Final Fantasy 15 Story Inspired in Part by The Last of Us, Director Says

In a new interview, Final Fantasy XV game director Hajime Tabata talked more about the long-in-development RPG's story, saying it is at least partially inspired by Naughty Dog's acclaimed post-apocalyptic action game The Last of Us.

Speaking with Examiner, Tabata started off by saying one of the key threads in Final Fantasy XV's story is the evolution of main character Noctis and how he goes from being a young prince to the king of the country. This journey, unsurprisingly, will be a "really big part" of the game.

Tabata went on to say that Noctis is "growing and developing as a person" throughout the game. Another element of the story is the bond between father and son, Tabata said, adding that the car Noctis and his friends drive in Final Fantasy XV was originally his father's. The vehicle is supposed to be a metaphor for the human connections people have with each other, Tabata explained.

He added that Square Enix's goal for Final Fantasy XV, broadly speaking, is for the narrative and story to be "really one in the same." He cited The Last of Us as inspiration for how he hopes his game will intertwine narrative and gameplay.

"It's important that the story progresses through the gameplay in a very unforced way, in a similar way that it was done with The Last of Us, for example," Tabata said.

You can read the full story on Examiner to learn even more about Final Fantasy XV's narrative and inspirations.

After years of development, Final Fantasy XV will finally launch in 2016 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The game's release date will be announced in March and it could be sometime this summer, according to a Square Enix survey.

You won't have to wait until March to learn more about Final Fantasy XV, however. The next Active Time Report, a live broadcast where new information about the game is expected to be divulged, is scheduled to take place later this month.