Pocket Edition plays as an abridged version of Final Fantasy XV, which was released for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2016. The game is played from a fixed camera angle, and similar to other touch screenrole playing games, the character can be moved by selecting the location for the character to walk to, rather than with a D-pad control scheme. Additional sidequests unique to the game were added, including treasure hunting and fetch quests. Exploration and combat shifted from a behind the back view to an overhead perspective with simplified controls more suitable for playing on a touchscreen. Music and voice acting was mostly kept intact, while the graphics were given a makeover with "chibified" character designs.
Plot
The game follows the same plot as the original game, although it eliminates the open world of the original, in addition to many sidequests in favor of a more focused experience. The game is divided into ten chapters; the first chapter is available for free, with the remaining nine being able to be purchased individually or as a whole with discounted pricing.
Development
Pocket Edition was co-developed by Final Fantasy developer and publisher Square Enix, XPEC Entertainment and Osaka-based SummerTimeStudio. Development began in 2015 following the release of Episode Duscae, the first game demo of Final Fantasy XV. The goal of the adaptation was to make Final Fantasy available to more players who didn't own consoles, and to make a version of the game more focused on quick gameplay.
Release
The game was announced at Gamescom in August 2017, originally set to be released later that year. The game was released for Android and iOS devices on February 8, 2018, and for Windows 10 on June 6, 2018. The game is divided into ten chapters; the first chapter is available for free, with the remaining nine being able to be purchased individually or as a whole with discounted pricing. The game was later released as Final Fantasy XV: Pocket Edition HD for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on September 7, 2018, and for the Nintendo Switch on September 13.
Reception
Final Fantasy XV: Pocket Edition received "generally favorable reviews", according to review aggregatorMetacritic. Mike Fahey of Kotaku called it an "outstanding" abridgment of the original, praising it for allowing players to experience the story without much time commitment. Shaun Musgrave from TouchArcade scored the game at five stars, commenting on the game's faithful recreation of the game's abridged narrative; with the "voice acting, sound effects, and music" being retained from the console version of Final Fantasy XV being of particular merit. The game surpassed over threemillion downloads within a month. In 2019, the game was nominated for the A-Train Award for Best Mobile Game at the New YorkGame Awards.
