Final Fantasy 15 Release Date, Characters Update and News: Possible New Demo and PC Version

By Mark Rollins
Final Fantasy XV
Final Fantasy XV is gearing up for release very soon. Photo: Square Enix

Final Fantasy XV is finally going to have a release date for the PS4 and Xbox One, but it is set for next year, possibly May 2016. In the meantime, a demo can be played, and there is a lot of news about characters and a possible update of its demo, not to mention a possible release of a PC version.

According to Vine Report, a new Final Fantasy XV demo update is in the works at Square Enix and it could be seen as early as mid to late this month.  This Final Fantasy XV: Episode Duscae version 2.0 (as far as I know, not the official name) would be an update to this demo, and the update would bring in some new combat moves including more joint attacks, weapons, as well as ways for adjusting the camera and targeting system within the game. 

The International Business Times reports that there was a teaser demo unveiled at Microsoft's Build conference in San Francisco last month, and it hinted that a PC version of Final Fantasy XV was in development.

So far, this is what the demo on Final Fantasy Type 0-HD tells us about Final Fantasy XV: Apparently, Noctis, who is the main protagonist of Final Fantasy XV, will end up stranded with his group of assistants after their car, the Regalia, gets broken down on backroads. Noctis and his crew will then have to get the help from a girl mechanic before getting back on the road. From there, it is a lot of fast-paced action and real-time scenes in the enigmatic world of Final Fantasy.

EuroGamer announced that the Final Fantasy XV publisher Square Enix has announced its own E3 press conference at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). E3 is a huge video game conference held every summer in Los Angeles, and Square Enix's press conference will take place on Tuesday, June 16 2015 at 5 PM UK Time. No doubt they will most certainly highlight titles such as Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, Just Cause 3, and another long-awaited game, Kingdom Hearts 3.  Sources have stated that Square Enix might not use E3 to talk about Final Fantasy XV, but will share details about the long-awaited game at Gamescom in August. 

The Final Fantasy gaming franchise has its own mythology, and it would be very complicated to even begin explaining it all. The world of Final Fantasy takes place on some modern-day setting, yet there is this medieval influence to it. According to IGN.com, the story of Final Fantasy 15 will have Noctis Lucis Caelum, a prince of a dynasty that rules a city state, with the last remaining crystal. This crystal is stolen by an invading nation known as Niflheim, and this starts a world war as every nation wants this crystal for themselves.

Final Fantasy is known for its characters, and in addition to Noctis, there will be some interesting ones joining Noctis on his mission. There will be a military tactician Ignis Scienta, who fights with a katana blade. Another is melee fighter Gladiolus Amicitia, gun-wielding Prompto Argentum, and head of the Royal Family Guards Cor Leonis. Noctis and his friends will be joined by another character who is shrouded in mystery named Stella Nox Fleuret, who fights with her rapier. There have been a lot of rumors that classic Final Fantasy characters could be making a comeback in this version of the game.

As far as the gameplay is concerned for Final Fantasy XV, it will focus more on action rather than the traditional turn-based or active time battle system that is associated with Final Fantasy. Instead, it will be comparable to the fighting in Kingdom Hearts. Characters will have an open world map and can travel in vehicles.

Too bad that Final Fantasy XV is not available for release this year, as we have reported that Amazon had a release date of sometime before December 31, 2015. Granted, that is a holding date for most video games, but it is good to see that May 2016 will be the day it comes out for the Xbox One, PS4, and possibly the PC.