Final Fantasy Type-0

Final Fantasy Type-0, originally known as Final Fantasy Agito XIII, is a video game for PlayStation Portable and is a part of Fabula Nova Crystallis: Final Fantasy series. Unveiled at E3 2006, the game "[offers] players easy on-the-go access to the Final Fantasy XIII universe". The game was originally announced for mobile phones, but was re-announced for the PlayStation Portable at DKΣ3713 2008. A downloadable version of Final Fantasy Type-0 was released available on the same day as the Japanese UMD release on October 27th.

Work on an overseas release was underway, but never came into fruition, and Final Fantasy Type-0 remained the single highest-profile Final Fantasy title in over two decades to not be released internationally (the last major passed-over release being the Super Nintendo version of Final Fantasy V). Due to a strong fan response in asking for a localization, during E3 2014 on June 10, an HD version for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One was announced for North America and Europe. During Tokyo Game Show 2014, the port was also announced for Japan.

A spin-off mobile game called Final Fantasy Agito was released for iOS and Android systems in May 2014 in Japan, with a localization underway.

Gameplay
The battle system is an evolution of the "ATB Kai" system created by Takatsugu Nakazawa for Final Fantasy X-2, and later refined in Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-. Unlike Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-, the combat is party-based. Instead of navigating through menus, actions are mapped to the face buttons for quick access. Nakazawa says he wants it to be the fastest version of ATB yet. It supports both Ad-hoc multiplayer for up to three players, and online Square Enix membership connection. The multiplayer option is not available in the HD version.

There is no full-scale multiplayer, but an emergency backup when the player's party is about to be wiped out. Multiplayer will normally last for three minutes, but time can be increased through the gathering of SP. The players can determine the enemies' weak points with Kill Sight, allowing them to deal a deathblow for an Instant Death. Break Sight is applicable to enemies with more than one bar of health, such as strong monsters, bosses and enemy leaders. There are some fighting game style elements like movement canceling for skilled action players.

The Alto Crystarium powers up the characters' magic using an energy called Phantoma drawn from defeated enemies to restore or fortify magic. When a character absorbs this energy their magic recovers a bit. The amount of recovery depends on the type of Phantoma, as indicated by the color. Depending on the type of magic, the character can power up their magic in different areas. For example, a character's Fire RF magic can be powered up in strength, MP usage, call time, projectile distance and speed. Increasing the Fire RF magic's strength parameter requires six red Phantomas.

Magic comes in three elemental types: fire, ice, and thunder. The various spells differ in attack pattern and call method. Other elemental magic is also available, but are categorized as 'Advanced' in the Alto Crystarium. Such spells are Bio, Tornado, Quake and even Holy.
 * Shotgun (SHG): This type spreads at multiple height levels. It doesn't travel far, but is powerful against close enemies. SHG are typically weaker than RF, but they may hit the enemy instantly.
 * Rifle (RF): This type shoots out straight in the direction of the target. It travels far but has narrow range. Its upgrade, RF2 can pierce through enemies.
 * Bomb (BOM): This type is effective in the player's immediate surroundings. It can be useful against quick enemies and small enemies. Its upgrade, BOM2 last longer and can damage enemies that came in contact with the spell with more hits.
 * Missile (MIS): This type chases after the enemy before releasing its magic. The higher level (that is, the magic with the "ra" and "ga" at the end of their names) will expand to encompass surroundings. Its upgrade, MIS2 travels at a slower rate, but chases the target constant when in effect.
 * Rocket Launcher (ROK): When the player begins casting this type, a target will appear. The magic will fire in the direction that the player aims. When it strikes, it will explode and damage enemies in the surroundings. ROK's range is comparatively short, but can be adjusted with the targeting point held higher as the projectile itself lobs before crashing to the ground.

Characters and Eidolons can learn their individual abilities by using AP won through leveling. Acquiring new abilities may unveil more advanced abilities that will strengthen each character or summon according to their fighting style.

Like Final Fantasy XII, the player can choose the leader of their party of three and party members can be changed manually or when the leading member is KO'd. During each mission the player can call in aid from another player (or NPC) for a duration of three minutes, with bonus time granted through good play. In some cases the victory can be decided in other ways, such as defeating the enemy leader, which will trigger the surrender of its minions. Surrendered minions, regardless of humans or monsters, can be interacted later to obtain various items, such as Potions and the monster's loot.

Summons, called Eidolons, play a role in the characters' growth, though they gain EXP and AP separately from the summoner. When summoned, they replace the summoner and the player can't have the summoner again in the party until the mission is finished. The summons work as a normal party member and can be directly controlled by the player or by the AI, much like in Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac Job System. When a summon is active, if the player changes to the other character, they may not change to the active Eidolon until it is summoned again. After the Eidolon has disappeared either out of time or defeated, the summoner will reappear in a KO state. It still allows for reviving until the body disappears for a short period of time.

Triad Maneuvers are group combination skills that require three members to pull-off. They are weaker than summons, but can be used multiple times without needing to sacrifice a character. The currently controlled character's AG will be completely consumed when used, while the other only consumes a portion of it.

