It might not be the strongest Final Fantasy entry out there, but there’s just something so special about Final Fantasy XV. The buildup surrounding it, the controversy of its development schedule, and the sheer emotional impact of the final hours really stuck with me. I honestly wish I could experience it for the first time all over again.
The Journey
There was so much hype around it. After Final Fantasy XIII, all eyes turned to Versus XIII, which introduced us to Noctis and Square Enix’s ambitious Fabula Nova Crysalis project (RIP). Versus XIII’s announcement sparked a cultural phenomenon across the mid-2000s internet, where edgy, brooding characters reigned supreme.
Back in 2006, everything felt like uncharted territory for gamers. Tumblr, Twitter, MySpace, and YouTube had their chokehold on every millennial’s brain.
Early social media was flooded with fanfiction and character ships—especially between Noctis and Lunafreya. It was also the golden age of AMVs, with Noctis quickly taking over the spotlight once held by Cloud and Tifa as the face of badass gaming characters.
Old-school gamers will remember the aura Noctis carried in his first reveal cutscene—those flying swords, the teleportation. As a teenager back then, it was everything I ever wanted.
So, Final Fantasy XV was already on my radar, regardless of whether it turned out good or bad. It became the one game I looked forward to the most, especially after being deprived of any Kingdom Hearts content for years. The wait felt endless, but I held out—and saved up for a PlayStation 4.
When Final Fantasy XV (re: Versus XIII) finally dropped, the world kind of went crazy over its polarizing reception. But I didn’t care.
The Destination
Final Fantasy XV was the very first game I played on my PlayStation 4. Honestly, it was the first reason I got one, next only to Kingdom Hearts III (which I assumed was never coming). With Final Fantasy XV, I was excited to see what Square Enix had cooked up with Noctis and his boys.
It was a magical moment for me. Back then, the PS4 was the pinnacle of gaming, and watching Noctis, Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto embark on their sisterhood-of-the-traveling-pants-style journey was both comforting and nostalgic—like a modern callback to classic JRPG overworld exploration.
From swarms of enemies, to repetitive combat dialogue, to riding chocobos—it had everything I ever wanted in a Final Fantasy game. I didn’t care what the internet thought. I just wanted to experience this story I’d waited a decade for. And I enjoyed every moment of it.
I never played the Royal Edition with its extended updates and DLCs, because I felt like I’d already seen what I needed to. Sure, I could always replay it, but I know it would never feel the same as that first boot-up—witnessing the future of Final Fantasy on a new generation of hardware.
My love for Final Fantasy XV wasn’t about how good or bad the game was—it was about the journey. The long dev time, the fragmented story, the clear signs of cut content... XV still tried its best to be a coherent Final Fantasy tale about love, friendship, and legacy.
Even if critics weren’t fully on board with how it all came together, it managed to strike the right emotional chords. The final hours—especially that scene where Noctis opens his heart by the campfire—hit me hard.
It left me emotional for days. And honestly, I wish there was some way to forget everything I know about Final Fantasy XV—its 10+ years of development hell, its flaws, its history—just to experience that journey with Noctis and the boys across the world of Eos all over again.
