‘Final Fantasy XV’ Gameplay Detailed: How To Fight, Sleep And Ride In Style As You Joyride Across Eos
As the calendar inches ever closer to the long awaited long coming latest entry in the hugely popular "Final Fantasy" series, Square Enix has deemed it fit to release some new details about the gameplay of 15th main numbered entry in the series to both ease and hype up the appetite of fans.
Square Enix, via Gematsu, released some screenshots as well as information detailing what players can expect as they trudge through the world of Eos on their quest to get married.
As with any "Final Fantasy" title, or with any role playing game for that matter, the equipment system is a defining point of the gameplay as it determines how the players will tackle the various obstacles that will get in their way.
For the upcoming entry in the series, "Final Fantasy XV" will allow players the ability to switch between weapons as indicated by the promotional media for the game. Unfortunately for those expecting that they can set Noctis to equip a dozen weapons as seen in some CGI trailers, it turns out that players will be limited to only four weapons in battle in addition to three accessories.
For Noctis' party members, the number is even lower as they can only be equipped with half the number as Noctis with one main and one sub weapon. As Noctis is the sole playable character, the rest of the party will be controlled by AI with the equipped weapons determining their style of combat as well as the player's strategy.
Further control of the party takes the form of setting commands that the player can trigger during battle, as well as the game's link attacks system. With link attacks, players can trigger the command with the executed technique dependent on the specific weapon Noctis and the party members are currently using.
As with any long journey, places to stay and rest are important. On Noctis journey to get hitched, the game will have a Lodgings system that is classified in three categories: Camps, Trailer Houses and Inns.
The names of each category is fairly self-explanatory, with the differences being in how they affect the gameplay. Camps are specific spots which are marked in the world, signifying places where enemies cannot approach. Camping is free its gameplay benefit is that the party can partake in Ignis Scientia's cooking, which will give the party special buffs.
Staying in Trailer Houses is a step above cooking, although it stays cheap compared to staying in an Inn. The benefit of this Lodging category is that staying in a trailer offers bonuses, although the tradeoff is that Ignis will not cook for the party which means no buffs.
Inns provide the highest, and likely classiest, way of Lodging in the game. Staying at an Inn apparently provides more or better bonuses than Trailer houses, with the consequence being that it will cost more and there is also no reason for Ignis to cook.
Regarding Ignis' cooking, the system seems similar to the "Tales" franchise of creating meals that give bonuses in battle. Players can come across ingredients while battling, with newly discovered ingredients possibly unlocking new recipes for Ignis.
If players, or Ignis, do not want to cook, then they can have their meals in hotels and diners. Presumably, these meals will also provide buffs to the party with the added benefit that they also provide meals unavailable in Ignis' recipe repertoire.
A returning franchise staple to the game is the ability to ride chocobos, which might have more focus considering the travel-oriented aspects of the game. In contrast to the limited ability to ride them in previous games, outside of the massively multiplayer online entries, riding a chocobo in "Final Fantasy XV" has more freedom. Renting chocobos eventually become unlocked in the game, with players paying a fee based on the number of days they plan to keep their birds.
"Final Fantasy XV" will release to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on September 30.