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bitchie's review
4.0
THIS is what the end of the game should have been! I'm so upset that we got the rushed "ending" in game, and what seems to be the true ending canceled, and relegated to story only. It's been awhile since I played the game, so I have some confusion here and there. I know this consisted of Episodes Adryn, Aranea, Luna, and Noctis, and it finally gave Lunafreya some meaning to everything. We only saw her in bits and pieces in the game, and I was never sure if she and Noctis were really in love, or were getting married out of duty, but this story shows that they really did love each other. It gives most everyone a happy ending, which I'm sure some people don't like, but it was nice for me, after flat out crying my eyes out after finishing the game. I was always left thinking "this is is?" and I suppose that wasn't it. THIS was it, I only wish I'd gotten to see it played out on my tv screen.
rose_celeste's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
aaixhi's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
darkor_lf's review
5.0
Este libro se podría presentar a un tribunal como prueba del robo que sufrimos por el no lanzamiento de estos dlcs, y SE no tendría nada que hacer
hershelindisguise's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
mushy_friend's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
cozysblanketfort's review
4.0
Loved it. If you’ve played Episode Ardyn, it starts off with that, but the episode ends in a twist. From there everything is brand new.
It’s a much better ending than what the game gave us. This is where Episodes Aranea, Lunafreya, and Noctis went, and i think it’s a crime that Square never made them. I would have loved to have played this out. Much better ending for all characters, including Ardyn.
It’s a much better ending than what the game gave us. This is where Episodes Aranea, Lunafreya, and Noctis went, and i think it’s a crime that Square never made them. I would have loved to have played this out. Much better ending for all characters, including Ardyn.
eeisol's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
ihlonial's review
5.0
Final Fantasy XV: Dawn of the Future is a post-game release to the video game: Final Fantasy XV that was released in 2016. So I would advise to anyone who has not played the game to do that first before reading the book. Not only because it will provide better context for the book, but also because it's just an amazing video game that I'm totally biased towards.
The game's original ending was one of tragedy, and the Development Team had plans to release additional content episodically that would ultimately lead to an alternate, possibly happier ending for our heroes. However in 2018, Square Enix announced the game director would be leaving the project and three of the episodes slated to be released were cancelled. It goes without saying that many (if not all) of the fans of Final Fantasy XV were devastated by the news - it was especially a blow for those who also waited the ten years for this game to even release (which is another story entirely).
As consolation, Square Enix announced that they would release a novelization of the alternate ending, written by a member of the Development Team. It was released in Japan in 2019, but did not come to America until this very month, July 2020.
I've read a small number of other novels from the Final Fantasy franchise, and I have found that many leave a lot to be desired. The writing was usually pretty basic, the stories never went into much detail. It felt like they barely delved beyond a summation of their story. It was always disappointing to read because it felt like a cheap knock-off to something that I really loved.
So I was pleasantly surprised when I received Dawn of the Future and saw and felt how hefty the book was. The design itself is beautiful - the cover honestly makes me melt every time I see Noctis and Luna together (and King Regis and Ravus on the back looking after their family? Immediate tears).
The writing was surprisingly good. The first part covers Episode Ardyn, where the antagonist's backstory is revealed). It is tragic and I felt the best writing occurred in this particular segment.
The second part covers Episode Aranea - a side character who works for the Empire and finds a young girl in the wreckage of the Empire falling. This section was my least favorite, but it was a great segue into the next part which was Episode Luna.
Luna is revived to stop the evil that is happening in the world and she meets a new companion to help her along her journey. In the film, Luna came off as self-sufficient, and confident. In the game, she was given very little screen time and appeared far more docile and soft than she did in the film. The book was more accurate to the game version of Luna, but it still felt stiff at times. She definitely grew on me more over time.
The final episode is Episode Noctis - where the story concludes with he and his friends fighting to defy their destines and banish the darkness from their world.
Personally, when I compare the original ending and this alternate ending, I find both endings to be beautiful. One written with the purpose of Noctis growing up and sacrificing himself as the True King of Lucis for the salvation of his world; and the other ending allowing Noctis to fight for what he believes, staving off the expectations and fates that were placed upon him and remaining alongside the people he loves.
Overall, I was pleased with the book. The writing was more carefully put together and I felt like I was given the ending that we all wanted for our favorite characters - except Ravus (but that's also a conversation for another time). I definitely teared up when he, Gladio, Ignis and Prompto were reunited, and also on the final page with the closing words from Regis.
A piece of advice to any readers: it was a lot more fun when I read it to the soundtrack from the video game. The music that plays at the end of the game during Noctic's battle with Ardyn and beyond still felt powerful and poignant as I was reading the new ending in the book. It was an interesting experiment that really paid off.
The game's original ending was one of tragedy, and the Development Team had plans to release additional content episodically that would ultimately lead to an alternate, possibly happier ending for our heroes. However in 2018, Square Enix announced the game director would be leaving the project and three of the episodes slated to be released were cancelled. It goes without saying that many (if not all) of the fans of Final Fantasy XV were devastated by the news - it was especially a blow for those who also waited the ten years for this game to even release (which is another story entirely).
As consolation, Square Enix announced that they would release a novelization of the alternate ending, written by a member of the Development Team. It was released in Japan in 2019, but did not come to America until this very month, July 2020.
I've read a small number of other novels from the Final Fantasy franchise, and I have found that many leave a lot to be desired. The writing was usually pretty basic, the stories never went into much detail. It felt like they barely delved beyond a summation of their story. It was always disappointing to read because it felt like a cheap knock-off to something that I really loved.
So I was pleasantly surprised when I received Dawn of the Future and saw and felt how hefty the book was. The design itself is beautiful - the cover honestly makes me melt every time I see Noctis and Luna together (and King Regis and Ravus on the back looking after their family? Immediate tears).
The writing was surprisingly good. The first part covers Episode Ardyn, where the antagonist's backstory is revealed). It is tragic and I felt the best writing occurred in this particular segment.
The second part covers Episode Aranea - a side character who works for the Empire and finds a young girl in the wreckage of the Empire falling. This section was my least favorite, but it was a great segue into the next part which was Episode Luna.
Luna is revived to stop the evil that is happening in the world and she meets a new companion to help her along her journey. In the film, Luna came off as self-sufficient, and confident. In the game, she was given very little screen time and appeared far more docile and soft than she did in the film. The book was more accurate to the game version of Luna, but it still felt stiff at times. She definitely grew on me more over time.
The final episode is Episode Noctis - where the story concludes with he and his friends fighting to defy their destines and banish the darkness from their world.
Personally, when I compare the original ending and this alternate ending, I find both endings to be beautiful. One written with the purpose of Noctis growing up and sacrificing himself as the True King of Lucis for the salvation of his world; and the other ending allowing Noctis to fight for what he believes, staving off the expectations and fates that were placed upon him and remaining alongside the people he loves.
Overall, I was pleased with the book. The writing was more carefully put together and I felt like I was given the ending that we all wanted for our favorite characters - except Ravus (but that's also a conversation for another time). I definitely teared up when he, Gladio, Ignis and Prompto were reunited, and also on the final page with the closing words from Regis.
A piece of advice to any readers: it was a lot more fun when I read it to the soundtrack from the video game. The music that plays at the end of the game during Noctic's battle with Ardyn and beyond still felt powerful and poignant as I was reading the new ending in the book. It was an interesting experiment that really paid off.
eliseofsoleanna's review
4.0
3.75 stars rounded up!
Anyone who knows me knows I am one of the biggest Final Fantasy XV apologists despite the game's story turning out the way it was. It had so much potential and fell so flat in many ways.
I don't care what anyone says. This book is the true canon ending.
Since this is basically a compilation of novellas, I'm going to break this review into four parts.
