Final Fantasy Type-0

Final Fantasy Type-0 is an action role-playing game in which the player controls the 14 members of Class Zero, who are sent on missions across Orience. Outside environments such as the Vermillion Peristylium (Class Zero's home base) and dedicated missions, the game world of Orience is navigated via a scaled-down world map. Class Zero is sent on missions across Orience during the course of the game. The player initially travels to preset destinations in the world on an airship supplied by the Peristylium, but gains their own airship to freely navigate the world map after defeating a powerful enemy guarding it.

The main gameplay is presented in a mission-based structure. The two types of missions encountered are story-based missions, and "Practice" missions, which act as side-quests. During missions, optional orders are issued which can be obeyed or ignored as the player chooses. Should they be accepted, the characters receive a temporary power boost, and completing the objectives yields rewards.

Note: The plot of Type-0 is the same in its original version and the high-definition remaster Final Fantasy Type-0 HD, so the terms and quotes used in the text are from the localization of the high-definition remaster rather than unofficial translations.

Final Fantasy Type-0 is set within Orience, a land divided between four nations or "Crystal States". Each nation has crystals of power based on the Four Symbols, which are in turn their national emblems. The Dominion of Rubrum uses the Vermillion Bird Crystal, which controls magic; the Milites Empire controls the White Tiger Crystal, containing the power of science and weapons; the Kingdom of Concordia uses the Azure Dragon Crystal, containing the power of Dragons; and the Lorican Alliance is home to the Black Tortoise Crystal, containing the power of shielding. Each nation has an academy, or Peristylium, to research and protect the country's respective crystal.

Final Fantasy Type-0 was originally titled Final Fantasy Agito XIII, envisioned as a game for mobile devices. It was conceived in 2005 as part of Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy, a subseries of Final Fantasy games linked by a common mythos. Agito XIII was the final original Fabula Nova Crystallis game to be created. The decision to make it a mobile game was based on the popularity of Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII.

Hajime Tabata, who contributed to the Fabula Nova Crystallis mythos, was searching for a new project after finishing Before Crisis and became the game's director. Before Crisis producer Kosei Ito acted as producer before his move to Capcom prior to 2009. Beginning development in 2006, the game was first announced at that year's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). It was said to offer on-the-go access to the Fabula Nova Crystallis universe, using gameplay functions exclusive to mobile phones of the time.

In the first week on sale, Final Fantasy Type-0 sold 472,253 units, topping Japanese sales charts and selling through 79.08% of its initial shipments. As of January 2012, the game had sold 746,203 copies in Japan. It was the best-selling game of 2011 for Japanese media retail shop Tsutaya, beating Monster Hunter Portable 3rd (PlayStation Portable) and Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PlayStation 3). It was also the store's best-selling PSP title of the year, followed by Monster Hunter Portable 3rd and Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy.

Famitsu and Dengeki PlayStation both praised the story, with Famitsu saying it "vividly portrays the fact that this is a deep, intense Final Fantasy experience, something beyond just a side story". Gaming website PlayStation LifeStyle's Heath Hindman was impressed by the darker presentation, calling it "powerful and well done throughout", and was impressed with the characters despite some awkward introductory scenes. Erren Van Duine, writing for RPG Site, said that fans would appreciate the scale of the narrative, and praised the handling of the Fabula Nova Crystallis mythos. She did note that some plot points seemed only included for the sake of convenience, and that the ending forced a second playthrough to see the whole story.

Type-0 affected several other works in multiple ways. During its development, several staff members and voice actors who had worked on Final Fantasy X reunited. Their meeting triggered the development of Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster. In September 2013, Square Enix revealed Final Fantasy Agito, an online companion game to Type-0 for iOS and Android mobile devices.

The game was released in May 2014, and a localization was announced alongside that of Type-0. Its servers were closed down in November 2015, with its localization being cancelled as a result. A new online game set in the Type-0 universe, Final Fantasy Awakening, was released in Asian and English-speaking territories between 2016 and 2018.