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 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.

On June 1, 2015, computer manufacturer MSI announced it is collaborating with Square Enix to globally launch the game on the MSI GS60 Red Edition laptop. The day later the company tweeted Final Fantasy Type-0 would be coming to Steam where it was released in August 2015.

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. There are some fighting game style elements like movement canceling for skilled action players. There are fourteen playable characters who each have their own playstyle: some are fast, some are slow, some are ranged, some specialize in close-combat, and they have different proficiencies in magic use. The player can equip their party with weapons, accessories, and abilities, one ability slot being reserved for a support or defensive-type skill.

The PlayStation Portable version supports both Ad-hoc multiplayer for up to three players, and online Square Enix membership connection. 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 multiplayer option is not available in the HD version.

Players can determine enemies' weak points with Killsight, allowing them to deal a deathblow for an Instant Death. Breaksight is applicable to enemies with more than one bar of health, such as strong monsters, bosses and enemy leaders.

The Altocrystarium powers up the characters' magic using an energy called phantoma harvested from defeated enemies. 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, it can be powered up in different areas. For example, the Fire RF magic can be powered up in strength, MP usage, call time, projectile distance, and speed. All party members share the same spells, but their strength depends on the user's magic stat: one with low Fire magic can only use Fire-level magic, whereas those with high-level Fire magic stat can use the Firaga variants of the spells.

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 Altocrystarium. 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, lasts longer and can damage enemies that come 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 slower, but chases the target constantly when in effect.
 * Rocket Launcher (ROK): When the player begins casting this type, a target will appear. The magic will fire in the direction the player aims. When it strikes, it will explode and damage enemies in the surroundings. ROK's range is 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 is KO'd. 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 with to obtain various items.

Summons, called Eidolons, 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 via running out of time or by being 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 others only consumes a portion of it.

The game's structure is mission-based. There are also sub-objectives, called special orders, 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, but some tough monsters roam around the world map and chase after players if they get too close.

The Final Fantasy Type-0 world map, known as the "Active World Map", features two minigame style elements: War battles, called overworld 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 phantoma. The player still keeps the experience if they die part way through.
 * Secret Training – The controlled character will be trained while the console is off or in sleep. The longer the "secret training" session is the more EXP the character will rack up, upwards to 24 hours.

Outside of missions players have a set amount of free time to use up by triggering events, attending lectures, and doing tasks and optional missions. Not all of the content can be done in one playthrough, new content being unlocked in New Game Plus.

Characters
Final Fantasy Type-0 features fourteen playable characters, all of whom are cadets at the magic academy of Akademeia as Class Zero. Each wields a different weapon and has a unique fighting style. Aside from Machina and Rem, the members 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, he speaks and acts mature. 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 be stubborn.
 * Trey—A blond-haired boy who wields a bow. He takes pride in being well-mannered and knowledgeable, and can be very talkative as a result.
 * Cater—A red-haired girl who wields a magicite pistol. She is confident and direct, preferring 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.
 * Seven—A silver-haired girl who wields a whipblade. As the eldest member of her class, her caring nature and ability to understand others make her popular among the underclassmen.
 * Eight—A red-haired boy who fights with knuckles. 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. He is the upbeat and humorous class clown, often keeping a smile on his face and encouraging others to look on the positive side.
 * Queen—A dark-haired girl who wields a longsword. Her dignified appearance and intelligence suit her name, as others often look up to her as a leader.
 * King—A blond-haired boy who wields dual handguns. He seldom speaks, and possesses a serious demeanor and strong common sense.
 * Machina Kunagiri—A dark-haired boy who wields twin rapiers, and was transferred into Class Zero alongside his childhood friend, Rem. In spite of his proficiency and straightforwardness, Machina fears losing those close to him and can thus act irrationally.
 * Rem Tokimiya—A brunette girl who wields twin daggers, and was transferred into Class Zero along with Machina. She is moral, kind, and honest, and has an outstanding talent for magic.

