Final Fantasy XV releases next month. It's almost hard to believe that sentence. The game began its life in 2006 as Final Fantasy Versus XIII, originally part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis project which included Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Agito XIII (which became Type-0). Since then, it's been through its ups and downs in development before finally being re-branded as Final Fantasy XV, the next major iteration in the series. Noctis and his crew have gone through their fair share of changes as well - the story is less an adaptation of Hamlet and more centered on the war between Niflheim and the kingdom of Lucis. Stella Nox Fleuret has been replaced by Lunafreya. The game itself has an action RPG feel but plenty of open world leanings as well.

So with Final Fantasy XV nearly upon us, we decided to do a quick compilation of all the relevant information to decide if it's worth your time. Not every 10 year project comes out looking this good after all (Duke Nukem Forever, we're looking at you).

Story

Final Fantasy XV has quite the expansive story. The basic plot deals with Niflheim and Lucis, who've been at war over the latter's crystal for years. All other nations of Eos, the world of Final Fantasy XV, have been conquered by Niflheim but Lucis remains vigilant. One day, a peace treaty is drafted which involves Noctis, the hero, marrying Lunafreya. Sadly, the treaty was a ruse and when Noctis leaves Lucis, it's attacked by Niflheim's forces. This battle is actually detailed in Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, the CG film which released in Japan. It focuses on the King Regis, his special unite the Kingsglaive and Lunafreya, essentially narrating what happens during Niflheim's invasion. Then there's Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV, an anime which tells the tales of Noctis and his friends - Gladiolus, Ignis and Prompto - on the road. Ketchup is involved. That is all.

The Wild

The open world of Final Fantasy XV is pretty fast. You'll explore expansive land masses, taking on contracts and bounties to hunt large creatures and engaging Niflheim soldiers from time to time. Loading screens become a thing only when entering cities or other populated areas. Navigating the landscape can be done by either Chocobos or using the new Regalia vehicle, though it's meant more for town to town travel (and can even be set to auto-drive to let you admire the surroundings). The Regalia is also capable of transforming into an airplane to fly over the land though we're not sure that makes you any safer with Niflheim patrolling the skies.

Survival

In an interesting first of sorts, Final Fantasy XV incorporates a couple of survival elements into the mix. For instance, your party will become tired and fight less effectively if you don't set up camp and sleep on time. The camp is also useful for feeding party members and bestowing different buffs and effects through food. Regular maintenance of the Regalia is also necessary, otherwise you're not going to be travelling all that far. Dynamic weather and day-night cycles also ensure that the environment will play a role in your fights. Some creatures will also only appear during certain times, further influencing where you set up camp.

Fighting

If you've played Final Fantasy Type-0, then Final Fantasy XV's combat will be familiar. It's hack and slash with Noctis wielding a deck of weapons, each class with its own special attacks (with more to attain upon leveling them up). Noctis also possesses the ability to warp through levels, attacking enemies in the process or just escaping from danger. Commands can be assigned to your party (you can't control them directly) and it's possible to team up for devastating combos. When the situation is dire, players can take cover to regain health and block attacks. Gun emplacements and mechs can also be turned on your enemies as required.

Season Pass

Final Fantasy XV indeed includes a Season Pass. Square Enix hasn't officially announced it yet but a listing on the Japanese PlayStation Store indicates six DLC packs - Booster Pack, Episode Gladiolus, Holiday Pack, Episode Ignis, Episode Prompto, and Expansion Pack. No information has been released as to their contents but many speculate that the Season Pass will be offered for $29.99 especially since the Digital Premium Edition costs $84.99 (and an upgrade to the same is for $24.99).

This isn't your typical Final Fantasy and Square-Enix outright admitted they needed to step their game up with this release to pull fans back in. The developer promised over 100 hours of gameplay at E3 2016 with a meaty story and side-quests along with announcing a special VR version for PlayStation VR. Final Fantasy XV is currently slated to release on September 30th so whether you have faith in it or not, there ain't no getting offa this train we're on.