Dungeon 1: Crystal Cave - Final Fantasy XV Part 2

Dungeon: Crystal Cave
Dungeon Level: 4
Guest: Noctis (Level 8)
Current Level: 2

I'm going to be very honest with you about what I've experienced in playing Final Fantasy XV.
I love this game so much.
I love the Gameplay more than I ever thought I would ever since I played Episode Duscae. And truth be told, I was a little skeptical about how the Battle System would work. But they did just fine with it and I'm so glad that I got to watch as Square make immense progress with it while keeping the fans up to date.
I love the Characters.
Well the main playable characters mostly. But People like Cindy and Iris and Aranea really does get in on the love. And you get Ardyn too, one of the most memorable FF Villains in a while. And don't get me started on the interactions.
I love the world that was created for Eos and how big it is for the player to explore.
And I love love LOVE the music. Yoko Shimomura was just the perfect choice for this game.
But while I loved this game a lot, there will be things that I'm not going to give as much love to.
I'll start with the story.
It starts out simple and direct. It's not convoluted and hard to understand. And you'll find yourself pleased that the direction this game is going is good.
But then it eventually takes a nosedive.
Spoiler alert, this post is going to contain some sensitive information for those who haven't played through at least Chapter 3 or something.



I'll start with Luna, the designated Heroine of the story.
You know how they've promoted Luna as this strong character and how she's someone we just can't reach.
Well uh... She doesn't really have too much screen time in this game. I'm not joking.
You see her for like 3 or 4 cutscenes before you reach Chapter 9 or 10. And a few more times after that.
And to put some people who've heard rumors at rest, no she will not be a Guest Party Member. Which is a pretty big bummer.
She gives off the vibe that she can be a good character given proper development, but we don't see enough of her to care. She goes around Eos talking to the Astrals(Summons) to get them to give Noctis a trial. So basically, she's a background support.
Noctis doesn't even get the chance to talk to her in person really.
I'm not going to say anything too much about what happens during Chapter 9 or 10, but you'll find that you won't see her as much anymore either after that.
And it's pretty sudden. It's supposed to have an effect... But honestly, not really for my taste.



Then I'll get to the part where it gets linear.
After Altissia, you lose the open world for a while(Unless you call Umbra and go back). And while it's not really that bad, you start to realize that this game was pretty rushed.
Look back on past trailers and information, and you see that some of the places you travel to could have been bigger. But its been cut to pieces to try and piece together a game for the release.
So much of what happens in the game could have been better, that's what I have to say about it.
A fair warning, if you're entering Chapter 13, it is by popular opinion the worst chapter in the game.
And to mentally prepare you for it, i'll give you some info on why is that.
First off, you lose all your weapons and magic. No no, it's still in your inventory.
You just can't use it.
So you can't just slash your way through this chapter.
And your friends aren't going to be around for it either.
You're going through a frustrating maze by yourself, practically defenseless until Noctis finally puts on the ring and you're forced to use the Death Spell, which is cool by animation terms but takes a while to actually kill the harder enemies.
This game stops being Final Fantasy for this chapter and becomes a Stealth/Survival game because you'd be surprised by the jumpscares the chapter has and how annoying it is.
Of course, you can opt to just kill everything in sight with the Death spell, which I totally did instead of hiding. But it gets tedious after the nth time.
And it takes so long to finish this chapter really.
But I'll stop from there.
Despite the nuances I have with the story, I can't deny that Square Enix did what they could to try and make the ends meet, and though the latter half of the experience felt lukewarm compared to the open half, the ending was spectacular.
Though I can't help but feel like I just got Type-0d from this game. It's bittersweet in comparison to the mass death Class 0 had, but still...
It makes me wonder what Tabata's obsession with death is. Seriously. Crisis Core. Type 0. Now FF XV? I do wonder when the last Mainline Final Fantasy Characters had a sweet ending.
12? 9?
I'll jump to the Characters at this point.



