Five years later, Final Fantasy XV still feels like family

Final Fantasy XV originally released on November 29, 2016, as the 15th major installment of the historical series of role-playing games from Square Enix. It was initially released to rave reviews and has had a few different additions to the universe in the years since its release, including DLC ​​and media links as a short anime series. It even had a recent crossover event, relaunched with Final Fantasy XIV, where players were able to get the car from Final Fantasy XV that the main group of characters leads throughout the game.

To me, Final Fantasy XV It has become a game that really shows the staying power a video game can have, even when said to have a bit of a messy story overall. Staying in power can mean different things to players, depending on the game and their own unique experience with it. It can come in the form of replayability, game mechanics, new content being added, or just the story itself.

For the game’s fifth anniversary, I wanted to take a closer look at the lasting impact the game has had on fon players. Final Fantasy XVThe staying power comes from its featured characters, found familiar themes, and even an active player community that still exists. All of these elements create a beautiful sense of family, both in the game and in the community, that I and others have experienced by playing, talking, and simply sharing our love for Final Fantasy XV together.

A Final Fantasy for fans

The opening screen of Final Fantasy XV tells you a lot about the game from the beginning. It makes me happy to see it every time I load the game. “A Final Fantasy for Fans and Beginners” serves as a fairly simple introduction to a game that really feels like it was created for fans of the series and new players alike.

The story, at its most basic, tells the story of Noctis and his three close friends as they face invasion, almighty beings, and a centuries-old prophecy that places Noctis as the Chosen King within the game. And although the story can be a bit complicated at times, Final Fantasy XV has finally done what any game should: give players something to connect with.

For fan Jordynne Hatton, that connection came very strongly in the main cast of characters upon first completing the game and in the years after.

“After lying on the couch and crying for a few hours, I had the overwhelming feeling of losing a close friend,” Hatton tells Digital Trends. “Of pain. I grew up alongside the main cast, watching them develop and overcome things in their lives that were honestly quite similar to my own personal life at the time. I saw myself in each of the boys, and felt like I was saying goodbye to all of them. As if they had taught me everything they needed and were ready to move on. “

That connection with the main characters of Final Fantasy XV it’s something that I certainly relate to. You spend most of the game with Noctis, Ignis, Gladiolus, and Prompto as they embark on a road trip that feels too familiar to take long trips with my own friends (fewer situations that put them all in greater danger). And there is something about the family situation of the road trip and the very personable personalities of the four characters that makes Final Fantasy XV such a fun game to play, even five years later.

Little things like Prompto humming Final Fantasy Victory fanfare after the match to bigger moments like one particular fight that happens later in the game between Gladiolus and Noctis, they stand out to me because they show us as players all these nuances of the characters. . The way the characters interact with each other throughout the game has made my experience with Final Fantasy XV all that more special due to the fact that I connect with each one of them through these little moments that show how different they are.

Sound, longtime fan and player of Final Fantasy XV, he also noted that along with the characters that serve as an important part of his experience with the game, the gameplay in XV it is also just nice.

“Aside from the lore of the game, the game itself is really fun,” Drea tells Digital Trends. “There are a few quirks that can be troublesome, but for the most part, exploring the open world, triggering random events, or exploring the different dungeons can be a fun challenge (or … a long and daunting one in the case of Pitioss Ruins,! but bragging rights for completing it is something a lot of fans like to share!) “.

Keeping love alive

Like any game that is part of a long-term franchise, Final Fantasy XV has seen a community emerge around the game. And that community is passionate. While not as active as it was in the years immediately following the game’s release, the fan community has done its part in maintaining a love for XV live.

“I’ve been a part of the fandom on a number of different platforms since its launch, and it’s been amazing to see the different ways the fandom has changed over the years!” Drea says. “It is probably one of the most welcoming communities I have been a part of (having been to many over the past decade), and everyone I have met has been incredibly kind and passionate about the game!”

That sense of kinship has resulted in a healthy modding community for PC version of Final Fantasy XV and even XV-specific events hosted by Kupocon, a traveling fan event that was created entirely by Final Fantasy fans in 2016. My own interactions with the community mirror those of Drea and Hatton, as I have been active in tracking artists, attending to conventions where the voice actors are invited, and meet some great people within the XV community itself.

With the fifth anniversary of Final Fantasy XV Here, the idea of ​​players being introduced to a family found through Noctis, Prompto, Gladiolus, and Ignis is reflected throughout the game. There is always a feeling that the characters depend on each other and grow together throughout the story, and that found family has been very clearly translated into the gaming community as well.

A big part of what has brought Hatton back Final Fantasy XV it was that sense of community. “For me, a big part of the game that stays relevant to me is how much the fans took the characters and ran with them. Didn’t we get all the DLC we wanted from them? Who cares? People can draw and write completely new worlds and scenarios for everyone. The community built from the games is also very much like the characters: a family. “

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