Setting
The world of Orience is divided into four nations blessed with Crystals that grant them unique powers. The Dominion of Rubrum holds the Vermilion Bird Crystal containing the power of magic, allowing its citizens to cast spells and call forth Eidolons. Its ruler is the 174th Chancellor Khalia Chival VI. The Militesi Empire holds the White Tiger Crystal containing the power of weapons, making the empire the most technologically advanced nation. Its ruler is Imperial Marshal Cid Aulstyne. The Kingdom of Concordia holds the Azure Dragon Crystal containing the power of dragons, allowing its diminutive citizens to communicate with monsters. Its ruler is Queen Andoria. The Lorican Alliance holds the Black Tortoise Crystal containing the power of the shield, allowing the citizens to grow larger than the people of other nations with great resilience. Its ruler is Gilgamesh.

The four nations have warred among one another since time immemorial. The nations coexisted peacefully for a time under the Pax Codex until Cid Aulstyne, Imperial Marshal of the Militesi Empire, broke the peace treaty and staged an invasion using advanced military technology developed with the power of the White Tiger Crystal.

In Orience exists a legend of Agito, a messiah prophesied in ancient mythology to appear at the time of Tempus Finis, an apocalyptic calamity. The legend of the Agito is written in the Nameless Tome that speaks of sixteen "constellations" and posits the Sixteen will arrive in the world at a certain moment in human form to prevent Finis and "open the gateway."

As per the Will of the Vermilion Bird Crystal, Akademeia, the magic academy of the nation of Rubrum, trains Agito Cadets, who seek to become this savior. The other nations have their own plans for the same goal, Marshal Cid of the Militesi Empire imploring to free Orience from under the Crystals' rule, heralding it to a new future.

Story
Usurping the emperor, Marshal and engineering genius Cid Aulstyne took over Milites in Tem. XV, 832 RG, as the emperor mysteriously vanished. Ten years later, he simultaneously mobilized the Militesi forces towards the capital of the Lorican Alliance and to invade the Dominion of Rubrum, while a special unit was dispatched directly to Akademeia, the magic academy and capital of Rubrum, to perform a sneak attack on the Vermilion Peristylium.

The special unit is accompanied by the White Tiger Secundus l'Cie Qun'mi Tru'e, whose magitek armor is equipped with a prototype crystal jammer that disables enemy Crystals and thus renders Rubrum's legionaries powerless without their magic. l'Cie are the Crystals' chosen and exert their Will, but in return of great power and eternal youth l'Cie gradually forgo their humanity. When a Crystal deems its l'Cie's use over, the l'Cie enters crystal stasis, their soul trapped in crystal.

As the battle seems lost Class Zero appears—still able to use magic—and turns the tide of the battle. Class Zero's involvement in the liberation effort was kept under wraps until the last moment, and when word arrived the cadets are to take down the crystal jammers it becomes pertinent to link them to Operation HQ. A dominion legionary, Izana Kunagiri, is deployed to deliver a COMM to the cadets and while he succeeds he perishes amid the battle. The cadets liberate Akademeia by destroying the crystal jammers and driving Qun'mi away. Even if the dominion defends their capital all remaining regions are occupied by the empire, and news arrives the Lorican Alliance has been obliterated by an Ultima Bomb.

Impressed with the cadets' prowess and their ability to use magic independent of the Vermilion Bird Crystal, the administration has Class Zero enrolled in Akademeia with two new members, Rem Tokimiya and Machina Kunagiri. Dr. Arecia Al-Rashia, Akademeia's doctor and archsorceress who had adopted the original twelve cadets and augmented them to be able to use magic without the Crystal, disdains the two newcomers, deeming them inferior to her children. She asks the others to conceal the truth about phantoma from the pair, the mystical life energy of all living beings. Only the Sorcery Division of Akademeia and Class Zero are privy to details about it, the cadets collecting phantoma on the battlefield from felled foes.

It is decided that Agito Cadets are to partake in the war effort to reclaim the areas conquered by the empire, and they thus come under Central Command's jurisdiction. Kurasame Susaya is appointed Class Zero's commanding officer with Moglin as the class moogle who helps them during missions.