The game's structure is mission-based. There are also sub-objectives in battle to strive for. The game has a world map, and the player can ride chocobos or fly an airship and use its weapons in an aerial battle. Battles are initiated by random encounters and the monsters roam around the world map.

Final Fantasy Type-0's world map, known as the "Active World Map", features two minigame style elements: War battles, called Skirmishes, and Airship Dogfights. Skirmishes involve moving troops around and capturing areas in an RTS styled manner. Different troops have different strong points e.g. specialized against machines. Special missions give encampments to control and more troops to take charge of. In Airship Combat, the airship the player controls has machine guns and the player can take on mounted dragons controlled by Concordia in dog fights. There are various kinds of dragons, including larger ones used by the Royal Guard. The player also fights them on the deck.

There is an Arena that features two types of training available to the players:
 * Simulation Battles – The player can progress through 20 rounds of fighting to level up their characters and get them Phantoma. The player still keeps the experience if they die part way through.
 * Secret Training – The controlled character will be trained while the player's PlayStation Portable is in sleep mode. The more time the PlayStation Portable is in sleep mode, the more EXP the character gets.

Director Hajime Tabata also says that Final Fantasy Type-0 is similar to The 3rd Birthday, saying that while they are two different games in terms of content, the core of what the staff can do on the PlayStation Portable in terms of gameplay is similar between the two games.

Characters
Final Fantasy Type-0 features fourteen playable characters, all of whom are cadets at Magic Academy Peristylium Suzaku as Class Zero. Each character wields a different weapon and a unique fighting style. Aside from Machina and Rem, the members of Class Zero are named after the Japanese pronunciations of "trumps" or playing cards.


 * Ace - A blond-haired boy who wields a deck of cards. Despite his youthful appearance, his speech and actions are exceptionally impressive. Though usually calm, he has a reckless side and will sometimes rush off and act out of anger.
 * Deuce - A brunette girl who plays the flute. As the youngest member of Class Zero, she is diligent and kind, but can also be stubborn.
 * Trey - A blond-haired boy who wields a bow. He takes pride in being a well-mannered and knowledgeable person, and can be very talkative as a result.
 * Cater - A red-haired girl who wields a magic gun. She is confident and direct, and tends to be competitive and face things head-on.
 * Cinque - A ginger-haired girl who wields a mace. Although innocent and naive, she tends to react unusually and with unpredictable actions.
 * Sice - A silver-haired girl who wields a scythe. Her rough speech gives her a tomboy-like personality, but she has good judgment and determination and can also be practical.
 * Seven - A silver-haired girl who wields a whip. As the eldest member of her class, her caring nature and ability to understand others make her very popular among the underclassmen.
 * Eight - A red-haired boy who fights with his fists. Calm and serious, his combat style reflects his dislike of weapons, which he believes take lives too easily.
 * Nine - A blond-haired boy who wields a spear. Impulsive and straightforward, he sees the world in black and white and only feels satisfied when things aren't complicated.
 * Jack - A blond-haired boy who wields a katana. Upbeat and humorous, he often keeps a smile on his face and encourages others to look on the positive side.
 * Queen - A black-haired girl who wields a sword. Her dignified appearance and intelligence suit her name, and she often carries a leader-like personality.
 * King - A blond-haired boy who wields a pair of handguns. He seldom speaks, but possesses a serious demeanor and strong common sense.
 * Machina Kunagiri - A dark-haired boy who wields a pair of rapiers, and was transferred into Class Zero alongside his childhood friend, Rem. In spite of his proficiency and straightforwardness, Machina fears war and his inability to protect Rem. His elder brother, Izana, was stationed as a soldier for the Suzaku army.
 * Rem Tokimiya - A brunette girl who wields a pair of daggers, and was transferred into Class Zero along with Machina. She is moral, kind, and honest, and has an outstanding talent for magic. However, she suffers from an unknown illness, a fact she keeps from Machina and her classmates to avoid worrying them.

Setting
Final Fantasy Type-0 takes place in the world of Orience, which is divided into four nations that are blessed with crystals that grant them unique powers. They are themed around the Four Symbols in Eastern Asian mythology:


 * The Dominion of Rubrum holds the Vermilion Bird Crystal, containing the power of magic. Its ruler is the 174th Chancellor Khalia Chival VI.
 * The Milites Empire holds the White Tiger Crystal, containing the power of weapons. Its ruler is Imperial Marshal Cid Aulstyne.
 * The Kingdom of Concordia holds the Azure Dragon Crystal, containing the power of dragons. Its ruler is Queen Andoria.
 * The Lorican Alliance holds the Black Tortoise Crystal, containing the power of the shield. Its ruler is Gilgamesh.

The four nations coexisted peacefully under the Pax Codex until Cid Aulstyne, Imperial Marshal of the Milites Empire, broke the peace treaty and staged an invasion using advanced military technology developed with the power of the White Tiger Crystal. With his armada of airships and magitek armor, Cid conquered Lorica and Concordia, then moved on to Rubrum where he staged an attack on all sides.

The Empire's actual assault was on the Vermillion Peristylium, where the crystal jammer was used to disable the Vermillion Bird Crystal's powers and leave Rubrum's people powerless, all in demanding the country's surrender of their crystal. But a small group of skilled students belonging to the Peristylium's Class Zero have retained the powers from their pact with the crystal. While Cid attempts to negotiate with Rubrum's president, the students of Class Zero are busy organizing Operation Apostle, a covert mission to recapture the crystal and defeat the Milites forces.

