Square Enix has released a new batch of Final Fantasy 15 screenshots that depict Noctis and his party in a roadside skirmish and sneaking past a massive behemoth in the Duscae forest, all in full 1080p HD glory.
The screens further show off FF15‘s unique Active Cross Battle system, which utilizes real-time action much like Kingdom Hearts or Devil May Cry instead of the traditional turn-based system.
Rather than the stop-and-pause style of active-turn/turn-based systems, the Active Battle system affords for more fluid gameplay.
Final Fantasy 15 also features seamless combat sequences that are dynamically integrated in the game’s open-world environments, meaning there’s no loading screens between exploration and battle.
Final Fantasy XV will feature fluid real-time action-based combat set in a vast, open world.
The new images certainly instill that natural flow of combat, completely bridging the old-school barriers between in-game fighting sequences and outer-world exploration.
Square Enix’s new PS4 and Xbox One RPG certainly blends these mechanics together to deliver a rather alluring package that mirrors real-life sentiments. Players can expect a swath of random encounters when they go sight-seeing, including being blocked by a sortie of enemy soldiers while roaming the streets in a futurecar, or sticking to the shadows as a hulking behemoth roams past in a nearby glade, shaking the very earth with its footsteps.
It looks like anything might be possible in Final Fantasy 15, and it’s certainly a welcome change in innovation from the landmark franchise’s earlier roots.
Exploring will often stay interesting with randomized encounters, and players can start up a fight on a whim. Sometimes it pays to sneak, though!
While Square Enix has yet to finalize a release date for the cross-platform RPG, game director Hajime Tabata says he wants to do a simultaneous worldwide release for Final Fantasy 15.
“I’d like to be able to do a worldwide release,” Tabata said in an interview with games publication LevelUp.
“We don’t want to impose any big delays to players from around the world, so I’m hoping that everyone will be able to play the same Final Fantasy XV together within as close of a time frame as possible.”
Hopefully Square Enix will unveil a release date soon, but for now, we’ll have to stick with snatches of video trailers and screenshots to tide us over.
Final Fantasy 15 is currently in development for Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