I've already discussed Luna, so I'll start with the Guest Characters. You have 3.
Cor, Iris, and Aranea.
I don't care what people say, Iris is best girl.
But I advice you to not get attached.
While the Guest Characters are amazing... They don't stick around too much.
Cor is the first one, and he's really powerful. But after that boss fight with Loqi, you don't see him anymore until you leave for Altissia. And he's only mentioned once or twice, even though he's technically supposed to be an important character to the people of Insomnia.
Iris is Gladio's younger sister. You bring her to Caem, but you can take quests and undergo battles with her in the party.
Her HP is around 100 or something. You didn't read that wrong, its' in the 100s. Not 1000s. 100s.
I'm like, what? Really?
But guess characters don't die so you don't really have to worry about that.
In truth, she is the most useful guest character because she heals you without expending any of your items. And her Team attack is just fucking awesome.
But again, after reaching Cape Caern, she leaves the party. I mean she's still around, but she doesn't have too much impact after that.
Aranea, story wise, doesn't suffer for leaving the party. She's a mercenary by nature and part of the Niffelheim forces so it's only natural she doesn't help out too much. But she does come back every now and then to help you in a fight, so that's awesome.
Now that I think about it, I don't really have anything negative to talk about Aranea, aside from her Team attack being 3 bars. Seriously, I'd rather use Piercer or Mark even if Highwind is powerful.
Now for the party members.
When I first saw the characters in the trailers, I almost immediately thought I would HATE Prompto.
You know what, the exact opposite happened.
I LOVE Prompto compared to Gladio and Ignis.
By all means, I love all the Chocobros, but Prompto had the most impact with me.
He's not just one dimension playboy, he actually has depth hidden beneath all it. Especially if you watched that motel scene.
But I can't help but feel that his thing in Chapter 13 was a weird addition to his story. It gives him the ability to be a plot device and some added background, but it feels inserted than told really.
Ignis is a loveable character that you just can't help but enjoy. He doesn't get much background, but his cool and smart addition to the party while still maintaining a sense of humanity makes him a good character, despite some quotes that get repetitive(THAT'S IT! I'VE COME UP WITH A NEW RECEPEH) But its what happens to him around Chapter 10 that melts peoples hearts.
Spoiler alert.
He gets blinded and he tries desperately to be of help but he ends up being a handicap and often needs help. Its through his sheer determination and words with the party that he continues on, standing his ground.
Gladio has one of the best interactions with Noctis and the party in the game and is more often than not the big brother. He is a knight that acts as the shield, the brother who will look after you no matter what.
And while I certainly appreciate that and the snark, there is one thing I can never ever get from Gladio.
Another spoiler.
On the way to a Tomb in the later half of the game, Noctis becomes sullen after the events of 9 and 10 and Gladio just randomly starts being a dick to him.
He's angry at Noctis for being so disconnected and insults him for not acting right.
I mean for God's sake, the events that happened would shake anyone up, but now Noctis is insensitive to what happened to Ignis or the others who suffered? Jesus, Gladio, you're being insensitive yourself!
The next thing is the quests.
The best quests you really have are the Hunts, where you get to kill things. But the other sidequests feel more radiant(Gameplay terms) and not creative to be honest. It's not like Skyrim where there are random quests with different stories to it. The sidequests in FFXV are too simple to a fault.
Of course we have the dungeons and they're always a good thing to go through.
The last gripe I have is the latter half's world. I mean most of my gripes are from the latter half but really.
I discussed this earlier that it seemed like the game was rushed.
By Chapter 14, you're treated to somewhere that does seem like there's more to it. But instead, you later end up being picked up and dropped off into Hammerhead and not able to leave without going to the final Area.
And boy, Insomnia could have been a good place to be an open world.
I think everyone is in agreement that FFXV, no matter how good it really is, felt half baked.
Its just... It could have better.
That's all i can really say about it.
And with that, I've exited the Crystal Cave!
*Victory Fanfare*

Exp Gained: 95
Exp to Next Level: 40
Obtained Engine Ring
Obtained Avenger
Obtained Noctis Summon Card

Save File: 1
>ThanosVenge
Level: 2
Class: Thief Mage
Equipment: Avenger
Armor: Thunder Hoodie
Accessory: Cross Ring
Accessory: Swiftness Brace

New Game Plus: Shibuya - The World Ends With You

Dungeon: Shibuya
Dungeon Level: 104
Guest: Neku (Level 99)
Current Level: 1
Past Level: 99


