Square Enix shared new details and footage of Final Fantasy XV during its Gamescom 2015 Active Time Report.
If you missed the new “Dawn” trailer, catch it here.
Get the summary of new information below.
Release Date
Square Enix is not announcing a release date at Gamescom. However, the company said it has established a solid plan regarding its distribution of information, including the release date, which has been decided internally.
Themes
In addition to the bonds of friendship between Noctis and his comrades, one of the important elements in Final Fantasy XV is the bond between parent and child.
Tabata won’t explain what that big creatures teased at the end of the trailer were. But they’re not Eidolons, he said.
The actual game’s story starts 15 years after the trailer.
Early Story
In a matter of days, the Kingdom of Lucis is to sign an armistice, ending a long and bitter conflict with Niflheim.
Ahead of the ceremony, Prince Noctis, heir to the Lucian throne, sets forth from his homeland to formalize the union of states through his marriage to the lady Lunafreya of the imperial province of Tenebrae.
The offer of peace, however, is no more than a ruse to lower the Lucian shield.
The imperial city takes the crown city and its sacred crystal in one fell swoop. En route to his destination, Noctis is shocked to learn the he, his father the king, and his betrothed are believed dead.
Overnight, the dream of peace has faded into a distant memory. His world crumbling around him, Noctis has naught but his resolve and his loyal companions to see him through the trials to come.
(Luna is described as a very strong female character who acts on her own will and motivations.)
Q&A Corner
This is a very abridged version of the Q&A session. All answers are from director Hajime Tabata and are not direct quotes.
- Q: Will there be airships?
- A: We’re currently looking into the technology to see if that’s possible. If the height that the airship can fly is limited, then it would technically be possible. There is a good chance it will be in the game and at least fly at bird’s height. If it’s not in the base game, I want to have it released after the game launches as downloadable content.
- Q: Why do the edges of the screen look so dark?
- A: This is one of the after effects to change the visuals. This is because everyone’s TVs have different technical specifications.
- Q: Is the Cross Chain combination system finished?
- A: Currently it’s at a state where it responds correctly whenever the techniques are used. The system will be tweaked and be polished, but the basic design is complete. There is also a third type of Cross Chain not featured in the Episode Duscae demo.
- Q: Final Fantasy Versus XIII was supposed to have a sad and deep dramatic story. Can we still hope for something really deep and emotional in Final Fantasy XV?
- A: The core elements of Versus XIII‘s story are still present in Final Fantasy XV—all of the things that we thought were important for tragedy and calamity—but has been expanded with other elements like the focus on friendship, the bond between father and son, etc.
- Q: Previous Final Fantasy games had some charismatic villains like Sephiroth. Can we expect a new bad guy for Final Fantasy XV?
- A: We’ve got a really good villain for Final Fantasy XV. There will be a time soon where we’ll release information about this character. He’s going to top all of the previous villains.
- Q: Who is the mysterious lady with the black hair?
- A: We can only really at the moment say that’s what she looks like. We’ve only revealed her face so far. She’s a very important character in the story and needs to be very mysterious right now. On the development team, we call her the straight, black-haired girl.
- Q: What happened to the playable city demo? Have you forgotten about it?
- A: We haven’t forgotten. They can’t announce launch timing yet, but they want to release it as soon as possible.
Official Forum
An official forum will be opened in both English and Japanese. All of the most important discussions that take place there will also have participation from the development team, as well.
Gameplay
New footage showcasing the Malboro enemy was shown. Watch it below. The swampy valley location shown is from the second half of the game.
Next Active Time Report
The next Active Time Report will come to you from PAX Prime in Seattle at the end of August, followed by the Tokyo Game Show in September.
Watch the full Active Time Report below.