Prompto Argentum
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

is a character from
Square Enix is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational holding company, video game publisher and entertainment conglomerate. It releases role-playing video game, role-playing game franchises, such as ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', and '' ...
's ''
Final Fantasy is a Japanese fantasy Anthology series, anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi which is owned, developed, and published by Square Enix (formerly Square (video game company), Square). The franchise centers on a series of fanta ...
'' series. He first appears in the anime web series '' Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV'' as a schoolmate of the crown prince of the Kingdom of Lucis,
Noctis Lucis Caelum , for short, is a character from Square Enix's ''Final Fantasy'' video game series. Noctis is a playable character and the main protagonist of ''Final Fantasy XV'', which was originally a spin-off titled ''Final Fantasy Versus XIII''. The crown ...
. In the 2016 mainline title ''
Final Fantasy XV is a 2016 action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix. The fifteenth main installment of the ''Final Fantasy'' series, it was released for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in November 2016, Windows in March 2018, and as a lau ...
'', Prompto accompanies Noctis on his journey by road to meet and marry a noblewoman from another nation, and fights alongside him as they oppose the Niflheim empire. He is the title character of the post-launch
downloadable content content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can be added for no extra cost or as a form of video game monetization, enabling the publisher to gain ad ...
(DLC) pack ''Episode Prompto'', which delves into the character's backstory and origin as a pawn of Niflheim. Prompto was created and co-designed by Tetsuya Nomura for ''
Final Fantasy Versus XIII is a 2016 action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix. The fifteenth main installment of the ''Final Fantasy'' series, it was released for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in November 2016, Windows in March 2018, and as a lau ...
'', a spin-off title of the ''
Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy is a series of games within the ''Final Fantasy'' video game franchise. It was primarily developed by series creator and developer Square Enix, which also acted as publisher for all titles. While featuring various worlds and different characte ...
'' series which was later reworked as ''Final Fantasy XV''. A major element of Prompto's character is his humble origins when compared to the aristocratic families of Gladiolus and Ignis, the other members of Noctis' retinue, with his less cultured mannerisms being an obvious embodiment of that. Prompto is associated with the in-game photography mechanic of ''XV'', which led to the development of a virtual reality (VR) demo starring the character which never saw a public release. Outside of ''Final Fantasy XV'', Prompto is featured in adaptations of the game's universe in other media, as well as several crossover appearances. Prompto was initially unpopular with series fans. This led to his visual design being revised, and the adaptation of the in-game photography mechanic as an extension of Prompto's personality in order to broaden his appeal as a character. Critical and fan reception towards Prompto following the release of ''XV'' improved significantly, with some critics citing him as one of the best characters of the ''XV'' universe.