The World Ends With You (Or Subarashiki Kono Sekai in Japanese) is my Favorite Game of all eternity.
For years, I've played a thousand games in different consoles.
But none has captured my heart as fast as The World Ends With You (TWEWY) did.
I first played The World Ends With You when I was in High School. That was approximately 6 or 7 years ago. I was either a sophomore or junior then.
Do not kick me for this, but I had downloaded the game on a whim from the internet and played it on the emulator because I didn't have a DS at the time.
When I first played it, I wasn't very enthusiastic about it. I had nothing to do so this game was just on a list I had so I played it and the initial gameplay didn't quite intrigue me at first since you start with Neku just burning stuff with his Pyrokinesis Pin and Shiki just throwing Mr. Mew at Noise.
The dynamic of the Dual Screen Combat system just didn't make a strong first impression. At least until the game built up the system one Chapter at a time.
The story is direct and mysterious at the same time.
At the start of the game, you are treated to Neku's iconic Hate the world monologue.


"I don't get people. Never have, Never Will."


And immediately, you are dumped into the middle of Shibuya with absolutely no explanation. Just a pin that lets you read minds, weird mail, a timer on your hand, and a bunch of evil frogs trying to kill you.
For the sake of easy understanding, I'll cut to the chase.


You play as Neku Sakuraba, the game's antisocial teenage main character. He hates people and will try as hard as possible to not be involved with others.
But in a large turn of events that I cannot say due to spoilers, Neku ends up in the Underground, or U.G. Shibuya, where he's been entered in the Reapers Game.
He has no memory of this or anything at all except his name and was just lucky enough to run into Shiki Misaki, his first partner in the game
The Reapers Game is a a test where people who have died undergo a week of trials to see if they're worthy of being granted a second chance at life.
The game is basically gauntlet of Missions given at each day for a week where Players must do the mission and survive against what the Reapers and Game Masters throw at them as well as the Noise, TWEWY's large variety of monsters.
Failure to complete these missions or being defeated by Noise will subject the players to Erasure. Meaning they lose their rights to exist.




Since the Reapers Game is only playable by Partner, Neku is forced to cooperate with Shiki if he wants to stay alive, and while he;s extremely cold to Shiki and even considers her a nuisance, he slowly warms to her and his antisocial ice wall begins to thaw.
The game is divided into 3 Weeks, 1 for each possible Partner.
On the first week, you get the fashionable (but maybe a little scantily clad) Shiki Misaki, a bubbly young girl constantly serving as the source of optimism in the first week. Shiki fights using Mr. Mew via a pin using Psychomancy.



For the second week, you get the Sly and sarcastic Joshua Kiryu. He is shrouded with mystery and is the only other person sassier than Neku. He drives Neku insane. He is cunning, confident, and extremely smart and you'll find it difficult to trust in him. He's my favorite character.
Joshua fights with a cell phone. Yes you heard that right. He drops things from the sky. Each varying in size. While he will appear like the weakest of the partners at first, his true strength emerges later on.



For the last week, you  get the Skateboarder Idiot, Beat.
Beat isn't a very hard character to understand. He's too simplistic, and literally dumb, but is in a sense imposing and much more aggressive than Shiki or Joshua. This is emphasized in his quick fighting style and strong attack power, but weaker defenses. A glass cannon. He fights with a skateboard, and while he can get the fastest fusion stars(Explained below), he has the riskiest combat system in the game.



Each Week will delve heavily around a much deeper story than a week of survival and you will learn that there really is more to the game than Neku sees, which will eventually rock the foundation of the weeks itself before a series of revelations force characters into action.
Sorry for the vagueness, but I'm trying to keep this spoiler free for people who have not played this game.
Returning to the gameplay, you start out slow and you will feel the game move at a slow pace for a short while before you start to learn variety in combat and pins, learning to make proper combinations to make battles easier.
For the most part, you'll find yourself switching between the upper and lower screen if you are serious in trying to do good in battle.
There is only one HP bar which connects from both top and bottom screen. The partners share it and if either Neku or his partner take damage, the hp screen will slowly deplete.
The lower screen is where Neku is located, fighting with a variety of pins you assign to his deck. Each pin has a unique power activated by a different touch command such as Drag for Pyrokinesis, or Slash for Shockwave, etc...



