Thematically speaking, conflict is at the heart of pretty much every Final Fantasy. Yet for a franchise that regularly blends warfare with strong, narrative-focused gameplay, the militaristic backdrops can too-often feel shallow. They seem to be a simplistic case of good versus evil, where the human cost is glanced over thanks to the use of faceless enemies wearing extravagant armour. That’s not to say it’s a negative thing, as such, it’s just how the series has traditionally decided to depict war - as a backdrop against which a story can be set, rather than an actual theme to be explored.

Final Fantasy Type-0 changes all that. The first hour of the game makes it clear right from the introduction that war is brutal business. We open as a cowled man named Izana staggers down a street, sword hanging limply by his side as he clutches a wound in his lower abdomen. His magic-wielding land of Rubrum is under attack by the military nation of the Milites Empire, and things are not looking good.

Loading

Over the eight or so minutes it takes for the game to get into the swing of things, a number of striking things happen. A female soldier, wounded but not dead, is hit by a mortar and spends moments rolling around in the street, screaming as flames engulf her until an invading soldier rushes forward and runs her through with a sword. A quick twist, and blood gushes out of her wound. You read that right. Actual claret in a Final Fantasy title. As if that isn’t enough, moments later a Chocobo is shot at close range, and we witness it writhing in pain, its usually yellow feathers streaked and matted with blood. For franchise veterans, it’s a powerful and unfamiliar sight, seeing one of the franchises’ most iconic mainstays pictured this way. It’s a taste of things to come.

Violence is a fact of these characters’ lives. It’s raw and visceral. It’s stark in its realism, the blood appearing in plausible rather than gratuitous quantities that somehow makes it all the more potent. Don’t get me wrong, the magical elements associated with the franchise are still there – Moogles, Chocobos, crystals and airships are all present and correct – but from the get go it’s the effect on humans that’s the focus, aided by a style of storytelling that mixes grainy documentary-style shots with the time and date stamps we’re so used to seeing in conventional war reporting.

Yes, Final Fantasy XI takes place in a war-torn land, and Final Fantasy VIII casts you as military recruits, but this is a depiction that runs deeper than mere setting. This doesn’t seem like a fantastical war, a battle between good and evil. It seems like a real one where everyone suffers. The violence has never been so vicious, so callous or so palpable. It’s hard-hitting, and I couldn’t help but wish I’d been able to speak to director Hajime Tabata about why this is so, especially with Japan’s fascinating military history. Even in my brief time with the game I spotted more than a few veiled references to serious weapons of mass destruction.

There are moments of levity too, of course. The aforementioned Moogles return and are cuter than ever, serving to mark an even greater contrast with the drab decaying world that surrounds them. Towards the end of the demo at the Academy, where you’ll spend your time between missions, a typically Final Fantasy-esque cutscene played out, in which a girl and a Moogle had a funny exchange about what exactly his name should be. Upon her decision to call him Mogalin, he objects, citing his real name as something hilariously lengthy and noble. She decides that’s too long, and Mogalin it is. He doesn’t miss a beat, but responds by reminding her to check the graveyard before she goes to see if anyone she knows has been added. It’s macabre, and a stark reminder of the serious foundations this world is built on.

For years now it’s been clear the Final Fantasy series has been trying to move in a new direction, but without any sort of clear goal. From the decision to ditch the turn-based battles of old to a perceived lack of cohesion in terms of themes, Final Fantasy has been floundering. The decision to pick this former PSP title up, give it a lick of paint and stick it on the new generation of consoles, then, is telling. When it first released, Final Fantasy Type-0 may have been considered a spin-off title to entertain a few. Now, by establishing it as the first single-player next-gen title in the beloved franchise, Square clearly has enough faith to take it from proof of concept to potentially approved blueprint. The idea of making some extra cash undoubtedly proved a deal sweetener, but already the potential implications of what a darker, grittier approach could do the series is exciting after the lackluster Final Fantasy XIII series.

We’ve covered the gameplay in-depth before, but suffice to say I found exploring each character’s strengths and weaknesses to be refreshing after finding the Final Fantasy XIII saga somewhat repetitive, and I can already see how strategic depth will be added by choosing which three members you want to bring with you when you have all 14 members available in the late-game. The biggest drawback at the moment, however, remains the camera. It’s such a hindrance as to render everything the game does right almost moot. I was reassured that its over-sensitivity is a Vita hang-up that will be fixed before the game launches and I sincerely hope this is the case. In the brief span of time I got to go hands-on with Type-0 I was seriously intrigued by it, but this isn’t 1994 - there’s no excuse for a dodgy camera any more.

Loading

With a new expansion for the staunchly-popular Final Fantasy XIV and the possible release of Final Fantasy XV, 2015 was always going to be an exciting year for the series. For those who’ve been worried about its direction for some time now, there may be light at the end of the tunnel.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK News Editor. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on Twitter