Parents' Guide to Final Fantasy XV: A New Empire

The app store text for this strategy app calls it "the largest open world MMO in the series," so it's funny then that it feels so small. Final Fantasy games are huge in scale, and fans of them have come to expect hundreds of hours of gameplay with super-model heroes, gorgeous graphics, and complex storylines. Final Fantasy XV: A New Empire gives them none of this, and because of it, is highly disappointing.

The first thing you'll notice is how ugly it is. Compared to Final Fantasy's film-quality, over-the-top graphics, everything here is blocky, plain, and ugly. Gameplay is equally boring. The app does almost nothing to explain your overall objective or your means of achieving it, and the in-game chat is full of people asking for help. (It's also full of crude, immature players answering with sexist and homophobic remarks.) All you can do is perform an endless stream of tedious, repetitive build "quests." As the resource numbers tick up, you might mix things up by tapping to upgrade a hero's skill or sending your army to attack another empire, but it's all so abstract. No heart-stopping battles or nail-biting suspense here; the most fun you'll have is watching mean-spirited idiots call each other rude names in chat (or watching your money disappear into the in-game shop.) A New Empire ultimately betrays the Final Fantasy brand, offering none of its visual wonder and precious little fun.