At E3 last week one of the big surprises we witnessed was the transformation of the long delayed and almost forgotten Final Fantasy Versus XIII changing into the main numeral franchise, Final Fantasy XV. It was suspected this might happen but we were never sure.
At the Sony E3 press conference we were introduced to this. We had a few trailers shown of an updated version of Final Fantasy XV, showcasing a new trailer and Square Enix later showed a gameplay trailer..
ANNOUNCEMENT TRAILER OF FINAL FANTASY XV
So did we find out anything new about the game from the newest updates? Well we do know it will kick ass on the next generation consoles Playstation 4 and Xbox One, where previously it was a Playstation 3 exclusive for the a long time, dating back to 2006.
GAMEPLAY
Final Fantasy XV will be a lot more action packed than any of the previous installments, but will contain the traditional RPG elements. It’s always seemed that the Final Fantasy series was heading this way, I guess it’s no surprise really with as early as Final Fantasy XII on the PS2, changing its gameplay into a more MMO style role-playing game than the traditional japanese style of it’s counterparts.
Then Final Fantasy XIII continued the high emphasis on action yet still keep its RPG style in place. It looks like Square Enix want to accelerate the pace of the gameplay because perhaps that’s where the future is headed, where modernized games seem to be heading.
The Clean Up Crew
I have not had an issue where Square have been heading, the first sights of the Final Fantasy XIII gameplay and battles blew my mind away. As long as the traditional rpg style elements are still in place, I believe it’s a good direction step.
Here with Final Fantasy XV the action has really taken stage it reminds me more of the Final Fantasy XII battle system, and most particularly the Kingdom Heart series but more free-roam available. Also to the point where you could call it a action-rpg rather than just a RPG game.
THE CONCEPT
Final Fantasy XV looks very different to its previous titles, with a darker tone and a open world look atmosphere. If you have been following all the footage that has been released, you can see huge environments where the player can run around, whether that be free-roam or just large scale areas we don’t know yet.
As I mentioned earlier Final Fantasy XV will be heavily action driven, but it’s been said you will be able to highly customise your battle system to change the way you want to play. The game’s focus on emotion and believable characters and creating a lot more realistic approach in this way along with the world itself.
No shortage of water here!
You will be controlling in third person view, and be able to take multiple paths to get towards your destinations thanks to the large scale environments. It looks like all those complaints about Final Fantasy XIII and it’s linearity are at full effect here. The player will be able to use cars, chocobos and airships and they will be a world map.
A day and night will be implemented and depending on the time of day different monsters will show up. Also mentioned there will be cutscenes in real time where you can control your character and interact real time events. Not all of them will be though.
THE STORY PLOT
Final Fantasy XV is set with the mythos of the Fabula Nova Crystallis series where It revolves around the divine beings and the I’Cie. The game is set in a modern time era in a technologically advanced city known as Lucis. It holds the last crystal which the surrounding citys have lost due on ongoing conflicts in war.
The nation of Niflheim invades Lucis to get the last remaining crystal, even though they had a peace treaty signed just after the last cold war. They manage to steal the crystal from Lucis and it’s upto you to retrieve it back before they leave the city.
- I want your shiny!
I want your shiny!
The plot reminds me a bit of Final Fantasy IV, and also a bit of Final Fantasy XII. Before the cold war broke out it seems that every major kingdom had their own crystal, granting them power, technology etc. But due to the greediness they wanted more crystals and decided to invade one another, but in the process have destroyed the crystals.
Looks like Final Fantasy XV will feature many kingdoms which you will most likely visit to whether on friendly terms or hostile. Also the scale is set pretty high, so expect lots of characters and large events to unfold during the game.
CHARACTERS
Here is what we know on the characters on FFXV:
Noctis Lucis Caelum – Our main protagonist. He is a prince and son of Regis Lucis Caelum. Noctis isn’t a outspoken person, he normally uses his body language to shown his expressions. He possesses special abilities that allow him control multiple magical swords and use them for both offense and protection. Using this ability causes his eyes to change to red.
Regis Lucis Caelum – Father of Noctis Lucis Caelum. Regis is the king of a mafia-like royal family who has guarded the crystals for generations. He is the last to rule over a crystal and the kingdom of Nifheim invades the city of Lucis trying to take it. Regis also possesses special sword abilities.
Stella Nox Fleure – Daughter of the kingdom of Tenebrae. Noctis meets Stella during the game where they both share a path of fate. Because of this both are bounded together yet have different reactions because of the unfolding events. Stella is known to be very sincere and well behaved. Yet when troubles arise she would rather face them head on rather than run away.
Gladiolus Amicitia – An eldest son of a household that has been protecting the crystal for generations. Gladiolus has been a close friend and brother like figure to Noctis as they’ve grown up. He is tall and is well built and acts a leadership role with Noctis and the team. He is a playable character in the game.
Ignis Stupeo Scientia – A childhood friend of both Noctis and Gladiolus. Ignis acts as the strategist for the royal family and of the group and acts as a confident for Noctis. Ignia will advise on the best scenarios and be the idealistic decision maker when it comes to make tough choices. Acts mostly very serious but in a cool, calm collected manner. Will be a playable character.
Prompto Argentum – Also a childhood friend and bad influence of Noctis. Prompto is actually a wanted felon from another Kingdom and carries firearms as his weapon of choice. The city of Lucis doesn’t allow firearms but Prompto seems to ignore this, and probably can get away with it since of his close ties with Noctis. Acts as a playful character of the group.
Cor Leonis – Acts as the head guard of the royal family. He is known to be among the strongest warriors in Lucis. His attitude towards Noctis and the group is very harsh but is a man of true honor towards his family and the king. Acts as a playable character.
FINAL RUNDOWN
There has been a fair few trailers out now showing bits and pieces of Versus XIII / Final Fantasy XV now. Much is still unknown involving the story but at this point I think we’re pretty eagar just to have the game shipped out and have us gamers play it already! After all it’s been in development since early 2006.
But we’ll have to wait a little longer. Now coming to next generation consoles we mostly won’t get our hands on FFXV to 2014 most likely. But the trailers did wow us at E3 so it’s shaping up to be a very different and ambitious Final Fantasy, but we’ve known it for a very long time and can’t wait till we know when we can finally expect it. Release Date Please!