Part 1: Episode Ardyn (☆/5)
One thing this game will never do well is convince me why Ardyn is a good villain and honestly the way this actually published DLC was novelized here was jarring. The time jumps were strewn about and didn't do a good job establishing when things were happening in context to other events. I had watched a playthrough of Episode Ardyn online before so I knew what was happening, but I don't think it was transcribed well here, nor was it very interesting or entertaining to read about.
Part 2: Episode Aranea (☆☆☆☆☆/5)
Oh my god THIS IS WHAT WE COULD HAVE HAD. This story was a blast to read. I'll admit I was never sold on Aranea's character in the game--she just kinda showed up for me and seemed cool but never grabbed my attention. After reading what would have been Episode Aranea, I am fully converted. This was such a wild ride from start to finish and had me HOOKED. Damn shame we never got this in game form, I think this would have been the turning point for a lot of people.
Part 3: Episode Lunafreya (☆☆☆☆/5)
Lunafreya my beloved. The base game absolutely ruined you and you deserved better. And you got it here. This was the point where the alternate ending to the game really got started and I think this, as a final act, works signficiantly better compared to what we got in the original game. I loved the exploration of what Luna would do with her life if she wasn't tied to her job as the Oracle, and that she finally got to have some agency in what she does for the plot.
Part 4: Episode Noctis (☆☆☆☆☆/5)
What a send-off. What a finale. What a showstopper final boss fight. What a wonderful, finally, happy ending for our main cast. Noctis getting to make his own choice and fight actively against his fate, and that of his beloved's, made me so happy. I genuinely could not be happier at the conclusion to a story--especially one conceived as "what if" DLC.
In summary,
If you played Ardyn's story or are familiar with it, just skip the novelization here and get to the good bits in the previously unpublished Episodes Aranea, Lunafreya, and Noctis. If you liked Final Fantasy XV but found the final product to be lacking in some way, this may just change your mind.
Anyone who knows me knows I am one of the biggest Final Fantasy XV apologists despite the game's story turning out the way it was. It had so much potential and fell so flat in many ways.
I don't care what anyone says. This book is the true canon ending.
Since this is basically a compilation of novellas, I'm going to break this review into four parts.
Part 1: Episode Ardyn (☆/5)
One thing this game will never do well is convince me why Ardyn is a good villain and honestly the way this actually published DLC was novelized here was jarring. The time jumps were strewn about and didn't do a good job establishing when things were happening in context to other events. I had watched a playthrough of Episode Ardyn online before so I knew what was happening, but I don't think it was transcribed well here, nor was it very interesting or entertaining to read about.
Part 2: Episode Aranea (☆☆☆☆☆/5)
Oh my god THIS IS WHAT WE COULD HAVE HAD. This story was a blast to read. I'll admit I was never sold on Aranea's character in the game--she just kinda showed up for me and seemed cool but never grabbed my attention. After reading what would have been Episode Aranea, I am fully converted. This was such a wild ride from start to finish and had me HOOKED. Damn shame we never got this in game form, I think this would have been the turning point for a lot of people.
Part 3: Episode Lunafreya (☆☆☆☆/5)
Lunafreya my beloved. The base game absolutely ruined you and you deserved better. And you got it here. This was the point where the alternate ending to the game really got started and I think this, as a final act, works signficiantly better compared to what we got in the original game. I loved the exploration of what Luna would do with her life if she wasn't tied to her job as the Oracle, and that she finally got to have some agency in what she does for the plot.
Part 4: Episode Noctis (☆☆☆☆☆/5)
What a send-off. What a finale. What a showstopper final boss fight. What a wonderful, finally, happy ending for our main cast. Noctis getting to make his own choice and fight actively against his fate, and that of his beloved's, made me so happy. I genuinely could not be happier at the conclusion to a story--especially one conceived as "what if" DLC.
In summary,
If you played Ardyn's story or are familiar with it, just skip the novelization here and get to the good bits in the previously unpublished Episodes Aranea, Lunafreya, and Noctis. If you liked Final Fantasy XV but found the final product to be lacking in some way, this may just change your mind.