The Ardyn DLC DLC of Final Fantasy XV has made me a fan of the villain

Final Fantasy XVThe last slice of downloadable content and its animated prologue changed my perception of the game's naughty antagonist. Ardyn Izunia is not only a much nicer character now, but he is also a rascal who completely converts warp and converts demons. .

Do not expect Final Fantasy XV: Episode Ardyn, available today at $ 10 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Steam, is a daunting challenge. This is not there to present players a last hurdle to overcome. It's about who Ardyn is, understanding why he's angry and releasing that anger in an extremely satisfying way. In order to set the stage for this two-hour episode, we're going to have to mess up Ardyn's story a bit.

During Final Fantasy XVThe main story of Ardyn Izunia is Ardyn Lucis Caelum, one of the first in the Lucis Caelum range. Young man, Ardyn was a wandering healer, helping to curb the spread of the murderous Starscourge among the inhabitants of the planet Eos by taking their infection into him. Meanwhile, his younger brother Somnus gathered the infected and killed them. When the time came for the magic crystal to choose which of the two would be the king of Lucis, he rejected Ardyn because of his corruption of Starscourge, choosing Somnus as founding king. Ardyn, overwhelmed by anger, let Starscourge take hold, which gave him the power to demonize and absorb other beings to win him and make him immortal. A battle ensues between the two brothers, during which Ardyn's fiancée, Aera Mirus Fleuret, is killed while trying to protect him. After triumphing over his grieving brother, Somnus had Ardyn locked for 2,000 years, erasing any proof of his existence.

Awakened two millennia later by Verstael Besithia of the enemy nation of Niflheim, Ardyn uses his demonic power to force the mighty Astral of fire Ifrit to run and heads to the capital Lucom, Insomnia, to take revenge on the line of Lucis Caelum. And you would not know it, it's just in time for the coronation of Noctis's father, Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII.

Ardyn's rage is fully justified. The man has spent 2,000 years caring for the memory of his beloved murdered. This is bad enough, but the events revealed in the narrative cinematic scenes of the DLC only worsen the situation. I hate it for Ardyn now. He seemed to be such a nice and selfless guy. To be transformed into someone who wears a fedora is not fair.

Episode Ardyn takes Niflheim's character awakening players to his fierce attack on Insomnia. Although some battles of isolated tutorials lead to it, Ardyn's assault on the capital Lucis is the scene of the action. The villain slips on the floor and along the sides of the buildings in the form of smoke, crossing effortlessly the silhouette of the city.

Meetings with enemy soldiers are quick and vicious. Ardyn fights to neutralize and then uses his demonizing power to transform and absorb enemies, converting them into APs to invest in his limited skill tree. As appropriate due to its sardonic and spiritual nature, he makes provocative comments as he ships his opponents with ruthless efficiency. He barely needs to call ifrit to help him, but he does it because it's fun.

Ardyn's goal inside the city is basically a mini Far cry situation. A series of shields scattered throughout the city prevents Niflheim's forces from integrating. To disable them, Ardyn must destroy the components of each transmitter, then overthrow a powerful guardian. Once the guard is down, treasures, enemies and shops appear in this part of the city plan.

Yes, there are hat stores. One of the most important features of downloadable content is the ability to buy hats. Hats for construction. Party hat. Santa Claus hats. All hats. Each hat enhances some abilities or statistics while moving them away from others. More importantly, each hat appears during cutscenes. Nothing like facing a powerful enemy while wearing something festive.

The characterization is remarkable. The scenario is intriguing and adds a new important facet to the story of the game. The action is exquisite. If it's the end of Final Fantasy XVThe downloadable content – and by all indications, is – it's a good ending.

Did I mention Ardyn gets a sniper rifle? Ardyn gets a sniper rifle. I should have run with that.