Last night, Square-Enix held a huge event forFinal Fantasy XV, a game that’s been in development for so long it used to be a spinoff ofFinal Fantasy XIIIand on an older generation of consoles. The game was eventually rebranded and remade into the main series’ 15th entry, and after ten years of waiting, it was announced that the game will hit PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on September 30th.
But that was far from the only announcement. First, there was a new trailer featuring a Florence + The Machine cover of “Stand by Me” and showing that in addition to fighting giant monsters and “reclaiming your throne”, you’ll be on a road trip (these games have not gotten any less strange):
Furthermore, the series received a free demo you can get right now. The demo doesn’t have any gameplay from the actual game, but instead is more of a prequel/dream sequence that allows you to get a taste of the combat and gameplayFinal Fantasy XVoffers.
There’s also going to be a five-episode anime prequel series focusing on protagonist Noctis and his buddies, and the first episode is now available to watch:
Finally, Square-Enix announced a new full-length CGI movie entitledKingsglaive Final Fantasy, which, according to Kotaku, tells the story about Noctis’ dad, “King Regis and the political intrigues that lead to the war that envelops the kingdom of Lucis.” The film features the voices ofSean Bean,Lena Headey, andAaron Paul. Hopefully, it will be better than the previousFinal Fantasymovies,The Spirits WithinandAdvent Children.
Here’s the official synopsis forKingsglaive:
The magical kingdom of Lucis is home to the hallowed Crystal, but the menacing empire of Niflheim will stop at nothing to make it theirs. War has raged between the two for as long as most can remember.
King Regis of Lucis commands an elite force of soldiers dubbed the Kingsglaive. Wielding their king’s magic, Nyx Ulric and his fellow glaives stand before the crown city of Insomnia, fighting to stay the inexorable advance of Niflheim’s imperial army.
Before the overwhelming military might of the empire, King Regis can only salvage his kingdom by accepting anultimatum—he must cede all lands outside the crown city, and see his son, Prince Noctis, wed to Lady Lunafreya, the former princess of Tenebrae now captive of Niflheim.
As the war of wills rages, the machinations of Niflheim transform Insomnia into an awe-inspiring battleground, pulling Nyx into a struggle for the very survival of the kingdom.
For me,Final Fantasy XVis my last hope for the series.Final Fantasy VIIis one of my all-time favorite games, I thinkVIIIis good but flawed,IXis abysmal, Xis great, I didn’t bother with the MMOXIandXIV, andXIIturned me off of the series so bad that I skippedXIIIoutright. But we’re on a new generation of consoles, Square-Enix has had ten years to getXVright, and I’m hoping that it’s been worth the wait.
