Since getting a Playstation 5, I decided to really take my time and focus on one game at a time, just so I can do one of those Twitter things, talking about the games I’ve finished through the year. And with a bit of luck, Final Fantasy XV: Royal Edition was on the PS Plus collection, and I immediately jumped in. I liked Final Fantasy XV when it came out, and I’d been thinking about a replay of it, and this seemed like the perfect chance. But it had been a couple of years, and certain story beats and gameplay mechanics had been completely forgotten. So I must ask, was Final Fantasy XV’s car mechanic a good idea?
Perhaps an explanation is in order. Final Fantasy XV is a weird mixture of current day technology, and getting hunted down by mythical creatures. Instead of your characters running through the wild like cavemen, Noctis and his gang ride around in style in the Regalia, a hotrod convertible that you can upgrade and customize throughout the game. Sometimes, it’s even central to the plot, with the car getting stolen by the evil Niflhelm Empire, requiring you to go medieval on the soulless soldiers to get it back.
Upon this playthrough, a lot of issues started to creep up. Mostly the fact that riding in a car is really boring. Letting Ignis drive or doing it yourself, there’s not a lot of difference between the two, as the game will always keep you on the main road. And when the scope and scale is on the level of, well, a Final Fantasy game, they put some distance between everything. So, every car ride to turn in a sidequest adds up to a little bit of artificial game inflation. Seven minutes may not seem that long, but it’s excruciating when you are just watching characters be bored in a car.
My whole thing is that it kind of a necessary evil. Yes, you can fast travel to any destination, but you do get charged gil for that, so you always think twice before taking that option. Plus, you can set it up so that you gain EXP and AP during car rides, so you are gaining something for these road trips. But it is just weird when you get the chance to play video games, but then immediately put the controller down and just wait for something to happen.
So what do you think? Is the Regalia worth the ride? Or is the Chocobo your first choice? Let us know in the Boss Rush Discord.
Featured Image: Square Enix
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