'Final Fantasy XV' Drops Battle Footage; Release Date Confirmed In March 2016
Square Enix has been heavily teasing "Final Fantasy XV" ahead of its release date.
Gamers were offered a glimpse of the title last year with two playable demos, Episode Duscae and an updated 2.0 version, which featured improvements based on player feedback.
The improvements included better camera tracking in the combat system, as well as enhancements in the mechanics and AI.
Now, Square Enix gives us a better look at the game's combat with a three-minute trailer.
"Final Fantasy" has always been turn-based when it comes to fighting opponents as well as Active Time Battle, which combines turn-by-turn fighting with commands that require players to react instantly at the moment.
However, this won't be the case when the game's release date is announced.
The combat trailer opens with the four-person group stealthily making their way into the Niflheim military base.
Noctis is seen sneaking up on enemies by "warping" behind them, a move that can be compared to other stealth titles like "Batman: Arkham Knight" and "Metal Gear Solid."
During the battle, he is seen switching between an assortment of blades.
According to Kotaku, weapons have been mapped to the controller's D-pad for easier weapon selection.
While "Final Fantasy XV" involves a lot of sneaking up on enemies, stealth won't be the primary objective of the game. The trailer features a scene where Noctis battles an enormous Magitek walker, which shows the game's aerial combat.
Footage of the battle also highlights cooperative combat, utilizing the skills of teammates for different actions, such as Ignis' "mark" which targets and freezes enemies for Noctis to attach, and Promto's "flash bomb" which stuns and disorients several enemies.
"Final Fantasy XV" release date is scheduled for this year and will be available on PlayStation 4 and XBox.
Square Enix has yet to announce an exact release date for the game, although they have mentioned that it will be revealed at a special event on March 30.