Released in Japan on October 27, 2011, Type-0 is part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis subseries, a set of games sharing a common mythos which includes Final Fantasy XIII and XV.

The gameplay, similar to Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, has the player taking control of characters in real-time combat during missions across Orience.

The player also engages in large-scale strategy-based battles on the world map, and has access to a multiplayer option during story missions and side quests.

Players can visit the Peristylium Crystarium to review defeated enemies, character information, in-game lore and special video clips.

[19] The game's magic skills are divided into five basic groups named after types of guns: for example, "Rifle" fires the spell in a straight line, while "Missile" homes in on and chases targeted enemies.

[27] The people of Orience also lose their memories of the dead so they will not be held back by any past regrets and continue strengthening their souls through conflict, a mechanism put in place by the crystals for the convenience of the deities who crafted them.

[5][28] The main aim of many characters is to become Agito, a legendary figure who will appear and save the world from Tempus Finis, an apocalyptic event that will destroy Orience.

Other important characters include the Concordian queen Andoria, Gala, leader of the Rursus Army and the instigator of Tempus Finis, and Joker and Tiz, two mysterious figures who observe the events of the game.

Coordinated by Kurasame and Arecia Al-Rashia, Class Zero plays a key role in freeing Rubrum's territories and launching counterattacks in alliance with Concordia, while Lorica's capital is destroyed by a Militesi bomb.

[31] During peace talks in the Militesi capital, Class Zero is framed for Andoria's murder, resulting in Concordia's puppet government and Milites launching a united assault on Rubrum.

[32] During their flight, Machina storms off after clashing with Class Zero, and becomes a White Tiger l'Cie to protect Rem from his brother's fate before returning to them.

[34][35] This triggers the arrival of Tempus Finis, with the Rursus Army emerging from the magical fortress Pandaemonium to wipe out Orience's population.

[28][39][40] A second playthrough reveals that Orience is trapped in a stable time loop created by Arecia and Gala, the respective servants of the deities Pulse and Lindzei, as part of an experiment to find the gateway to the Unseen Realm.

In a sequence unlocked during the second playthrough, Joker and Tiz speak with Arecia after the Arbiter's defeat and show her the memories of Class Zero and the people of Orience to make her reconsider restarting the experiment.

[43] In an alternate ending, Arecia chooses to remove the crystals from Orience's history, creating a new timeline where the war never occurred and the world's population can live happily.

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.

[8][51][54][55] Other unfinished concepts being developed were a day-night cycle, a calendar system linked to real-world time and dates, and a story influenced by player votes.

[74] The gameplay was inspired by the multi-character system of Before Crisis, while the naming of magic styles after weapons of war made reference to first-person shooters.

[75] Due to technical restrictions and the presence of the Academy Assist function, the game's artificial intelligence for playable characters needed to be limited to healing, survival and other minor actions.

[73] The band, which was a big fan of the Final Fantasy series, was contacted by Square Enix to compose and perform the song and agreed readily.

[83] The soundtrack has received positive reviews in the west from dedicated music outlets Original Sound Version and Game-OST, with the sites giving both individual tracks and the work in general high praise.

[1][88] It was initially announced for release in summer of that year, but unspecified difficulties with development including the stoppage of PlayStation Network caused a delay.

[96][97] Tabata later commented that the main reasons for the game not being localized were the flagging Western PSP market and uncertainties surrounding the Vita's commercial success.

[100] Later statements revealed that the patch was released earlier than originally announced due to the lead translator on the project wanting fans to see their achievements, which ended up causing a rift between him and the rest of the team.

[111] Square Enix released two novel adaptations, in April and June 2012, depicting an alternate version of Type-0's story: Final Fantasy Type-0: Change the World -The Answer-[Jp.

[116] 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.

[12] Famitsu called the original version's gameplay a "stressless experience", praising the game's size and saying the action-oriented battle system made it "a very different Final Fantasy".

[115] Hindman was generally positive about most aspects of gameplay and the high replay value, but found faults with the scripted opening of the overworld and the real-time strategy segments.

[114][115] Opinions were divided on the original camera, with Famitsu praising its movement, while Van Duine and Dengeki PlayStation found issues with it getting stuck in the environment or impeding visibility.

[121] In September 2013, Square Enix revealed Final Fantasy Agito, an online companion game to Type-0 for iOS and Android mobile devices.