Final Fantasy 15/XV - Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy XV (15) is the fifteenth title in the flagship Final Fantasy series, produced by Square Enix and released for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2016, Microsoft Windows in 2018, and as a Stadia title in 2019. The game was directed by Hajime Tabata, produced by Shinji Hashimoto, and it's score composed by Yoko Shimamura. The game was originally created as a spin-off game titled “Final Fantasy Versus XIII” and not intended to become a title of the main Final Fantasy franchise lineup.
Final Fantasy XV Plot
Final Fantasy XV takes place on the world of Eos, which, aside from its capital city Lucis, is ruled by the empire of Niflheim, who wish to control a magical crystal protected by the royal family of Lucis. In the midst of peace negotiations, Niflheim invades the capital and steals the Crystal. Noctis Lucis Caelum, the heir of the Lucian throne, begins a mission on retrieving the crystal, and realizes his destiny as the “True King”, who will save Eos from eternal darkness and destruction and is ultimately pitted against the game’s main antagonist, Ardyn Izunia.
Gameplay
Though accompanied by his companions, the player can only control Noctis as he traverses the world of Eos by foot, using Chocobos, using “Regalia” the party’s car, or by fast travel to places already visited. The game takes place on an open world map, where enemies can be avoided or engaged using an “Active Cross Battle”, or AXB battle system. A threat bar appears when an enemy is approached, increasing until the battle begins or the enemy is attacked. In the AXB system, there is not a seperate battle screen or interface and the transition from combat to wandering is seamless.
In battle, actions such as “Attack”, “Defend”, or “Item” are directly mapped to controller buttons. Each character has health points (HP), and Noctis has magic points (MP). A “Wait Mode" option becomes available if the player does not input commands in battle for a certain amount of time. This triggers a number of options to become available, like engaging new enemies or the chance to active Libra, an ability which displays an enemy's health, strengths and weaknesses.
Each character receives experience points after successfully defeating enemies. But, instead of automatically levelling up after thresholds have been met, players must travel to "Havens", usually campsites or inns to rest and earn their level ups. If defeated in battle, characters will lose all of the XP gained since their last level ups. Completing tasks in Eos may earn the party Ability Points (AP), which can be spent on the Ascension grid to unlock magic, combat or passive abilities. As more AP is spent on the grid, more choices become available to unlock.
Characters
- Noctis Lucis Caelum- Heir to the Lucian throne who takes on a mission to save Eos and recover the stolen crystal.
- Ignis Scientia- Noctis longtime friend and advisor. He is skilled in formulating strategies. He cooks and drives and for his friends.
- Gladiolus Amicitia- Noctis' sworn bodyguard and old friend. His mission is to protect the king at all costs.
- Prompto Argentum - Noctis' best friend from high school. Although he is a commoner, he wishes to prove himself worthy.
- Cor Leonis- Crownsguard member who once fought with King Regis.
- Iris Amicitia- Gladiolus's younger sister who befriended Noctis in her youth.
- Aranea Highwind- A mercenary recruited by the empire. She is a commodore within the imperial military.
Development
The game was directed by Hajime Tabata and produced by Shinji Hashimoto. Responsible for the score was Yoko Shimomura, a number of writers contributed, its main inspiration drafted by Kazushige Nojima and lead writer Saori Itamuro. Development for the game began in early as 2006 as a spinoff of a game entitled “Final Fantasy Versus XIII” and originally announced as part of the “Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy” subseries. It was first intended to be a darker entry into the Final Fantasy franchise. Tetsuya Nomura was the original director and experienced major delays in the development, due to branding, the change of game engine and newly released PlayStation and Xbox consoles. When Hajime Tabata took over the director role, he rebranded the title away from the Fabula Nova Crystallis series and recreated the story. As the scale and scope of the game grew, it was determined that it would be turned into a main title. The main concept of the improved Final Fantasy XV was "a fantasy based on reality" taking in elements similar to Earth and real life locations such as famous cities, Tokyo, Venice and the Bahamas
The game inspired the development and production of “Final Fantasy XV Universe", which includes a few spin-off games, as well as an anime series and feature film entitled Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV and Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV.