Case Study:
Final Fantasy XV
Connor Wiffen

The Game
Final Fantasy XV is the 15th installment in the mainline
Final Fantasy series which released on PS4 and Xbox
One in 2016. The game is set in the fictional world of
Eos – a huge expansive map full of quests, characters
and environments to explore. Throughout the game you
visit a wide variety of locations around the map as the
story progresses including a large grassland area, a
desert and a Volcano.
The world is built using realistic mixed with futuristic
assets bundled together with some iconic imagery from
the Final Fantasy franchise. The Architecture around is
an interesting blend of American and Italian designs
which creates a unique environment for the player to
move around in, this blend also makes the world easily
recognisable and memorable.
The combat system is revolved around using weapons
which you can find or earn during gameplay. There isn’t
much in the way of destructible environments but the
world does change slightly as events occur within the
story.
The game is primarily Single player but had a £15
Multiplayer expansion added later that added it which
isn’t ideal as it was originally promised during
development but a lot of aspects changed as the game’s
creation went on, I personally have not bought it
because that price and the price of the subscription
needed to play online is too much for me to invest in it
and thus it is actually cheaper to just wait for the PC
version.
It is worth noting that the game has spawned many spin offs which have become
a part of the “Final Fantasy XV Universe” like a mobile city builder, a smaller
Chibi styled version of the game for PC and Mobile. A definitive PC version is also
planned for this year that will contain all of the DLC and improvements which
have been released since the game launched making it the ultimate version of
the game with the graphics and ability to mod the game further beyond its
limits.

Comparison
FFXV and Kingdom Hearts
• Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep are rather similar as elements of
each series often crossover due to the fact that Kingdom Hearts is the child of
Final Fantasy and Disney.
• Final Fantasy XV is open world whilst Kingdom Hearts is split up into different
areas with loading screens.
• The art style of KH goes for a ‘cell shaded’ look while FFXV goes for a more photo
realistic approach whilst still appearing distinctly Final Fantasy.
• Kingdom Hearts audience is geared more towards a younger demographic thus
much of the game’s systems are simplified, the skill tree for example is far more
simple with the player needing only to use the skill to level it up – while in FFXV
the player is required to level up their skills and abilities themselves through the
use of AP which is collected through defeating enemies.
• With Kingdom Hearts being a sort of spin off to the
Final Fantasy franchise, they share a few story beats
which are common in both series – aka huge
eccentric villains and boss fights galore. They also
share characters (Although mostly Kingdom Hearts
does this) with iconic FF characters appearing in
many of the games.
• The gameplay of both games share the basic aspects of a JRPG with
combat that mostly based around easily mashed buttons that are quick to
repeatedly press due to the grinding nature of both series – the constant
damage output and large number of enemies require a lot of it. The two
games also share a party system where the members help you during
combat.
• Both games share a similar style of inventory to each other with different
tabs and lists which sort the specific items and equipment for easy access
whenever needs be which is a common attribute of the RPG genre

Characters
Throughout the game you only play as the Avatar,
Prince Noctis with your three Royal Guards –
Prompto, Gladio and Ignis. However a patch was
recently released which added the ability to switch
characters during combat. These are all fully voce
acted characters which each have their own combat
style with specialising in Gun, Sword and Blade
combat. Noctis is a sort of a jack of all trades but it
is expanded upon by his ability to ‘Warp’ which
allows the player to quickly move from target to
target with ease and reach new locations, As the
Prince you are also able to occasionally summon
gods to cause tremendous damage to a large group
of enemies.
Playable
Non-Playable
The game also boasts a large cast of
NPCs who play a big part in the game’s
plot with Ardyn being the main
antagonist. Many of the initial
antagonists become allies and some of
the supporting cast perish in the story
that unfolds. Just like with you main
party of 4, some of these characters will
join your party and aid in battles and
during story specific sections. This
changes up combos and techniques
leading to more potentially challenging
fights throughout the game.
There are many enemies scattered
around the game world which you
encounter as the game progresses
which can range from Robot
soldiers, the local wildlife and to
daemons from hell. The variety of
these keeps the game exciting.
Enemies
However the AI isn’t anything to
write home about as it often
glitches out during combat or if
talking about the random people
around the map then they aren’t
supposed to be followed around so
doing so reveals the cracks in the
AI.

