While down sick recently, we took some time to get personally acquainted with the new Final Fantasy XV video game. Though not The Auto Reporter’s usual fare, it is a seriously car person game.

final-fantasy-xv-regalia-4
Noct looks at the Regalia while stopping at old Lestallum’s gas station.

To start out, you’re playing Prince Noctis “Noct” Lucis Caelum and you are on your way to cement your marriage to a neighboring nation by joining hands with Princess Lunafreya Nox Fleuret.

You set off at command of King Regis Lucis Caelum CXII, your dad, in the Regalia.

I call mine the Rollserati Regalia. Why? Because it sounds awesome.

It’s an aggressive looking vehicle with a wide front fascia, long body, automated drop top and roomy seating for royalty. You can either drive it yourself, or have one of your men in waiting (Ignis) drive you around like a true Rollserati owner.

The Regalia starts off as a black car, but as you move through the game you’ll collect minerals for paints, new decals and custom designs, new wheel designs and performance upgrades. (We’re currently stuck at the mission for the supercharger due to it being outside our area.)

At the first town you come to, called Hammerhead, you’ll meet Cindy. Cindy, daughter of Cid, upgrades and customizes the Regalia at the garage in Hammerhead and sends you on missions for upgrades.

Noct (left) and Cindy (right) chat about upgrades to the Regalia just outside of Hammerhead’s garage.

The first Cindy mission will garner a wax that decreased the Regalia’s thirst for fuel, the second is a supercharger. The car’s final upgrade is the Type-F, but we don’t have that yet.

Those who like an eyeful of female bounty will enjoy filling up at the Hammerhead fuel station (see gallery below…). It’s better than when I saw Noct leaning on the car during refueling… Don’t sit on the car! You’ll ruin my nice two-tone paint scheme and I just had Cindy wash and wax the thing!

You can get into accidents in the Regalia, and the repairs from Cindy are cheap.

From the beginning of the games, there is an explorable open-world with the usual array of RPG quests, monster fights, dungeons and more. While players must go forward in the story line to unlock new locations, they can still explore the realm at their pace.

The whole crew seen on the streets of Lestallum; (from left to right) Gladiolus, Noct, Ignis and Pompto.

Aside from road trips and a custom car, there are other cars in the game. Cars that look like they’re from the 30s, 50s, 60s, and beyond. From small four door sedans to long land yachts or even old school-looking pickup trucks. Go to new areas and other cars seem to be more dominant. Check out the Nissan Cup Noodle truck in Lestallum.

The background car scenery is just to die for in this game, which was an unexpected yet welcome surprise (we don’t read previews of games or movies as we dislike spoilers…).

So, what do we think of the newest iteration in classic RPG games? We love it! Final Fantasy XV is one of the better games in years, and the fact that its heavily centered on the road trip and cars makes it even more awesome.

For more information about Final Fantasy XV, please head to www.finalfantasyxv.com.