Story
As Type-0 begins, the Emperor of Milites goes missing, and Cid Aulstyne takes command of the kingdom in his absence. Fearing the Milites Crystal is weakening and the kingdom is doomed should it lose power, Cid declares war on the other three nations. An Ultima Bomb is used to obliterate the Lorican Alliance, and Cid then begins an invasion of Suzaku. Using a new Magitek weapon, the Crystal Jammer, the invading army cuts off the connection between Suzaku's Academy students and the Crystal, negating their ability to use magic and Eidolons. The day is saved by Class 0, the secret class of the Academy that is able to use magic in Crystal Jammer fields. With Class 0's intervention Suzaku is saved, and they become Suzaku's main force to push back the Milites advance. Over the course of the game, Rem suffers from an unspecified illness that is weakening her, and Machina discovers his brother Izana was killed delivering orders to Class 0 during the invasion, and blames them for his death. He agrees to spy on the class at the behest of Suzaku's leaders.

After Class 0 successfully pushes the Milites army back to their own territory, they infiltrate the Milites capital of Ingram with intent to destroy prototype Magitek machines in production at their factories. However, during a confrontation with the Milites l'Cie Nimbus, the attack is suddenly called off. Milites has requested a ceasefire, and yielded to all of Suzaku's demands. The queen of Concordia, Andoria Kaya Tranka Fam Forturio, travels to Ingram for peace negotiations, while Class 0 is detained in the capital while the negotiations proceed. At this time, Milites covertly assassinates Andoria, and frames Class 0 for the deed. Class 0 flees the capital, and Concordia and Milites sign an alliance against Suzaku. The leaders of Suzaku and the Academy blame Class 0 for the shift in the war, and plan to continue to deploy Class 0 to the frontlines to see them destroyed. The leader of Class 0, Kurasame Susaya, re-enters active service as part of this.

Suzaku leads a two-pronged attack to push back both Concordia and Milites. When Suzaku eventually invades Concordia's capital, the Concordia l'Cie Claes Celestia Misca Sancest engages them in the form of Shinryu Celestia, but is defeated by Arecia Al-Rashia who summons Bahamut Type-0 to combat her. With Concordia fallen, Suzaku's leaders have their own l'Cie, Caetuna, summon the Grand Eidolon Alexander to combat the Milites forces. At the cost of Caetuna's life, as well as the life energy of numerous Suzaku students and Kurasame, Alexander crushes the Milites army and Suzaku pushes their offense back to Ingram. The Milites l'Cie Qator Bashtar engages Class 0 in his Magitek Armor, and discovers Cid has installed an Ultima Bomb in the armor, intending to destroy Ingram to kill Class 0. Qator instead pilots his armor into the upper atmosphere, where the Ultima Bomb explodes.

Class 0 returns to Suzaku. At this time, however, with Milites and Concordia destroyed, Suzaku controls all of Orience, meeting the requirements to begin the time of Finis. Large monsters called Lulusath Warriors appear around the world to slaughter the inhabitants, and a large floating fortress called the Palace of All Magic appears. In the chaos, much of the Academy is slaughtered and Machina vanishes. Celestia arrives at the Academy and tells Class 0 Cid has gone to the palace with the aid of Nimbus, as only a l'Cie can breech the barrier, and he intends to become Agito. Celestia takes Class 0 to the Palace, but they leave behind Rem, who is now too weak to fight due to her illness. At the palace, Cid pits Class 0 against numerous trials as they fight their way to him. The Suzaku Crystal offers them the chance to become l'Cie to fight Cid, but if the player accepts they are pitted against a never-ending wave of enemies until their party falls. Canonically, Class 0 refuses.

With Class 0 fighting their way to Cid, the dying Rem is chosen by the Suzaku Crystal to become a l'Cie, and is taken to the palace to fight a masked Milites l'Cie. This l'Cie is revealed to be Machina, who took the mask from the Milites l'Cie Qun'mi Tru'e and in doing so gained her powers, but loses his memory while he uses it. Under the mask's power, Machina kills Rem before regaining his senses. Rem dies in Machina's arms, and the two enter Crystal Stasis. Class 0 arrives at the top of the palace and confront Cid, who transforms into the Arbiter of Lulusath to usher in Finis. Cid kills Class 0, but the spirits of Machina and Rem revive them and give them the strength to absorb the Phantoma empowering Cid, destroy him and halting Finis. Class 0 is teleported back to their destroyed classroom, and, weak and dying, talk about their dreams for the future before dying. Machina and Rem are released from Crystal Stasis and return to the Academy to find Class 0 laying dead, hands clasped, beneath a Suzaku flag formed from their torn capes hung from their weapons.

On a second playthrough, the player is allowed to partake in alternate missions from what canonically happened, and witnesses cutscenes that shed new light on the game's events. It is revealed that Arecia is a fal'Cie opposing another fal'Cie named Gala, who is the master of the Lulusath. They have trapped Orience in a cycle of war as part of an experiment to open Etro's Gate. While Arecia was intending for one among Class Zero to become the Agito and find the gate, Gala uses the Lulusath to kill mankind and create a flood of souls to open the gate. The cycle has been repeated over six million times to no success thus far, and on each failure they reset the state of Orience to try again. This time, the presence of Machina and Rem changed the end of the experiment, and Arecia speaks to Class 0's souls. Moved by their actions, Arecia decides to end the experiment. In the original timeline, the Crystals vanish, allowing the living to remember the dead, and Machina and Rem help rebuild the world after the war.

In a secret ending, Arecia removes the Crystals from Orience's history entirely, creating a new timeline where the war never occurred and Class 0 and the rest of the world enjoys normal, happy lives.

Music
The music for the game is composed by Takeharu Ishimoto. It features performances by T$UYO$HI and ZAX from the Japanese rock band, Rieko Mikoshiba, Yuko Shimazaki, Cantillation, Yuriko Kaida and the.

The main theme for the game, "Zero", is performed by the Japanese band. The song is prominently featured in the game's plot; frequently sung by Ace during the course of the game. The song was released as Bump of Chicken's 21st single and is not included in the game's official soundtrack.

The blu-ray soundtrack for Final Fantasy Type-0 HD will have one new song and a re-translation of the opening theme. "Utakata" is a new song recorded for Final Fantasy Type-0 HD, composed by Takeharu Ishimoto and written and performed by Chris Ito, who is also one of the performers of "Colorful - Falling in Love"..

Development
Originally titled Final Fantasy Agito XIII, the game was announced for mobile phones but was re-announced for the PlayStation Portable at DKΣ3713 2008. Developers stated the reason for the move was that they did not want to wait for cell phones to be advanced enough to handle the game. According to the developers, the PlayStation Portable version was planned from the start and was meant to be revealed sometime after progress on the mobile version. The game drew more attention after being announced for the PlayStation Portable, since mobile phone games are usually not released outside Japan.

At the Square Enix 1st Production Department Premiere event on January 18, 2011, the game was retitled Final Fantasy Type-0 because Hajime Tabata did not think it was similar enough to Final Fantasy XIII to warrant the old title. Square Enix had trademarked the title in December 2010, along with Type-1, Type-2 , and Type-3.

Tabata explained in a Famitsu interview the game would ship in two UMDs because he does not want to cut any content. He wanted to keep the cutscenes' visual quality on par with PlayStation 3 titles, so they had to take the game's real time cutscenes and convert them into movie files so they can be further polished and edited. The disc switch is unusual, making the player have to go from Disc 1 to Disc 2 and then back to Disc 1 again, due to the prologue and final portions of the game being on the first UMD and the rest residing in the second, including the multiplayer mode. Tabata feels the game's ending turned out especially well and that it was a technical masterpiece that goes beyond the specs of the PlayStation Portable.

On September 10, 2011 during the Final Fantasy XIII-2 fan meeting, producer Yoshinori Kitase was questioned about the development of Final Fantasy Type-0 and Final Fantasy Versus XIII. His answer, "for Final Fantasy Type-0 and Final Fantasy Versus XIII we are giving 100% to development", thanks to the knowledge and experienced gained from developing Final Fantasy XIII.

Scenario
Final Fantasy Type-0 was intended explore a more mature direction for the franchise and to be Square Enix's effort to create "something for adults". The envisioned theme was "a real war within a fantasy world," and Tabata worked on the title as a documentary that records the account within a fictitious world, so the team built various elements on that template. The game is also harder than most mainline Final Fantasy games, and its visuals involve more graphic violence. Tabata has mentioned he wanted to create a Final Fantasy where one could "truly feel a vibrant game world and characters" and cited his work on Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- as having sparked his interest in exploring and creating a game with those themes. Tabata wanted to do a Final Fantasy game that depicted life and death and thus the value of life in a more mature and earnest way. To capture the feeling of danger and the fragility of life both the game and combat system emphasized that fragility, and the game wound up being quite dark although that was not the original plan.

As the PlayStation Portable was limited memory-wise, and thus Final Fantasy Type-0 did not feature as much expressiveness as designer Yusuke Naora would have liked. Yusuke Naora wanted to get a harder, grittier and more mature feel for Final Fantasy Type-0. In search of inspiration he went a Japanese Special Forces training camp to see what being a military cadet would be like. This was also used as an opportunity to test out new HDR camera tools.

As Final Fantasy Type-0 started as Final Fantasy Agito XIII as part of the "Final Fantasy XIII series" of the Fabula Nova Crystallis, it was planned the game would have thirteen playable characters. One playable character ended up being taken out, and two more characters (Machina and Rem) were added into the playable roster who start with a different back story than the rest of the group, ending with fourteen playable characters in the final game.

As the game has no main hero, Square Enix referred to Hollywood movies for how to distribute the focus among the cast equally. "We see a lot of movies that put a focus on numerous characters vs. one protagonist," Tabata has said. "[I] really wanted to focus on the unit as an entity ... really put a spotlight on the unit as a whole and view their actions from slightly afar." After it was decided the game was going to have an ensemble cast, Tabata sat down with Tetsuya Nomura to design each class member. They wrote down each character's personality traits complete with strengths, weaknesses and faults, and decided how they would be expressed in the game. From these templates Nomura drew up the character designs, as each needed to be a distinct individual able to stand on their own as the "main character" even without the rest of the class. Tabata has mused that even if every member turned out not to be equally developed he thinks they got close to the effect he had wanted to achieve and was pleased with the results.

