Final Fantasy XV: Episode Gladiolus

Final Fantasy XV: Episode Gladiolus on PS4 and XONE is the first expansion for Final Fantasy XV, the fifteenth installment of the most famous jRPG series, which debuted in November 2016. The Japanese company Square Enix is responsible for the development of this DLC and the original game.

Plot

Like the other expansion DLC for Final Fantasy XV, Final Fantasy XV: Episode Gladiolus focuses on one of the supporting characters of the main game. We play as Gladiolus Amicitia, the faithful guardian of Prince Noctis. The story presented in the DLC begins in the seventh chapter of the main campaign, in which Gladiolus left the team looking for a way to repair the boat. As we learn, his goal is the ancient ruins, discovered more than thirty years ago in Lucis. In their depths, Gilgamesh, a powerful warrior and former servant of kings, awaits warriors. If Gladiolus defeats him, he will prove to himself that he is worthy of protecting Noctis. His is guided by Cor Leonis, whom we meet at the beginning of the campaign.

Mechanics

During the game, players control only Gladiolus, who in the basic version of the game (until the release of the patch) was a completely non-playable hero, constantly controlled by AI. This change affects our combat strategy. While Noctis focuses on fast attacks and special abilities, Gladio uses only his giant sword, which he also uses as a shield to deflect attacks. All in all, the hero can perform several types of attacks, as well as pairing. Each successful block increases his anger indicator, multiplying the damage dealt.

The adventure consists of a large linear dungeon, filled with various enemies. It offers a maximum of several hours of gameplay. In addition to the final fight against Gilgamesh, players receive a number of bonus items and unlock two new game modes. In the first one, we have to finish the DLC again as quickly as possible, defeating the most enemies, for which we are rewarded with points. The second mode is a challenging fight with Cor Lonis.

Technical aspects

Final Fantasy XV: Episode Gladiolus does not introduce any significant innovations to the audiovisuals of the original game. Besides adding a new location and cut-scenes, the creators also introduced a few new musical pieces to the game.

Last updated on 19 January 2018