Final Fantasy XV: Windows Edition PC Performance Review

Graphical Quality Comparison  

Again we see that Low settings provide us with an overly bright image which appears rather dull and monotone, especially when looking at the grassy hills. Moving to the game’s medium settings we don’t just see more grass, but we see some much-needed contrast, with lighting that makes the game look a lot more alive than previously. 

An increase in texture detail can also be noted, as well as an increase in shadow resolution. Thankfully the shadows are diffused at low settings, as this avoids a lot of jaggies, though the shadows are by no means pretty. In all, Average settings achieve a much more pleasing visual result.     

(Low VS Average)

  

At high we can see a lot more foliage in the medium distance, as well as another increase in shadow resolution, giving the game a lot more aesthetic appeal. 

Shadow casting is the biggest improvement here, with much sharper edges and a greater draw distance for high-resolution shadow casting. 

(Average VS High)

  

At the game’s highest preset we can finally see the impact of the game’s Geomapping effect, which uses tessellation to give a three-dimensional look to this sandy area, allowing the game’s shadows to deform more realistically over it to deliver surprisingly detailed visuals.  

(High VS Highest)

  

When using Final Fantasy XV’s GameWorks setting we can see again that in-game grass gains a lot of additional detail while ambient occlusion becomes more detailed and shadow edges become slightly more diffuse. 

Nothing in this scene is affected by HairWorks. 

(Highest VS Highest + GameWorks)