Concept and design

Prompto was originally created by
Tetsuya Nomura is a Japanese video game artist, designer, producer, and director working for Square Enix. He was hired by Square initially as a monster designer for ''Final Fantasy V'' (1992), before being shifted towards secondary Character design of Final F ...
as a main cast member of ''Final Fantasy Versus XIII'', a spin-off title meant to be part of the ''
Fabula Nova Crystallis is a series of games within the ''Final Fantasy'' video game franchise. It was primarily developed by series creator and developer Square Enix, which also acted as publisher for all titles. While featuring various worlds and different characte ...
'' sub-series. His facial features and hairstyle underwent multiple redesigns, with the more recent ones were largely based on negative feedback from fans. The final version of Prompto's attire consists of three different patterns made from what appears to be several different kind of fabrics. He wears a sleeveless top and the cuffs of his leopard print jeans are rolled up to impart a sense of proportion. As the only civilian member of the group, his casual outfit appears to reflect his personal style unlike the regimented clothing worn by his friends. The development team designed his photography hobby—and its subsequent gameplay and story interactions—as a way of making him useful and enabling each player to chronicle their journey throughout the game. Director Hajime Tabata defined Prompto's camera as a manifestation of Prompto's wish to record Noctis and Lunafreya's journey. Prompto's photography, directed by the game's artificial intelligence which take pictures of the players' exploits on their behalf, also serves as a form of involuntary recall function as the aforementioned pictures are offered to the player during each rest period with the option of preservation. Prompto is voiced by
Tetsuya Kakihara is a Japanese voice actor and singer. He is a former member of 81 Produce. His agency, Zynchro, was established on May 15, 2013. In 2010, Kakihara has been affiliated with Kiramune, a music label by Bandai Visual and Lantis, where he made his ...
in Japanese and
Robbie Daymond Robert Daymond Howard (born March 11, 1982) is an American voice actor who is mostly known for his roles in video games, animation, anime and audiobooks. Some of his best known roles include Tuxedo Mask in the Viz Media redub of ''Sailor Moon'', ...
in English. Prompto's younger self is voiced by Aki Kaneda in Japanese and Griffin Burns in English. Daymond did not expect his audition for a role in ''XV'' to be successful as he had just concluded voice work for the English localization of ''
Final Fantasy Type-0 is a 2011 action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable (PSP). Released in Japan on October 27, 2011, ''Type-0'' is part of the '' Fabula Nova Crystallis'' subseries, a set of games sharing a com ...
'', and was pleasantly surprised when he learned that he secured a lead role in Prompto. Daymond noted that localization team and the voice actor decided to stop using the original Japanese audio as a reference early in the recording process outside of some limited applications such as technical matters. For Daymond, it was important for him to place his trust in the guidance provided by the game's director and producers, and being able to work with them to find the right voice for the character he plays. The leader of the localiation team Dan Inoue based the English version of Prompto on the titular protagonist of ''
Ferris Bueller's Day Off ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' is a 1986 American Teen film, teen comedy film written, co-produced, and directed by John Hughes (filmmaker), John Hughes. The film stars Matthew Broderick, Mia Sara, and Alan Ruck, with supporting roles from Jenn ...
''. When he first read for Prompto, Daymond realized that he represents the archetype of an upbeat
stock character A stock character, also known as a character archetype, is a type of character in a narrative (e.g. a novel, play, television show, or film) whom audiences recognize across many narratives or as part of a storytelling tradition or convention. Th ...
frequently used as a trope in the ''Final Fantasy'' series. Daymond and Inoue agreed that it was important to focus on presenting his relatability as a character, and Daymond decided not to consistently portray him as straightforward comedy relief throughout the entirety of his story arc, even though that is the character's designated role within the context of the game's narrative. Daymond felt that Prompto's characterization in the English localization ended up being more "grounded and human" compared to the original Japanese recording. While he acknowledged that ''XV'' is at its core a coming-of-age story for Noctis, Daymond said Prompto also undergoes a journey of self discovery himself for the duration of the game's narrative. Prompto proved to be the starting point for ''Brotherhood'', as he is producer Akio Ofuji's favorite character. Ofuji conceived the series based around wanting to expand upon a backstory surrounding his difficult childhood created during the game's development. Drawing from the character sheets created by the writers of ''XV'', he created Prompto's scenario for ''Brotherhood'' from his background characteristics like his childhood obesity and loneliness. Another project centered on Prompto was ''Final Fantasy XV: VR Experience'', a tech demo for a
virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a Simulation, simulated experience that employs 3D near-eye displays and pose tracking to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video gam ...
(VR)
simulation video game Simulation video games are a diverse super-category of video games, generally designed to closely simulate real world activities. A simulation game attempts to copy various activities from real life in the form of a game for various purposes such ...
. At
E3 2016 The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2016 (E3 2016) was the 22nd E3, during which hardware manufacturers and software developers and publishers from the video game industry presented new and upcoming products to attendees, primarily retailers and m ...
, players had the opportunity to assume Prompto's perspective using a
PlayStation VR The PlayStation VR (PS VR) is a virtual reality headset developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, which was released in October 2016. The headset works with the company's PlayStation 4 video game console and is forward compatible with PlaySta ...
headset, where they were driven around the game's world and could engage enemies in shooting sections. Originally slated to become available for free at an unspecified date following the release of ''XV'', by August 2017 ''VR Experience'' was not released to the public as the developers wanted to avoid a thematic overlap with the then-upcoming ''Episode Prompto'', which also features Prompto as its titular lead character. The project was reworked from a
first-person shooter A first-person shooter (FPS) is a video game genre, video game centered on gun fighting and other weapon-based combat seen from a First person (video games), first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action directly through t ...
scenario into a fishing simulation title, '' Monster of the Deep: Final Fantasy XV''.


