Square Enix, the developer of the highly anticipated role playing video game “Final Fantasy XV,” announced that it will be releasing the gameplay demo called “Episode Duscae” on March 17 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
But it will only be available initially for those gamers who pre-ordered the “Final Fantasy Type-0 HD,” cites RPG Fan.
While Square Enix has yet to formally announce the release of “Final Fantasy XV” on the next-gen gaming consoles, game director Hajime Tabata said that the end is already in sight, which means that it will finally come to fruition very soon.
Latest word on the development of the widely anticipated video game is that it is about 60% through. The gameplay demo “Episode Duscae” is also not complete but Square Enix will be using it for feedback in the remaining development stages of “Final Fantasy XV.”
Transparent development
Because Square Enix has been very open to gamer feedbacks, “Final Fantasy XV” is the only video game to date that has the most transparent and responsive development process, notes Tabata.
The game director said that he had jotted down and taken to heart the concerns raised by several gamers who have had the opportunity to play the gameplay demo several weeks back
In particular, Tabata noted the uncanny slowing down or lag effect whenever a weapon strikes an enemy, and the need to speed up attack animations to make combat more seamless.
The gameplay demo shall feature button map customization but Square Enix is opening it to fan or gamer feedback so that it can make the necessary adjustment as appropriate.
A pared-down version
“Episode Duscae” shall not have any towns in it but there will be smaller facilities throughout the gameplay region including a gas station where hero Noctis must leave his car for repairs, among a few other establishments too.
Gamers will also get the opportunity to face Chocobos in the field but they will not be able to ride them in the gameplay demo. They can do so in the full game.
Tabata also said that combat cannot be simply made easy by spamming the evade button because attacks come from multiple directions and doing so would drain the players’ MP. He cited that there is an item however that enables the players to make some technical evasions without consuming MP but its implementation must be timed more precisely.
“Episode Duscae” is certainly a pared down version of the full game but it has been carefully developed to help the players explore the world and systems and be familiar with it.
The demo actually takes place in the Duscae region, that’s why the title, but it’s only part of the region that will be made complete in “Final Fantasy XV.” That’s in addition to the fact that the full game map of “Final Fantasy XV” is actually 10 times larger than the Duscae region, to be shown in the “Episode Duscae” gameplay demo.