Some more final thoughts.
I am really conflicted about this game. Really pretty much.
* I kept hearing horrible things about Chapter 13 and I dreaded the worse. It turned out, however, it was fairly enjoyable and not painful. Possibly because I played the patched version, but it was pretty straightforward, and just annoying enough to make you feel sympathy with Noctis. This is the one chapter where the player builds a meaningful connection with Noctis. Being annoyed at what happens is the whole point. It's an ordeal, a trial, a test of strength, and to see how much he has grown character wise. Chapter 13 made me like Noctis more and from a gameplay point of view, I was epecting way way worse.
* Most importantly... They are remaking FF7, which is a great game. I think, of all things, this is the one game that needs a remake.
FF15 has the seeds, ingredients, of a brilliant game. Yet the cooking was rushed and unfinished. It's just fucking sad and a goddamn shame. The more I think about this game the more I believe it could, and should, have been the best final fantasy since FF9.
The story is there. The plot is simple : exiled prince becomes king without a kingdom, needs to reconnect with his family and destiny, before growing and embracing it through spiritual (in the magical or philosphical sense of the word) of his ancestors. It is a simple yet strong plot. I was ready to jump on the "gay boys band" bandwagon but it turned out that the characters are the most likable since I have played FF9. Noctis, especially, is fairly relatable and the other characters, besides Prompto, are okay.
There is the traveling aspect, the tomb exploring, the journey, and the character growth and the art direction. Everything is there. Every ingredient for an absolutely fantastic game.
But the game sucks. The game sucks because the tragic story feels like a holiday cruise in its first part and a gloriously unfinished mess in its second part. The game sucks because they had to get it out the door at some point.
I'm persuaded that the entire FF15 team knows what is wrong with it. I'm persuaded that, given the chance to start again, they would produce a game that is great and follows a good story.
Remakes should not try to one-up games that are already good. Remakes should take games that had the potential to be good, but failed for one reason or the other. FF15 is a prime example of that. I cannot, in a honest and sane mind, recommend this game to anyone at full price. Anyone who buys this game need to be warned, severely, about what is wrong with it. And yet, I cannot bring it to myself to hate it.
Because it's all there. All the things to make a great game are in FF15. It's just a shame the dev team couldn't make that game.