The Crystals of Orience remove the memories of the dead from the living, and thus Machina has lost all memory of his brother Izana. Still aware of his loss, Machina tries to learn more about Izana's death, but finds the details of his deployment are confidential. Ace, one of the Class Zero cadets, overhears his mother Arecia arguing with the commandant of the dominion legionaries over Izana's deployment that had been done without the commandant's authorization, apparently only because Ace had requested it. Puzzled, as memories of Izana have been erased from Ace as well, he is unable to bring himself to tell about this to Machina. Later, Ace learns he had befriended Izana over their mutual fondness for chocobos and had asked Izana to lend him a hand during his first official deployment.

The dominion reclaims their territory one town at a time with the passive support of the Kingdom of Concordia, home to the Azure Dragon Crystal. During the battle to reclaim Togoreth the empire deploys the White Tiger Primus l'Cie Nimbus as a last resort, and as a shock move the Vermilion Bird Crystal deploys its own Primus l'Cie, Lord Zhuyu. Zhuyu asks Nimbus whether what he is doing is really the Focus given by the White Tiger Crystal, but Nimbus rebuffs him and the two cross blades. The ensuing battle obliterates Togoreth, leaving but a molten crater behind.

In truth, the empire has subjugated the White Tiger Crystal with a machine engineered by Cid Aulstyne, and thus enslaved its l'Cie who are unable to defy the marshal's orders. The empire is now on a quest to subjugate the rest of Orience's Crystals, already having recovered the Black Tortoise Crystal from the ruins of Lorica. Cid posits that living under the Crystals' "guidance" is but a form of slavery and wills for Milites and its population to collectively become Agito and herald Orience to a new era, though the people in other countries view his use of the term a mere propaganda tool.

Rem suffers from an incurable illness that will eventually kill her. She conceals this from everyone, especially her childhood friend Machina, wishing to remain and fight until the end. She visits Dr. Arecia for medication but is told her time is nearing its end. Machina senses something wrong with her, but whenever he asks she lies that she is fine, worrying him further.

The dominion receives intel of a new MA prototype and Class Zero is dispatched to destroy it. They infiltrate the imperial magitek facility and destroy Brionac, a prototype MA designed to deploy the empire's Ultima Bomb to long-distance targets. Nimbus appears to neutralize Class Zero and the cadets find themselves outmatched until he suddenly ceases his attack. A ceasefire is called as Queen Andoria of Concordia invokes the Fabula Pact, an ancient peace agreement made between the nations' peristylia rather than their governments. As the pact is invoked the Vermilion Bird l'Cie Zhuyu and Caetuna note a change in their Crystal. As Cid sees the White Tiger Crystal defying him he only wryly remarks it being "quaint".

The Crystal-States' leaders—Cid Aulstyne for the Militesi Empire, Chancellor Khalia Chival VI for the Dominion of Rubrum, and Queen Andoria for Concordia—meet in Ingram, the Militesi capital, for peace negotiations. Class Zero is given a guest residence where the queen pays them a visit. The cadets decry the ceasefire, deeming the empire has no right to ask for peace for being the initial aggressor. The queen says that peace is the Will of the Crystals, and the cadets' opposition would only lead to Tempus Finis, an apocalyptic calamity spoken in legend. The cadets struggle to come to terms with the idea that what they have been fighting for is against the Crystals' Will.

The commandant of the dominion legionaries, who has accompanied the chancellor to Ingram, reveals details about Izana's death to Machina to turn him against the rest of Class Zero. He claims its members and Dr. Arecia changed Izana's mission orders to the ones that got him killed. The commandant envies Arecia's coveted position within the dominion and its governing body, the Consortium of Eight, and begrudges her children, Class Zero, have taken the spot light from his legionaries as the saviors of Rubrum. Because of the commandant's distrust in Dr. Arecia's actions and ignorance of her motives, he tasks Machina with spying on Class Zero, using his affection for Rem to manipulate him in saying that should Machina fail in his espionage, she would take his place.

