'Final Fantasy XV' Gameplay Preview: Combat Is All About Timing... And Camera Angles

Final Fantasy XV may be one of the most hyped, most publicized games ever to come out of the storied Final Fantasy franchise. That’s not without reason -- expectations are high for a game that’s been in the making for over ten years. Does the much-vaunted real-time combat system, a significant change from Final Fantasy’s iconic turn-based systems of the past, make the cut?

Combat in Final Fantasy XV is a strange mix of player control and mindlessness. You control things like your own dodges, which you have to time very carefully, watching your opponent’s wind-up animations for the split-second window during which you can move out of the way. You control your warps and warp strikes, which allow you to instantly teleport to locations marked in blue, recover your MP, then deliver a devastating blow to a targeted opponent across the battlefield.

But it feels like Final Fantasy XV ’s developers didn’t really trust that players would grok all the nuances of this battle system. For example, moments where you’re able to block and parry are marked by a gigantic button indicator on the screen, then a second gigantic button indicator. Press X for awesome block, press Y for awesome parry. You’ll never miss a block-and-parry moment, but it’s no thanks to any skill you’ve acquired with this system. And it’s not like there’s an option to turn off the training wheels.

The feeling of mindlessness continues with basic stuff like attacking. If you attack someone’s blind side, you get a damage bonus: that’s in the player’s control. But in order to chain attacks, all you have to do is hold the attack button. Press X for awesome. You tilt the control stick around and your attacks change, so Noctis executes big flashy combos while you hold down the attack button and wiggle your thumbstick.

Other forms of combat offer more intricacies: opponents can be resistant to one kind of weapon but not the other, making you switch your weapon on the fly. Same goes for magic, which can injure both friend and foe. Spells and weapons share the same 4 basic offensive slots, and you have to craft your spells, so you’ll want to use them wisely.

But the d-pad gets double duty: you also use it to control your party’s limit breaks, now dubbed “techniques.” When a teammate uses their technique, everything slows down, and you get to slide in at the end with a final blow (another “press X for awesome” moment). I found managing the d-pad controls tough, but maybe it takes more than two hours for all combat’s promising fluidity to become second nature.

There’s also a mechanic that allows you to both rescue your party members, or be rescued when you’re on the brink of death. It ties into the Power o’ Friendship narrative, and I love gameplay mechanics that reinforce story, so I don’t mind this feature, even if it does reek of training wheels.

Overall, Final Fantasy XV’s combat feels like it just might have the potential to be smooth and effortless… if you manage your camera angles, which are like the combat system’s second, hidden system. You have to manually swing your camera around to face the correct way or you’ll block thin air instead of your opponent. Even targeting won’t help you if the camera is pointed the wrong way. The camera is a huge issue, and wrangling it in between wrangling my weapons, spells, warp points, dodges, and teammates isn’t fun. I’m hoping that wonky camera gets refined -- or that you have options to toggle auto-camera -- before Final Fantasy XV ships.

Are you looking forward to the real-time combat system of Final Fantasy XV? Do you wish the combat system was still turn-based, classic J-RPG style? Feel free to discuss Final Fantasy XV’s combat in the comments section below.