‘Final Fantasy XV’ Linear Second Half Clarified, ‘It’s Actually Very Close To The End’ Says Director

After previously revealing that the much boasted open world of "Final Fantasy XV" will actually proceed to become more linear in the game's second half, game director Hajime Tabata recently clarified the flow of the story at the recently held PAX convention.

Speaking with IGN, Tabata explained just why it is that the open world setting of "Final Fantasy XV," one of the most touted elements of the game which many role playing video game fans are excited for considering its absence in other titles, will become more funneled as players progress the game.

Noting the previous reports that took his prior words on the subject to mean that about half of the game will be linear, Tabata said that rather than that the linear aspect will actually show up much later at a point "very close to the end of the game."

As for the reasons why the developing team decided to make it like that, Tabata explained that he essentially preferred to keep the flow of the story going at its climax. As part and parcel of an open world environment is exploration, games that feature the setting are almost always designed to allow player to stop the main story's progression if they so wish.

In RPGs that feature open world settings, like Bethesda's "Fallout" and "Elder Scrolls" titles, the open world is always there with events taking place in closed off instances like dungeons or within specific locations. Presumably, the open world of "Final Fantasy XV" will be a different way with the in-game world's progression being more akin to previous entries in the series.

Saying that he did not "want to end the game in an open world type of environment," Tabata said that he much preferred the last part of "Final Fantasy XV" to be different from its beginnings "and more of a packed, condensed type of game experience." Apparently, Noctis will face off against an enemy one-on-one at the end, and Tabata wanted to make sure players felt the build up to that point.

The director also revealed that, basically, players should watch out for trains in the game as a sequence involving one of them will mark the point where the story will deviate off from the open world environment. That said however, players will still have the option to go back and will not be completely locked in.

After over 200 hours of gameplay, side content included, "once the train sequence starts, the whole structure of the game changes drastically, where it's really focused on the story developments, and developing in a fast-paced kind of fashion thereafter."