Class Zero is overrun by Militesi troops in the guest residence and the class orderly, Aria Luricara, is shot by a sniper. During their escape the cadets learn the queen has been assassinated with Class Zero blamed for it. Unable to contact Central Command, the cadets escape with their lives until they encounter the Akatoki Warden Celestia, angered for having failed to protect her queen. Deuce convinces her of Class Zero's innocence, and Celestia helps them flee Ingram to a deserted house in Old Lorica Region.

Machina confronts the others over Izana's death, but is told he should get over it as they have more immediate concerns to worry over: they still can't contact Central Command and it seems they have been purposefully abandoned. Rem tries to calm Machina by explaining Class Zero can't be expected to save everyone despite all their might, but Machina storms off to patrol the area alone, vowing to surpass Class Zero so he can protect Rem. He stays out all night and finally shows up in the morning. The COMM starts working and Kurasame sends an airship to pick the cadets up.

The chancellor and his entourage returned to Rubrum safely after the queen's assassination, but the ceasefire is over and the war is to commence immediately, as the queen's successor, the King of Concordia, has allied with the empire against Rubrum. The Azure Dragon Crystal falls into imperial control, and only the Vermilion Bird Crystal of Rubrum remains. The chancellor informs the other consortium members that the Vermilion Bird Secundus l'Cie Caetuna wills to summon a Verboten Eidolon should the Militesi-Concordian coalition try to invade Rubrum, shocking the other members, as the Crystals and thus their l'Cie don't usually partake in mortals' affairs or aid in their war efforts.

Upon returning to Akademeia Class Zero meets an antipathetic front, as the consortium hasn't declared their innocence. Three of the consortium members—the commandant, the cadetmaster and the provost—plan to usurp Arecia, and thus the commandant seizes his chance and plans to deploy Class Zero, including its commanding officer Kurasame, to the frontlines to get rid of them to undermine the doctor's influence. Machina is questioned by the cadetmaster and the provost over his espionage mission, but after the mission to reclaim Eibon he vanishes from Akademeia.

The dominion splits its forces into two each side accompanied by a Vermilion Bird l'Cie for the battle against the far greater Militesi-Concordian coalition. Two l'Cie partaking in a war effort is nigh unheard of and many take it as a sign of Rubrum's, and thus the Vermilion Bird Crystal's, desperation. The dominion faces off against the royal army at Judecca, where Lord Zhuyu confronts the Azure Dragon Primus l'Cie Soryu. The new Azure Dragon Secundus l'Cie Celestia—in the form of Shinryu Celestia—confronts Class Zero as the battle seems to favor Rubrum, but is repelled by Bahamut ZERO, an Eidolon summoned by Dr. Arecia.

Meanwhile at the Big Bridge, the forces of Rubrum struggle against the infinite waves of Militesi troops accompanied by a new prototype crystal jammer, which needn't be operated by a l'Cie. Once the crystal jammer is destroyed by Class Zero that had been sent as reinforcements, Lady Caetuna begins summoning the Verboten Eidolon Alexander. As Class Zero retreats they encounter Gilgamesh, the former Lorican king and a l'Cie who survived the Ultima Bomb. He suffers from amnesia and appears to have lost sight of his Focus. He attacks them out of confusion, but soon departs.

Rubrum's forces withdraw as Alexander obliterates the Militesi army and brings victory to the dominion, but at a heavy cost: Kurasame and many cadets from Akademeia gave up their lives to complete the summoning, and Caetuna entered crystal stasis. The only imperial survivors are General Qator Bashtar whose MA's magic shield was fortified by a new White Tiger Secundus l'Cie, saving the duo from Alexander's Divine Light.

Class Zero returns to Akademeia and visits the cemetery with numerous new graves, but the cadets cannot remember the people they were dug for, not even Kurasame. Machina returns but his classmates are ambivalent toward him, and Rem is shocked by the change in his behavior. Due to the class's unique nature it is not assigned a new commanding officer, Moglin taking over the duty of hosting lectures and giving mission briefings.

