Final Fantasy Type-0 HD is an action role-playing video gamethat utilizes a real-time battle system similar to Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. The player controls Class Zero, an elite fighting force of fourteen students from Rubrum's Akademeia. Outside mission environments and Akademeia (Class Zero's home base), Class Zero navigates Orience through a scaled-down world map. The world can be navigated on foot, using chocobos (recurring galliformbirds in the Final Fantasy series) or via an airship. Type-0 HD is split into missions with free periods in between. During these free periods between missions, players can explore Akademeia, breed chocobos for personal use, and complete side quests for characters in Akademeia and liberated towns.[1][2]
During missions, three members of Class Zero can be selected for missions while the others are kept in reserve in case a player character dies. The lead character can be swapped at any time, with the other two being controlled by the game's artificial intelligence. During certain story missions, players take part in real-time strategy battles on the world map. During combat missions, players gain experience points and increase their experience level as they defeat enemies, as well as obtaining Phantoma from defeated enemies, used to upgrade the characters' magic skills. Each character has access to summoned monsters called Eidolons (War Gods (軍神, Gunshin) in the original Japanese), which are summoned for limited periods at the cost of a character's total health.[1][2]
While the core gameplay remains the same, multiple adjustments were made to existing systems. The HD version features four difficulty levels as opposed to the original's three, including an "easy" option.[3] The original game's multiplayer elements were removed during optimization for consoles, and types of magic and accessories previously only available in multiplayer were incorporated into the single-player campaign.[3][4] A feature unique to Type-0 HD is the support personnel (SP) system: when activated, AI-controlled support characters take the place of normal party members. SP points earned in battle can be used to purchase special items.[1][2] Additional character costumes made included through the original's demos and downloadable contentwere included in Type-0 HD as unlockables, along with costumes unique to the HD version.
