The Google Stadia version of Final Fantasy 15 has exclusive minigames that aren’t quite on par with the rest of the game.
Final Fantasy 15 was one of the big launch titles for Google’s game streaming service, Stadia, when it launched in November 2019. It came with all the DLC and an exclusive “Crazy Challenge” minigame collection that’s meant to entice players to check out the Stadia version.
But a Twitter thread (pointed out by USGamer) containing gameplay videos of two of the minigames shows that they’re of… questionable quality.
noctis r u ok#FinalFantasyXV #crazychallenges #Stadia pic.twitter.com/iBmz2ms81m
— Noah Sanchez (@realnoahsan) March 8, 2020
There are four minigame challenges in total, which you have to select from the main menu, rather than find as you explore the RPG’s world. They are Challenge Rally, Expert Duel, Endless Magitek Armor, and Magna Flight.
Expert Duel adds fights to the game that were previously only available in the multiplayer expansion Comrades. The Endless Magitek Armor challenge puts you in an exosuit as you try to defeat as many enemies as possible within the time limit.
The Twitter thread focuses on the other two minigames which both make use of the game’s vehicles. Unfortunately, the vehicle physics in Final Fantasy 15 are pretty shoddy and this causes issues, which are sometimes hilarious.
Challenge Rally
I think something is up with the physics lol pic.twitter.com/JFRMgHtARS
— Noah Sanchez (@realnoahsan) March 8, 2020
Challenge Rally tasks you with driving the Regalia Type-D, the monster truck version of the vehicle, around tracks that are fraught with hazards. The problems begin if you drive the monster truck into anything solid as it’s prone to flipping over and getting flung into the air.
I would have quit if it weren’t for that groovy Chocobo guy cheering me on in the beginning. I had to do it for him! pic.twitter.com/f21IkEY3O2
— Noah Sanchez (@realnoahsan) March 8, 2020
Shout out to the person dressed up in a chocobo outfit who cheers you on at the start and end of the track. What a hero.
Magna Flight
Up next is this flying challenge where you have to fly the Regalia “Type-F” and collect tons of cars and soldiers with your ship for points before heading to the finish line. This is… um pic.twitter.com/RSFvyTSMOB
— Noah Sanchez (@realnoahsan) March 8, 2020
Magna Flight has you flying the Regalia Type-F, which is its flight mode. In this particular challenge, you have to fly around while picking up vehicles and soldiers and take them to drop-off points.
The vehicle physics don’t seem to be as much of an obstruction in this minigame. However the vehicles collect in a heap underneath the Regalia Type-F, clipping through each other.
Here’s a look at Noctis emptying all his trash, I mean prizes onto the Hammerhead base! Cid & Cindy didn’t even bat an eye. Noct left before they could say anything! (Do you notice him flying away at the end)#FinalFantasyXV #Stadia #CrazyChallenges pic.twitter.com/M21UD4Utck
— Noah Sanchez (@realnoahsan) March 8, 2020
Probably the most hilarious clip comes when the player reaches the finish line and all the vehicles and soldiers are dropped off at the Hammerhead base. There’s no care given here – some just bounce off the floor and then float in the air.
One person’s response to seeing these videos is to compare Final Fantasy 15’s minigames to the 2006 Sonic the Hedgehog game. It included sections in which you play as Shadow the Hedgehog in various vehicles, including a hang glider with a gun that was tricky to steer.
Wait a sec, that’s just the Shadow hang-glider section from Sonic ’06!!
— Star Catinum (@nivrap_nobody) March 8, 2020
Another person compared the minigames to Superman 64, which was notoriously buggy, sometimes letting you accidentally fly through walls.
Ooooh, they included Superman 64 with FFXV, bold move
— massoluk – Localize Ishin and Kenzan, SEGA (@massoluk) March 8, 2020
It’s been a few months since Stadia’s rough launch, and while the platform still has a way to go, there’s the promise of more games coming soon. Stadia’s first-party games are being made by Assassin’s Creed talent and the former God of War executive producer.
Our Google Stadia review gave it a 6, and said that it “impresses with image quality and its flexibility across all platforms, but the service isn’t ready yet.” As to our Final Fantasy 15, that got an 8.2 in our review, so don’t write the whole game off due to these minigames.
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Chris Priestman is a freelancer who writes news for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.
Source: IGN.com Final Fantasy 15's Stadia-Exclusive Minigames Are Hilariously Buggy