Hajime Tabata, the Director of the upcoming HD remake of Final Fantasy: Type-0 HD, took to Reddit today for an AMA with the fans. As you can imagine, 80% of the questions revolved around bringing the game to Vita or releasing the PSP port on PSN. But sprinkled throughout were some really good questions that Tabata actually answered.
But before we dive into those, let's answer the question "What is Final Fantasy: Type-0?" Type-0 was originally a PSP title released in 2011 in Japan, with gamers in the US patiently awaiting localization. Sadly, that day never came. Meanwhile, Japanese gamers were able to enjoy the three-person mission-based game with real-time combat while we got the shaft. It got to the point where a group of dedicated fans decided to translate the game themselves to patch the import version. Sadly, even that got squashed as right before its supposed release, Square Enix shut them down due to the announcement of the HD remake, that wouldn't make it on the Vita, but next-gen consoles instead.
Here are some of the better questions and answers from the AMA. The bolded sentences are the questions with Tabata's response below them.
Does the high demand for Type-0 release in America surprise you? There is a big audience in America for people who love japanese games.
I was very surprised by the response and very happy by the outpouring of support. I would love to make a great FF community with our American fans.
What were the reasons behind not making a Vita version from Type-0 HD? Will we ever see one? I would have loved one, and it seems I'm not the only one. The Final Fantasy X / X-2 HD collection is on both the PS3 and the Vita, and now coming to the PS4, so I don't really understand for there not being a Vita version of Type-0 HD. Looking forward to the game nonetheless, even if I can't play it on my Vita! On a somewhat related note, if Type-0 HD does well in sales, could we see a sequel to it? Would you have any interest in making a Type-0 sequel, given the chance?
I wanted everyone to be able to play the game on a large high-definition screen. Honestly, my eyesight’s getting worse, so it’s getting difficult to see things on a smaller screen. I’ve seen some questions about why Type-0 isn’t being released on the Vita while X/X-2 HD saw a Vita release. The reason is that the X/X-2 HD Remaster was developed on a PS3/Xbox 360 environment, while Type-0 HD was developed on a PS4/Xbox One environment. So there is a great difference in the technical specs and it would not be easy to export the data to the Vita. As for a sequel, I would love to work on one if Type-0 HD does well.
HDPLSBUY
This is the first Final Fantasy game with an M rating. Was there a specific reason you wanted to tell a more mature story?
I wanted to create a FINAL FANTASY where you could truly feel a vibrant game world and characters, while also exploring the deep emotions of the characters. My work on Crisis Core got me interested in exploring and creating a game with those themes.
Will the Episode Duscae demo be immediately playable when Type-0 HD releases? I've heard conflicting information about this.
Hello Zaeh! Another great question!
We are doing are best to have the demo playable with the release of Type-0 HD, but we are still working on optimizing the system and everything, so I can't give you a date.
Are there any plans for a PC version? I would totally pay full price to buy Type-0 on Steam or the sort.
There are currently no plans for a PC version, but I am very interested in Steam. The thing is, I want to know when Valve’s going to release Half-Life 2 Episode 3.
In the psp version of final fantasy type-o the the online multiplayer tied into a lot of sidequests and rewards. Now that the co-op multiplayer has been cut, how will you be handling those sidequests and rewards?
All of the sidequests and rewards remain in the game and are obtainable, so don’t worry.
Has the games pacing been changed in any way to reflect its move from a portable format to a home console format?
We calculated the speed of the party characters, and increased their speed for the HD version. We also improved the controls for characters where we felt they could be improved.
Are you still working on the trophy/achievement list for the game. JRPG's tend to have very tedious trophies could you please have some entertaining trophies/achievements?
There aren’t any tedious trophies/achievements in the game. We used FF13 as an example for our trophy/achievement list.
Will There be unlockable costumes?
The two bonus costumes from the PSP version are still in the game, and we have also added a new costume specifically for the HD version.
Will there be an option to turn blood 'on' or 'off' and will final fantasy xv be like type-0 in its depiction of violence and its consequences?
Unfortunately there are no VFX (blood effects) options available in the game. I have actually never heard that requested from our fans in Japan, but is that a popular feature that gamers in North America like to see in games?
We know that multiplayer was cut from the game. Technically wise – would it be possible to add multiplayer at a later date in a patch?
In the original PSP version, we used the adhoc mode for the multiplayer feature. So trying to include that in the HD version would require creating a system to match players over a server and we felt that it would be difficult to include that in the HD version. I’m sorry.
