Skip to main content

Chocobo Carnival returns and exosuits make a big splash in 'Final Fantasy XV'

If you thought that the heroes of Final Fantasy XV went into battle a little light on the armor side, especially considering their futuristic weaponry, then the 1.13 update will be right up your alley. Not only does it add a new quest and bring back the Moogle Chocobo Carnival temporarily, but it adds powered exosuits to the game, dressing up the protagonists like the hero from the Crysis games.

If you have loosely followed the development of Final Fantasy XV post-release, you may vaguely remember that exosuits were supposed to be added to the game several months ago. What you may not have heard is that a legal scuffle erupted over their similarity to the suits in the 2017 Power Rangers movie, DualShockers reports. Ditching the colors and tweaking the design seems to have sorted that out, so now we have Noctis and pals dressed ready for battle.

ファイナルファンタジーXV 無敵スーツ"魔導インビンシブル"でのプレイ動画

Known as the Magitek Exosuits, these powered exoskeletons give Noctis, Gladio, Prompto, and Ignis 30 minutes of invincibility per day, making it easier to take on some of the game’s toughest enemies. You can continue to wear them afterward, but their ability to block all damage will not reset until the end of the day.

As well as mechanically offering serious protection for your team, the suits look the part too. While they have ditched the colorful homage to the Super Sentai TV show that they are inspired by and therefore have a rather drab palette,  they still feature brightly lit emblems on the chest and back portions of the armor, offering some measure of style along with their augmenting of martial abilities.

Joining the new suits in this update is a new “Cross Chain “collaboration system, which lets players do additional damage to defensive enemies by bolstering the number of linked attacks. You can leverage your new arms and armor in a new quest too, called “O Partner, My Partner.” You can activate it at the Meldacio Hunter HQ once you have completed Chapter 8.

If you are not in a fighting mood though, there is still something for you to enjoy in this latest update. The Moogle Chocobo Carnival is back and will run from Monday through late September, offering the same limited-time mini-games, Chocobo water races, and the carnival special menu items at the Square Enix cafe.

If none of this strikes your fancy, then stay tuned, as the multiplayer-centric “Comrades” update is still in the works and expected to introduce some MMO-lite features to the game.

Jon Martindale
Jon Martindale is the Evergreen Coordinator for Computing, overseeing a team of writers addressing all the latest how to…
Don’t skip over our 5 favorite minigames in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Fort Condor characters

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is not only a fascinating retelling of one of gaming's most beloved titles -- it's also among the most feature-rich games of this generation. From vast open areas to explore that teem with activities to densely populated cities and tense dungeons, there's at least 100 hours worth of content to uncover here if you've got the time and energy to complete it all.

As you work through the game, you'll find that a surprising amount of this playtime sees you engaging with minigames, both to advance the story and just for fun to earn optional rewards. And though there are a few duds scattered along the way -- we're looking at you Gears and Gambits -- most of the minigames you'll encounter offer a unique and enjoyable diversion for Cloud and friends. We've gone through a tough elimination process and decided on our picks for the top five minigames in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
5. Dolphin Course

Read more
Like the best RPGs, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth gets sidequests right
The mayor of Under Junon in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

Among its many highlights, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth makes simple sidequests a lot more engaging than I had expected. Take an early-game sidequest called When Words Won’t Do. On a surface level, it’s a simple escort mission where players must get a dog from Under Junon to Crow’s Nest unscathed. I did not initially have high hopes for this sidequest due to the poor reputation of escort missions; thankfully, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth defied that fate. To make this optional content more worthwhile, Square Enix gave it a strong narrative backbone.

When Words Won’t Do is actually a story about parents struggling to let go of their kids. Under Junon’s mayor sends players on this quest to help her son and unborn grandchild, and Barrett wonders if he’ll ever be able to let Marlene go during the mission. That’s thematically fitting for an escort mission where you can’t keep something out of your sight.

Read more
How long is Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth?
Cloud and his friends overlook a scenic field.

By expanding the Midgar section of Final Fantasy 7 into an entire game, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth finally takes us beyond the walls into the world beyond. This much larger swath of land to explore begs the question of just how big this game will be. Between all the open-world tasks, sidequests, and minigames awaiting in the Gold Saucer, could this game really be a 100-hour experience as was claimed? What if you just tried to focus on the main story to see what has or hasn't changed? We've played through the entirety of Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth and can give you a good idea of just how long it will take you to reach this chapter's conclusion.

Note: We will not be spoiling any story details, but will list how many chapters there are.
How long is Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth?

Read more