Square Enix’s Final Fantasy-genre is one of the longest running game-genres ever. Seeing its first release in Japan 1987 and in the US in 1990 Final Fantasy sure has taken its avid fans on a ride in a bumpy roller-coaster. Although having had general success with its releases, Square Enix has had some embarrassing moments which have demanded patching, delayed releases and even complete remakes. With Final Fantasy XV having been in development for nearly a decade, fans were expecting something out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, the reception hasn’t been as good as anticipated.

Having been released for several months, with several patches being added, Final Fantasy XV finally is starting to feel final. With having issues in its initial state during the release with gamers complaining about too long loading-time when zoning and other bugs the most recent patch has left players feeling more than content. With the recent patch, PlayStation 4 Pro users report to be enjoying a much more stable experience than before.

With most of the technical difficulties having been resolved, let’s take a quick look at the game itself. The first thing Final Fantasy fans will notice is that the turn-based combat system seems to have been discarded completely to make room for a purely action-based combat system. Although we’ve experienced this already in the MMO, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, it’s the first time fans have been introduced to this in the single-player titles. Although there is a “wait”-mode implemented to give a little feel of the turn-based action the genre is famous for it still feels a bit wonky.

Final Fantasy has long been known for their excellent mini-games. Since some form of multiplayer will be implemented according to Square Enix, rumors have started to spread about an online mini-game. The closest the game has come to this so far is the Totemostro mini-game. In Totemostro you’re receiving odds on different monsters who are about to go at it in a gladiator-like arena. You place your bets, and if your monster(s) is successful – you win! Pure gambling fun which was fun for a little while, but there are definitely better options if all you want to do is some online gambling. For now, we’re stuck with two mini-games that have received very poor reception by the fans. Especially so the Monster Justice V mini-game which feels like something the programmers threw in last minute.

All in all it feels the genre is moving on to something new with this release. Whether that is good or bad is something only time will be able to tell. As the DLC have been announced, many players place their hope in that the DLC will bring new life to the game.