio's dad was the King's closest body guard... so he's dead too. The prequel movie delves into this relationship but the game never says a word about it. This piece of information is the difference between condeming Gladio's jerk behavior and justifying the understated loss of his own father. He's expecting Noctis to do what he's already doing, despite it being difficult. So, this ongoing feud makes sense but is nonsensical without that piece of information. 

At this point, the boys have decided to take the fight to the empire for what they did. An old war buddy of Noctis' dad introduces Noctis to the royal arms: thirteen weapons scattered throughout the land that each belonged to one of the kings of Lucis. They're plan is to power Noctis up so that he can assume the kingship, take back the stolen crystal, and defeat the empire. 

It's a pretty solid plan once you realize how much power Noctis is actually getting his hands on. The main plot from here is concerned with meeting up with surviving citizens of Lucis who Noctis knows. Most of them help Noctis find a new royal arm, which is convenient but it fleshes out the corners of the world and its people, so it gets a pass. 

Some notable people are:

Iris, Gladio's perky, independent, little sister who has an obvious crush on Noctis and actually joins as an effective party member for a short while.

PS. I ship her and Noct, deal with it :P

The Immortal Cor (it's a nickname) who is the old war buddy I mentioned. He's a huge badass that is organizing the remaining army and helps you in combat in certain sections. 

A mercenary by the name of Aranea Highwind also has a touch and go relationship with the boys. She's initially hired by the empire but ends up helping out the locals to fuel her business and somewhat present conscious. 

There's also Cid the mechanic (because Final Fantasy) and his adopted daughter Cindy who, to be fair, seems like shameless eye candy. Cid improves certain weapons and Cindy helps service your car and shows not only warm affection for the gang but a deep pride in her work. 

By this point in the game, you've established a nice groove to your road trip itinerary. You meet interesting people who send you to interesting places; some are breath taking while others will literally knock the breath out of you for being under-leveled. Just when you've become over-encumbered with freedom and the love of the outdoors comes the next continent and story beat! 

I'll see you all on the next part!       

- Gabriel A. Franco

Writer, Let's Player, and Proud Member of Huffle N' Stuff