After two years we return to talk about Final Fantasy XV and, this time, the DLCs dedicated to Noctis' companions have nothing to do with it. Square Enix has officially released an additional content titled Royal Pack and will implement many new features in the fifteenth chapter. This pack will be available for purchase in the future as a separate DLC, and for now it is only available in the newly released version. As additional elements, the development house has introduced a new dungeon to Insomnia, new enemies, the ability to explore the waters of Eos with the ship, a new model for the machine and many other small improvements. Unfortunately, the game is not yet free from annoying bugs, but in this review we will focus on evaluating the material released by the software house.
Return to Eos
The story of Final Fantasy XV, already gutted in our first review, has finally been deepened. The development team led by Tabata has provided, over time, numerous updates on the plot and on the aspects that give life to the beliefs of Eos. Obviously there is no lack of accurate explanations on the lore of the characters, now much more complete than in the past. Said this Final Fantasy XV: Royal Pack, in addition to making all the DLCs released so far available, it focuses mainly on the main game experience, adding two really interesting key areas. The first will unlock in chapter 8 when you get the real boat: now you can control the craft manually, so you can navigate the waters of the southern coast of Eos. Despite the not exaggerated size of this area, it is possible to find unpublished fish and a brief secret fight.
The most substantial changes, however, were made to the city of Insomnia in chapter 14. Fans will remember that this point in the story was a direct corridor to the final boss fight. Now the location has become much larger, full of secrets and side missions that further enrich the plot. Indeed this is a great addition, as it seemed really strange that such an important city for the purposes of the story was completely overshadowed. In addition to the new explorable area, the sequence that will take you to the battle with Ardyn has also drastically changed. New boss fights have been added, each of which gives Prompto, Gladio and Ignis moments of glory. These scenes feel dramatic and critically important, giving the player a mix of emotions that greatly enhance the experience.
A game that changes
In addition to what has been said Final Fantasy XV: Royal Pack includes a first person view for Noctis, so you can immerse the user even more in the game. Obviously, even the special move of the young prince could not fail to be improved, once you have obtained all the ancestral weapons, a hidden object will be revealed that will allow you to activate the Supreme Set: you can unleash powerful attacks at maximum speed.
Are we facing the definitive version of Final Fantasy XV? Maybe. Did all of this have to be in the game from the start and not as a paid DLC? Absolutely yes. Little but sure I do not regret having spent more than 140 hours in front of Final Fantasy XV starting it over and over again, I'm only sorry that I wasn't able to enjoy it in this form at the time of release. The memory of the first run is well imprinted in my mind, only now I feel strongly disoriented by the different narrative revisions released so far. The fragmented nature of the experience will force old players to put their game back together, but still aligning new users with those who bought Final Fantasy XV at launch will be a tough challenge. In retrospect I must say that I am envious of those consumers who have made the wise decision to postpone the purchase, now they will find in their hands one of the most valid games of this current generation of consoles.
