About Noctis:
>It seems like he likes doing things his way, but he is actually watching and reading the world and other people more closely than anybody.
Older Noctis' profile.
>The protagonist Noctis himself, with the years weighing heavily on him. His features are severe and grim and his eyes glitter with red light. Expect him to appear in gameplay videos from now on.
About Noctis' group:
>Ignis, Prompto, and Gladiolus are Noctis' irreplaceable allies, but the journey of these four will be neither easy nor joyful. As their situation grows increasingly more grave, interpersonal conflicts become inevitable.
About guests:
>During the story, the party sometimes grows to five people. For now, we know that Cor and Luna are among the people who will lend the party a helping hand. Being a Lucian marshall, Cor's sword skills are beyond formidable. The details about Luna's participation are unknown for now, but considering her proactive personality, she can probably take care of herself.
Luna confirmed to be a guest.
Gentiana's profile:
>Luna's attendant and a woman of many mysteries. Seems to know a lot about how their world works. Recently featured in a scene where she tells young Noctis about the nature of the relationship between the King and the Oracle.
About the world:
>The conflict between the Empire of Niflheim, a great military power, and the Kingdom of Lucis, a land of magic and the keepers of the holy Crystal, has been going on for a long time. But the animosity between these two countries is hardly the only serious problem their world has. Their planet itself is wasting away, stricken by a phenomenon called "the plague". Watch very carefully how this reality will affect the journey of the main quartet.
>In the FFXV world, the nights start gradually growing longer at a certain turning point of history. Darkness is the time of exceedingly dangerous monsters called daemons. The zones where people can actually live shrink and venturing outside gets fraught with danger. Noctis and his group encounter daemons as well and they are a formidable obstacle in their journey. As the night grows longer, their journey gets ever so much harder.
Question to Tabata:
>Q: What is the plague, exactly?
>Tabata: We call it a plague, but you will see it for yourselves as you progress through the game. I don't want to spoil the details, but it is a calamity of sorts.
>Q: What is the relationship between the summons, Luna, and Noctis?
>Tabata: Astrals are divine beings in their world. Luna, being an Oracle, can converse with gods as the speaker for their planet. She can also awaken them if needed. Noctis' relationship with the summons is different; they approach him to lend him their power.
About the scene with Luna's speech:
>Noctis keeps an eye on Luna as she is making her speech. Since she can speak to gods, what is it that she wants people to hear?
Weapons and magic:
About weaponry:
>Q: What makes guns special?
>Tabata: You can attack from afar, but on the flip side you cannot use link attacks with them. They come in handy in infiltrations and such, since you can snipe enemies from a distance. Scenario-wise, they showcase the Niflheim engineering skills. Since we are talking about machinery here, they can be customized and upgraded. You can't warp with them, though.
>And what about the Phantom Swords? What happens if you use them in normal combat?
>Tabata: You gain very powerful Warping and other abilities that differ depending on the weapon. Their stats are also very high, but attacking with them eats away large chunks of your HP.
Famitsu: What does levelling up Noctis’ fishing skill get you?
Tabata: You will be able to discover new kinds of fish you couldn’t before, use more equipment etc. It gets more fun. There are quests where you can get new fishing equipment, by the way. The fish you can catch also depends on the current time of the day and weather.
Famitsu: And what about the photography?
Tabata: At the beginning, Prompto’s photo skills are just awful. His shots are out of focus, too (laugh). But it gets better as he levels up and you can pick and save the best photos during your inn stay or camping.
Famitsu: Are there any classic spells we know from the FF series?
Tabata: The magic that utilises the Lucis royal family ring is different from the common elemental spells. To be more precise, it features such spells as Death. There is also magic intrinsically tied to the story of the game.
About Shiva:
>Tabata: Among the summons, she is particularly willful. She helps you when she thinks you need it, so yes, she is a difficult one (laugh). You can't call her at will, but her Diamond Dust attack is really powerful.
>Famitsu: Why did you decide to show aged Noctis and his group right at the beginning of the game?
>Tabata: I was involved in the production of Crisis Core – FFVII – and the game was structured in the way that you already knew the general outcome when you started playing. There are storytelling schemes and devices that you can use only with this kind of setup. I liked it and the feedback we got was great as well. In FFXV we give people a glimpse at the passage of time in the story and then let them watch how the party got there and how they grew during their journey.
>Famitsu: Judging from Brotherhood, Gentiana doesn’t age?
>Tabata: She is a mysterious one, isn’t she. You will understand why during the game. She is one of the unique beings as well.
>The FFXV world is really large, so getting from one place to another takes time. But no worries - once you have visited a parking spot or a town once, you can use instant travel and warp there in a flash. You can also travel from the areas in the second half of the game to the to the earlier ones and continue exploring.