Final Fantasy XV Episode Gladiolus DLC
Gladio's episode is finally out! You can add it from the online store and in the game it is under Downloadable Contents in the title screen. Not sure about Xbox, but internet is required. While this DLC is separate from the main game there are stuff you can unlock that the main game will get from it. Spoilers obvious are ahead so please go back if you are avoiding it.
This DLC is on Gladio when he temporarily leaves the group. At first I thought this would be about him getting some revenge or something, but it is not that at all. He wants to get power to help him do his job better. Cor is with him as he is the only one who survived the trial.
The area you go into is new, but it is in that deep canyon like place with the arching rock formation hat you can drive by in the main game. Since it a trial that many people lost their lives in, it makes sense that there be some corpses. It does look very different from the rest of the game, and it does make it feel like Dark Souls. There isn't much to this map so there isn't much to really look at especially since its mostly underground tunnels. There are rest spots along the road where you can save your progress and get Cor to talk about himself. The dialogue is pretty good so its worth listening. I'm not a huge fan of the localization in this game, but it ain't terrible. If you can understand Japanese I would recommend it mostly for the text rather than the voices themselves.
You go through a few trials. At the beginning, it may feel easy but it does get more difficult as you progress. There are trails that you need to fight alone, otherwise Cor is with you and he is pretty helpful while you try to get use to playing Gladio. Playing as Gladio in the chapter 13 update felt awkward to me, but playing him in this dlc felt better and smoother. Major difference is obvious the UI. The top bar works like the tech bar, it generates as you deal attacks to enemies. The circular meter is rage which builds as you get hit and I think block. The bottom bar depletes while you guard with your shield and regenerates when you put it away so it acts like a stamina bar. While this may seem a lot, it works pretty well once you know what they do. You will definitely need to use them since it will get tough without them. The tech bar they call it Glaive arts. As you fill the bar the special move will change till it hits max. It is the same button to warp for Noct so triangle on the PS4. This isn't a button I would use often but save for hard enemies with it maxed out. I do end up accidentally hitting though and it will reset to the lowest glaive art move. Shielding is the same button for Noct's phasing or defending button which is the square on PS4. Gladio holds up a shield. You can kind of parry with it and it may trigger you to press the counter attack with O or circle on PS4. If Cor is nearby you can do a linkstrike move with him. As you complete trials you get new moves to go along with the blocking and glaive arts.
The final boss is Gilgamesh who tests Lucis kings' shields like Gladio. It seemed no one has ever passed his test. His boss fight is rather Dark Souls like so it is quite neat. And since it is Gilgamesh, the Battle at the Big Bridge song is played during his fight. The music in the dlc is done by the same composer who does NieR Automata and it is definitely of the same style. I really like it so I highly recommend giving it a listen since it is on youtube as well.
Once you beat Gilamesh you have completed the dlc, but you unlock some new modes. One is the timed score attack which you go through the whole dlc by yourself in a speedrun fashion. Each trial is a checkpoint so you don't have to redo the whole thing if you didn't make it. Items are also limited. It will score you based on combos and such and if you get higher 500,000 or high you unlock the shirtless Gladio look to your main game. The second mode is the Final Trial. This is were you can fight Cor and you have very little items, and by the far the most difficult boss this game has made. The limited items does make you use skill. I have yet to actually beat it but I don't think there's a item reward for completing it.
Overall, I rather enjoyed this dlc more than I expected. While it only took me an hour and a half to do the story side, the side modes would add more gameplay options. I still want to try to beat Cor.
0 comments: