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Only available as bundled bonus with Final Fantasy Type-0 HD, the Final Fantasy 15 demo impressed us with the scale of its technological ambition, but fell short in terms of performance. But that's OK for now - the game is still deep in development, after all. Now, in an unprecedented move, Square-Enix has seen fit to update this demo based on real feedback from fans around the world. It's a fascinating new approach to game development from the Japanese giant - and with version 2.0 of Final Fantasy 15 Episode Duscae comes a whole host of improvements and changes.Most of the work is focused on gameplay, but changes to the underlying technology have been made too, resulting in a more polished experience. While still rough around the edges, this Luminous Studio 1.5-powered experience is shaping up as one of the most ambitious titles we've seen so far this generation. Combining a massive open world with full global illumination, advanced animation capabilities, a realistic physically-based materials system, and GPU accelerated particles is no small task. However, with the poor performance observed previously, the question is to what extent the developer's vision is achievable while still handing in an acceptably smooth gameplay experience.
Initial impressions are mostly positive thanks to a much faster, more responsive camera system and controls. Battles play out much more smoothly thanks to an improved lock-on system, faster blocking abilities, and a dodge roll. Unlike the original release, the camera now properly tracks locked-on enemies while simultaneously zooming out, making it much easier to keep track of your targets while surveying the battle at large. These simple tweaks make a tremendous difference in terms of playability, even when the frame-rate falters.
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