Final Fantasy XV: Chocobo and Fishing gameplay, King Regis and Luna information
The crystal's current guardian and a revered oracle.
Square Enix shared new footage and information on Final Fantasy XV during its Tokyo Game Show 2015 Active Time Report today.
Get the details and footage below.
■ The Niflheim Empire
The Niflheim Empire has achieved world domination — except for the Kingdom of Lucis, who has defied them with the crystal’s power.
Tabata’s Comment
“They are the enemy of the protagonists’ home country. We have the Niflheim Empire and the Kingdom of Lucis that the main characters come from. These two nations have been at war for a long time.
“On top of this, the Niflheim Empire is actually gigantic. The two nations are not equally matched at all. Niflheim is overwhelmingly more powerful. So Niflheim controls all of these territories, and rules over most of the world.
“So first I want everyone to be aware that this is who Lucis is currently fighting against. So if Niflheim is so powerful, the obvious question is how the single country of Lucis is capable of resisting them.”
■ King Regis
King Regis is the crystal’s current guardian, and he too can wield weapons from thin air. In his youth he fought beside Cid and General Cor.
Wondering why Regis has aged so dramatically? It lies in the need of his energy to maintain the shield around Lucis.
Sadly, Noctis’s mother and Regis’s queen actually died when Noctis was still an infant.
Tabata’s Comment
“The Kingdom of Lucis enjoys something called the protection of the crystal. Well, this is the kind of crystal that is familiar throughout the Final Fantasy series. And it is because of the crystal’s protection that they are able to hold the Empire off. Each generation of the Lucian royal family become the guardians of this crystal, and they have a special power that aids them. And Noctis’s father, King Regis, is the current monarch of Lucis.
“That element [where we saw Regis conjure weapons just like Noctis does in one of the trailers] is of course still in the game, and the power to conjure weapons is one of the special abilities granted as a boon of the crystal. And in the past, when he was younger, Regis himself was also a warrior, and he used to wield this power when he went into battle.
“For example, in this concept art, we can see several characters who look as though they may turn up later in the game, and who actually fought alongside Regis in the past. Anyway, they [Regis and Cor] fought together, but the Niflheim Empire kept pushing the lines of battle further and further into Lucian territory. In the end, only the crown city remains free thanks to the protection of a magical barrier, with all other Lucian territories essentially occupied by Niflheim.”
(So all land beyond the barrier is basically imperial territory now…)
“Yes. And that is the situation when the game starts. And the barrier itself actually also relies on the crystal for its power and is maintained by expending magical energy… It keeps enemies out, but constantly consumes magic power to operate. The king actually expends his own magical power to create the barrier. This sacrifice has historically drained the Lucian royal line of their vitality, causing them to age rather quickly.”
(This is the reason why Regis looks older than he did in previous trailers, right?)
“Yes, that is the reason in terms of the story, but there is also another reason why we changed the design… That will be fully revealed at our announcement presentation in March when we release lots of other information, so you can look forward to hearing more then.
“So that is half the reason. Remember that in the universe of Final Fantasy XV, the kings of Lucis are very prone to aging prematurely.
“So Regis has his public face as the king of the country, and then his private face as Noctis’s father… Noctis’s mother died when he was very young. Regis never remarried and raised Noctis on his own ever since then. Of course, he had to juggle this with his duties as the king, so they did not get to spend a lot of time together. So to Regis, Noctis is the son that he raised by his own hand… but he is also heir to the throne, and will have to succeed Regis as king. That is their situation.”
Luna is a highly revered “oracle,” with the ability to talk to the gods. She is the youngest oracle ever.
Also, what’s that double-sided spear Luna is holding?
Luna lives in Tenebrae, a city under Niflheim control that has some autonomy thanks to her role as oracle.
Luna is courageous—unfazed, even when surrounded by the Niflheim soldiers, as she possesses extreme inner strength.
Luna and Noctis made a promise as children. We aren’t saying what yet, but it connects to the story.
Tabata’s Comments
“Okay, first of all, I will tell you that Luna is a very special individual who is loved and respected by people all over the whole world. She is a very famous person who enjoys the support of people from all nations of the world. And we may have already shown this in some of the screenshots… in the world of Final Fantasy XV, there are shaman-like people known as “Oracles.” Functionally speaking, they are quite similar to how we envision shamans and oracles in our world. They communicate with the gods, purify the world, and maintain cosmic balance. Of course, they do this through a special power that is passed down through their genes. But this is why the Oracle is such a respected profession and why Luna is respected across Lucis, Niflheim and all the countries of the world, regardless of political divisions.
“On top of that, Luna is even more amazing in that she is the youngest person ever to ascend to the role of Oracle, making her an even more popular and famous character in the world.
(But can you explain that scene in the Dawn trailer where Luna is almost attacked by Niflheim soldiers?)
“Tenebrae here is actually a territory under imperial occupation, but they have been granted the right to independent government because of the Oracle residing there. But in the past, Luna witnessed Niflheim march into the inviolable state of Tenebrae, and the imperial army detained her. These events form part of the story of Luna becoming the youngest Oracle in history. You’ll hear the entire story in the game, so I will leave it at that, and you can look forward to hearing more when you play.”
(What about when Luna makes that gesture to sweep aside the soldiers’ guns in the trailer?)
“That shows both the respect the Oracle is afforded as well as the mental resolve Luna possesses in that role. The image shows her strength as she stands unfazed and defiant in the face of weapons like the soldiers’ guns. I think this is one of the key visual pieces that really gets this across.
“Luna is not just important to the story because of her role as the Oracle. She also spent part of her childhood with Noctis. In actuality, though, the time they spent together was rather short. They made the kind of promises children make and have fond memories of those days. But the time they spent together has a special place in their hearts, even now that they’ve grown up. So the bond between Noctis and Luna is one of the core human relationships in the story, along with Noctis’s relationships with his father and with his comrades.”
■ Gentiana
In the new artwork of Luna, there is a “black haired woman” behind Luna. Her name is Gentiana and she plays an important role.
Tabata’s Comments
“In the key visual you see her with Luna, so she probably has a strong connection to her and… Hmm… But she comes across as very mysterious, right?”
■ Chocobos and Fishing
Chocobos can be rented in gil for up to 30 days, and called at any time. While riding chocobos, you can press the jump button again to make it try to stay airborne. When you get off a chocobo, it will follow you for a while. You cannot raise or breed chocobos. And you can catch fish of all sizes in bodies of water, using various different rods, to cook up back at camp.
