Recent talk about Final Fantasy XV and its open world playing field is stirring a debate about whether this will enhance the gaming experience or detract from it. Some players are worried that an open world means senseless quests and more bells and whistles that do little beyond looking good. Final Fantasy XV director Hajime Tabata puts much of that debate to rest as he goes into detail about what his vision for the open world playing field will encompass and in describing how it will be limited
Final Fantasy XV Director Hajime Tabata On His Open World Ambitions
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For those who have followed news about Final Fantasy XV from the beginning, when the debut trailer was released in January, the news that the game is not entirely an open-world experience won’t come as news. Rappler reveals that, along with the release of that trailer, Tabata shared the news that Final Fantasy XV would be a hybrid of open-world playing and more linear gameplay.
“The first half keeps going as an open-world, but the story in the second half is led by a linear path.” the Final Fantasy XV director now elaborates.
Hajime goes on further to explain how this hybrid of the two styles will keep players interested and also give Final Fantasy XV more depth.
“That way, you won’t get bored of an open-world as the rest of the game tightens, so we made it in a way that you’ll also get to advance through it as you have in conventional Final Fantasy games. If you play through the first half and only the main route of the second half, I believe the estimated play time sits at around 40 to 50 hours.”
Hajime later added that gameplay can be increased upwards to 200 hours from the estimated 40 to 50 hours by completing side missions, as opposed to sticking to the primary quests.
Final Fantasy XV Draws Much From Earlier Versions
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International Business Times uncovers the inspiration for Final Fantasy XV , as game developers Hajime Tabata and Tetsuya Nomura share the news that they looked at past Final Fantasy games for their inspiration. In looking back, Tabata says that Final Fantasy VI really gave them what they were looking for in developing the new story for the soon to be released game.
“It wasn’t that we played VI and decided that it was the inspiration behind XV . The idea of having that very human, very emotional tale was already decided, but I think there may have been some influence there in more of an indirect sense,” explained the Final Fantasy developer. “From seeing VI , I got to understand the classic Final Fantasy feel. From the games previous to VII that emotional core was really what Final Fantasy was about.”
Tabata makes a point to say Final Fantasy XV has been developed with an interest in drawing in younger generations of gamers, while also hoping to hold onto their existing customer base. Essentially, Tabata is trying to please everyone.
Now, Tabata reveals that his next goal is to polish up Final Fantasy XV and hints some ways of doing that will be to enhance costumes and cooking recipes. There may even be the possibility of developing VR content down the line.
The bad news is that new DLC packs won’t be included with the Final Fantasy XV Season Pass, although the pass does include the following previously released DLC packs: Booster Pack, Holiday Pack, Episode Gladio, Episode Ignis, Episode Prompto, and Expansion Pack.
Final Fantasy XV , which is a Square Enix product, will be released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles on November 29.
[Image via Square Enix]