The story centers around four nations that are heavily based on Chinese mythology of four gods, each nation being related to one. This concept also exists in Japan and is where the Four Symbols comes from (the Four Symbols has also been previously used in other Final Fantasy games).

The "school of magic" aspect of Final Fantasy Type-0 has been compared to Harry Potter, but Hajime Tabata has said the other settings are drastically different, and that he personally was not influenced by Harry Potter when working on the title.

After the original version's release Tabata said he would have liked to be more thorough with the storytelling and make it easier to comprehend.

Battle System
Hajime Tabata said in a Famitsu interview that "it's becoming an intense experience where you do gun shooting with fire." On the subject of multiplayer, he added "Agito XIII will not have the standard multiplayer style of everyone gathering together to play. It will be a multiplayer system unique to this game".

The combat in Final Fantasy Type-0 was meant to be filled with tension and portray each playable character's personality on the battlefield. The battles are more brutal and make an effort to show the physical consequences of conflict. "We've really tried to focus on the true nature of battle—what a realistic type of magic vs. weaponry type of battle might unfold like," Tabata has said. "If you're hit by fire, you burn. If you're cut, you bleed. It's approaching those realistic type of expressions within the Final Fantasy world atmosphere ... It's more of a realistic blow vs. just scraping away HP."

The party members' AI wasn't a code due to technical restrictions with the PSP, so the AI was focused on healing the player when their HP got critical, and ensuring that the AI-controlled characters wouldn't die easily or "steal" too many kills from the player. It was made this way because of the reserves function as only the characters in the active battle party earn experience.

The first Eidolon made for the game was Ifrit who was intended to be depicted as brutal, wild and berserk. At this time the team still played with the idea of making the Eidolons playable in realtime, and looked at the summoning video they made first of an Ifrit NPC summoned that acted on its own. The team had the feeling it was not the beast they wanted him to be as he did not seem feral enough. When the team tried to make Ifrit playable for the first time, Tabata, who was trying it out, clicked the button and Ifrit made a powerful attack. This impressed Tabata so he decided they should try to overcome the technical limitations to make the Eidolons playable.

After the game's release Tabata has reflected that he would have wanted to add ad-hoc capabilities and a co-op mode where players could help each other at any time and to adjust the leveling curve and balance of the magic.

Localization
In the Final Fantasy Type-0 Ultimania it was hinted that Square Enix was looking to localize the game for international audiences, but it never materialized. On October 13, 2012 Jeremy Parish provided an update in regards to the possible localization for Final Fantasy Type-0: the editor-in-chief of 1UP relayed pessimistic news from Tokyo Game Show 2012 event. "...no less than four people I talked to at TGS (both inside and outside of Square Enix) made it very clear that the English version of Type-0 is moribund, at least in its current form."

On November 1, 2012 Tabata said to Gamespot that: "Due to market reasons, we are taking a clean slate in terms of our plans. We feel strongly about bringing this title to the fans in North America and Europe, so if an opportunity arises that can become a conclusive factor, we are prepared to go into consideration right away."

Though never officially confirmed, some sources claim that by 2012 Square Enix had shelved a near-complete localization that included an English script and voice recording work, because although the company had planned on localizing the game it was not deemed profitable due to PSP's poor standing in Europe and North America. In July 2014 director Hajime Tabata confirmed that Square had done the bulk of localization work on Final Fantasy Type-0 back in 2011, but the PlayStation Portable's sinking overseas popularity led the company to put a hold on the release outside of Japan as the marketplace wasn't viable anymore.

In August 2013 Square Enix America and Europe CEO, Phil Rogers, posted an open letter encouraging fans to share their questions, comments and other feedback with him via email. This was in response to Operation Suzaku, a fan movement to get Final Fantasy Type-0 localized in the west. Rogers promised to look into the matter but didn't want fans to get their hopes up, as localizing previously released games sometimes isn't possible when the team have moved onto other projects.

On May 15, 2014 Square Enix's French Twitter hinted a Final Fantasy Type-0 localization would be announced at the upcoming E3. This happened on June 10th when the HD remaster version for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One was announced. During the 2014 Tokyo Game Show, an English version of the game's opening is presented.

Fan Translations
A partial fan translation patch for the game was made by Truthkey, released in November 2011. It is a patch update for Disc 2 and only the main menu has been translated.

SkyBladeCloud and his team of translators and programmers announced in mid-2012 that they were working on a full English patch. In March 2014 the team announced it would be released on August 8, 2014. Not long after Square Enix representatives warned the team the company intended to protect its copyrights, and asked if they would like to discuss further about mutual solutions to leave both parties happy. The team speculated Square was reaching out because they were going to announce a western release of Final Fantasy Type-0 and the other members of the translation team discussed the possibility of not releasing the patch to avoid hurting sales. In early June, SkyBladeCloud announced the patch was coming two months early, and would be available on June 8—the day before E3 2014 when Square was rumored to announce the official localization. The patch was immediately popular, SkyBladeCloud estimating 100,000 downloads in four days.

