Episode Gladio

[Dionysos]

Has anyone played this yet?

I read a few criticisms of it which complained that it didn't reveal much about Gladio or Cor, but I disagree. I think it really helps to flesh out their characters.

We learn how Cor got his nickname 'The Immortal' - and a rather ironic nickname too which humanises his character. We also finally learn why Gladio left the party when he did and why this trial was so important to him rather than just being a trivial little dungeon.

I love this very grounded interpretation of Gilgamesh... This isn't the cross-dimensional clown that we are used to seeing. This Gilgamesh is a serious, sinister figure. The build up to the encounter is quite effective as you walk down paths and corridors strewn with the corpses of thousands of your unsuccessful predecessors .


The DLC is short, and it really shouldn't be a paid DLC in my opinion... I think it should be a free update to the game just like Chapter 13 Verse 2. Yes, the Gladio episode is self-contained and can stand alone, but it wouldn't have been entirely out of place in the game itself if they'd let us play this moment when Gladio leaves the party (or as a flashback at the moment when the party ask him how he got the scar upon his return).

Basically we really need to slot this DLC into our memories of FFXV in order to help us put together the jigsaw that is the complete story of FFXV.

I really quite like the gameplay of Gladio... It is very different to Noctis, and I suspect that this is one of the honest reasons that we didn't get to play segments from the perspective of other party members in the main game until recently as the mechanics were not yet in place...

What are your thoughts of Episode Gladio?

 

[FinalxxSin]

I'm fine with Gladio's DLC being something that got charged for. For me, the price is worth it. The chapter 13 verse 2 was probably added partially to deal with some of the criticisms toward the chapter. Hopefully nobody is expecting all of the updates to be free since there are going to be mid term and long term plans.

 

[Dionysos]

I'm fine with Gladio's DLC being something that got charged for. For me, the price is worth it. The chapter 13 verse 2 was probably added partially to deal with some of the criticisms toward the chapter. Hopefully nobody is expecting all of the updates to be free since there are going to be mid term and long term plans.

I wouldn’t expect every DLC to be free, I just think that playing Episode Gladio turns out to be quite important to Gladio’s character development in FFXV and that people who don’t want to spend the money on it will be missing out.

By the looks of things Episode Prompto will be more standalone than Episode Gladio in the sense that it might be dealing with something which didn't leave too big a hole in the story with its absence.

It would be a bit like if FFVII only released the section where Cid Highwind is the party leader as a DLC later on, and the game itself skipped straight to Cloud. Or it would be like a version of FFIX where you only play the parts with Zidane, with the many other scenes only being available months later in the form of various DLC.

Episode Gladio does work as a standalone DLC and it isn't that I feel ripped off at all, but it could also have worked as part of the game as a completed whole, and that’s my only issue with it. FFXV felt rushed and incomplete and Gladio’s temporary disappearance was a big part of that… Now people have to pay to see something which could and perhaps should have been shown during the game itself.

Still though, I loved Episode Gladio. FFXV's story execution is being improved bit by bit.

 

[Linnaete]

I obviously can't comment on the gameplay content because I haven't played it. I only watched it to see whether the writing conjures up anything interesting and compelling with these two characters. In the end I just feel this whole DLC story is dull and violates the principle of Chekhov's Gun.

The whole point is for Gladiolus to not only salvage a beaten pride according to Cor (which is odd, because Gladiolus never came across to me as someone who would put stock into his own personal pride when his family's duty has always been to the king), but also to become stronger because Ravus managed to rough him up and he fears being a shield that can protect naught. The story outcome of this DLC outside of the new scar carries no actual lasting consequences or payoff when you look back at the canonical timeline of the game's story following his reinstatement back in the party. At no point in the game proper has he ever doubted his ability to serve, nor does he ever have a moment of introspection about himself, his worth and how far he has developed. If a player pauses the game after Gladiolus's departure to explore this DLC, they would reasonably but erroneously think this whole arduous trial is building up to something. Yet he never even has a chance to settle the score with Ravus to 'redeem' himself and put an actual conclusion to this really limp side story. So as a story scenario it's contrived as heck and lacks serialisation because it doesn't lead to anything meaningful.

There's also my qualms with Gladiolus and Cor as a team. They are depressingly boring men here, marred by truly uninspiring dialogue. It's good that they at least attempt to flesh Cor's backstory out with his recanting of the time he tried to undertake the trial only to flee with his tail between his legs. Gladiolus in turn inquires about his late father and why he never attempted. But that's essentially it. Nothing more is really shared on a personal, intimate level. Perhaps it's for the best; if Gladiolus is to intimately discuss his personal feelings and his family's story at length, it's best done around a campfire with friends than with a rather miserable man who may as well be a distant stranger while they both solemnly hold pots of Cup Noodles. It doesn't mean this filler DLC episode is disastrous in terms of writing, but it's certainly one of the least inspired and pedestrian things I've seen in a while.

