Ultimate Fantasy 14: Dawntrail has arrived to a little bit of a blended reception, due to a middling story that has a couple of obtrusive flaws and—regardless of some wonderful enhancements in terms of bosses and dungeons—a couple of persistent points that, from what I’ve seen from extra crucial parts of the group, are irritating due to how lengthy they have been occurring.
There is a notion I’ve picked up on that, if we’re taking the long-view, FF14 is mechanically caught in a rut—whereas direct rivals like World of Warcraft are heaping on new experimental mechanics just like the Warbands system and doing harebrained modes like MoP Remix, not a lot has modified on Etheirys.
Questing has remained largely the identical for years: Go right here, click on on two objects, struggle an enemy that takes half of your opener earlier than it explodes—and whereas Dawntrail did have a couple of good solo duties, they have been few and much sufficient between to make issues drag. Patch cadence and content material has remained largely the identical. Open-world FATEs, other than getting an elective grind within the Shared Destiny system, principally contain melting the identical unthreatening monsters down with space of impact spells.
FF14, merely put, innovates fairly slowly. That is to not say we’ve not had new concepts come into the ecosystem, however in addition they had their very own share of points—Island Sanctuaries have been cute at first, however wound up changing into a largely passive spreadsheet simulator. Variant Dungeons, in the meantime, have been a ton of enjoyable to play the primary go round, however they suffered resulting from poor reward constructions.
I sat down and spoke with the sport’s director, Naoki Yoshida (Yoshi-P) throughout Gamescom, and whereas we talked in regards to the story’s general reception, and what to do with the Scions of the Seventh Daybreak, one thing he stated in the direction of the tail-end of our interview additionally shocked me: It appears like Yoshi-P actually does wish to shake issues up.
“Sure, when it got here to the earlier Hydaelin and Zodiark saga, this was one thing that began earlier than I took cost of undertaking on Ultimate Fantasy 14, and the saga did end in Endwalker, nevertheless it’s with the brand new growth that we have reached the extent cap of 100 and so in that regard, I view 7.0 as a end result … we have been in a position to perform numerous preparations, and now have a steady state of issues within the recreation.”
He isn’t fallacious right here—Endwalker, for all my complaints, did genuinely do rather a lot to incrementally enhance the brand new participant expertise, with tune-ups to dungeons and duties within the recreation’s introductory content material, A Realm Reborn. Dawntrail has gone on so as to add a significant graphics overhaul, which I do not doubt was plenty of onerous work.
“So shifting ahead with the following growth, I wish to incorporate extra adjustments. I do not wish to take a conservative strategy, however somewhat, I wish to present an expertise that up to date players can get pleasure from. To that finish, I want to incorporate numerous adjustments. I can even defend issues that must be protected. However we might very very like to check out new issues, and we’re discussing numerous potentialities proper now within the group, so I am actually enthusiastic about that.”
Some vital context: This was on the finish of our interview, so whereas I am positive Yoshi-P was holding issues obscure to keep away from making any sweeping guarantees, we have been additionally operating brief on time for particulars and follow-up questions.
His phrases right here do, on the very least, monitor with what he is stated earlier than about transforming the sport’s jobs and leaning away from homogeneity and two-minute meta after Dawntrail. Whether or not his group will likely be given the precise assets for that’s one other matter. As was outright said in an earnings report, MMOs made up round 68% of Sq. Enix’s working income, and this can be a firm that has launched plenty of different mainstream video games. FF14 makes cash, however whether or not that cash goes again into it to make it higher is unclear.
However simply because these are guarantees additional down the road, that does not imply Yoshi-P is not excited for what’s coming subsequent: “So after all, within the subsequent growth, we’re planning numerous adjustments to the mechanics, however even for the present growth, from patch 7.1 we now have plenty of new content material deliberate.” He brings up the upcoming restricted job, Beastmaster, and provides: “I can’t present any particulars at this cut-off date, nevertheless it’s shaping as much as be superb certainly, so there’s rather a lot that gamers can stay up for.”