Final Fantasy XV is the newest installment of the Final Fantasy series due out this year for the Playstation 4 and Xbox One. Originally conceived in 2006 as Final Fantasy Versus XIII, the game has gone through numerous changes and delays. The game is set to be an open world RPG with an action based combat system as seen in the Kingdom Hearts series and is set to use Square-Enix’s new Luminous Studio Engine. On January 30th, Square Enix streamed an Active Time Report showcasing combat and magic as well as releasing new information.
Final Fantasy XV has entered beta stage which means it is close to the final build. According to director Hajime Tabata, all that is left is localization, debugging and polishing. The first thing they showed off was magic usage, fire in particular. If you target flammable objects, they will catch fire and will gradually spread outwards affecting objects and environment. Burning a batch a grass, for example, will leave scorch marks which will dissipate with time. Fire also affects both Noctis and his allies and enemies. Both sense the flames and back away like in real life and can take damage. The game determines which objects are flammable and can burn. In rainy weather, flames will not spread and are extinguished automatically.
There are three different elemental spell types: fire, thunder, and blizzard. Director Hajime Tabata decided not to go for a huge selection of different spells with different visuals and decided to make each spell have meaning and purpose in the game and focused on making them the best that they could be. The director also talked a bit about thunder and blizzard. In regards to thunder, the game will determine which objects are more prone to conduct electricity and will be more effective in rainy weather. Blizzard will freeze water in the surrounding area and will cause any monster’s biorhythms to rapidly slow down, making them slower or possibly freezing them to death. Tabata stated that they are trying to recreate a natural world feel as close as possible.
Tabata also noted that elemental magic will not work as in previous games. Instead of gradually learning skills that attack a wider and wider area, they now will attack a wide area but will get stronger and stronger. Also instead of using magic as a skill now you will collect elemental energy throughout the game and use it to form magic, which will be stored as an item in your inventory and can equip in place of a weapon. Elemental magic can be used at the start of the game. There is also a second type of magic called ring magic which can only be used by the bearer of the royal ring of Lucis which is obtained later on in the game.
They also talked a bit about the 2 ruling entities in the game: Niflheim and the Kingdom of Lucis. Niflheim has a large military presence commanding a vast number of troops and weaponry and has conquered a large portion of the world. Niflheim relies on more on machines and technology. Their regular infantry is comprised of mechanical warriors and not human soldiers. The Kingdom of Lucis being pressured to join, and remains the last independent power in the land. Lucis’ power comes from magic which they can use to construct barriers and prevent enemy invasions. They also revealed new character: Aranea Highland. Aranea is captain of the Niflheim empire’s Third Army Corps 87th Airborne Unit. She is skilled in aerial combat and is known throughout the army as “the dragoon.”
They also showed combat footage which highlighted a bit of stealth combat showcasing the “blade warp” ability which allows you to warp around areas. You can also use it to warp to enemies to take them out quietly. Certain commands will unlock as Noctis and his allies level up which can result in new combos where allies will be commanded to automatically perform an attack before giving the player back the controls. Allies can also help out in battle, for example, creating warp points for Noctis to warp to or launching flares to disorientate nocturnal enemies.
Finally, Square Enix announced an event in March called Uncovered: Final Fantasy XV. It will be held on March 30th at 7pm inside the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. There they will have a playable tech demo and more information on the game including the release date and possible collector’s editions. The event will be streamed online as well. Fans can RSVP for tickets on Friday, February 5th at 4:00 PM by clicking here.
You can watch the full presentation here:
