During Square Enix’s live stream event yesterday, Game Director Hajime Tabata showcased an extensive, 45-minute video for Final Fantasy XV‘s upcoming demo, Episode Duscae.
Placing a heavy emphasis on the RPG’s sprawling open-world setting along with some never-before-seen features — day/night cycles and battle animations, for instance — the vertical slice was captured on the PlayStation 4 build of the game, as it’s understood previous gameplay demos for XV were showcased using Xbox One.
Nevertheless, fans should pay particular attention to the phantom weapons, bestowing the player with an ability to change their weapon of choice on the fly as they engage in real-time combat. In addition to this, there’s an entire segment (located around the 25 minute mark) that draws attention to what it’s like to fight during nighttime.
Square has long trumpeted the sense of scale within Final Fantasy XV, and in the footage above the studio unveils the in-game map in full. Previous reports have revealed that the area is one gigantic, interconnected land mass, and the RPG sequel will draw architectural inspiration from real-world environments.
“The towns and the cultural references that you see throughout the world, you’ll get a sense of realistic towns and cultures,” Tabata said. “That’s one aspect that has remained since the title was first named Versus XIII.”
Those who pre-ordered the upcoming Final Fantasy Type-0 HD will be able to try Final Fantasy XV‘s Episode Duscae from March 20th onwards, when the digital codes included will be redeemable.