Appearances


''Final Fantasy XV''

Alongside
Ignis Scientia is a character from Square Enix's ''Final Fantasy'' series. He first appears in the anime web series '' Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV'' as an advisor for the royal family of the Kingdom of Lucis and a personal attendant of its heir apparent princ ...
and
Gladiolus Amicitia ''Final Fantasy XV'', an action role-playing video game released in November 2016, is the fifteenth main installment in the ''Final Fantasy'' series, and is thematically connected to ''Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy'', a subseries of game ...
,
prompto is a character from Square Enix's ''Final Fantasy'' series. He first appears in the anime web series '' Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV'' as a schoolmate of the crown prince of the Kingdom of Lucis, Noctis Lucis Caelum. In the 2016 mainline title ...
accompanies
Noctis Lucis Caelum , for short, is a character from Square Enix's ''Final Fantasy'' video game series. Noctis is a playable character and the main protagonist of ''Final Fantasy XV'', which was originally a spin-off titled ''Final Fantasy Versus XIII''. The crown ...
, crown prince of the Kingdom of Lucis, as Noctis embarks on a road journey to meet and marry his fiancé Lunafreya Nox Fleuret. A friend of Noctis from high school, Prompto is the most playful of the quartet: throughout ''XV'', he continuously makes lighthearted quips, burst out into song, make puns, and even make comments that breaks the
fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance dramatic convention, convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this "wall", the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. ...
. He is particularly fascinated with chocobos and easily becomes smitten with women. On the other hand, he suffers from an inferiority complex next to his friends, due to his lack of noble heritage and self-esteem. Prompto is associated with the game's photography mechanic, where he constantly takes
selfie A selfie () is a self-portrait photograph or a short video, typically taken with an electronic camera or smartphone. The camera would be usually held at arm's length or supported by a selfie stick instead of being controlled with a self-timer ...
s and/or photos of others, and offers the player an opportunity to preserve them at the end of each rest day. Prompto wields a variety of firearms and machine-based ranged weaponry; when controlling Noctis, the player can issue him commands and co-opt moves with him. Late in the game's narrative, Prompto is knocked off a train that is en route to Gralia, the capital city of the Niflheim empire, separating him from the group for a time. He is later discovered and rescued by his friends within an installation facility in Gralia, where he reveals that he is in fact the result of Niflheim's cloning experimentations to power its robotic army of magically infused Magitek infantry. Soon afterwards, Prompto is separated from Noctis for nearly a decade, and the world is overwhelmed by a plague of darkness and monstrous daemons unleashed by
Ardyn Izunia , also known as , is a character from the ''Final Fantasy'' video game series made by Square Enix. He is the main antagonist in ''Final Fantasy XV'' and a prominent character in the game's associated media, and makes appearances in other ''Fin ...
, the chancellor of the Niflheim empire. Following their reunion a decade later, Prompto accompanies Noctis to his final confrontation with Ardyn in the ruins of Insomnia, the former Lucian capital. Prompto's backstory is explored in further detail in the titular DLC expansion, ''Episode Prompto'', where he is retrieved by Niflheim forces after he fell from the train and detained in a research facility. Prompto discovers that he is a clone of Niflheim's chief scientist, Verstael Besithia, and was stolen from the laboratory that created him by Lucian spies. A barcode on Prompto's wrist, which he kept concealed at all times, is a reminder of his true origin. Alongside the mercenary Aranea Highwind, a former agent of Niflheim whom he befriends, Prompto confronts and defeats Verstael, who had transferred his consciousness into a gigantic war machine. Prompto continues his journey to Gralia in the aftermath, but is unaware that he is followed by Ardyn.


Other appearances

''Episode 2: Dogged Runner'' from '' Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV'' tells the story of Prompto's lonely childhood and how he meets Noctis at school. Raised by foster parents in Lucis, Prompto is portrayed as an obese child who meets one of Lunafreya's canine companions, Pryna, by chance and cares for her. After receiving a letter of appreciation from Lunafreya, Prompto decides to improve his situation by adopting an upbeat outlook towards life, and build his self-esteem by losing weight and becoming a more confident person in the process. By the end of the episode, Prompto properly befriends Noctis as a teenager. Prompto has appeared in numerous video games outside of ''Final Fantasy XV'' and its associated downloadable content.