The dominion sets out to conquer Concordia and as Class Zero proves instrumental in many dominion victories, its reputation is cleansed and the other cadets begin to hail its cadets as heroes once again, much to the commandant's chagrin. As Concordia surrenders, only Milites stands in Rubrum's way of uniting all of Orience under its banner. On the eve of the final battle Rem speaks with Machina, who asks for her reasons for joining the class. Rem says it is because she wants to become Agito, the fabled savior of Orience, and Machina implies he has obtained the power he has been looking for. Instead of accompanying the others to Ingram, he goes missing again.

The final battle takes place in the Militesi capital where Class Zero encounters Qator Bashtar in his new and improved MA, Gabriel. A malfunctioning Ultima Bomb had been fitted into his MA without his knowledge by an imperial engineer who foresaw the imperial surrender and wanted to wipe out the remnants of Milites together with the invading troops. Not wanting to see Ingram destroyed, Qator pilots his MA into the atmosphere where the bomb detonates, saving the city but being caught in the blast himself. Cid Aulstyne watches the explosion light up the sky and realizes Bashtar has perished. He flees the capital and the White Peristylium falls.

Rubrum legionaries briefly celebrate their victory, but as the Vermilion Bird commands all of Orience Tempus Finis commences: the sky turns red and the ocean turns black, and a sanctuary rises from the ocean sending out magitek creatures known as Rursan Reavers who slaughter anyone on sight. The people fight back to no avail: whenever the Rursus are felled they are soon revived to continue their onslaught. Because the Rursus destroy phantoma, those hurt by them cannot be healed with magic. The only way to kill the Rursus is by harvesting their phantoma, something only Class Zero knows how to do; even Lord Zhuyu has fallen to the Rursus.

Class Zero returns to Akademeia to find it devastated by the Rursus and the surviving cadets blaming them for the oncoming apocalypse for the secret code crimson missions the class had undertaken. Rem succumbs to her illness and falls unconscious. She is taken to Arecia's office but her phantoma levels are dangerously low. Central Command and the consortium are gone, leaving the class without orders. Arecia meets with them one last time, explaining the cadets have lived their lives according to the Will of the Crystals, but they alone have the power to make the final choice and write the last page of their own histories. The cadets are left puzzled over the meaning of her words.

Left with the original twelve members of Class Zero, Queen leads the discussion on what to do next. She recites the legend of Agito and Tempus Finis, and reveals Cid Aulstyne has headed to Pandæmonium—the temple that arose from the ocean near Akademia. The temple is where the Judge is said to reside to make the Final Decision on Orience's fate: if there is no Agito, the world will be destroyed. The cadets decide to head there to speak with the Judge rather than lay low and wait to be killed by the Rursus, even knowing that without Arecia they will not be revived if they fall in battle.

Only those chosen by the Crystals are said to be able to set foot in Pandæmonium, the Land of Judgment, i.e. the l'Cie. The cadets receive the help of Celestia as the Vermilion Bird has no l'Cie left, but in helping Class Zero she has defied the Will of the Azure Dragon Crystal—that would have wanted Celestia to conquer the temple and become Agito instead of Class Zero—and she turns into a Cie'th wyvern.

Pandæmonium is an otherworldly sanctuary cut away from the power of the Vermilion Bird Crystal, but since the cadets draw their magic power from phantoma rather than from the Crystal, they can still use magic. Amid its fiery depths lies the symbol of Etro's Gate, the gateway said to lead to the unseen realm, the land of the dead where only departing souls find a way to. The cadets are guided by Cid's voice—having been taken there earlier by a White Tiger l'Cie—who places numerous crucibles on their path for the cadets to prove their worthiness of becoming Agito.

The Vermilion Bird Crystal calls upon Class Zero, searching for new l'Cie, and the cadets can choose to become l'Cie or remain mortal. If the cadets choose to become l'Cie, they fail to save Orience and perish, Arecia deeming it yet another failed experiment, restarts the spiral and Orience and, eventually, Class Zero, are reborn in wait for a new Tempus Finis.

