Final Fantasy director’s haven’t shied away from comparing their projects to popular western games of the now. In the past we’ve seen games like Final Fantasy XIII compared to Call of Duty, XIII-2 to Mass Effect and Red Dead Redemption and Lightning Returns to Skyrim. Now it seems to be Final Fantasy XV’s turn, which director Hajime Tabata describes as having been influenced by narrative-heavy titles such as The Last of Us.

Speaking with Examiner Tabata explained, “One of the important threads of the story in Final Fantasy XV is that tale of how Noctis goes from being a young prince in waiting to becoming the king of the country. That tale is a really big part of the game.”

The story of Final Fantasy XV will focus on Noctis and his “deep personal journey.” Tabata says he will “grow and develop as a person, which puts you in a place to experience that emotional journey with him.”

According to Tabata, the direction of the game’s narrative and character development are connected and the team is aiming for something where gameplay and storytelling are one in the same. To this end, games such as The Last of Us were looked to as an example of that concept. “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.”

Final Fantasy XV goes without a release date, but with an announcement expected in March the game is still set for 2016.