The rest of the team was dissatisfied, some feeling the patch wasn't ready for release. In the coming days and weeks the release decision fractured the group. In E3 Square announced an official localization in a press release with no video footage. Within the next few weeks Square Enix started sending legal requests to SkyBladeCloud, and eventually asked him to take down the patch, and the fan translation and all content associated with it was removed from his website.

Themes
Final Fantasy Type-0 explores the life and death of humans, as well as mortality and the weight it carries. Director Hajime Tabata has described this thusly: "It is special to see how it depicts the theme of going through a very hard time. I don't think there are any other Final Fantasy games where you get the same feeling of having to go through such a hard and cruel battle as you progress." One decision to depict this feeling of brutality was to show blood, uncharacteristic to the Final Fantasy series but something director Hajime Tabata had already had to deal with when directing Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- ending sequences. This had taught him that if he wanted to show deep emotions and the internal struggle of a fight, they would have to use gory expressions.

Each character is treated as an individual, and the game has no true hero. Instead, all fourteen of the game's characters are given an equal spotlight. Tabata described Final Fantasy Type-0 as "a major title that's formed from a variety of concepts." These include, "Collision of four fantasies (the world view)", "Killing match between magic and weapons (battle)", and "The Ordinary and Unordinary (the two sides of reality)".

The most prominent theme in Final Fantasy Type-0 is war and the results it brings to the world. The historical progression of a war and its effects on the younger generation is the main focus of the story. Tabata has cited several underlying themes in the world and story of Final Fantasy Type-0; one of the story themes revolves around death and its effects: a key aspect of the story is the memories of the dead being removed from the living by the Crystals. This scenario was created to make people feel their hatred of death. Others included the collision of four "fantasies" (the nations of Orience), a battle between magic and technology, and the two sides of the world (the mortal world and Unseen Realm). During its original form, Final Fantasy Type-0 primarily revolved around challenging the gods. Another underlying theme is a cycle of Orience's death and rebirth and the effort to break that cycle.

Voice Cast

 * Additional Voices (Japanese)
 * Ryōta Asari, Riho Fujida, Eri Gōda, Wataru Hatano, Kei Hayami, Yū Hayashi, Tomoyuki Higuchi, Yōko Hikasa, Chiemi Ishimatsu, Miyako Itō, Yoshimasa Kawata, Tomoko Kobashi, Minako Kotobuki, Tsuguo Mogami, Seirō Ogino, Tōru Sakurai, Rei Shimoda, Kenji Takahashi, Shūhei Takubo


 * Additional Voices (English)
 * Johnny Yong Bosch, Michael Sinterniklaas, Julie Nathanson, Stephanie Sheh, Crispin Freeman, Susan Savage, Andrew McDonough, Carrie Savage, Dave Wittenberg, Tara Sands, Yuri Lowenthal, Christopher Corey Smith, Shane Johnson, Patrick Cavanaugh, Dorothy Fahn, Jason Miller, Melissa Fahn, Grant George, Mike Rock, Doeg Erholtz, Karissa Staples, Mike Sorich, Tara Platt, Steve Van Wormer, Eric Artell, Wendee Lee, Todd Haberkorn, Kirk Thornton, Jason Palmer, Brad Abrell, Sam Riegel, Ezra Weisz, Jessica Strauss, Jamieson Price

Final Fantasy Type-0 HD
On June 10, 2014 Square Enix announced an English localization of Final Fantasy Type-0 in the form of Final Fantasy Type-0 HD for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. On August 27, 2014 Tabata confirmed at PAX 2014 event that the HD remaster was about 80% completed. A demo version was available for the fans who attended the event.

Final Fantasy Type-0 was the first high-profile Final Fantasy game to not be localized in many years and led to vocal dissatisfaction among western fans. Seeing the demand, and receiving a fan-made petition asking for a western release, Square Enix decided to develop a new version of the game. Tabata mentioned that when Final Fantasy Type-0 was released on the PlayStation Portable in Japan Square Enix could garner a new, younger user-base. As Final Fantasy Type-0 brought a many new fans to the series in Japan, Square Enix is hoping it'll be the same for the overseas market.

Sony Computer Entertainment Japan's Tokyo Game Show 2014 website accidentally leaked a number of unannounced exhibiting titles before the show, including a previously missing Final Fantasy Type-0 HD. Release information came to light the next day: The game would be released in March 2015, and every copy would include a voucher code for Final Fantasy XV Episode Duscae, a playable demo of Final Fantasy XV. The first gameplay trailer was released on September 17, 2014. Footage of the English version was also released.

All versions have an option of either English or Japanese audio, and the European version will include English and Japanese voice work and English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish subtitles.

In October 2014, Amazon Italy listed a PC version of Type-0 HD alongside its console counterparts, raising the possibility of a release outside consoles. This was confirmed by Square Enix as a listing error on the same day. On January 20th 2015 Square Enix and Amazon teamed up with a promotional Twitter minigame called Final Fantasy Type-0 HD Twitter Battle.