If Class Zero ignores the Crystal's plea and remains mortal, Rem, still slumped in Arecia's office back in Akademeia, is chosen in their stead. The Vermilion Bird sends her to Pandæmonium to intercept a White Tiger l'Cie it had sensed there, wanting its own l'Cie to become Agito. Rem engages the l'Cie but is impaled by his rapier. The l'Cie turns out to be Machina who had inherited Qun'mi's Focus as a White Tiger Secundus l'Cie while he was patrolling the woods alone during the time the class had to escape Ingram. He had wanted the power of a l'Cie to become strong enough to protect Rem, who is now dying in his arms happy to have seen him one last time. As Rem begs Machina to not forget her, both enter crystal stasis.

No matter how hard they try Class Zero fails the final trial, and Cid deems them unfit to become Agito and the cadets are stricken down. Greatly weakened, they push on and happen upon Rem and Machina's crystal, mourning the sight. At the top of Pandæmonium they pass through the depiction of Etro's Gate to a void-like area where they come face to face with Cid who has become the Rursan Arbiter, the Judge who decides on Orience's fate.

When Tempus Finis starts when one Crystal controls Orience, the mysterious Rursus Crystal that is of different origin than the other four Crystals, raises Pandæmonium and sends the Rursus to slaughter the people, attempting to form a swarm of souls powerful enough to open Etro's Gate so even those still bound to the world of the living could find it. Gala, a mysterious deity-like figure and the creator of the Rursus Crystal, chooses one to be its l'Cie to become the Judge. Though Cid abhors losing his humanity to a Crystal, having devised the war to free Orience from living under the Crystals' power, he is taken over and to his horror realizes he is no longer following his own will.

With their last power Class Zero makes its way to Cid who declares them useless and unworthy of being Agito. With the last of the l'Cie turned to Cie'th or entered crystal stasis, there is no one left to try for the position, and without Agito, the Judge prepares to destroy Orience. Cid transforms into the Rursan Arbiter, challenging the damaged cadets to their final battle. Standing no chance, Class Zero is defeated.

The now sublimated Machina and Rem lend their souls to the fallen Class Zero members who rise again and overwhelm the Rursan Arbiter by harvesting his phantoma. Every time a cadet harvests a piece of phantoma they are struck down, but Rem and Machina's crystal rouses another member until the Arbiter is exhausted and disperses into phantoma that disappears into the void. Tempus Finis is stalled and Class Zero is teleported back into their classroom in Akademeia, which they find in ruins.

The cadets are dying, overexerted from the final battle. Though at first despairing their fate, Ace soothes the others by singing the song Arecia had sung to him when he was young. The cadets spend their last moments discussing their dreams for the future in a world free of war.

Arecia is surprised at the outcome of the final battle and how in this spiral the cadets had chosen to not become l'Cie. She is a fal'Cie of the god Pulse, a deity-like creature, who opposes Gala, the fal'Cie of Lindzei, in finding Etro's Gate. Orience is a project where the Crystals created by Arecia try to cultivate prime souls that tempered through warfare would become strong enough to open the Gate. Arecia believes a combination of all the most human traits are needed to make up Agito, the Nameless Tome, an ancient epic extolling the legends of Orience, speaking of "the Sixteen" needed to become Agito. Gala, on the other hand, attempts to accumulate a flood of souls to force open the Gate instead.

Should both these objectives fail, Orience will be destroyed and the spiral restarted, the events unfolding repeatedly until in the 600,104,972nd cycle the twelve remaining members of Class Zero chose to not become l'Cie and prevailed—with Machina and Rem's help—against the Rursan Arbiter as mortals, breaking the spiral. The two "rejected" members of "the Sixteen" from previous cycles—Tiz and Joker—who now work for Arecia as observers, convince her to listen to the cadets' souls.