The upper screen is where Neku's partner is located. Unlike Neku, the partner stays stationary in a single spot and attacks enemies from either the left or right side of their screen.
Partner's are controlled with the D-Pad where you will initiate in a short card game with each press of the left or right directional button leading to a card. At the end of the arrows, a card will be shown and used for each partner's specific card requirements located on top of their screen. Each of their combat styles are different and you will have to be adaptable for each as they all have their own strengths and weaknesses that can frustrate you.
Shiki's is called ESP Cards, where you try and guess the hidden cards atop the screen. Its safe and easy enough. Joshua's is High and Low, and is the easiest of the partners. You have to match the cards that appear on the top of his screen. This easy system is however at the cost of a slower card system than Shiki or Beat.
Beat's is Suit cards, reminiscent of Poker(Well, he says so, but I have no way of knowing cause I don't play Poker) You basically align a bunch of similar cards and try to activate them all via a Skull card. While perfectly executing this insures a fast and sometimes instant Fusion Pin, the cards only remain on his screen until he activates it or the fire that accompanies the screen burns the cards. Burning of cards will damage Beat.
The card system the party members have are for the Fusion Pin (This game's Limit Break) where by accumulating Fusion stars, you can activate the Fusion Pin to initiate a devastating AOE attack on all enemies on the screen.



The benefits of Clothing(The game's armor system), Food, and the Light Puck are also strong implementations of the game that start small, but become heavily important as you reach the harder parts of the game.
Yes, the game becomes further complicated as you progress, and while you are told you can just leave the top screen on auto when doing the dual screen combat... I wouldn't recommend that.
Unless you want to play the game on easy mode all the time and not have a good time, the game's strongest point is how unique the system works when you've fully understood how the game should work. You work on your best partner, you tirelessly grind and do everything possible to make sure you aren't going to suffer the boss fights, and you will.
The bosses on the first Week of the game aren't too difficult, even on hard mode, because Shiki's week is how you ease in to TWEWY. Its when you reach Week 2 and 3 that the game forces you to learn all the mechanics.
And I beg of you, when you play this game, please do not forget to buy your Partner's Fusion Level stickers and find the Pin Slots for your Pin Deck. Week 3 is a killer week and I suggest you try to be diverse. While there are three partners, you can't swap between them in the main story until you beat the game. You will need to be at least competent with each partner if you want to survive the game's enemies.



If you feel you will be frustrated at the game's difficulty rise, fret not. A good way to forget about this frustration and use it as force, listen to the game's soundtrack.
The game is unique enough to change soundtracks every time you enter combat. And while you can't change them manually, they're all usually pretty good.
You might find yourself humming Someday instead of throwing your DS across the screen if you can't beat Week 2's boss, or rocking out to Emptiness And... while you're fighting against this duo of reapers you've been waiting to fight.
But if you're really worried, just tone down the difficulty. You can change it any time in the menu screen.
The difficulty is not only for a challenge, but pins drop from certain enemies on certain difficulties so keep that in mind.
Either way, this game will keep you entertained.
What should be a weird mess of mixed and complicated elements in a game becomes a well blended and worthwhile experience as you come to hone the game's system and appreciate the well thought out scenario the game has for you. At the end of the last week, you'll come out feeling a sense of happiness, relief, and maybe even anger.
But don't just turn your game off at the end of the game.
The World Ends With You has an extra chapter that is mostly entertainment and mini games, but holds a difficult boss rush and even more difficult secret boss.
As a bonus, you can replay the chapters while doing a set of conditions to unlock secret reports that will give more clarity to the game.
By completing these reports and finishing the game again, you'll be treated to the secret ending.
I hope you take my word when I say that this game is absolutely amazing.
Give it a chance, and you'll find yourself not just invested in a game, but maybe even learning from the philosophies and values this game shows you.
The World Ends With You.

Exp Gained: 85
Exp to Next Level: 135

Save File: 1
>ThanosVenge
Level: 2
Class: Thief Mage
Equipment: Rune Switchblade
Armor: Thunder Hoodie
Accessory: Cross Ring
Accessory: Swiftness Brace