Final Fantasy XV: The Dawn of the Future

*Major spoiler for the game and semi-mild spoilers for the novel*

I fell deeply in love with the characters of “Final Fantasy XV,” but the game’s storyline, particularly the ending, drives me crazy with how bad and infuriating it is. Supporters try to paint it as a heroic sacrifice trope, but the way it plays out is nothing of the kind. (Compare Noctis’s nonsensical, lazily-written slaughter with Nyx Ulric’s _actual_ heroic sacrifice in the FF15 Kingsglaive movie, and you’ll see what I mean.)

Anyway, the novel Dawn of the Future is one of two official fix-its (the other one being an alternate ending presented in the Episode: Ignis DLC). The original storyline and both fix-its are all riddled with plot holes, but at least it gives three different storyline options for fans to choose their preference.

DotF is structured as four related stories that were originally intended to be DLCs, but only the first one, Ardyn’s, was actually made; the other three were canceled. The first story in DotF is basically a prose retelling of Episode: Ardyn.

My favorite thing about the second story, Aranea’s, is that she adopts a child who turns out to be the orphaned granddaughter of Emperor Iedolas. It’s really great that Aranea is an adoptive mom, though I wish we’d gotten to see more of that onscreen. Most of the screentime in the book is taken up with Aranea, Biggs, & Wedge battling daemons in Niflheim as the empire falls.

The third story is Lunafreya’s, showing her resurrection, adventures during the World of Ruin with Aranea’s now-teenage daughter, and eventual confrontation with Ardyn. What I really liked is that, unlike in the game where she’s basically a maiden on a pedestal, Luna has a more three-dimensional characterization here. She feels more real and grounded, like an actual person. That was good to see.

The fourth story is Noctis’s, showing him reuniting with his friends and allying with Ardyn to actually defeat Bahamut instead of submitting to the fake god’s stupid plan. I won’t go into detail, but they end up saving both the world and Luna, and as a bonus, they also manage to punt out all those Astrals I hate so much. My only complaint about this section is that we don’t get enough of the “Chocobros” interaction I love so much; there’s a bit of banter, but it’s very brief and superficial compared to the strong bonds they show in the game. Noct & Luna’s relationship is also emphasized a lot more than the friendship between Noctis and his three surrogate brothers.

In any case, it’s not a perfect book, but it’s a satisfying enough fix-it for people like me who absolutely hated the game ending. Personally, I also liked seeing Aranea get a spotlight and Luna get some better characterization. Recommended for any FF15 fan who was dissatisfied with the game’s storyline or who doesn’t mind seeing an alternate route.

Une lecture passionnante et qui donne à voir ce qui aurait à la base être du DLC pour FF XV.

GREAT!

Dawn of the Future is a book covering what would have been the 2nd wave of DLC for FFXV, covering episodes Ardyn (do not skip this chapter even if you’ve played it, trust me), Aranea, Lunafreya, and Noctis.
I know some gamers take issues with the true ending of a game being behind another paywall, but my god this book is so good that I can’t bring myself to finish my replay of the game as I know the ending doesn’t compare.
This fleshes out characters that were lacking in the game (Lunafreya, Biggs/Wedge, Iedolas, and even Loqi. Seriously, who remembers Loqi?) and adds a new character to the fray, Sol.
If you love FFXV, this book is a must have. Not only from the great story, but it also includes concept art for the scrapped DLC and even art from the Square Enix cafe promotions, which has some really cute stuff.

I’ve given the main game (FFXV) and all of its subsequent releases a lot of grief over the years for being a disjointed and DLC heavy mess. However, the book is VERY well written, it tells four compelling narratives (Aranea’s had me on the edge of my seat the entire time), and is an incredible follow-up to (what I’m sure) what would have been mediocre season 2 DLC for the game. If you are interested in the concept ideas for said DLC or you were unsatisfied with the games ending proper, definitely give this book a read. For me personally, I actually can’t wait to reread this book. With the game for context, I am certain this standalone will do quite well.