Final Delusion XVI released final Twelve months, however Sq. Enix is silent releasing most major new scream for the game. The 2d gigantic DLC, The Rising Tide, will debut on April 18.
The unfriendly sport had a huge focal point on Eikons, these broad creatures that Final Delusion followers have summoned and fought at some stage within the series. Nevertheless one of many most standard, Leviathan, became as soon as lacking. Effectively, now that water serpent gets a starring role in The Rising Tide, which sees Clive and firm poke to the northern land of Mysidia. This involves Jill, a persona that some gamers and critics wished had extra to retain out within the genuine story.
In the heart of PAX East, I had a chance to talk with FF16 producer Naoki Yoshida and DLC director Takeo Kujiraoka. I asked them what makes The Rising Tide particular and what the advance ahead for FF16 will scrutinize admire. Below is an edited transcript of our interview through a translator.
GamesBeat: With The Rising Tide and its liberate taking place reasonably after the genuine sport, became as soon as there any tell suggestions from the unfriendly sport that you wished to consist of into the DLC?
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Naoki Yoshida: With this liberate, and no longer appropriate the liberate of the DLC, however updates that now we have deliberate as well, we’ve been getting a whole bunch suggestions about gameplay points, about issues admire extra config alternatives or cutscene fixes or quality of lifestyles issues. We purchased so a lot of suggestions on that. We’re the exhaust of the Rising Tide DLC as a chance to cope with a couple of of these points, a couple of of the suggestions we’ve gotten from the neighborhood, moreover to introducing new scream with the DLC as well.
Takeo Kujiraoka: We’ve additionally venerable this as a chance to replace many of the Eikon skills as well. We purchased so a lot of suggestions about making many of the abilities more uncomplicated to exhaust, powering them up, perchance addressing ones that weren’t venerable as grand by gamers because they were advanced to exhaust and making them more uncomplicated to exhaust, making them extra accessible to gamers. We’ve performed so a lot of adjustment of these skills. All yet again, no nerfing, however in particular the abilities for Ramuh and Bahamut, shall we bid, we’ve modified these so a lot, updated these. There are so a lot of new parts that must always delight so a lot of action sport gamers accessible.
GamesBeat: With the DLC taking boom in an condo known as Mysidia, that makes me have of Final Delusion IV. Are you appropriate borrowing the title, or will there be diversified tell callbacks in Rising Tide?
Kujiraoka: Mysidia additionally appeared in Final Delusion II as well, because the title of a village. Every of these Mysidias, their backstories were tied to magic. Attributable to Mysidia in FFXVI is additionally tied to magic, we made up our minds to retain out that callback and lift within the title there, because now we have these similarities between the historical Mysidias and the new Mysidia. In any other case, although, we’re no longer bringing in so a lot of diversified issues from Final Delusion IV. There became as soon as appropriate that cramped connection there, so we wished to retain out a callback.
GamesBeat: Abnormal American Final Delusion fan, I lost sight of Final Delusion II.
Yoshida: It’s very weird within the series. It’s easy to overlook every so often. Nevertheless we appropriate had the pixel remaster that made it grand extra accessible.
GamesBeat: The interpretation of these traditional summons became as soon as a huge highlight of FFXVI. Can you focus on this rendition of Leviathan, what makes this diversified from diversified variations of Leviathan that we’ve seen earlier than?
Yoshida: With FFXVI and the Eikons that we selected, we wished gamers, after they hear the names of the Eikons, they’re going to have an image of what that Eikon goes to be, what strikes they’re going to retain out. We didn’t desire to stray too grand from that, even Leviathan. When americans have of Leviathan they have lend a hand to after they played the pixel variations, the attacks and actions they were the exhaust of. We can rob these pixel variations and render them in top quality HD graphics in a advance that matches the player’s belief of what Leviathan must always be. That’s the course we took. We didn’t desire to variety Leviathan diversified. We wished to variety Leviathan one thing that became as soon as recognizable.
Kujiraoka: This became as soon as one of many extra advanced Eikons to variety appropriate thanks to its form, being serpent-admire. Making an are trying to render that in such top quality became as soon as advanced. Nevertheless I’ve we purchased one thing that’s going to be very recognizable for gamers, that gamers are going to be capable of resonate with.
GamesBeat: Leviathan is one other echo of the water theme that we gaze within the title, Rising Tide. What role does water play within the DLC?
Kujiraoka: Water does play a actually gigantic role within the DLC. First off, it represents Leviathan, and Leviathan being the most major focal point, the Eikon of water and the Dominant of water. You gaze this visually within the areas that you tear to. You gaze that massive frozen wave within the trailer. That’s connected to the story as well. The total attacks that you’ll be getting are going to be water-based completely mostly. Nevertheless on top of that, it additionally has a actually deep connection to the story as well. There are these issues of water which may maybe perhaps presumably be going to seem within the myth. Water goes to be in every single put within the DLC.
GamesBeat: Some suggestions I’ve seen from gamers is that they in actual fact raise out admire Jill, and maybe desire there became as soon as extra of her within the game. What is her roll in Rising Tide?
Kujiraoka: First off, for our DLCs, one of many issues for the most major DLC and this DLC as well, it became as soon as going to be that one final poke with Joshua, Jill, and Torgal, with Clive on his final poke earlier than they tear to Origin and Ultima. We feature out desire to have that take into accout of them. Whereas Echoes of the Fallen focused reasonably extra on Joshua, there’s going to be extra of a highlight on Jill in Rising Tide.
The largest connection to Jill goes to be that the condo we’re visiting, Mysidia, is within the northern territories. With Jill being from the northern territories, she has that connection. She’s going lend a hand to her boom of foundation. That ties into the story as well. So followers of Jill will gain reasonably extra of her story in this DLC.
GamesBeat: It seems admire Clive has been embraced by so a lot of gamers. His English recount actor Ben Starr, I’ve the whole U.S has reasonably of a crush on him. How does it feel to gaze the poster child of the game be embraced so readily and universally?
Yoshida: With the Final Delusion series, there’s always so a lot of focal point on these most major characters. You gain these characters that americans fall in love with. Perhaps they have that perchance there became as soon as force on us to variety a persona that became as soon as going to exhaust in these footsteps, however we didn’t advance the creation of Clive in that advance. We didn’t exit of our advance to variety a persona that became as soon as going to turn out to be in actual fact standard. We appropriate had a thought of what we wished to retain out with the story, after which we created Clive to match that story.
Before everything of pattern, Clive became as soon as reasonably bland. He became as soon as extra or much less dirty, dark, and brooding. Finest a soldier. Nevertheless because the story progresses which you’ll be capable of presumably presumably gaze how he developed. I’ve that’s one of many causes gamers in actual fact enjoyed him, because they may maybe perhaps also gaze the pattern going from one boom to one other. That acknowledged, we didn’t tear into it pondering that we wished to variety Clive a typical persona. It appropriate occurred that as he developed within the story, his fame grew from there. It undoubtedly wasn’t one thing we expected, that he would turn out to be one of these typical persona, however we’re very delighted that he’s. I desire to thank our quest writers and the these that created the cutscenes, because when we went into it, we didn’t appropriate desire to variety a persona who explains everything.
We wished to rob a extra “point out, no longer expose” originate of advance to the dialogue. We wished to rob care of the dialogue tight and defend it reasonably extra exact, having the story no longer appropriate urged by the phrases, however by the characters’ eyes and facial expressions. The laborious work that became as soon as put in by our quest writers and circulate clutch directors and the cutscene directors in actual fact purchased that at some stage in. That’s one other causes why Clive grew to turn out to be a actually standard persona.
GamesBeat: What does the future for FFXVI scrutinize admire beyond Rising Tide? Are there going to be extra gigantic DLC releases?
Yoshida: The largest thing that’s in store is the PC model, the port to PC. We’re currently optimizing that. With this optimization, one of many issues we’re focusing on is that with the PS5 and its laborious pressure, now we have that seamless skills, everything is connected. There are no longer any loading cases. We desire to reproduce that on the PC model. We’re currently optimizing so we are able to gain as end to that as probably, moreover to testing it in many various environments to variety certain that now we have minimal spec requirements the put gamers can skills the game within the identical advance because the PS5.
On top of that, we’re working on the interfaces, moreover to customization alternatives for the PC model, what gamers have simply about request from PC ports. To boot to to that, we’re additionally working on an all-in-one pack the put which you’ll be capable of presumably presumably gain the unfriendly sport blended with your whole DLC for the PC liberate. Whereas I will’t give an exact date on when it’s coming out yet, the pattern and the optimization is intriguing smoothly. We need to silent have a liberate date very soon. Once that’s released, that’s when we are able to launch fascinated with ports to diversified consoles as well.
GamesBeat: It seems admire there’s silent so a lot of work going into FFXVI. What does it feel admire for the personnel? Not exactly a persistent cycle, however that extended work on a sport, even after it’s launched, even whenever you occur to may maybe perhaps presumably even have the excessive of the launch within the past. You request that feeling of “We did it,” however then you definately tear lend a hand to work. Is that demoralizing at all, or is it invigorating that you gain to put extra into this project?
Kujiraoka: For me I became as soon as able to remain motivated, because you gain all this suggestions. Now now we be capable of implement that suggestions. We were able to have this chance to variety the DLC, address that suggestions, and reply these issues that the gamers wished. For that, it gave me motivation to proceed on the project. Any other thing became as soon as that everything we learned developing the most major sport, we were able to rob that and no longer appropriate have it stay there. We may maybe perhaps presumably also assassinate on that.
All yet again, so a lot of that working collectively, your whole challenges and difficulties we faced, the issues we overcame on the most major sport, we were able to rob which have and exhaust it on the pattern of the DLC. We were able to variety one thing that became as soon as very advanced to variety, however because we had which have, we were able to variety that very effectively and extremely rapid for this DLC. That became as soon as one thing that saved me motivated through that. Now here we’re on the final bits of the QA for the DLC, and we’re starting up to gain to that height again, have that pre-launch excessive again.
GamesBeat: One in every of the most praised parts of FFXVI is the song from Masayoshi Soken. How grand new song raise out now we desire to scrutinize ahead to within the DLC?
Kujiraoka: First off, because we’re getting a new condo, we’ll be getting new song with that condo, a couple of tracks for that condo. On top of that now we have the Eikon vs. Eikon battles. As you know from the ones within the most major sport, you gain these very advanced tracks that commerce looking on the phases of the Eikons. We wished to reproduce that with the Leviathan fight as well. You’re going to have very weird tracks that commerce with the phases of the Eikon fight as well.
Yoshida: Support within the most major sport, when we were talking to Masayoshi Soken in regards to the song, I in my belief made your whole requests. “I would prefer these songs for these areas.” All yet again, I created all this reference discipline material – all these songs for these ideas that I even have – and gave all of that to Soken very early within the pattern job. After which for years we purchased nothing. Then, two months earlier than launch, all of a unexpected all of these songs got here into the game.
For instance, FFXIV, which he additionally does the song for – it’s a division store for sport song. You have all these diversified areas. You have classical. You have rock. You have electronic song, new kinds of song. The game enables that. Nevertheless for FFXVI, it’s concerned on most effective classical song. Early on, Soken became as soon as very insecure about that. Used to be he going to be capable of retain out a whole sport with appropriate one originate of song? The thing is, he did, and americans cherished it. With the DLC, so a lot of force has been taken off him. He can appropriate rob what he venerable and tear all out. I’ve he did that for Rising Tide.
GamesBeat: Construct which you’ll be capable of presumably presumably even have anything you wish bid to the followers of FFXVI?
Yoshida: For no longer most effective the FFXVI staff, however the whole ingenious alternate unit 3, this has been an unparalleled skills for us. We had this sizable explain of developing a new Final Delusion. We challenged ourselves to variety this sport. We released the game and we purchased so a lot of affection from the followers, so a lot of affection from the customers. We rob that and exhaust that as motivation for the following step we are able to rob, intriguing ahead to the following project.
Kujiraoka: I’d desire to thank each person who fell in love with FFXVI. With this DLC, we’re able to raise extra of that, hopefully extra of what you cherished in regards to the game. We scrutinize at The Rising Tide as a spread in an MMO. It takes everything you like in regards to the most major sport and affords you further of that. Hopefully that will gain each person furious to love FFXVI even extra.
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