Promotion and reception

In early 2016, action figures of Prompto alongside Noctis, Gladiolus and Ignis were produced by Play Arts Kai and distributed for sale by Square Enix on its online store to promote the then-upcoming release of ''Final Fantasy XV''. Shortly after the release of the '' Final Fantasy XV: Episode Duscae'' demo in March 2015, Tabata and his team discovered that Prompto came last in a popularity survey, falling behind several minor characters featured alongside the main cast, and was generally disliked by series fans. This motivated the development team to put more effort into redesigning Prompto's appearance and redefining his in-game role, as they wanted all four members of the group to be equally popular or likeable. The team later realized that the game's photography feature is a viable approach to bring him closer to players, and made it a part of his character. The character's reception with players would improve following the launch of ''XV'' in November 2016. For example, Prompto ranked No. 38 in the Top 75 of
NHK , also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee. NHK ope ...
's "All-Final Fantasy Grand Poll of Japanese players" in 2020, which tallied over 468,000 votes. Critics like Brendan Caldwell from ''Rock, Paper, Shotgun'' have observed that fans have reacted very positively to Prompto's role as an in-game photographer. Prompto is recognized as one of Robbie Daymond's most iconic or notable characters. His decision to record a complimentary personalized Christmas greeting dedicated to the daughter of a fan as Prompto in 2016 received media attention and was met with praise. Several critics from numerous video game publications have expressed their appreciation for the character. Dennis Carden from ''
Destructoid ''Destructoid'' is a website that was founded as a video game-focused blog in March 2006 by Yanier Gonzalez, a Cuban-American cartoonist and author. Enthusiast Gaming acquired the website in 2017 and sold it to Gamurs Group in 2022. Histor ...
'' chose Prompto as his favourite video game character from 2016. He described him as an example of a well-executed comic relief character, because his antics are used judiciously without hindering the overall experience. Carden also found that Prompto always reacts appropriately whenever the story of ''XV'' takes a darker turn, which is balanced by the brief moments of levity provided by Prompto's friendly and upbeat personality. Ethan Gach from ''Kotaku'' observed that he stood out among the voiced characters of the ''Final Fantasy'' series, as few have had a fleshed out backstory or has been as charming with the sense of fun they impart as Prompto. Ed Thorn from ''
Rock, Paper, Shotgun ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' is a British video game journalism website. It was launched in July 2007 to focus on PC games and was acquired by Gamer Network, a network of sites led by ''Eurogamer'', in May 2017. History ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' ...
'' said he is very fond of Prompto, more than any other AI-controlled video game companion character he had encountered, and suggested that he would be a welcome presence in every game he plays. Andrew Webster from ''The Verge'' said Prompto's photos are a critical narrative tool, which help players tell their own stories while creating a deeper connection with the game's cast. Salvatore Pane from ''
Paste Magazine ''Paste'' is an American monthly music and entertainment digital magazine, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with studios in Atlanta and Manhattan, and owned by Paste Media Group. The magazine began as a website in 1998. It ran as a print publi ...
'' considered Prompto to be the "heart" of the group; he wrote at length about how Prompto's antics helped him recall happier memories of his younger years, and how deeply the character's desperate need for validation resonated with him. Allegra Frank and Simone de Rochefort from ''Polygon'' as well as Gita Jackson from ''Kotaku'' have expressed their appreciation for the character's visual appeal and physical attractiveness. Some critics have singled out Prompto's character development and story arc across multiple media for praise. Michelle Nguyen from ''Geek.com'' was impressed with the character work for Prompto in ''Episode 2: Dogged Runner'', and elaborate how it turned an unlikable character who comes across as a
blonde stereotype Blonde stereotypes are stereotypes of blonde-haired people. Sub-types of this stereotype include the " blonde bombshell" and the "dumb blonde". Blondes have historically been portrayed as physically attractive, though often perceived as less ...
on first impression into a "multi-dimensional, interesting guy" who earned his place in the main cast. Carden liked the scenes where Prompto confides in Noctis about his insecurities, which in his opinion makes the character far more relatable then he could have otherwise be.
Jason Schreier Jason Schreier (born May 10, 1987) is an American journalist and author who primarily covers the video game industry. He worked as a news reporter for ''Kotaku'' from 2011 to 2020 and was recognized for several Investigative journalism, investig ...
and Ash Parrish, who have both written for ''Kotaku'', opined that individuals like Prompto who hide their insecurity and emotional fragility beneath an outward veneer of cheerfulness and pluckiness are very common in real life friend groups, which reinforces the character's relatability. Reviews of ''Episode Prompto'' generally praised Prompto's portrayal and storyline despite some clichéd or clashing elements, and all lauded his interactions with Aranea. Parrish was surprised by how closely she identified with a character whose physical appearance differs greatly from her, as on an emotional level she claimed to have experienced the same feelings of anxiety and self-loathing as Prompto when it comes to her social interactions. A criticism she offered was that the side story of Prompto's discovery of his true origin was entirely absent in the base game, which she argued undercuts the narrative impact of the disclosure of his identity following his reunion with his friends.


References


Further reading

*


External links


Prompto Argentum on the official Square Enix website (Japanese)
* Attribution * {{DEFAULTSORT:Argentum, Prompto Adoptee characters in video games Characters designed by Tetsuya Nomura Clone characters in video games Fictional marksmen and snipers Fictional photographers Final Fantasy XV characters Male characters in video games Teenage characters in video games Video game characters introduced in 2016 ja:ファイナルファンタジーXV#主要人物