New ‘Final Fantasy XV’ Videos Show Combat Tutorial, Wiz Chocobo Post And Character Bios

With just a week left to wait, the demo version of “Final Fantasy XV” is so close gamers can taste it. During PAX 2015, developer Square Enix showed off more of the demo than ever, including a combat tutorial to help familiarise players with controls and a few new videos aimed at getting gamers acquainted to Noctis’ best buds.

The combat video, hosted on the Gamespot YouTube channel, shows the tutorial section of the Episode Duscae demo that teaches protagonist, Noctus, how to engage in battle. The combat tutorial starts with the Noctus heading toward a quest marker located in an open field. Here, he picks up a quest that requires him to slay a Behemoth roaming the woods.

At this point, Noctus’ friend Gladiolus offers to train him. The combat tutorial begins by teaching players the basics of attack and defence. While holding down the "L1" button to defend, players automatically dodge incoming attacks. However, doing so uses up MP, preventing gamers from dodging forever.

Attacking requires a similar approach, as the combat tutorial instructs players to simply hold down the “Square” attack button to engage in a series of continuous strikes. The video also shows off Noctis’ “Warp” ability, which allows him to aim at locations on the map and press the “X” button on the controller to warp there. Warping can give Noctus a tactical advantage in battle and warping to high ground quickly restores HP and MP. By targeting a foe while warped, Noctus can perform a devastating Warp-strike.

The tutorial also covers a number of other manoeuvres Noctus possesses during combat, including weapon-based abilities and techniques, parrying, backlashes and more. Once the controls have been relayed, the player is allowed to face Gladiolus in uninterrupted one-on-one combat.

As noted by DualShockers, Square Enix has also released a number of other videos, including a short video focused on the Wiz Chocobo Post, one of two outposts present in the “FFXV demo.” The video, found on the CommunityGame YouTube channel, focuses on a passionate Chocobo rider named Wiz, who loved the cute birds so much he opened up a relaxing outpost dedicated to them.

Available via the GamesHQMedia YouTube channel are a pair of trailers designed to give gamers a bit more insight into Noctus and his crew. The first video paints a clearer picture of what each party member’s abilities, weapons and personality are like. Meanwhile, the “FFX” Buddies Trailer shows a montage of the group together and gives gamers an idea of how they react during gameplay.

It won’t be long before gamers get a chance to play the demo for themselves. The “FFXV” demo will be available with first-run prints of “Final Fantasy Type-0” when it launches on PS4 and Xbox One on March 17th. The full game itself shouldn’t be too far off either, as previously reported, “Final Fantasy XV” director Hajime Tabata believes the end of development is now in sight.