Final Fantasy 15's very last DLC episode gets a release date
Episode Ardyn coming next month.
Final Fantasy 15's final DLC expansion, Episode Ardyn, will release on Xbox One, PS4, and PC on March 26th.
Previous Final Fantasy 15 DLC episodes - that is, Episode Gladiolus, Episode Ignis, and Episode Prompto - have focussed individual character's from the game's core entourage. Episode Ardyn, however, casts its net wider, telling the story of the Niflheim Empire's Chancellor Ardyn Izunia.
Those who've yet to finish the main game should consider everything from here on in to be a carefree jaunt through potential spoiler territory.
According to Square Enix, events of the DLC unfold 35 years prior to the main game, when Verstael Besithia, a Niflheim researcher, releases Ardyn Lucis Caelum from 2,000 years of imprisonment. "Led to the Imperial research facility," explains Square, "Ardyn discovers a certain truth and decides to take revenge upon the Kingdom of Lucis."
Ardyn's quest to infiltrate and destroy Insomnia's Crown City will see the return of some familiar faces, albeit much younger in years, and introduces a number of new mechanics. Ardyn can, for instance, deploy Shadow Move to zip around at high speed, or deploy his Daemonification ability to transform enemies into daemons, rendering them powerless.
Episode Ardyn was originally announced to be the fourth of seven DLC episodes coming to Final Fantasy 15, with the remaining episodes planned to focus on Aranea, Luna and main protagonist Noctis. However, when Hajime Tabata announced his departure from Square Enix at the end of 2018, the publisher made the decision to cancel all instalments after Ardyn.
At the time of the announcement, Square revealed that Episode Ardyn would be accompanied by a "short form anime" focussing on the character. True to its word, this 13-minute prologue is now available, and embedded above. Those with limited time can skip ahead for a brief trailer of gameplay from Final Fantasy 15's concluding DLC episode.