'Final Fantasy XV' ATR Unveils Fresh Combat, Release Date Event, New Character Details [VIDEO]

A new Final Fantasy XV Active Time Report on Jan. 30 brought fans a wealth of details about Final Fantasy XV from director Hajime Tabata and marketing manager Akio Ofuji.

The entire video is worth a watch, especially for those desperate for news about the world of Final Fantasy XV. Tabata explains the political hierarchy of mechanically-based Niflheim, the nation opposed by Noctis’ independent home country, crystal-based Lucis. The broadcast also confirmed the return of Fire, Blizzard and Thunder as Final Fantasy’s major magic elements, the eventual introduction of AoE magic attacks, and something similar to Final Fantasy VIII’s “Draw” system as opposed to MP. (And the Toad spell is returning! Glorious, glorious toads!)

However, the best part of the ATR is a three and a half minute long video showcasing the improvements made to Final Fantasy XV ’s gameplay. The Niflheim Base battle footage shows off stealth, weapons, takedowns, weapon-switching, an improved UI, a massively improved camera and a generally streamlined combat flow with loads of fast action and plenty of excitement. Check out Final Fantasy XV ’s Niflheim Base battle video below:

The Final Fantasy XV combat trailer shows a variety of improvements and cool features:

• Weapons are mapped to the directional pad

• Noctis’s sword gives him a combo warp+kill ability mapped to a single button when an enemy is selected

• Individual combos: Noctis can wail on his enemies with a weapon in a variety of interesting ways

• Joint party combos: the player can swap to one of Noctis’ teammates so they can do their part, then swap back to Noctis for a finisher

• Noctis hijacks some artillery at one point for mega damage against a target

• Aerial combat: similar to the warp+kill combos that had Noctis warping all over the warehouse, but concentrated on a single massive target’s weak points

• Magic, responsive to environment: Turns out if you cast fire on a machine leaking fluid, the resulting boom will be mighty- mighty

At the end of the trailer, the “Dragoon” of Niflheim, Aranea Highwind, swoops down to personally attend to business. According to Square Enix, this new character is the commander of Niflheim’s Third Army Corps 87th Airborne Division and a “skilled aerial combatant.”

Finally, Final Fantasy XV ’s release date will be announced at Square Enix’s Final Fantasy Uncovered event in Los Angeles on March 30 at 10 PM EST. The event is open to the public and fans may RSVP at the event site here starting Friday, Feb. 5 at 7 PM EST. Final Fantasy Uncovered will be streamed live on Square Enix’s Youtube and Twitch channels.

In addition to Final Fantasy XV ’s release date, Tabata hinted that another playable demo may be on its way, though whether that will be among Final Fantasy Uncovered’s “major announcements and surprises” remains to be seen.