By: Tyler Miller

A few hours ago, Square Enix held a special event for it’s long awaited JRPG Final Fantasy XV. At the event they announced a plethora of new things related to the game, including the game’s release date. Here’s everything they announced.

Reclaim Your Throne

The first thing they showed was a brand new trailer for the game. The trailer gave us some insight into the story, as well as showed off some brand new gameplay. It also showcased Florence + The Machine’s cover of “Stand By Me” by that they’re doing for the game. Also of note is how gorgeous this game is. It’s definitely seen some improvement in the graphics department since Episode Duscae released last year.

Adventure, Driving, and Combat

Another video was then shown, with this one dedicating time to the exploration, driving, and combat in the game. When it comes to exploring, it appears as if you can call chocobos wherever you are and then ride to your hearts content. As for driving, there’s a Final Fantasy radio that allows you to listen to classic songs from the series. In addition, there are side missions that may pop up as you drive that you can either partake in or totally ignore. Now we get to the combat, and right off the bat we can see that the UI has changed in a big way. The combat also appears to be much easier to follow than it was in Episode Duscae. Plus we get to some fire and blizzard magic being used, in addition to the summon Titan who is huge! Did I mention that the game is gorgeous?

Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV

Next came the announcement that Final Fantasy XV is getting a companion anime series! It stars our main four characters (Noctis, Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto) and follows their relationship from childhood to adulthood. It’s a five-part series that’s free to watch online. Check out the first episode down below!

Kingsglaive: Final Fantsy XV

Thought an anime series wasn’t good enough? Well maybe a full CG-movie will be enough to whet your appetite. Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV takes place at the same time as the story of Final Fantasy XV and it follows King Regis after Noctis leaves the crown city to marry Luna Freya. The movie has a strong cast behind it, with Lena Headley voicing Luna, Sean Bean voicing King Regis, and Aaron Paul voicing Nyx, a member of the Kingsglaive that works for Regis. It will be released digitally and be available to stream worldwide before the game is released.

Justice Monsters Five

Final Fantasy XV will have its own mini game and it’s called Justice Monsters Five. It looks like a fun, pinball-esque kind of game. In addition to being in the game, Justice Monsters Five will also be available to download on Android, iOS, and Windows 10, so you can play on the go. Pre-registration for the game is available now.

Final Fantasy XV: Platinum Demo

If you just can’t wait to get your hands on some form of the game though, Square Enix has released a free demo of the game for you to try out right now! It’s called Final Fantasy XV: Platinum Demo, and it takes place inside of Noctis’ dreams. You play as a child version of Noctis and follow a Carbuncle as he guides you through the demo. There a number of different things you can do in it, such as play as creatures from the full game, play with the weather, and fight an Iron Giant with an older Noctis and the current combat system.

Special Editions

For those that like to get the special editions of their games, Square Enix announced two different special editions of Final Fantasy XV. The Deluxe Edition (going for $89.99) comes with a steelbook case, Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, and three pieces of DLC.

The Ultimate Collector’s Edition (going for $269.99) comes with everything the Deluxe Edition does, in addition to a hardcover art book, an exclusive steelbook, Brotherhood: Final Fantasy, a special soundtrack, an exclusive Play Arts Kai Noctis figure, and some in-game item packs.

The Release Date

Last not but not least was the release date. Yes it got leaked earlier in the day by Gamespot, but that didn’t ruin the proceedings at all. After years of waiting, Final Fantasy XV will be released on September 30, 2016.

To cap off the event, they showed one last trailer for the game that displayed even more story footage from the game and some amazing gameplay.

Gosh I can’t wait for this game. Only six months to go everyone!