'Final Fantasy XV' has killer product placement
Before we get started, while nothing you'll read below has any bearing on Final Fantasy XV's main story, some might construe details of a side quest as spoiler territory. So consider this your spoiler warning.
So. There is an entire quest in Final Fantasy XV that worships at the altar of Nissin's instant ramen noodle snack, Cup Noodles. It is a magical work of product placement that's so inappropriate and out-of-place that it actually works.
It all starts when you reach the first major city in the game. As you climb out of your car and step out of the car park, a familiar logo comes into view.
Later on in the game, Gladiolus, one of your allies, notices the truck and freaks out. He wants to go there. Walk up to the Cup Noodles truck after that, and the magic of Nissin's product placement starts to reveal itself.
My only regret in all of this is that I didn't save right before the quest started, and thus have no way of seeing what result the other responses would have brought.
Your next step in the quest,assuming you chose "meat," is to hunt down a ferocious creature and gather your bonus ingredient. I've skipped past that bit here -- it's just a fight, nothing special -- and skipped forward to the aftermath.
Once you fell the beast, Gladiolus suggests making camp and cooking up the meat with some Cup Noodles bowls.
Final Fantasy XV's cooking provides various stat bonuses. The Cup Noodles dish is hardly a game-changer compared to some of the more complex creations you can prepare, but you do get a cute, little cutscene in which your crew enjoys its hot meal.
The capper to this glorious quest comes the morning after, when all three of your allies (but mostly Gladiolus) preach the virtues of Cup Noodles. It's almost like they're reading from a prepared script....
It's worth noting: Nissin's Cup Noodles are very popular in Japan. There's even an entire museum dedicated to the instant ramen brand.
This product placement feels hilariously out of place in Final Fantasy XV's universe, but it's more entertaining than irritating. The game plays it perfectly straight, really going out of its way to embrace the ridiculousness of a script that might as well have been pulled from a TV ad.
Well played, Square Enix and Nissin. We approve.
Topics Gaming Advertising
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
