A King's Tale: Final Fantasy XV is a short prequel story to the main game. This was originally exclusive to one of the special editions of Final Fantasy XV but was later released for free to everyone. A King's Tale has the simple plot of King Regis telling a young Noctis a bedtime story to help him sleep. Instead of a normal fairytale, Regis tells one of his past exploits. You then play the role of Regis as he defeats hordes of monsters that has invaded the palace and tries to find out the significance of the crystals.
The game is done in an 8 bit graphical style similar to older games in the series. The story is told via short cutscenes as well as dialogue textboxes popping up after you defeat the waves of enemies. This is a sidescrolling beat 'em up game with light attacks, heavy attacks, shield bash and dodge roll as your basic abilities. You'll chain together various attacks against a variety of monsters who require different strategies. For example, you attack the Iron Giant from behind after it attacks or you shield bash the skeletons before you unleash your full combo.
You also have the ability to cast magic, selecting one of the three main elements. This requires MP which you can gain from defeated enemies. Charging longer will provide a more powerful magic spell that gives you effects too such as slowing the enemy down from using ice magic. Lastly, you have companions that join you on the journey and after getting a high enough combo chain you can call them in for a special attack. Call all three and then unleash your own special attack will make it a lot more powerful.
Surprisingly for a free game, it is quite addictive albeit easy. You can finish the story in around 1 to 1.5 hours so it is not long at all but this meant that it does not outstay its welcome. The music is quite good. After the story, Dream Battles are unlocked. These are specific challenges and they can be quite tough. The winning condition is often a handicap such as not using magic or calling upon your companions. There are 25 of these and can take a while to finish.
Overall, while the story is inconsequential, the gameplay is fast paced and heaps of fun. The short length allows it to not outstay its welcome due to the constant unlocking of new abilities. The additional challenges add in plenty more replayability, A King's Tale: Final Fantasy XV is well worth your time.
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