The hype train has left the station as legendary developers from Square Enix gathered to uncover trailers, gameplay and the official release date of Final Fantasy XV. Set to arrive on September 30, the event was kicked off by an official introduction by the historic creator, Hironobu Sakaguchi.
Calming concerns from fans of the series, he discussed his long history with the franchise before debuting the new trailer for XV. The Uncovered teaser offers an extended look into the 50 hour storyline. While fans may have already known that Noctis and his friends are exiles fighting the Empire, the teaser showcased a few of the family matters he must also take care of.
A backstory to the main campaign will help clarify a few of these issues as Director Hajime Tabata is also releasing a prequel anime series titled, Final Fantasy XV: Brotherhood. The anime covers the early history of Noctis as he witnesses his family murdered by Imperials.
Left with only his father, King Regis, Noctis finds himself forming the bonds of brotherhood with his friends Ignis, Prompto and Gladio as they travel the dangerous lands of his kingdom. Each of the 5 episodes will be free to fans all over the world through the official Final Fantasy XV YouTube channel. In the meantime, episode 1 is available now.
Despite the game’s release date being leaked earlier this month, the team behind the game were able to save more than a few surprises for the event. Including, KingsGlaive, the upcoming Final Fantasy XV animated movie, which features a star studded voice cast and trailer.
The film will feature the voice talents of Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister from Game of Thrones) as Luna, Sean Bean (Ned Stark from GoT) as King Regis, and is set to star Aaron Paul as the protagonist, Nyx. The story will apparently take place just as Noctis and his friends are setting out on their main quest. Additionally, KingsGlaive will also feature a specially designed Audi R8 as the king’s main transportation, and will manufacture a single working production model later this year.
It is unconfirmed whether these voice actors will transition over to the main game, however fans will be able to purchase the film at an unannounced date when the game launches. What is known however, is that fans of the series who purchase the Deluxe, or Ultimate edition of the game will receive a free Blu-ray copy of the film.
Unveiled during the event, the Deluxe Edition will ship with a special steel book case, a day one edition of the game (including special DLC) and a copy of the film. The Ultimate Edition of the game will feature all of this, as well as even more DLC at launch and an especially detailed Noctis figurine. Only 30,000 units of the Ultimate Edition are available in total, but fans can pre-order either version now.
Moving back into the gameplay, Product Manager Mat Kishimoto, revealed a full release of the Final Fantasy XV mini-game, Justice Monsters V. Available on iOS and Android devices, JMV is a mini-game that acts as a more extreme version of pinball. There is no official release date, but to learn more about it, check out the video below, or Mat’s official PlayStation blog post.
The greatest news of the event, however, came in the form of an all new playable demo. Entitled the, “Platinum Demo”, this short look at the game will not be playable in the main title. This outside story features scaled gameplay mechanics to tell the story of a young Noctis trapped inside of a dream. Guided by a small fox named Carbuncle, Noctis must stop the nightmarish creatures that are loose in his dream.
Players can shrink to incredible sizes, cast spells and even transform into creatures from the Duscae countryside as they travel through this nightmarish world. What’s more is that players who download the demo will be given their own fox creature as DLC, and can even name it whatever they want inside of the main game. However, it is also important to note that gamers will get the chance to pilot the
Six months away from the official release, there is plenty of time before fans can pilot the Regalia on the ground and through the air. Episode 1 of Final Fantasy XV: Brotherhood, and the Platinum demo are available now, whereas the CG movie KingsGlaive will debut later this year. Final Fantasy XV will be available on September 30, for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
