What We Know About ‘Final Fantasy XV’: Magic, Characters, And Gameplay Spoilers

What was once called Final Fantasy Versus XIII is now officially Final Fantasy XV, and after almost 10 years in the making, what can we really expect from the huge new Final Fantasy title that’s been keeping Square Enix very busy and very secretive?

Inquisitr creates a roundup of what to expect from Final Fantasy XV, what it learned from the failure of Final Fantasy XIII, and what it’s introducing new to the Final Fantasy franchise.

Development

Final Fantasy XV was originally called Final Fantasy Versus XIII when it was announced alongside Final Fantasy XIII at the E3 conference in 2006. It was also originally developed for PlayStation 3 but come E3 2013, it became Final Fantasy XV and was already targeted to come out in PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. As of date, director Hajime Tabata confirmed a release date of 2016, but further details will be revealed at the Pax Prime in Seattle on August 29. A demo for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 called Final Fantasy XV Episode Duscae is already available for download at the official website for those who purchased the Day One edition of the Final Fantasy Type-0 HD.

Characters

Final Fantasy XV will be a sausage fest. As of now, the only playable character that we know of is the protagonist of the title, Noctis Lucis Caelum. Noctis is the crown prince of the throne of Lucis, the last kingdom to have control over the crystals. He dons the signature Final Fantasy hero hairdo, a jet black chicken hair resembling Jack Fair from Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII and black version of Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.

Supporting Noctis are his fellow bro-tagonists, Ignis Stupeo Scientia, Gladiolus Amicitia, and Prompto Argentum. They will be the primary people in Noctis’ party as you go along the storyline. Final Fantasy XV director Hajime Tabata says that the decision to create an all-male party is because they feel an all-male party is more approachable to players. Final Fantasy XV aims “to give the most natural feeling, to make them feel sincere and honest; having them all the same gender made sense in that way.”

Another interesting piece of character information is a deleted character named Stella Nox Fleuret. She first appeared in the promotional material for Final Fantasy Versus XIII but on an Active Time Report last June, it was announced that she was already reworked to create a new and improved character, Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, a fiancée to Noctis in a politically arranged marriage.

Battle and Magic

In an interview with Tabata for Spieletester, it was revealed that one of the new developments in the new Final Fantasy title is the magic element native to the Final Fantasy franchise. Final Fantasy XV magic won’t come directly from the characters’ hands unlike before, but will be activated only by special rings found throughout the story. As of this August, Tabata confirms that magic is still at 60 percent completion and the team is still improving on its visual aspect. There will also be a more spontaneous change of weapons, with no need to go back to the title screen to switch.

It’s also interesting to note that in Final Fantasy XV, the player doesn’t need to enter into battle mode anymore when facing enemies. The battle mode transition was typical of previous Final Fantasy titles but this new development is a welcome change in the Final Fantasy franchise. The new party link feature is also a nice touch to the way teamwork works in the game. See these new battle features in play below.

Gameplay

A few screenshots of the Final Fantasy XV world already started surfacing online just this August and it showcases Square Enix’ exceptional creativity and attention to detail.

Travelling the world of Final Fantasy XV has also become more modern since it’s been confirmed that the player can now use his own car — driven manually or put on autopilot — or take the train to transfer between areas.

Speed along toward the next destination or maybe make a quick detour instead? The choice is yours in Final Fantasy XV pic.twitter.com/icaS9Thl1r

— FINAL FANTASY (@FinalFantasy) August 11, 2015

Overall, unlike the gameplay of Final Fantasy XIII which was heavily shot down by Final Fantasy fans and gamers all over the world, Final Fantasy XV promises a better, more beautiful, more exciting, and more explosive gameplay true to the title’s brand. If you haven’t laid your hands on the Final Fantasy XV Episode Duscae demo, then check out how awesome the gameplay will be in Final Fantasy XV via Youtuber IZUNIY’s playthrough below.

Final Fantasy XV is set to come out before 2016 ends for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

[Images via the Final Fantasy XV website and twitter]