ANIME REVIEW: Kingsglaive — Final Fantasy XV (2016)

Shaun Watson
4 min readNov 19, 2023

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I haven’t played a Final Fantasy game in a very long time, not since Final Fantasy 12 for the PS2 many years after its release. Keeping up with the franchise is just not as fun as it used to be, and I barely play the games. I didn’t make it past the 25% mark in FF12 because I found other things to do. That said, on a recent errand I picked up a DVD (remember physical media? LOL) of the companion film to the 2016 video game Final Fantasy XV for the PS4. It concerns the same world and global situation faced by the heroes of the game, but follows a different group of protagonists — an elite group of soldiers called the Kingsglaive.

Nyx (left) helps the injured King Regis (right) and Princess Lunafreya (far right).

The Kingsglaive organization follows the commands of King Regis of Lucia (played by Sean Bean, HBO’s “Game of Thrones” [TV], Equilibrium, Jupiter Ascending), using the magic granted by him to defend the kingdom from the Niflheim Empire — a technologically advanced nation who is at war with Lucia. Our main protagonist is Nyx Ulric (Aaron Paul, HBO’s “Westworld” [TV], AMC’s “Breaking Bad” [TV]), a special operative who — like most Kingsglaive members — can teleport wherever he throws his knife and cast magic spells. Nyx serves as well as he can, but he has a chip on his shoulder made bigger every day by the locals that resent his status as an immigrant.
Further backstory is involved as to how he comes into contact with Princess Lunafreya (played by Lena Headey, Dredd, Zack Snyder’s 300, HBO’s “Game of Thrones” [TV]), which makes him her guardian but also forces him to stop a plot by the Niflheim Empire to betray Lucia during a peace treaty signing. There’s airships, MagiTech, mentions of Chocobos, morbols, Ahrimans, a new Weapon in the line of Ruby and Emerald from Final Fantasy VII, magic crystals, the “Knights of the Round” summon, and a deep cut about hairpins (a type of accessory equipment in the Final Fantasy franchise), and the big fiery showdown with lots of massive destruction that involves sacrifice for the greater whole. It’s bog-standard Final Fantasy, but it barely involves the main characters from the game — just the secondary and tertiary ones. This allows it to focus and get very emotional with the characters on screen…a note we’ll touch on later.

Introducing…DIAMOND WEAPON!

I recall this game being derided by gamers as “Final Fantasy: Boy Band Simulator” because the main character and his party are just a bunch of handsome young guys goofing about in a convertible sportscar. While the focus unduly rested on the main party’s unconventional good looks instead of the INSANE effects and lighting on display for the summons (looking at you, Ramuh the Fulgurian), the same cannot be said for the characters in Kingsglaive. In this movie, the particle effects match or exceed what’s in the game but are inconsistent on facial animations and voice acting. Sometimes the faces look so very real — Square Enix has come a long way since the 2001 animation Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within — and other times the faces fall back to the level of dead-eyed automatons. The saving grace is chiefly the main voice talent who infuse life into every line, but that does not carry over for every role — some lines are so badly done they are reminiscent of Final Fantasy X’s laughing scene with the main protagonist Tidus (you know the one). The visual design put together by the Japanese art team is a very close second as it blends the medieval world with the modern world, and dovetails with the visual design for Final Fantasy XV.

While not as anticipated as the 2005 animation Final Fantasy: Advent Children, this animation is an engaging and wonderful addition to the 3D movies commissioned by Square Enix. Is there a reason to watch this movie or own it? No, but it’s a non-offensive way to kill a few hours — especially if you haven’t played the game.

CHOICE CUTS:

  • The rebellion subplot. You have to watch the movie to understand what I’m talking about, and I will not spoil it for you.
  • I feel as if Lena Headey was poorly cast for Lunafreya. She can emote with her voice very well, but it wasn’t working with the character model provided.
  • The introduction of the Magitech Troopers in this animation was amazing!
  • The product placement by Audi was not missed.

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Shaun Watson
Shaun Watson

Written by Shaun Watson

Writing from a need to get my notes from Facebook to a place where someone can see them, I hope you like my stuff.

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