The massively successful Final Fantasy XV, which will soon launch the Comrades multiplayer expansion and coming to the PC as Final Fantasy XV: Windows Edition in early 2018, will also be arriving to mobile devices as the Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition later this year.
When Final Fantasy XV was launched in November 2016 after an agonizing 10-year wait, nobody could have imagined that Square Enix would attempt to bring the RPG to mobile devices. The success of the game made that possible, and Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition is now expected to launch this fall to iOS, Android, and Windows Phone devices.
'Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition': What's Different?
Looking at the Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition trailer, the first thing that stands out is the Japanese Chibi-style graphics. The massive change in aesthetics gives the Final Fantasy XV mobile version its own character while also making it easy for mobile devices to run the game.
Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition will also be adopting touchscreen controls and more of a top-down perspective for gameplay, which should appeal more to the casual crowd while offering gamers who own the original game with another way to play. The trailer revealed that many core mechanics from Final Fantasy XV are still present, including cooking and riding around on the Regalia.
Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition will contain the full story of Final Fantasy XV, but separated into 10 episodes. The first episode will be free-to-play, while the other nine episodes will be available to purchase as soon as the game launches.
'Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition': What It Means For 'Final Fantasy VII Remake'
Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition, which follows a slew of spin-offs that have already been launched or announced for Final Fantasy XV, shows not only that Square Enix is milking everything that it can out of the game but also the importance of mobile devices to the video game industry. Apparently, the developer sees mobile devices as important enough to put in the work of porting a streamlined version of an expansive RPG to iOS, Android, and Windows Phone devices.
However, another takeaway from Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition is that it could offer a glimpse of how Square Enix will handle the reported episodic structure of the highly anticipated Final Fantasy VII Remake. How Square Enix will transform the original Final Fantasy VII from the PlayStation into an episodic game remains one of the biggest questions regarding Final Fantasy VII Remake, perhaps second only to its launch date.
