Final Fantasy XV

It’s bants in black pants as the Square Enix RPG buckles-up for a beast-battling bro trip.

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We’re introduced to Prince Noctis and his black-clad entourage of friends and sworn royal protectors as they struggle to push the Regalia, the crown’s convertible car, along the road after it breaks down. Previous Final Fantasy games have opened with Mako Reactor assaults as the terrorist arm of Greenpeace, or frantic escapes from futuristic cities being attacked by a giant fish monster who’s also your dad, but – following a brief glimpse of the future – this sequel begins simply with grunts of exertion backed by a Florence And The Machine cover of ’60s soul song, Stand By Me.

It might seem a strange choice, but it’s no coincidence Square Enix went for this song as Final Fantasy XV’s theme. While Noctis and pals aren’t children, there are parallels here with the ’80s coming-of-age movie of the same name, where four boys set out on a quest to find a dead body. FFXV is also a story where a trip away from home teaches a group of four boys about friendship, responsibility, loyalty, and sacrifice.Just as Aerith’s death or Nanaki’s tear-jerking revelation about his father are more memorable than Final Fantasy VII’s apocalyptic threat, Final Fantasy XV excels in its personal moments.