Final Fantasy XV: Episode Duscae (Hands-On) (PlayStation 4) Preview

It's hard to establish much about the overall story from the Final Fantasy XV demo. Instead it is a case of getting a brief look at the world the cast is travelling through and the bonds between the members of the group. The snippet of story is that the team has damaged its car and needs to round up the cash to have it repaired, and the team soon stumbles on a Wanted Poster for a Behemoth on the plains. There are also the signature side-quests, of course, and random encounters along the way. The party is made up of the protagonist, Noctis, and his entourage of friends and bodyguards. Noctis is a Crown Prince and is forced to flee his home with this party. The interactions between the members of Noctis' group are one of the best aspects of the demo and the translations are superbly done for these, taking the colloquial and slang that would be heard between groups of young guys in modern Japan and perfectly adapting them to their English counterparts. It's something that is often overlooked and really improves the overall production. In addition to this, the voice actors in both English and Japanese truly bring their 'A' game. There are some very recognisable voices here, although, thus far, they have not been officially announced.

The combat is so stylishly fluid that it's a real joy once mastered, and fans of the game this demo comes with will find it familiar. It's very similar to the Final Fantasy Type-0 combat system and feels also very much like Kingdom Hearts, but it also adds new unique elements. Noctis is the only playable character but, thankfully, he has a vast range of abilities to ensure combat doesn't grow tiresome. Noctis is able to summon a variety of weapons out of thin air and use them in a myriad of ways. One of the most interesting is the ability to throw a weapon and then teleport to it, which can be used to dash at enemies, teleport over scenery, or stick it into towers and hang off the side. Even though only Noctis is playable, the game implements a number of team-based abilities to the combat, too, which are again stylishly done, with some great choreographed and smooth moves that really enhance the experience.

It's not just the choreography and the combat that look good, though, as graphically Final Fantasy XV is beautiful. Everything from Noctis' ability to summon weapons out of the air, the enemy gunships and the military forces that come from them, the superbly designed creatures of the plains, and the gorgeous environments - it all looks fantastic. There is an overall theme and style to this title that promises so much more within the full game.

One of the best aspects, both graphically and gameplay-wise, is the big elements of the demo. The aforementioned Behemoth acts as the boss to end things here, and it is a fight that is certainly well done and shows promise for other such encounters when getting into the main adventure. The best way to fight something big is to use something big, and the demo gives an opportunity to do just that, showing off one of the series' most popular mainstays: a Summon. This time Ramuh, the old Thunder God, shows off in a style that is absolutely mind blowing. The way it works reveals so much promise for other Summons and will get players desperate to see what other classics will return, along with if there are any brand new characters, too.

Final Fantasy XV has an interesting approach to experience gained and levelling-up, as well. The party is able to make camp at night and settle in with a meal from ingredients collected. Using the signature "Tent" from the series not only recovers the party, but all the experience banked through the days played are then applied to the characters as well. It works very well in the demo but it has to be wondered how well this will work in the final release for those trying to max stats and invest a great deal of time into grinding, since this will break up the process. Although, whether it feels it ends up adding or detracting from the overall experience is hard to see yet.

Despite offering a great deal of promise, there are some issues evident in the demo, but there's still plenty of time to work on them before the game's eventual release. Possibly the biggest is the targeting system. The combat system itself is great, yet admittedly it takes some getting used to as the targeting system for it is very flaky and can cause some very frustrating moments, especially evident when surrounded by large groups. Thankfully, the game's dodge/counter system is not based on the targeted enemy, so the issue is a little offset already.