Final Fantasy XV has had a long history. It started development in 2006 and only just came out on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2016. Two years later, Final Fantasy XV came to mobile devices in the form of Final Fantasy XV: Pocket Edition, and now it's available on Nintendo Switch.
Here's everything you need to know about this abridged version of the popular Final Fantasy XV!
When is it available and how much is it?
Square Enix and Nintendo surprised us with FFXV Pocket Edition coming to the Switch, and it's been available since after the September Nintendo Direct event.
You can find it on the Nintendo eShop. The regular price is $29.99, but it's currently on sale for $17.99 to celebrate the launch.
What's the difference between FFXV and FFXV Pocket Edition?
While the original game was critically acclaimed for amazing visuals, an open world system, and story, Pocket Edition simplifies all of that. Think of Pocket Edition as the abridged version of Final Fantasy XV.
With Pocket Edition, instead of the hyper realistic character models of the cast, you have cute, "chibi" character models, which may or may not appeal to everyone. And rather than going with a third-person perspective, Pocket Edition utilizes a fixed camera angle perspective, where you point-and-click to tell your characters where to go and what to interact with.
There no longer a vast, open world to explore of your own free will, because they exchanged that for a much more focused and streamlined experience. A lot of the side quests from the original were either eliminated or replaced with new ones better optimized for touch screen devices.
Combat is also different, and some may even consider it an improvement. You're only controlling Noctis, while the AI handles the rest. You target an enemy, and Noctis goes to them, attacking automatically. If you can block or parry an attack, an action button appears and you'll have to press it at the right time. Noctis may equip a few different types of weapons at once, and you just select the one you want to use.
Noctis' signature Warp Strike also has better, simplified controls too, as it's much easier to aim than the original. The Warp Strike is a great way to get around tricky situations, and can surprise and break enemy defenses.
Scenes remain similar, just slightly less detail than the original game, and it focuses only on the main story. Voice acting and music remain the same.
Should you play this if you already played the original game?
If you've already played the original Final Fantasy XV, then the Pocket Edition probably isn't worth shelling out for. Unless you really want to experience the story again, and try the simplified combat system.
But if you have yet to play Final Fantasy XV due to things like time constraints, then this is the best way to dive in and experience the epic FFXV story.
Did you get your copy of Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition?
So did you pick up your digital copy of this cute retelling of the latest Final Fantasy game? Let us know in the comments!
