“So the game was built upon the idea of a road movie to some degree, converting that concept to a game and being able to experience it. The concept follows around taking a journey. The player really feels the world, experiences the world, along with your companions that you’re traveling with.” This is how Final Fantasy XV director Hajime Tabata describes the relevance of the vehicular travel featured in the upcoming installment to the franchise. He continued by explaining that the car mechanics themselves will become a secondary element to the experience and will go a long way towards distinguishing this newest Final Fantasy game from its predecessors.
Once belonging to the protagonist’s father, the car shuttles the cast of Noctis and crew from point to point and, like in any road trip, the unexpected can waylay your journey. Not only are you navigating your car around obstacles, Tabata also hinted at the importance of resource management relating to gas which he hopes will provide a veneer of realism to the fantasy world FF is famous for.
While these characteristics are more of a background feature, it’s clear that it is their aim that this will lend a bent towards grounding the experience, the fact you’ll be able to customize and upgrade your vehicle could make for an interesting side benefit to a game that is already getting a lot of favorable attention.
Final Fantasy XV will release in 2016 for PS4 and XB1.