Development
In mid-2012 Square Enix shifted development of Final Fantasy XV to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and got a feel for the new consoles, which at that point had not yet been announced. After director Hajime Tabata gained a better understanding of the next generation of video gaming consoles, and liked the environment of the platform itself, he believed it would be a good fit for Final Fantasy Type-0. It was decided Final Fantasy Type-0 would get a remastering a little after Tokyo Game Show of 2013. When the team evaluated the new development environment for Final Fantasy XV, they also evaluated what could be possible for a Final Fantasy Type-0 HD in terms of the specs that could be achieved. Development for the title started late 2013.

Although an "international version" was considered (Japanese re-releases with new content are known as "international" versions), as Final Fantasy Type-0 would be a new release outside of Japan development speed was prioritized over adding of new features.

The original plan was to have it on four consoles—PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One—to reach the widest possible audience, but around December 2013 or January 2014 it was decided to focus on the new generation platforms. By that time Square had taken note PlayStation 4 wasn't going to be as big a seller as they had thought, so part of the idea was to release the game on it to encourage people to buy it, as Square Enix wanted to ensure fans own the latest consoles when Final Fantasy XV is released, with Final Fantasy Type-0 being their way of helping segue people into them. Another reason was Tabata's team never having worked with PlayStation 3, but being familiar with PlayStation 4 due to the Final Fantasy XV project.

Though Final Fantasy Type-0 was a portable game, the HD version is being developed exclusively for home consoles. Square considered a PlayStation Vita version, but Tabata had realized when making the original Final Fantasy Type-0 that to bring out the best in the title a bigger screen would be more appropriate for the depth and the distance between the enemies and party members, and to better allow players see the small details. The reason Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster is available for Vita but Type-0 HD is not is because the former was developed on a PS3/Xbox 360 environment, while Type-0 HD was developed on a PS4/Xbox One environment; the difference in the technical specs would make it difficult to export the data to the Vita. Square Enix has no plans to release the game on the Vita, but Tabata has commented that when they tried Remote Play for Final Fantasy Type-0 HD and he saw the game on a Vita's screen it looked "awesome." If given the chance, Tabata would like to release the game on Vita.

Tabata told GameSpot that a PC version was up for discussion and the PAX 2014 demo is running on PC. In January 2015 he said there currently being no plans for a PC version but that he was interested in Steam.

The bulk of the content already exists and no new content is being added, but the game is being fine-tuned and balanced. The remake ended up being more work than Tabata had anticipated in terms of the quality that needed to be met, as well as the amount of work that needed doing. Tabata thought magic was too strong in the PSP version, but as Class Zero is a part of a magic wielding nation it'd be odd if their magic was weak. Therefore, the physical attack abilities learned in the latter half of the game have been augmented, and players can now choose between fighting with magic or fighting with physical attacks. When playing on the big screen the attacks are centered, and so the offensive power of enemy attacks has been raised since the player can now confirm their surroundings. The war gods (summons) have also been re-balanced. In the original it was difficult to use them if one didn't level them up, but now players should be able to summon them in rough spots to wipe out the enemies even when the summoned character is "incompetent" in battle.

After receiving feedback from both the press and the fans on the camera having issues and that they wished for the party members to move faster, the team sought to appease these demands. For the Jump Festa 2015 convention Square Enix had updated the camera, showcasing a video comparing the old camera versus the new which has been smoothed to resolve collision issues with geometry, and whose targeting has been improved to make both characters and enemies more visible. The developers had to get rid of almost all of the camera behavior and logic from the PlayStation Portable version, and recreate it because when switching from the small PlayStation Portable screen where the action is up close, and play it on the large TV screen, the inadequacies showed.

The team has also improved the battle specs with regards to each playable characters to make battles more intuitive and easier to play; it is now easier to dodge and deflect enemy attacks.

Final Fantasy Type-0 HD is an evolved version made from a fusion of the know-how of the Final Fantasy XV development team and talents of Hexadrive. Most of the assets come from the PSP version but the team is making use of DirectX 11's functions. The lighting now reacts to the laws of physics and the light and dark spectrum is greater than the PSP version. Character models used in the PSP version's cutscenes have been adapted as the playable models; following a work flow established for converting the high end CG to real time CG for Final Fantasy XV, the same know-how was used for Final fantasy Type-0.

The change in the coloring tone from the original red to the golden tone in the HD version was not completely planned from the beginning, but came from the new logo. Yusuke Naora designed the new logo as per Tabata's request and the team decided to unite the presentation of the new game under the golden tone from the new logo. The original idea was to change it from red to a warm golden tone, but the team found the graphics from PlayStation Portable would look too dark on a big screen and many details would be missed. They thus decided to brighten it up and the blue tone came in an effort to make everything as visible and sleek as possible.

Version Differences


The three main differences to the original are the new high-definition graphics, new controls for traditional controllers with improved camera and new difficulty modes, as many Japanese fans have given feedback on the game being too hard. The multiplayer option is removed from the HD version, with the magic and items that could only be obtained through multiplayer in the PSP version being made obtainable in the main game. Developing a new form of multiplayer for home console use would take another year in development, and the priority was to reproduce the requested content precisely and release it as fast as possible. Thus, the link up with Square Enix Members feature and save data inherited functions have been cut.

