The Anticipation of Final Fantasy XV

For many long-time Final Fantasy fans, Final Fantasy XV has been the most anticipated game of the last several years, and the wait doesn’t seem to have an end in sight. The game, which was previously known as Final Fantasy Versus XIII before its unveiling as the fifteenth main series instalment at E3 2013, has been in production since its original announcement in 2006, and while a release date announcement seemed near, especially with E3 coming up, the game’s director Hajime Tabata recently revealed that there won’t be any updates concerning FFXV at E3.

Many fans are disappointed by the lack of update, but Square Enix isn’t completely turning a cold shoulder to the game’s loyal fans. The release of Final Fantasy Type-0 HD in March was unique in that Type-0 HD was a drastic departure from the feel and tone of previous Final Fantasy games and those who purchased the game were also given access to a demo of FFXV called Episode Duscae. For many players, Type-0 HD was the bonus they receiving for buying Episode Duscae, and the likelihood seems high that many players jumped straight to playing the demo while saving the new game for later.

Episode Duscae introduced us to the main characters of the game and the beginning situation that they find themselves in. The graphics are impressive and the early look at the new seamless action battle system looks promising in comparison to earlier games. The game looks to be a more immersive experience for players who want a little more action from their favorite RPG. The all-male cast of characters gives the game the feel of following a close-knit group of friends as they travel the world to rectify the game’s primary conflict, which is the invasion of the nation of Niflheim on main character Noctis’s home of Lucis where his father is king.

While there doesn’t seem to be any hope of a release date announcement anytime soon, Square Enix has released Episode Duscae 2.0, an updated version of the demo. The goal of the demo update was to provide a much improved experience of FFXV based upon player feedback. The update released on June 9. In addition to fixing several bugs that were present in the original demo, players will no doubt be excited about being able to fight the Catoblepas, a large dinosaur-like monster merely encountered in the original demo.

If Episode Duscae is merely a taste of what playing Final Fantasy XV will be like, the actual game is deserving of all the anticipation fans are feeling. However, aside from Episode Duscae 2.0, players will have to wait until Gamescon in August to get more information about where Final Fantasy XV is headed. Ideally, a release date will be announced soon, but only time will tell.