Final Fantasy XV

Unreleased

Final Fantasy Versus XIII is an action role-playing game currently under development for the PlayStation 3 which, alongside Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Agito XIII, makes up the Fabula Nova Crystallis: Final Fantasy XIII compilation. However, the game has no physical connections to the rest of the compilation, and will feature a wholly independant story and a unique visual design.

Final Fantasy Versus XIII was first announced at E3 2006 alongside Final Fantasy XIII, and will be the second game to utilize Square-Enix's Crystal Tools engine. Final Fantasy Versus XIII follows the story of a mysterious protagonist, Noctis, who is a protector of the last remaining city in the world with control over crystals.

Gameplay
Unlike Final Fantasy XIII, very scarce information about Final Fantasy Versus XIII's gameplay has surfaced. Nomura has stated that he aims to create previously unseen "tricky" battle sequences, reminiscent of the film  Advent Children. Nomura has revealed that the game will be action oriented, and will play like a more realistic version of Kingdom Hearts with some elements of a third-person shooter similar to Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-.

During Tokyo Game Show 2009, a brief demo gameplay video was shown. It depicted Noctis running through a city which shifted from day to night, then to a field full of large creatures.

At Jump Festa 2009, a video with actual gameplay about one minute in length was shown. It had Noctis waiting on a highway for a car during the day. He gets in the car and it drives off. The footage was displayed in real time, and had improved lighting, character models, and environments.

Setting
The story, like Final Fantasy XIII, focuses around crystals. The main character, Noctis — who is part of a lineage of kings, but is not yet king himself — leads the country holding the last crystal, which is beneficial to the military. Because of increasingly apparent modernization in contrast to neighboring nations, Noctis's kingdom has isolated itself from the outside world. At one time, all the other countries also possessed a crystal, yet lost them in warfare. They pooled their resources into weapons, granting them firearms in exchange for swords and magic. A long cold war has gone on about the usage of the crystal. Recently, a peace treaty was talked about between the countries, but a group of marauders are beginning to break it.

There also exists a mythology in the kingdom of Tenebrae, an opposing country, about a goddess of death, the Goddess Etro. She is said to greet the souls of the deceased, and open the door to the afterlife. When that door opens, the released souls burst out in a streak of light that ascends to heaven. However, very few people are able to see that light, and those who can see it are given power from the Kingdom of the Dead. During the conversation, the two mention that they can see the light, and Noctis wonders if they are dying.

The focus of the game is to examine the humanity of the characters and distinguish it from the fantasy setting in other titles in the series. Nomura is "trying to propose new vision of how a Final Fantasy game can be. The game's going to be more human than the science-fiction caricature ... and will focus around current world events - in that sense it's darker".

The world Versus XIII takes place in seems very similar to the real world, with modern technology such as cars and highways being visible. The world also contains medieval elements, such as castles and armored soldiers. It has been said that Final Fantasy Versus XIII's cities were inspired by Venice.

Characters
The protagonist of the game is named Noctis Lucis Caelum. He "is a member of the royal family in a kingdom that has protected its crystals for generations." While Noctis sports normal, modern day clothing and is chauffeured in a luxury car, he works to protect his kingdom's crystals from invaders. Nomura has compared Noctis' family to the modern-day Japanese mafia. His name, which is Latin for "sky of the night", was revealed at the 2008 Tokyo Game Show.

He wields a variety of weapons, including swords, spears, and lances, which he can control telekinetically. He has also shown the ability to teleport, and his eye and hair color appears to change depending on the abilities he uses and the weapon he wields.

Nomura has described Noctis is a shy and timid person, though he tries to compensate by "acting cool", as seen in his conversation with Stella.

A blond woman named Stella Nox Fleuret was revealed to be one of the game's antagonists. Although they have no desire to fight, she and "Noct" are forced to by unknown circumstances. Magazine articles have drawn similarities between her situation and that of Final Fantasy VI's Celes Chere, hinting that she may possibly become an ally during the story.

A scene from the game hints at the relationship between Noctis and Stella; she treats him respectfully, addressing him as Lord Noctis, yet acts somewhat flirty and outgoing. Throughout the conversation, the two talk about a strange power they both have: the ability to see the "light" of the dead.

