It has been over a year since Final Fantasy XV was released. By this point, most people who purchased the console version have finished the game. They have seen everything there is to see, perhaps even completed all of the separate episodes and could be exploring the Comrades expansion with others. Now that the Royal Pack is here for console owners who already have been playing since the beginning and Royal Edition has arrived for those who have not, it is like Square Enix is rewarding people who are willing to go the extra mile. This additional content gives people a reason to revisit Chapter 14 and 15.
One example is the Regalia Type-D. This is the off-road version of the Regalia. In case you missed it, you should have no problem changing to it after talking to Cindy in the Hammerhead after the third chapter of the game. But now, for the first time, you can use it in Chapter 14. First, you need to load a Chapter 15 save file an have Umbra send you back to the Glaive Base to see Talcott. If you have completed all of the Regalia side-quests, Talcott will assign you a quest and offer the Regalia Type-D Replica. This makes it much easier to explore and is a nice bonus, since we had no means of transportation before this.
The Royal Vessel is another way in which the Final Fantasy XV Royal Pack opens up the world and rewards people who have otherwise done everything. This was Regis’ yacht and, once the add-on is installed, you can fish from it, travel and take photos. Taking the elevator in the Cape Caem lighthouse leads you to it, and you can head out for a ride and dock it at Altissia, Cape Caem and Galdin Quay. You can take photos of Angelgard, Cleigne’s Rock of Ravatogh, Galdin Quay’s restaurant, Cape Caem and some areas around Altissia. This ship even extra fishing quests tied to it. Bismarck can be seen if you go to Altissia, visit Weskham’s restaurant and kick off A Second Sea God quest. Of the four new fish, I have only found and caught the Styrial Bluefin Tuna, which Ignis turned into the Scientia-Style Sushi. (I used the Big Blaze Bahamut lure and Dragon’s Beard line in the Cygillian Sea near where Bismarck appeared.) However, you can also find four other new fish from quests Gladiolus, Ignis and Prompto tell you about.
But what is probably the biggest boon is the Insomnia City Ruins. This is a huge new area that takes you to the final chapter. If you do not have a Chapter 14 save, you will need to use the Chapter Select, which unfortunately causes you to lose map data and side-quest progress. But it may prove worth it for people, as this means a whole new area with extra sidequests, things to see and even Cerberus and Omega bosses. (I found Cerberus manageable, but Omega was far beyond me.) This segment does double duty. It fleshes out the area and gives you more to do. Especially since Cor is there to assign some new sidequests. By the way, completing all of Cor’s quests before tackling Cerberus is a definitely thing to put on your to-do list. That there is an additional scene before the end with a certain character is just a happy bonus.
These new activities and exploration opportunities can honestly put some of the other Final Fantasy XV Royal Pack bonuses to shame. The first-person view is a good example. It is a novelty that has its moments. Final Fantasy XV is a pretty game and getting to see more detailed versions of places and things. But it is very difficult to deal with any kinds of battles in first-person mode and was not a function that lent itself to extended use.
Final Fantasy XV Royal Pack is like an additional hurrah. You beat or nearly beat the game once before! You love fishing! Exploring is fun! Let’s go ahead and get more of that! People who really loved this adventure and feel like they need more will very likely enjoy it. If someone is not a big fan of fishing or major boss challenges, then it might be the sort of add-on you would want to wait on. But its existence and added information can really help enhance an interesting chapter and provide more options.
Final Fantasy XV is available for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.
