Square Enix shared new details and footage on Final Fantasy XV during its “Active Time Report” live stream at Paris Games Week this morning.
Art director Yusuke Naora and world map director Yasuyuki Matsunami appeared to demo part of the game’s Duscae region—the setting for the demo included with Final Fantasy Type-0.
The footage shown is a special version of the demo with all of the enemy and event flags cleared to show off the field.
At one point in the demo, Noctis and friends drive by a gas station (which might look similar to the gas station Noctis passes in the 2011 Final Fantasy Versus XIII trailer). Here, players can eat and compile information.
The map is immense. The demo map alone takes about an hour to walk across on foot. And the Duscae region in the demo isn’t the region in its entirety—it’s bigger in the full version. Said full version is only about a tenth of the entire map. Players can walk anywhere they see. Depending on the terrain, characters’ walking animations will change. If you run long distances, you’ll see characters tire and catch their breath. At lakes or rivers, you will be able to fish. And in the woods, you’ll find sheds where NPCs live that can be entered.
Various creatures roam the field, all of which you can fight. The smaller ones are easier to aggravate, but the bigger ones have aggro radius, meaning you can approach them within reason without them immediately attacking you.
Different monsters appear during different times of the day. At night, monsters like Nagas and Goblins show up on the field. Matsunami suggests going somewhere safe like a gas station at night where players can rest. Chocobos also appeared in the demo, but not as being ridden.
Sometimes, characters will start talking in response to changing conditions. For example, when the sun rises.
Towards the end of the demo, we see airships hover over Noctis and friends. Sometimes, these airships will land and fight you. Matsunami said that Magitek Armor will also appear in the game.
Lead programmer Takeshi Aramaki and movie director Takeshi Nozue also appeared to debut a new trailer showcasing how the game’ terrain, characters, and such are made. According to Aramaki, the game’s transfer from its previous Ebony Engine to its current Luminous Engine is 80 percent complete. Objects and terrain are destructible, and Aramaki notes that the engine has surpassed even Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. As for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the game is being developed on a high-end PC and will be optimized for each console. More tech reels like this are planned for later reports.
During a Q&A session, several new details were shared. Mainly:
- Players can still execute combos whether you hold the buton down or repeatedly press it. Both have their plusses and minues (for example: repeatedly pressing makes it easier to insert parries).
- Things such as Magic Points (MP) will be properly presented on screen. It just didn’t appear at the Tokyo Game Show because of timing issues with when it was decided to show off the battle system.
- The story should take around 40 hours to complete, excluding other content.
- The downloadable version of Final Fantasy Type-0 HD will also come with the Final Fantasy XV demo.
- Another live report should be expected at Jump Festa in December.
Outside of Final Fantasy XV, the report also reveals a delay for PS Vita‘s Final Fantasy Agito+. The game was pushed from its January 15 Japanese release date to an not-yet-fixed date, technical problems being the reason. Also, on the smartphone Agito front, after the Season Two update, nationwide player-versus-player is being added in January.
Watch the full report below, complete with the new footage.
Time Stamps
- Final Fantasy Type-0 HD Gameplay Presentation – 19:20
- Final Fantasy XV Gameplay Presentation – 33:22
- Final Fantasy XV Tech Reel – 46:38
Update 11/4/14
Square Enix has uploaded a shorter version of its Paris Games Week presentation, still containing the full gameplay demos and tech demo from the original show, now with slightly better quality and without the commentary (so you can hear footsteps and other game noises). Watch the new version below.
Time Stamps
- Final Fantasy Type-0 HD Gameplay Presentation – 1:45
- Final Fantasy XV Gameplay Presentation – 13:20
- Final Fantasy XV Tech Reel – 24:05