PerspectivesThe game is a third person action game, thus it places the camera
behind the Avatar – although the camera does have full 360 rotation
due to how far the camera is from the actual player. This gives them
the ability to see enemies coming and quickly Warp to them but this
also allows for the player to admire the world around them, leading to
a more enjoyable adventure if the player decides to explore. However
the camera does have problems when it comes to tight areas and
often gets stuck or goes through assets like rocks and trees.

HUD
Health
and
Stamina
HP Numbers
Weapon
Wheel
Combo
Chain
Meter
Lock on
Enemy’s Health
Game
Map
Time of
Day
Days Left
Indicator

Cut ScenesA majority of the game’s story is told through
cutscenes but as this a Final Fantasy game,
some of these are absolutely breath taking and
almost movie like in their quality. They are all
voice acted unlike earlier entries where there
was only text. The emotions needed for the
story are excellently shown on the characters
faces during both pre rendered and in game
cutscenes which do not take away from the
effect the story is trying to present. Cutscenes
have always been Square Enix’s forte and it is
the same for Final Fantasy XV too. Although as
you can see the pre rendered scenes blow the
in-game ones away which does make the
graphic fidelity of the game extremely
recognisable

Narrative
As mentioned before, the game is set in the fictional world of Eos where the synopsis reads:
"The only crystal left to the world lies in the Kingdom of Lucis Upon striking a peace with the garrison state of Niflheim, Lucis rejoices in having at last brought the cold war to a close. Their
celebrations, however, are premature. Under the guise of amity, Niflheim dispels the anti-armament runewall and launches a full-scale invasion of the kingdom. The peaceful lives Crown Prince
Noctis and his entourage once knew are consumed by the flames of war as they struggle to mount a resistance.” – IGN
These are the events that spark the story which is quite linear in design as with many of the other games in the Final Fantasy
series – there are a few instances where you can make decisions but they don’t really affect the overall plot like just before you
challenge the main antagonist of the game to a final battle in Chapter 15, you can pick a photo to take with you to remember the
adventure you’ve had up to that point (Throughout the Prompto takes pictures). This choice only changes the picture that
appears in the following cutscenes.
However as the game is an Open World RPG, there are a number of side quests you can complete along the way or after in the
Post Game which can add to the playtime, help level the Avatar up or unlock new weapons and powers. There a three DLC
episodes that allow the player to play as the other three members of the group through different events during the Main Game’s
story that weren’t in the game – for example, during one chapter, one of the characters is missing and the DLC fills that gap in
which does cause slight confusion when playing through without the aid of the DLC but this is unfortunately common in the game
industry.
The game is split up into Chapters which need to be completed to progress but with the side quests there are loads of
goals for the player to undergo like saving someone from Daemons or finding a certain item. These award players with XP,
AP(Ability Points), Material Items and sometimes weapons. As with almost every game nowadays – it also awards the
player with Trophies for completing certain parameters within the game like completing a certain chapter or killing an
enemy in a specific way, these entice the player to play more of the game and add extra challenge to the game beyond the
ones within the game itself. They are also a good way of showing off how skilled you are in a certain game or that you’ve
completed it 100%.
Player Goals & Reward
Difficulty
The game doesn’t exactly have a difficulty setting but does have an equivalent with a system where the player
can switch between active and wait battle modes. The developers' aim was to make it so that players who like
both action-oriented and those who want to fight at a slower, more relaxed pace can all enjoy the game. There
isn’t a setting due to there initially being worry because there hadn't been a numbered Final Fantasy that allows
the user to select their difficulty – however a standard difficulty and easy mode did appear later on in an update
which allowed the player to change difficulty at any time.
Quest rewards for completing the objective
In-game cutscene of Noctis
receiving a Royal Weapon
Menu showing the changeable Difficulty setting
during gameplay

Graphics
As the game was in
development for around 10
years a lot has changed from the
concept art to what was in the
final game although the
locations and basic concepts are
still present.
Concept Art
The Final Fantasy series has always pushed the hardware to its limits and FFXV is no exception with its 3D polygons to
create the game world, assets and characters. They are all generally highly detailed but behind a game like Uncharted 4
which was released earlier but that is to be expected due to the game being in development for around 10 years going
through many different names and concepts whilst also jumping from PS3 to PS4 when the next generation of Consoles hit.
These range from
artwork of story battles,
possible scenes and
locations around the
game world which were
intended to show up in
the final game if they do
not in one from or
another.

Background Graphics
Like many Open World games, FFXV uses Background Graphics to expand the world far beyond the realms of which the player can actually reach to give the
illusion that the game is larger than it appears to be – The game does this by having mountains and structures surrounding the playable area to block the
view as you are able to fly towards the end of the game and without these barricades against the limit of the game world then the immersion would be
broken.
Unreachable mountain
Reachable structure
Unenterable water
(Swimming was
originally intended to be
a feature but was cut
some time during
development.
Box Art
Final Fantasy XV has multiple Box arts depending on the edition of the game but they all (Mostly) share the same theme of showing Noctis and his group
taking centre stage.
Noctis, his guard and their car
heading down a seemingly endless
road – implying the adventurous
journey they are about to be forced
on.
From the cover alone you can tell
each Characters personality by how
they are composed.
Large and easily seen Logo which
encompasses most of the cover
which is the first thing the eye is
drawn to.
Age rating
Developer Developer
Age rating
The title isn’t as large on this cover
as people who would be buying it
Day One will probably already
know what game they are getting
so it is more focused on the
artwork than the game title.
This cover again shows each of the
main characters with Noctis being
the first thing you see – they are
shown with each of their weapon
styles which tell you about how
they contribute to the group in
game.

Videogame Addiction
Video game addiction was recognised as a mental disorder in May 2013 -
"It's a clinical impulse control disorder,“ (Says Kimberly Young, PsyD, clinical director of the Center
for On-Line Addiction )an addiction in the same sense as compulsive gambling.
Defining Factors:
• The person needs more and more of a substance or behavior to keep them going.
• If the person does not get more of the substance or behavior, they becomes irritable and
miserable.
Kimberly Young says compulsive gaming does meet these criteria and there have been severe
withdrawal symptoms seen in game addicts. "They become angry, violent, or depressed. If
[parents] take away the computer, their child sits in the corner and cries, refuses to eat, sleep, or
do anything.“ While Keith Bakker says "Eighty percent of the world can play games safely...The
question is: Can you always control your gaming activity?"
Warning Factors:
• Playing for increasing amounts of time over large periods of time.
• Thinking about and being distracted by gaming whilst during other activities.
• Gaming to escape from real-life problems, anxiety, or depression.
• Lying to friends and family to conceal their gaming habits.
• Feeling irritable when trying to cut down on gaming or games are taken away.
It has been theorised by many that the addiction is primarily caused by the in-built reward system
within games to fulfil a psychological needs of reward, freedom and social interaction, these can
include Trophies and Lootboxes that emulate gambling. Treatment centres in certain places have
begun opening to counter the growing addiction rates of gaming, however in China it is a
completely different story - They have more online gamers—368 million—than the United States
has people. Wangyin “Digital Heroin” it is said to afflict 24 million young people in the country but
boot camps like the one in Bejing which is ran by a former army colonel has the members (mostly
boys) take part in a routine of exercises, reading, brain scans and medication. Whilst the latter ones
are more controversial, they are said to have a 75 percent success rate. These camps are often a
last resort for mothers and fathers who were raised before China’s tech revolution and are
struggling to monitor the online lives of their children whilst having a government that fears gaming
is yet another way for the internet to corrupt young minds with limits on how many hours one can
game depending on their age on many of the online and offline games.