Nomura and Tabata talk Final Fantasy Type-0

This week’s Famitsu provides a large update on Final Fantasy Type-0. The magazine sits down with director Hajime Tabata and character designer Tetsuya Nomura.

The update starts with a bit of bad news. Type-0 won’t make its planned summer release. Tabata told the magazine, “due to various circumstances, it became difficult to release it during the short-sleeve shirt season.” Nomura said that we’ll probably have to wait until the season of red leaves (that’s fall, in case you didn’t know).

The PlayStation Network outage was one reason for the delay. Due to the downtime, the game’s multiplayer component couldn’t be worked on, requiring the team a bit more time to develop the system.

Sticking to the subject of multiplayer, Tabata shared a few details regarding the component. The host of a multiplayer game will be able to turn the feature on or off in the game’s configuration screen. If it’s on, others can enter their game at will. To enter another player’s game, you must select multiplayer from the menu and then select a host to join.

When you reach a save point and are still in multiplayer, the external player is forced out of the game. There’s a time limit on multiplayer, but it can be extended by helping the host player.

A Q&A with the Famitsu editors revealed other new tidbits, including: the ability to cancel movement, user data on the loading screen, the ability to swap characters and set equipment at save points, the ability to team up with students from other classes, and weather-related changes (ex: the Shiva summon is stronger in the snow).

Nomura also told the magazine that Square Enix is currently looking into an overseas and downloadable version of Final Fantasy Type-0.

Final Fantasy Type-0 is currently 80 percent complete. According to the preview, the game will boast 30 to 40 hours of standard playtime, or up to 100 hours for those who play the game to its fullest.

Thanks, Andriasang.