You might be thinking of asking, “Didn’t you just cover XV?” Well, XV’s development was anything but standard and we still have quite a bit to cover. We have gone through Kingsglaive and Brotherhood,as well as the main game of Final Fantasy XV. But we have one more pitstop to make before we reach the end of our journey. This is Episode Ardyn!
Introduction & Pre-Production
Now Episode Ardyn wasn’t the only piece of DLC released for XV, so why am I only covering this episode and not the others? Well, the episodes focusing on protagonists Gladio, Ignis and Prompto, while being DLC add-ons, were still pieces of the XV story meant to be consumed alongside the main game. But Episode Ardyn is actually the start of something else entirely. It is also the only add-on for XV to not be included in the Royal Edition as it was released after said edition. The following information will be of more importance for next week’s piece but let’s go over it now.
Following the release of Royal Edition XV, its development wasn’t quite finished as Tabata and team reported news that Final Fantasy XV would be receiving a second season of DLC content, which would pave the way for the true ending of the game. The first of the DLCs was none other than Episode Ardyn. However, almost immediately after this announcement, press releases said that Tabata was leaving Square Enix and that the DLC episodes based around Aranea, Lunafreya, and Noctis were to be cancelled. But Episode Ardyn would be *mostly* unaffected and released as scheduled.
We will get more into the cancelled content next week, but yes Episode Ardyn had already promised to be an interesting tale as it was set from the perspective of the primary antagonist Ardyn Lucis Caelum and an origin story to boot. The news of the remaining DLC cancellations marked this as the last piece of gameplay related XV content, which is part of the reason why we’re covering it. For better or for worse, this is the last piece of DLC XV received and a send off in terms of gameplay.
Synopsis & Writing
Much like the main game Episode Ardyn has some supplementary content that delivers more of its story. The episode had a 15-minute animated intro that was released on the official YouTube channel for the game. However, the events of that opening are still covered in the in-game DLC. Our story begins 2000 years before the events of XV as the kingdom of Lucis is yet to properly be established, with the ruler of the country to be selected by the providence of the gods and said news delivered by the Oracle. Two princes are among those to be selected, the cunning younger brother Somnus or Ardyn, the one who is less concerned with the concerns of the throne and who spends his days healing the affliction and pain of his people. For all in Lucis the answer seems obvious as to who should rule, but the gods had different plans in mind. Stripped of his love, name, status, and kingdom Ardyn is left with nothing for two millennia and upon attaining his freedom he decides to forsake the gods and claim his revenge.
Those who have played XV have some idea of Ardyn’s origin and circumstances but there was plenty we were not privy to prior to heading into this story add-on. Exploring what made the character into what he was you could argue reduces his mystery, but it is undeniable that it paints the character in a brand-new light. The DLC also expands on a lot of lore that accompanies Eos as the DLC is set in two distinct time periods. Starting approximately 2000 years before the events of XV, and before picking up 30 years before the events of the main game. This also provided us with our only in-game look at prime Insomnia which is quite a treat. This DLC allows us to learn the most about the world and has the appropriate reasons for disclosing that information.
Now, at face value Episode Ardyn simply looks to be a prequel to the events of XV and that is what Square Enix would like you to believe. However, Episode Ardyn was actually to be the first of the second wave of stories that paved the way for the true ending of the game. Hence, why a certain choice was posed to players at the end of said episode.
Also the team had finished the scripting and animating of a scene that was to take part at the start of the 4th DLC in this package. It was included as a teaser in this episode to get people excited for what was to come. However, when the follow up add-ons were cancelled this scene was replaced with another scene so as to not hype up something that was scrapped. The scene can still be found through datamining efforts. This conversation will continue in next week’s article, but this change feels more like damage control, to sweep this episode under the rug, so people would not linger on it. Square would have you believe that this is the conclusion to the XV saga when it is in fact the first chapter in the next piece of this story.
Gameplay
Each of the previous DLC add-ons for XV brought a new playable character and accompanying gameplay style to the game and this episode is no exception. And no disrespect to the gameplay present in the main game, but this DLC is the most fun I had with XV from a gameplay perspective. Ardyn handles wonderfully and fully immerses you in the playstyle of the blood-soaked creator of Daemons.
Square also did something that no other episode for XV had done up to this point in giving us a progression system. Ardyn can grow stronger by finishing enemies off with Daemonification and then spending those points earned on stat buffs, new abilities, and more. Progression wasn’t really something the DLCs had played around with outside of the multiplayer expansion. Progression wasn’t really a factor as the previous episodes focused on much smaller pieces of the storyline by comparison. Here however, they wanted to create something more substantial and while the DLC likely won’t take you more than 3-4 hours to complete I had a blast playing it. I’ll give the gameplay the biggest compliment I can muster: I wanted more of this style of play, I wanted this in the main game.
As far as gameplay goes this episode represents the best of XV’s combat and was an absolute blast. I sometimes fire up Ardyn’s episode just for the chance to experience this gameplay again. This was the swan song for XV as a game and it is a strong note to leave on.
Presentation & Score
As I mentioned in the article for the main game, all the DLC episodes had guest composers that gave each episode their own distinct identity. The score for Episode Ardyn was co-composed by Kenji Hiramatsu and Taku Iwasaki. The presence of Iwasaki on the music production was specifically requested by scenario director Toru Osanai. Director Takefumi Terada described the main themes of the narrative and gameplay to Iwasaki before having him compose, wanting a more modern sound to go with Ardyn and the more urban settings of the DLC. Iwasaki also composed the title track, which was more composed to tie in with Aera Mirus Floret, a key character in this story and saga. This was also a theme you would not associate with Ardyn’s character.
The main battle track Conditioned to Hate was performed by Lotus Juice, and I need to give the highest kudos to the score as it paints the tone of this DLC wonderfully. We are most definitely NOT doing good things in this DLC, but the music serves to hype you up and empower you. You are certainly not doing the good thing, but the score empowers you as if you were.
The lore nerd in me is having a field day with the fact that we get to explore prime Insomnia, which is quite a treat. They did put some invisible barriers in to prevent you from going too far, but being able to explore the city was great. XV’s main game was filled with great performances, and I’m truly blessed for the chance to hear Darin De Paul as Ardyn, if but one last time. Prior to his fall his performance is much softer and genuine but after his fall from grace his deliveries are harsher and much more in line with what we see of him in the main game.
Conclusion
This may not be the end of the line for XV as a story, but as a video game this is where XV did in fact end, and in that sense it is a bittersweet farewell. This was the only piece of content not to be included in Royal Edition, but I personally think this DLC has the most to offer and is well worth the price of admission. I highly recommend checking it out once you’ve completed the main game! Special thanks to OmgFloofy for collaborating on this article!
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