If you haven’t heard already, Square Enix recently released a playable demo for Final Fantasy XV. Unfortunately, you can only play Episode Duscae if you purchase either the Collector’s Edition or Day One Edition of the newly-available Final Fantasy Type-0 HD. The share play feature on the PlayStation 4, which lets you play a game from another user’s system as long as you are a PlayStation Plus member, was also blocked.
So should you purchase Final Fantasy Type-0 HD just to play Final Fantasy XV Episode Duscae? Let’s check out a few factors before you can make up your mind.
Main Campaign
Final Fantasy XV Episode Duscae is set in the Duscaen landscape after the party’s car broke down and is in need for repair. In order to pay off the fees to Cidney, the team decided to hunt down a behemoth named Deadeye. The main campaign will take you through various locations as well as some interesting scenarios, including a stealth section and scripted team attack event.
The main mission should take around two hours to beat. Of course, the amount of playtime could vary based on the amount of time you take to explore and get acclimated to the combat system.
Side Quests and Outposts
The map you get to explore is quite big and is littered with side quests. If you get close enough, your party will point out the important hotspots. For instance, you can find phantom swords that will unlock some great looking special techniques in addition to being able to camp and level up. You can also check out a few small outposts, such as a gas station and chocobo farm. So there are plenty of activities even after you complete main campaign (you can continue where you left off right before the ending cut scene).
Secrets
There are also some secrets to be discovered in Episode Duscae. For instance, one of the players already found a way to get by the artificial barrier, allowing him to explore new areas that the developer did not expect the players to access until the final version. While some of these areas are clearly unfinished, it still cool to see some of the creature and environmental designs up close.
Combat System
Unlike the other mainline installments of the series, the battle sequences in Final Fantasy XV takes place in real-time as you have to manually attack and dodge. Although Episode Duscae have a limited move set (there is a notable absence of magic spells, for example), the combat system still has plenty of depth as there are a lot of elements you have to take into account.
For one, you can customize your weaponry so that you can use them in different situations. Not to mention that there are also several defensive maneuvers, giving you the ability to dodge, parry and even teleport. The flashy battles have plenty of depth and will never play out the same way twice. You should still have plenty of fun for hours even after you did everything in the trial version.
Graphics
Another factor you may want to consider is the graphics. Despite starting out as a PlayStation 3 game, Final Fantasy XV looks excellent even in its current demo state. The environment is quite detailed even though the world you get to explore is massive. There is also a day-night cycle, making the areas from the Duscaen landscape look different at different points of time. The only real issue we have is the frame rate, which can get really choppy during combat when you fight multiple enemies. Hopefully, Square Enix will be able to optimize the FPS in the final version.
If you are looking for a visually impressive game to show off your PS4 and/or Xbox One, then you should definitely check out the Final Fantasy XV playable demo.
Final Verdict
Final Fantasy XV Episode Duscae is quite unlike any other type of JRPGs we have played before. The open-world setting coupled with a flashy but deep action combat system makes it a must play for gamers, especially for fans of the genre. You can easily spend five hours, if not more, having fun in the demo version.
With that said, you may not want to buy either of the Collector’s Edition or Day One Edition of Final Fantasy Type-0 HD at the full price just to play the demo. While the HD remastered version of Final Fantasy Type-0 is still a great game, is not as exciting of an experience when compared to XV.
If you interested in both games, however, then the Day One Edition (which you can buy with this page on Amazon) is definitely worth the price of admission. Unfortunately, the Collector’s Edition of Final Fantasy Type-0 HD is already sold out.
If you only want to play Final Fantasy XV Episode Duscae, you may want to wait until you can find a cheaper version of Day One Edition. Alternatively, you can also buy the bundle at full price and then resell Final Fantasy Type-0 HD to recoup your costs.