I went into Final Fantasy XV expecting a heap of Chocobo excrement but I’ve been pleasantly surprised.

I’m about halfway through Final Fantasy XV, playing the Royal Edition, and I’ve largely enjoyed my time. It is far from a perfect game but that hasn’t inhibited my enjoyment of it.

The main area that has me really enjoying my time is the main party of four characters, particularly their interactions with each other.

The group of Noctis, Ignis, Gladiolus, and Prompto set out on a road trip and their interactions remind me of spending time with friends. Of all the aspects the game struggles with, it does capture the fun of a road trip with friends.

Final Fantasy XV is able to accomplish through its party banter. Some RPGs have this happen in a separate menu but FFXV has this happening at random times during the game.

It could be as simple as Gladio teasing Noctis or Ignis telling Prompto to keep his hormones in check. To me, it’s been interesting to see how short one-liners can really enhance the overall feel of a game.

This type of dialogue is crucial as players venture across massive swathes of generic open-world land. This aspect has been one of the harder elements of the game as players ride in a car in an on-the-rails format.

Having this silly dialogue pop up, for me, really added to the experience and helped break up the monotony of the generic world. Furthermore, it helps with the lackluster story that surrounds it.

At this point in my playthrough, I feel comfortable saying the main party is carrying the experience for me. That’s not to say there aren’t other aspects that I enjoy but, so far, the group of four has been my favorite.

Final Fantasy XV is such a unique entry in the long-running franchise. It tries a lot of features that didn’t land well with fans, especially when it came out. This is a shame because, I believe, the main cast ranks up there with my favorite RPG groups.

As the game inches farther from its release date, opinions seem to have softened on this title. Some of that, I’ve read, seems to be around the party members.

I’m not suggesting these guys are Shakespearean idols that will stand the test of time. What I am saying is this group captures the fun of four friends taking a road trip.

They provide a lot of dumb fun to some of the roughest parts of the game, despite all their flaws.

I don’t expect these four to make any top rankings anytime soon, but I did want to offer recognition for a fun little mechanic that has helped my enjoyment of this game.

What about you? What did you think about the main party of Final Fantasy XV? What RPG has your favorite party banter? Let us know in the comments below or head over to our Discord channel to join the conversation.

Featured Image: Square Enix (via Digital Trends)

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