Final Fantasy XV: PAX Details, Release Date Announced in March

Square Enix are such teases with just about everything in terms of reveals. In fact, just yesterday, when I tackled The Rising Event in Final Fantasy XIV, the devs teased at the likeliness of Red Mage and/or Blue Mage and Samurai appearing in the next expansion pack, as well as the possibility of Doomtrain appearing.

Similarly, during the Square Enix Active Time Report yesterday held at PAX Prime, fans have finally have received more news on Final Fantasy XV, as promised! Except, again, not as much as we hoped. Again, SE is such a tease. Many of us held our breaths in anticipation for the release date, fingers crossed. Then, the topic of the release date rose. Our eyes glimmered, our faces purple, our brain stuck on one phrase, "Release date!"

But then the gates opened to reveal...

The announcement... of the announcement... of the release date.

"NOOOO!"

I'm sure many of us either thought this or vocalized it. The developers decided to reveal that they will reveal the game's true release date in March 2016 during a special event. At least they've been kind enough to give us an update on the game's current progress. Basically, features, including the battle system, UI, monsters, and AI combat, were anywhere between 30 and 80 percent complete for each category.

Here's some additional tidbits of info, courtesy of Gamespot:

• Not all monsters encountered on the field will be enemies. Some will actually be friendly because the environment is their home. Not everything wants to kill you, in other words.
• Several new locations have been announced, including the Venice-inspired Altissa, floating islands, the Cuba-inspired Lestallum built upon a massive crater, the port city Cain, and Hammerhead, which is basically the service and repair shop for the Regalia, AKA Noctis' vehicle.
• Spoiler Alert: Noctis and Luna are romantically involved, but it won't be the typical sappy love story, as both of them will influence each other in positive ways. Okay, so this isn't much of a spoiler.
• Relationships between Noctis and his friends will be influenced by the player's decisions. The relationships will change activities and strength of combo attacks.
• Hammerhead will introduce a new mechanic that isn't Cidney. That being said, the character will be someone we've grown to know, which means that more than likely the character will be Cid.
• Firearms and shields have been added to Noctis' weaponry. Well now. These will act as sidearms, meaning that Noctis can still use his main weapons.
• The car, The Regalia, symbolizes Noctis' connection with his father, carrying his father's burdens, love, and bond on the road to his destiny.
• Tabata notes that the team wants players to enjoy driving the Regalia. PoV can change during driving, and the driving itself can be set to automatic or manual. The car will also be customizable and, from a realistic perspective, if it breaks down, you need to have it serviced. Like Final Fantasy VIII, your car's lifeblood will be gas, so make sure to stop at a gas station! Otherwise guarantee that the boys will push the car around, which I'm sure won't be fun.

There will be more information at the Tokyo Game Show, but sadly, don't expect the release date then.

Six more months... not far away, right?