a fanlisting
A fanlisting is a group of people who like something: i.e. a group of people who like wolves. All a fanlisting is is a list of fans to do with that particular person, item, or object; it joins together people with similar interests.
final fantasy xv
If you know of Square Enix, the odds are that you'll know of Final Fantasy. XV, in its early stages of development, was not a mainline entry - Versus XIII was conceived as part of the franchise subseries known as Fabula Nova Crystallis, encompassing XIII and what would become Type-0. Though no longer attached, XV retains a lot of those ideas at its core. As Versus, FFXV was first announced in 2006 and was finally released on PS4/Xbox One in November 2016. It was a hell of a wait, especially when you were there from day one.
XV takes place in the world of Eos, and follows the story of Noctis, Crown Prince of the kingdom of Lucis. The game begins with Noctis being ushered away on a roadtrip with his three friends - Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto - prior to his wedding to the Lady Lunafreya. Unbeknowst to the sleepy prince, this is a ruse and a means to get him out of the city as fast as possible, as within days Lucis falls to Niflheim.
Noctis becomes a King without a Kingdom.
What makes XV different from its predecessors is that the first portion of the game is almost entirely open world. You can easily spend sixty hours or more on the road before approaching the bulk of the plot - much of the emotional impact is in this roadtrip, and it's how Noctis and his companions bond. There's four main characters right from the start, and what you see is what you get - there's the occasional guest, but it's all about their friendship, banter, and endless telling of puns of the four friends. (This game is like Lightning Returns but with friends and a point.) It's the game's way of making the sidequests worth your while, and it's a very realistic endevour; the English dialogue sounds genuine, great care has been taken in interactions and body language, and it's very much a game for its time.
Despite its easygoing surface, the director of this game also made Crisis Core and Type-0, which should tell you what XV is going to be like once the narrative starts moving. (Answer: miserable.)
prompto argentum
Prompto Argentum is Noctis' best friend and one of his companions. He is the least experienced of the group, wields a firearm, and is the most squishy thanks to his lower HP. And don't forget his trusty camera; it's been supposed the reason Prompto dies in battle so much is because he's busy snapping selfies (true, there's an ability for that and plenty of evidence out on the web to prove it. Sorry, buddy). Prompto is the heart of the party, the one most likely to complain and whine - the guy who's along for the ride and the most relatable, unless we're counting Noctis' want of sleep (mmm, sleep).
There's a lot to be said about Prompto, but he was the one that drew me in right away. It was just like Serah and Hope for XIII; Prompto kept my interest alive, even as his face changed and he went from smiley, jovial sidekick to a young man with a bundle of insecurities over his inadequacy. Because that's just it - Prompto feels inadequate. His act is an act, a front, and if I didn't already love him, I certainly would as he opened his heart and spilled the beans of how desperate he was to belong, to be good enough.
He's also just fun and a laugh to have in your party, because he's the one demanding breaks, complaining about fighting bugs, singing about endless stairs, and freaking out about horror chords or jump scares in caves; if I was in a world with all of these things, you bet I would be doing the same. He came out to have a good time with his bros, and everything is just attacking him right now? Let this kid ride his chocobo and take his photos in peace, Eos.
But he never stops trying and he peseveres and I love him a lot, and relate to him a great deal. He's my #bestboy and my favourite character in the game - which says a lot, when XV wasn't a game I overly enjoyed as itself. Keep being awesome, Prom.
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