Final Fantasy XV is 50 to 60% Complete Says New Director, Will have no playable female characters

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Final Fantasy 15's Tokyo Game Show trailer offered a glimpse of the open world, as well as at next March's demo.
"Ever since I took a central position for the Xbox One and PS4 Final Fantasy 15, I would make the judgement call based on my personal taste, which did lean towards western games, and then tweak the visual aspects as well as the combat aspects," he says. "Rather than it being influenced by western games, it's more my personal taste. I like that style, and I wanted it incorporated in the game."

Tabata's also in pursuit of a Final Fantasy that's not as overwhelming as its predecessors, and one that can be enjoyed by a broader audience. "With Final Fantasy 15, I do want to make it more casual," he says. "Of course the depth of the game is going to be there, but I want to make it so players can easily experience the satisfaction of the depth of the game." There's an option to set that car to drive itself, allowing players to sit back and take in the sights - although there is also an option to drive it manually, should they want to engage more fully with the world.

"Another example is in the combat," explains Tabata. "With the hardware specifications of the newer consoles, it's possible to set it up so you have different enemies and different choices of attacks you can enter in, but I want to simplify that. It'll basically be a one-button action, and the AI intuitively outputs an action that kind of satisfies, gives you that instant gratification, and it connects with the simple touch of a button. I myself am not getting any younger. I don't want to be frantically pushing buttons. I also want to utilise the intelligence of the hardware spec, and not have to go through too much hassle or trouble in order to execute moves."

A more streamlined Final Fantasy might be anathema to some fans, but Tabata seems keen to push in some areas while trimming away others, restoring a sense of grand adventure to the series that's been absent for nearly an entire generation. More importantly for Square Enix, he has a proven ability to ship games, which, after what will likely be a decade when its launch finally comes, is what Final Fantasy 15 needs above all else. And, despite his relative lack of experience when it comes to mainline Final Fantasy games, Tabata's not short on ambition either.