Final Fantasy XV's release is just over a month away and if you weren't already dying to get your hands on this open-world beauty; the hour of gameplay from Eurogamer below might just be enough to tempt you. Spike up your hair, grab your giant sword, adopt a sullen and defiant teenage attitude, and join us for a road trip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zf3BAN77s9g
Okay, it's not quite an hour, but it's close enough. Look at it this way; you now have an extra 7 minutes 20 seconds to spend however you wish. That's enough time to go and pre-order the game and make some flame roasted toast. You're welcome.
The gameplay footage shown comes from the game's first hour and has Noctis and the gang getting their car up and running before taking her out for a spin around the wilds. Their car, the 'Regalia,' stands out as a character in itself. The players mess around with decals and the various soundtracks that are available to listen to as you drive - featuring music from previous Final Fantasy games.
Driving has the option of full control, with Noctis driving, or an 'auto-pilot' where Ignis takes chauffeur duties and is vaguely reminiscent of Final Fantasy VIII's vehicle traversal. I say vaguely, as the scenery is a little more impressive this time around. The 'human' aspect of the characters is as evident here as in the rest of the game; your companions will chat, take photos, even read a book as you cruise along.
We also get to see the beautifully choreographed combat in action once more, as well as the magic creation system. Ice + fire + milk = strong ice magic, obviously. The little details are what really make this work visually; the gang high-fiving after combo attacks, or bantering as they approach an intimidating enemy, for example. This level of detail seems like it runs through the entire game. Much has been said about the rest mechanic and the visual touch of Ignis' cooking, or Prompto's camera work, but to see these little touches in context shows these are not just gimmicks but are there to build the player's level of immersion and give a sense of the world being real.
The exploration elements are also shown off impressively, with the player demonstrating that there's a whole host of areas to find off the beaten path. It seems that not everywhere will be accessible right away, though, as you might expect. The dangers of delving into caves at lower levels, or driving at night are apparent; with the players being sliced up by a spooky samurai in a mine, and later running for their lives from some familiar nocturnal enemies. Listen to Ignis when he tells you not to drive at night, as Final Fantasy continues its tradition of using beef gates.
We won't go into too much detail here as the footage is similar to that shown at PAX West, which we covered back in September, but there's a lot more shown off. Check out the video above for: skill trees, leveling, side quests, a tease for Chocobos, foreshadowing, bromance, and more.
Final Fantasy XV releases on November 29th for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