 

[Dionysos]

I think there is meaning in it. Gladio needed to make sure that he was the best Shield of the king as possible. Of all time even. This trial was critical to that aim. It wasn't just about his pride but it was about serving Noctis efficiently.

Merely serving as he had been would still be serving his king well, but Gladio needed to make sure that he was the best Shield because it was becoming more and more obvious that Noctis was the Chosen / True King of lore to bring an end to the Starscourge.

I don't think that Gladio necessarily held a personal grudge against Ravus himself, but getting beaten by him shocked him that there may be times ahead where he might not deliver on his duty. Gladio wanted to avoid this and so undertook this trial. It is the ultimate trial for any Shield of the king as nobody has succeeded before.

In a way he did sort of get vengeance against Ravus (or against the idea of getting defeated by Ravus). Did anybody notice how Gilgamesh looked like Ravus and even had an arm missing like Ravus (minus Regis' glaive)? I thought they were going for something there but maybe not. I thought it was bringing it closer to home for Gladio and that his defeating of Gilgamesh was a symbolic triumph over his earlier failure.

But Gladio is such an easy going guy that he would make anything seem like it meant nothing. Personally I think this meant a great deal to him.

 

[FinalxxSin]

I wouldn’t expect every DLC to be free, I just think that playing Episode Gladio turns out to be quite important to Gladio’s character development in FFXV and that people who don’t want to spend the money on it will be missing out.

Given what's contained within the episode itself, I can't see eye to eye with you.
@53:30

You felt FFXV was rushed, so trying to shoehorn in something that originally ended up not being decided on to be in FFXV at all would have made the product feel even more rushed to you by its release date. Gladio's episode from a story aspect is the least impacting of the three. The course of FFXV primarily focuses on things from Noctis' outlook. In that regard, in combination with Kingsglaive and Brotherhood there is a complete experience. This may be irrelevant to you, but FFXV at day one was already pushing the 50 GB limit. Naturally, with that limit being exceeded you should expect to be charged for things which in this case includes the other Chocobros episodes. At least with them being released like they are, it's very unlikely that they'll be different than intended.

 

[Dionysos]

Given what's contained within the episode itself, I can't see eye to eye with you.
@53:30

You felt FFXV was rushed, so trying to shoehorn in something that originally ended up not being decided on to be in FFXV at all would have made the product feel even more rushed to you by its release date. Gladio's episode from a story aspect is the least impacting of the three. The course of FFXV primarily focuses on things from Noctis' outlook. In that regard, in combination with Kingsglaive and Brotherhood there is a complete experience. This may be irrelevant to you, but FFXV at day one was already pushing the 50 GB limit. Naturally, with that limit being exceeded you should expect to be charged for things which in this case includes the other Chocobros episodes. At least with them being released like they are, it's very unlikely that they'll be different than intended.

That’s a hardware issue and I guess because they decided to focus on sidequests and free-roaming above story. They ran out of space because of everything else using it up, not because they had told a long story.

By the way I think that FFXV’s story is one of the best FF stories so far, I just think that the way that they decided to tell the story (from Noctis’ perspective and not showing us much of the rest) wasn’t as effective at telling the story as the way that other Final Fantasy games have told their stories. To get the complete story you do need to watch / play all of the other FFXV related media, and I guess that is my point.

I’m not as fussed about this as I appear to be by talking about it here. I’m being critical on the DLC thing only because I know that so many people have been negative about the game and I know that they aren’t going to want to pay for DLC / are going to be entirely negative about it. If the episode in this DLC had been in the game then more people might have warmed to it as it does enhance the character of Gladio.

I don’t know though, maybe I’m in the minority with how I interpreted the importance of Episode Gladio. It seemed quite important to me. Gilgamesh is a clear add on, but Gladio always went away in the game and this part of the story always needed to be told eventually. It was too noticeable a gap. I loved how they used Gilgamesh to tell it, but it could easily have been some other extremely powerful ancient warrior. Maybe I’m giving it more credit than it is due.

It’s not that I’m saying that this is cut content. I’m not saying that I believe that they ever intended to tell the story of Gladio as I am aware that they always intended to tell the story from Noctis' perspective. I’m just saying that the story suffers a lot for this decision not to tell the story, and a lot of people noticed the absence of Gladio and found it to be a big gap in the plot. That they neglected to tell certain parts of the story was one of the main frustrations that many players experienced with the game. If this section had been worked into the game then that would have gone towards fixing that.

As it is many people are still waiting for the complete FFXV experience. We’re slowly seeing more and more of the scenes which the game hinted at but never showed to us. I’m glad that they are doing it and I am still looking forward to the next one (Kenny Crow ).