Arecia learns the class loves her but are satisfied with the decision they made in how they met their end, and do not want to be revived for another cycle; they want to pass through the Gate to the unseen realm like souls are meant to. Arecia decides to let the children go and approaches Machina and Rem's crystal asking the two to tell her all about her children, and to always remember them. After releasing the pair from crystal stasis Arecia abandons the project to find Etro's Gate with the Agito, and departs from Orience to places unknown. The Crystals' light dims and the people regain their ability to remember the dead.

Machina and Rem return to Akademeia where they find Class Zero dead around a flag made of their capes. At first the two become anguished, truly mourning the deaths of those close to them for the first time, but can do nothing but look on to the future. Orience enters a new era, but without the Crystals mankind must learn to cope without their power. Machina marries Rem and the two become instrumental in rebuilding Orience, cherishing the memories of Class Zero in their hearts until Machina passes away at age 67, his wife by his side.

In an alternate ending Arecia removes the Crystals from Orience's history and the war never happens, allowing for Class Zero and others to enjoy carefree lives. In another secret ending Ace, dressed in samurai armor, is revived by the power of the phoenix. Grasping a fiery plume, he declares "We are here."

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, "Zero", is performed by the Japanese band. In the game the song is frequently sung by Ace. 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 has one new song and a re-translation of the opening theme. "Utakata" is the 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 was made 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 director 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.

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. The overall theme spawned from the idea of the player fighting beside characters born into "a cruel world" torn by conflict.

As the PlayStation Portable was limited memory-wise, Final Fantasy Type-0 did not feature as much expressiveness as designer Yusuke Naora would have liked. 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.

The story centers around four nations 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.

Characters
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 roster who start with a different back story than the rest of the group, ending with fourteen playable characters in the final game. The inspiration for such a large cast came from the traditional Japanese war dramas that were popular and featured several characters.

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.

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 PlayStation Portable, so the AI was focused on healing the player when their HP gets critical, and ensuring 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 was 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. An updated version was released later by PiezoSparker (former SkyBladeCloud's team member), KernelPanic, and blackfire219. This version has graphical glitches fixed, re-translated some words, reconstructed sentences, removed duplicated words in the Crimson Codex, fixed multiplayer help guide page skipping and freezing, realigned obscured texts on context menus and NPC dialogues, and fixed description errors on Story Missions and Combat Exercises.

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 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 playable 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 and the nations of Orience)", "Killing match between magic and weapons, the battle between magic and technology (battle)", and "The Ordinary and Unordinary (the two sides of reality, 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.

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. The game profusely refers to World War II as well in an emotional and alluding light; being a major conflict that plunged the world into a state of turmoil. Tabata cites inspiration from traditional Japanese war dramas for many of the aforementioned themes, but his most focused theme to communicate through Type-0 was the fragility of life.

As part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis series, Final Fantasy Type-0 is also part of an overarching theme that explores the meaning of humans' free will, and re-imagines core Final Fantasy concepts in "modern" ways. Whereas Final Fantasy XIII explored the idea of becoming a "Warrior of Light" (l'Cie) chosen by the crystals to a supposedly divine mission, Final Fantasy Type-0 wants to tell the story of nations powered by Crystals warring over said Crystals—a recurring story in the series. Thus Final Fantasy Type-0's story is plot-driven rather than character-driven, attempting to tell the story of a war from one nation's perspective. Whereas in previous Final Fantasy games the heroes tend to stand apart in resolving the world's conflict since the start, Final Fantasy Type-0 depicts its playable cast as one part of the forces of Rubrum for most of the game.

An overarching theme in the Fabula Nova Crystallis series is that the deities of the world want to make use of humans, either as their "avatars" (by making them l'Cie), or by attempting to use their unique property, souls, for their own purposes. The theme of humanity versus divinity is highlighted in the game's final chapter where Class Zero is asked to become l'Cie. However, succumbing to the Crystal's Will spells disaster for Orience, as it appears that despite the Crystals' efforts one who gives one's soul to a Crystal to harness, cannot actually be Agito, resulting in a staggering number of failed cycles in the spiral of history. Thus Class Zero can only succeed if they exercise their inner strength as humans and turn down the offer to become l'Cie. Even if the Judge deems them unfit to be Agito, the class prevails and overcomes him, releasing Orience from the spiral.

