Final Fantasy 15 is a big game, a game designed to be explored like a road trip with a bunch of friends just taking their time, despite the scale of the events going on around them. The narrative often possesses a funny tone, but it is a journey you can't help but remember fondly due to the realistic relationships between its characters.
And in a world that size, of course you'll end up missing some things. From references to older games to actual missable events, Final Fantasy 15's world has plenty of details to discover.
10 Final Fantasy Versus 13 References
Though Final Fantasy 15 is a well-known entry in the series now, it actually started its life as Final Fantasy Versus 13 in 2006. After a change in director and name, the game changed vision drastically, but as a show of respect, many things paid homage.
For example, the original title screen is from Versus 13, though it depicted a different character than it does now. There are also 13 royal arms, Noctis' Engine Blade and Armiger, as well as much of the design of Insomnia all remain the same. Even the outfits mostly match what was originally shown. And in Episode Ardyn, the famed scene of Noctis sitting solemnly in a car is recreated. Versus 13 will never truly die.
9 Reoccurring Characters
Final Fantasy games are beloved for their characters. Many of them are written with wonderful depth and are defined by their interactions with others, and the introduction of voices only added another layer to these characters. So of course, Final Fantasy games are keen to make some of these characters appear multiple times.
In 15, Cid reappears. Cid is probably the character with the most reappearances and is almost always linked with airships in some way, though 15 also introduces Cindy as his pseudo-replacement. Biggs and Wedge, Aranea's subordinates also appear, usually in the role of Empire soldiers in one way or another.
8 Unique Hidden Weapons
Weapons, too, are some of the most defining features of Final Fantasy. Cloud's Buster Sword, Leon's Gunblade and even Noctis' Engine Blade are all well-known. Your companions in 15 have all their own weapons too to fit their playstyle and personality, with Noctis being able to use them all in his own way too.
But there are also two unique weapons. There's Ulric's Kukris, only acquirable in Insomnia after entering the Citadel and doubling back to defeat a Pyromancer that drops the dagger, a reference to the character from Kingsglaive. But even more interesting is the Cerberus sniper rifle. Found in an empire garrison, it's wholly unique, letting you free-aim and target individual body parts and even land headshots against enemies.
7 Literally Missable Festivals
Optional events to the main game can be accessed from the main menu; Final Fantasy 15 featured two festivals: The Chocobo-Moogle festival as a kind of reverence to the beloved mascots of the series, and the Assassin's Festival, a collaboration event with Assassin's Creed. However, they were only available for a limited time, and are no longer accessible. So literally missable details.
In the former, you traveled around Altissia and played various minigames, and participated in quests with Carbuncle, all culminating in a beautiful fireworks show that you viewed by gondola. The latter however was much more fun than it had any right to be. Filled with cutscenes and explorable rooftops of Lestallum, it had its own self-contained story with full dialogue and rewardable outfits.
6 Minigames
Amidst their meaningful stories and deep combat, at the heart of any Final Fantasy game are its minigames. From things like Final Fantasy 7's copious minigames to 8's Triple Triad card game or 10's very wonky Chocobo racing, characters always find time for a break to play around, and 15 is no different, though are a bit more hidden.
In Altissia is Totomostro, the monster betting game where you, well, bet on monsters to win, and use various cheers to boost their stats. More in-depth though is Justice Monsters 5. Originally released as a phone game, it can be played at various arcade machines in the game and functions as a kind of pinball-monster collecting game with frankly more depth than expected of a game barely acknowledged in-game.
5 Optional Events With Your Friends
The real lifeblood of 15 that makes it feel like such a cherished journey is its companions. Your long road trip makes you feel like you're really getting to know these characters, and their friendship evolves in meaningful, natural ways. But where this shows best is in its optional conversations.
After resting at certain havens, Noctis is put "on tour" where he must help a specific companion with something. This can be helping Ignis cook, gather a flower for Iris, or perhaps the most meaningful, having a heartfelt chat with Prompto atop the roof of a motel at night about his fears in life. They build extra layers to these characters, making them feel like genuine friends.
4 Hidden Dungeons
Dungeons are of course a mainstay of the series, and 15 has plenty of them. From iced-over caverns to dense forests and even abandoned mines, there are plenty of memorable areas. But sometimes, you might come across a big ol' door that the party will remark on, even claiming that maybe it just can't be opened yet.
Well, returning during the endgame and picking up a special key at Meldacio unlocks those doors, leading to difficult endgame dungeons. But even more secret is the Pitioss Ruins. Only accessible with the flying Regalia, Pitioss is a purely platforming dungeon designed mainly by one member of the team as a fun hidden challenge for players.
3 The Lovers' Notebook Description
Throughout Final Fantasy 15, a notebook is delivered between Noctis and Lunafreya that they use to keep in touch with each other, and each time it appears, the player is given the opportunity to choose from three different responses. These are small instances that allow you to flesh out the admittedly bare relationship between the pair.
However, though their story impact is next-to-negligible, when the notebook becomes a permanent possession of Noctis, its description in the inventory changes. If you were unaffectionate in your responses, it is stated to simply be a memento now. Though if you were affectionate, the description states that the final page is stained with tears. And somehow, those lines build out their relationship more than anything shown.
2 The Essential Extended Media
As is typical for Final Fantasy games, 15 has a massive amount of tie-in media. From the non-canon A New Empire mobile game, the Kingsglaive movie and Brotherhood anime, the cutesified Pocket Edition, and so on, the list is long. But unlike most, which attempts to flesh out the world after the fact, 15's are actually essential to its understanding.
You might have wondered about many of the ill-fitting CG scenes that appear in the game. That's probably Kingsglaive. Or the random depiction of Prompto as a fat child in his DLC episode? The Brotherhood anime. Regis' old partner you meet in Altissia? A King's Tale side-scrolling beat'em up game originally only available as a pre-order bonus. Definitely an odd practice.
1 Omega And Gilgamesh
So Final Fantasy of course has beloved characters, but it also features beloved bosses too, especially its endgame super bosses. In the original 15, this came in the form of the Adamantoise. Usually just a mob enemy, it's a literal mountain here. But in Episode Gladio and the Royal editions, something a little more recognizable to fans was added.
The final boss of Episode Gladio is Gilgamesh, the sometimes summon, sometimes boss, of Final Fantasy. But his fight theme, arranged here by Keiichi Okabe, is actually a new arrangement of his theme originally from Final Fantasy 5. And Omega is one of the original super bosses, also appearing first in 5. It shares both the level and rough design of its appearance in 5, and its second phases theme is also a rearrangement of its original.