Hajime Tabata, Game Director on Final Fantasy XV, told Famitsu in a recent interview that we’ll see the truest version of the game in March when Square Enix announces the 2016 release date:
This year, we will launch Final Fantasy XV. Currently, we’ve decided on all its specifications and are in production of the beta version in order to migrate to the debug phase. You’ll see Final Fantasy XV at its truest during the March release date announcement presentation.
He also spoke with Examiner about Final Fantasy XV, revealing that the tale of how Noctis goes from being a young prince to the king of the country “is a really big part of the game.”
Square Enix is aiming to have the gameplay and storytelling be one in the same, which Tabata compared to The Last of Us:
It’s important that the story progresses through the gameplay in a very unforced way, in a similar way that it was done with The Last of Us, for example.
As for the game world you’ll be exploring, Tabata revealed, “Each region will move the journey forward. How the story is handled, it’s not 100% pure open-world, but it’s also not a pull along the rails kind of story.” The various regions will also bring different types of enemies, and you’ll notice the options for character growth and skills branching out.
If you thought you’d only be traveling by car in Final Fantasy XV, Tabata said there will also be journeys by train.
[Source: Examiner (1), (2), Famitsu via Gematsu, Hachima (1), (2)]