Nomura has referred to her as a very polite person.

Three as-of-yet unnamed characters who accompany Noctis have been revealed; their relationship seems to resemble that of the kyodai (brothers) and shatei (little brothers) in the Yakuza hierarchy. The first, a man with light brown hair and glasses who wears suit, is frequently seen at the wheel of Noctis's car, and appears to be his driver. The second, a friendly man with dark brown hair and a scar over his left eye, seems to act as the group's senior. The third, a blond-haired man, is said to be a fugitive, and carries a shotgun despite the ban on firearms within Noctis's kingdom.

Mysterious soldiers wearing medieval-style armor appear in the trailers as well, wielding assault rifles and rocket launchers that resemble modern military weapons. It appears that they are attempting to invade Noctis's castle, though their precise motivation and affiliation is unknown.

A man with shoulder-length brown hair, robed entirely in white, is seen in what appears to be Noctis's throne room, casting a spell on the column in the center of the room. When Noctis enters, the man smiles and removes his hood before they both attack each other: the man surrounds Noctis in magical crests while Noctis's assorted weapons manifest around the man, ready to strike. Though his goal remains unknown, he appears to be an antagonist.

Another man, older than the protagonist and dressed in a business suit, appears sitting at the head of a long table as a chairman during a meeting with several other men. Because he has the same colored eyes as Noctis, it is speculated that the two are related.

Music
The music of Final Fantasy Versus XIII will be composed by Yoko Shimomura, who was also responsible for the soundtracks of the Kingdom Hearts series, and the 'first' Parasite Eve.

The theme song for the game is titled "Somnus - Sleeping" (「somnus - 眠り -」), a reference to the Roman god of sleep. The god is often depicted as a young man sleeping which seems to match the game's logo art.

Development
Unveiled at E3 2006, the game is "not merely a sequel, but a wholly independent story unfolding in a different world with different characters." The game will be developed by the team responsible for the hit Kingdom Hearts series. Tetsuya Nomura will be the director. Square Enix signed a contract with Japanese fashion brand "Roen" to promote their clothing designs in the game through different characters. Roen Creative Director Himuro Takahara for example designed Noctis' suit.

The development of Versus proceeds according to schedule. Its release date is currently unknown, although it's been confirmed that possibly Final Fantasy Agito XIII will be released before it. However, the completion of Final Fantasy XIII has boosted the development of Versus.

After nearly a year of silence, Final Fantasy Versus XIII was briefly shown at Tokyo Game Show 2009 in a private theater. It showed the very first gameplay footage of the game, though Nomura commented that it was merely a technology test, and most footage will not be used in the final game. He also said the clip was only made to prove the game was still well alive and in development.

At Jump Festa 2009, Noctis' new outfit was put on display. It now has a more modern look with a jacket and pants, as opposed to his old outfit from past trailers.

During an interview with Famitsu, Nomura has stated that he is unsure whether Versus will be shown at E3 2010.

Staff

 * Producers: Shinji Hashimoto, Yoshinori Kitase
 * Image Artwork: Yoshitaka Amano
 * Mechanic Concept: Takayuki Takeya
 * Clothes Design: Himuro Takahara (Roen Creative Director)
 * Scenario Writer: Kazushige Nojima
 * Music: Yoko Shimomura
 * Main Programmers: Hiroshi Harata, Kentarou Yasui
 * Planning Directors: Yuuichi Kanemori, Takayoshi Nakazato
 * Planning Director (World): Takeshi Endou
 * Planning Director (Event): Jun Akiyama
 * Graphic Director (Character Model): Tomohiro Kayano
 * Graphic Director (Animation): Tatsuya Kandou
 * Graphic Director (Map Model): Masahide Tanaka
 * Graphic Director (Visual Effects): Shuichi Sato
 * Graphic Director (System Menu): Takeshi Arakawa
 * Art Director (Character): Tomohiro Hasegawa
 * Art Director (Map): Takayuki Ohtachi
 * Movie Director: Takeshi Nozue
 * Director, Concept Game Design, Character Design, Base Story: Tetsuya Nomura