All the special accessories and costumes available for the original game via demos and Square Enix Members site and other means can now be acquired from the game itself. There will also be an extra costume, and new scenes unlocked in the Crimson Codex by doing missions.

Sequels and Spin-offs
"If I could do anything I'd like [as his next project after Final Fantasy XV], I'd want to make Final Fantasy Type-1 first," director Hajime Tabata has said in an interview. He has also said he would like to make it into a Final Fantasy subseries. Square Enix has registered trademarks for it in case there is willingness for continuation, and Tabata would like to make the "Type series" of all the things not viable in the mainline numbered series for an "alternative kind of Final Fantasy."

As soon as the PlayStation Portable version of Final Fantasy Type-0 was finished the team moved on to do prototyping and investigating based on DirectX 11 on whether they could take advantage of that to make a sequel. A whole game didn't materialize, it was just an experimental project that was canned halfway through. However, the expertise gained from that was used in the development of Final Fantasy XV.

Final Fantasy Agito, bearing the original name for Final Fantasy Type-0, is a game for iOS and Android platforms and a follow-up to Final Fantasy Type-0. The game is a legitimate entry in the Fabula Nova Crystallis: Final Fantasy series, and Hajime Tabata and Takeharu Ishimoto return as producer and composer respectively. A PlayStation Vita version named Final Fantasy Agito+ was to have been released in January 2015, but was delayed when the team encountered critical problems in the development environment of the Vita, meaning that the team had to wait for Sony to help correct the fault. When the fault is sorted, the company will fix a new release date.

A teaser called Rise from the Ashes is shown after the original ending of the game, suggesting a sequel.

PlayStation Portable Release
The original version for PlayStation Portable was only released in Japan.

HD Release
The initial shipment of the HD re-release will come with a voucher to download a playable Final Fantasy XV demo titled Final Fantasy XV Episode Duscae, and will include both English and Japanese audio. The Japanese version will have voices and subtitles in Japanese and English. The North American version has voices in English and Japanese, and subtitles in English, French or Spanish. The Traditional Chinese/Korean version includes choice of English and Japanese voices, and Chinese and Korean subtitles. The European version has voices in English and Japanese, and subtitles in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

Japanese Release
The Japanese release of the HD version will be available in standard and collector's editions, as well as a special hardware bundle which includes a Final Fantasy Type-0-themed PlayStation 4 along with a copy of the game, a DualShock 4 controller, a Final Fantasy Type-0 theme, and a download code for the Final Fantasy XV demo. The bundle will be priced at ¥46,980 ($393) when it launches on March 19. There will also be an Ultimate Box collector's edition exclusive to the Japanese Square Enix e-store. Priced at ¥19,440 ($163), the set packs the game in a special school admissions-themed box with a The Best of Final Fantasy Type-0 HD and Final Fantasy Agito soundtrack, a school calendar that starts in April, a school ID, a set of Ace's magic cards, and a scarf with the Class 0 insignia.

Asian Release
Multiple versions were released in the Asian region. All versions includes English and Japanese voice acting but differs in subtitles. Those who pre-ordered a physical copy of the game received a limited-edition steelbook.

The English language version includes English, French and Spanish subtitles. The Asian localized version includes Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese and Korean subtitles. Both were released on March 17, 2015, the same day of the American release. The Japanese language version will include Japanese subtitles and will be released on March 19, 2015.

Below are the official prices for each country in the region:

North American Release
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD North American Collector's Edition will be available in limited quantities for $99.99. It will include a golden Steel Book case with Yoshitaka Amano's artwork on the cover that holds the game disc and a 15-track collection of songs picked by the game's composer, Takeharu Ishimoto; a 200-page manga that takes place alongside the opening of Final Fantasy Type-0; an 80-page art book with foreword written by director Hajime Tabata; and five life-size replicas of the cards Ace holds in promotional materials with the fronts featuring illustrations of the game's Eidolons: Odin, Ifrit, Shiva, Diabolos, and Bahamut.

Those who pre-order the Collector's Edition from Square Enix will be entered into a sweepstakes to win a Final Fantasy Type-0 custom PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, an art canvas of Ace, a Vermilion Bird lapel pin and runner up prizes.

European Release
The European version of the Collector's Edition will be the same as the North American one, but with white box rather than black. It will be available for £79.99.

Trivia

 * The game was originally named Final Fantasy Agito XIII. Even though the title has changed, the term "Agito" still appears within the story. Square Enix has also released a prequel mobile game called Final Fantasy Agito.
 * In Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy Player Icons of Ace are still referred to as being from Final Fantasy Agito XIII, even though it was released after the name change to Final Fantasy Type-0. This is due to their appearance as such in Dissidia Final Fantasy, and the fact that the Data Transfer option between the two also transfers Player Icon data demands consistency between the two games.
 * The menu cursor in Final Fantasy Type-0 is the same as the one used in the original Final Fantasy X announcement trailer.
 * Final Fantasy Type-0 is the first entry in the series to be given a C rating by the Computer Entertainment Rating Organization in Japan, a Mature rating by the ESRB, and a MA15+ rating by the ACB.
 * The original official images of the cover art contain a typo on the word "includes." This has since been corrected.