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 director Hajime 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 hoped it would 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 includes English and Japanese voice work and English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish subtitles.

In October 2014, Amazon Italy listed a PC version 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, but months later the game was ported for PC and released via Steam. 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. After Tokyo Game Show of 2013 it was decided Final Fantasy Type-0 would get a remastering. 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 plan 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 was developed exclusively for home consoles and the PC. 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 ran on PC. In January 2015 he said there was no plans for a PC version, but that he was interested in Steam.

As the bulk of the content already existed and no new content was added, the game was merely 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 were 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 Eidolons were re-balanced; in the original it was difficult to use them if one didn't level them up, but now players can 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 oncamera 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 had been smoothed to resolve collision issues with geometry, and whose targeting had 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 improved the battle specs with regards to each playable characters to make battles more intuitive and 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 made 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 in the HD version was not 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.

When the HD version was released many disliked the excessive motion blur from moving the camera. A patch to fix this was released later, alongside an updated version of the Episode Duscae demo.

Microsoft Windows (Steam)
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD was released for Microsoft Windows via Steam in August 2015. Graphics were upgraded further for high-end PCs. Motion blur issues from the console versions were addressed, and the characters can now be even faster and the game shows more blood.

Steam Trading Cards
There are 6 Steam Trading Cards available.

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 had 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 have taken 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 were 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 is also an extra costume, and new scenes unlocked in the Rubicus by doing missions.

The PC version is close to the version released on the consoles, but has a snapshop mode for taking screenshots, shows more blood, and the characters move even faster.

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 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 the team had to wait for Sony to help correct it. 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 in the HD remake, suggesting a sequel.

On March 20, 2015, director Hajime Tabata revealed artwork for the sequel, codenamed Final Fantasy Type-Next, in an event in Hong Kong.

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

HD Release
The initial shipment of the HD version came with a voucher to download a playable Final Fantasy XV demo titled Final Fantasy XV Episode Duscae, and includes both English and Japanese audio. The Japanese version has 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 HD release is available in standard and collector's editions, as well as a special hardware bundle that 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 was priced at ¥46,980 ($393) when it launched on March 19. There was also 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 Zero insignia.

Asian Release
Multiple versions were released in the Asian region. All versions include English and Japanese voices but differ 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 includes Japanese subtitles and was released on March 19, 2015.

Below are the official prices (for PlayStation 4) for each country in the region:

North American Release
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD North American Collector's Edition was available in limited quantities for $99.99. It included 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-ordered the Collector's Edition from Square Enix 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 is the same as the North American one, but with white box rather than black. It was available for £79.99.

Patches
On June 9th 2015 Square Enix released a patch to improve the camera control and reduce the motion blur it induced.

Sales
In April 10th 2015 Square Enix announced Final Fantasy Type-0 HD had shipped a million copies worldwide.

Etymology
Hajime Tabata has stated that Type-0 was decided upon to reflect starting anew: Starting again from zero, a new series that is both like and unlike the traditional Final Fantasy games.

Using the suffix Type appears to draw upon the East Asian production model variant identifier suffix or "-Type", that began to saw use in the 1920s in Japanese and Chinese manufacturing, particularly in the military industries. With heavy war themes throughout, Type-0 likely draws upon the reputation of the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, or the Mitsubishi Navy Type 0 Carrier Fighter planes used in World War II, known among historians and aircraft aficionados to have been one of the greatest fighter planes built, and to where its reputation in battle helped elevate its shorthand identifier as something synonymous with quality and greatness.

In-game the Japanese names for the types of l'Cie are Type-A and Type-B. The "Type-0" can be taken to refer to Class Zero, the premier class of Agito Cadets from Akademeia who are the game's playable characters.

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 because the Data Transfer option between the two also transfers Player Icon data demanding 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 HD version cover art contain a typo on the word "includes." This has since been corrected.