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| Peter Triezenberg |
They've really outdone themselves this time.
07.31.17 - 9:47 PM
Few would deny at this point that Final Fantasy XV, while a good game, struggled to live up to the weight of expectation following it's tumultuous, decade-long development cycle. The potential was there, but it was clear that, for whatever reason, an inordinate amount of concepts and ideas ended up being scrapped before the game's final release. Square Enix has been diligently updating the game ever since launch, and Patch 1.13 may be one of their most expansive updates yet.
First off, the Magitek Exosuits are now available for free with the update. These Super Sentai-esque costumes were promised a while ago, but had to be delayed due to legal issues with the copyright holders of the Power Rangers franchise. Now, their designs are more akin to General Glauca's armor from the Kingsglaive movie... which is probably as relevant as that character will ever be in the main game (zing!). The Magitek Exosuits grant 30 minutes of invincibility to the wearer, which can be used once per day. Once the invincibility buff has worn off, the costumes can still be worn: it may not be as stylish as Noctis' sombrero, but it's definitely neat to have. Speaking of which, the Moogle Chocobo Carnival is making a comeback: accessible from Final Fantasy XV's main menu, this exclusive event will be available until sometime in September, so be sure to log in and grab some unique goodies.
The other, and unexpected, add-on to Final Fantasy XV with this patch is the "new" Cross Chain system. This collaborative team attack was introduced in the Episode Duscae demo prior to the game's release, but hasn't been implemented in the final game until now. The Cross Chain system is unlocked once the player has acquired the first two Royal Arms (which is relatively early on in the game), and allows Noctis and company to perform a massive chain attack on a downed foe. To accompany the new mechanics, a new sidequest has been added to the game called "O Partner, My Partner," which is accessible from the Meldacio Hunter HQ from Chapter 8 onwards. New trophies have also been added to the game, once for completing the sidequest, and another for performing a certain amount of hits with a Cross Chain.
Will Final Fantasy XV ever become the game it had the potential to be? Maybe not quite, but it's definitely impressive that Square Enix continues to lend their flagship title so much support. Regardless, I'm excited to see what the "final" final product ends up looking like. Stay tuned to RPGFan for more information.
