Last Fantasy XVI: The Rising Tide appears to elevate Jill

Last Fantasy XVI launched final 12 months, however Sq. Enix remains to be releasing main new content material for the sport. The second massive DLC, The Rising Tide, will debut on April 18.

The bottom sport had a giant deal with Eikons, these large creatures that Last Fantasy followers have summoned and fought throughout the sequence. However probably the most well-liked, Leviathan, was lacking. Properly, now that water serpent will get a starring position in The Rising Tide, which sees Clive and firm journey to the northern land of Mysidia. This contains Jill, a personality that some gamers and critics wished had extra to do within the unique story.

Throughout PAX East, I had an opportunity to speak with FF16 producer Naoki Yoshida and DLC director Takeo Kujiraoka. I requested them what makes The Rising Tide particular and what the way forward for FF16 will seem like. Under is an edited transcript of our interview by a translator.

GamesBeat: With The Rising Tide and its launch taking place a bit after the unique sport, was there any specific suggestions from the bottom sport that you just wished to include into the DLC?

Naoki Yoshida: With this launch, and never simply the discharge of the DLC, however updates that we’ve got deliberate as properly, we’ve been getting a number of suggestions about gameplay points, about issues like extra config choices or cutscene fixes or high quality of life issues. We obtained loads of suggestions on that. We’re utilizing the Rising Tide DLC as a possibility to deal with a few of these points, among the suggestions we’ve gotten from the group, in addition to introducing new content material with the DLC as properly.

Takeo Kujiraoka: We’ve additionally used this as a possibility to replace loads of the Eikon talents as properly. We obtained loads of suggestions about making loads of the skills simpler to make use of, powering them up, possibly addressing ones that weren’t used as a lot by gamers as a result of they had been troublesome to make use of and making them simpler to make use of, making them extra accessible to gamers. We’ve finished loads of adjustment of those talents. Once more, no nerfing, however particularly the skills for Ramuh and Bahamut, for instance, we’ve modified these loads, up to date these. There are loads of new facets that ought to please loads of motion sport gamers on the market.

GamesBeat: With the DLC going down in an space referred to as Mysidia, that makes me consider Last Fantasy IV. Are you simply borrowing the title, or will there be different particular callbacks in Rising Tide?

Kujiraoka: Mysidia additionally appeared in Last Fantasy II as properly, because the title of a village. Each of these Mysidias, their backstories had been tied to magic. As a result of Mysidia in FFXVI can also be tied to magic, we determined to do this callback and convey within the title there, as a result of we’ve got these similarities between the previous Mysidias and the brand new Mysidia. In any other case, although, we’re not bringing in loads of various things from Last Fantasy IV. There was simply that slight connection there, so we wished to do a callback.

GamesBeat: Typical American Last Fantasy fan, I neglected Last Fantasy II.

Yoshida: It’s very distinctive within the sequence. It’s simple to overlook generally. However we simply had the pixel remaster that made it way more accessible.

GamesBeat: The interpretation of those basic summons was a giant spotlight of FFXVI. Are you able to discuss this rendition of Leviathan, what makes this totally different from different 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 a picture of what that Eikon goes to be, what strikes they’re going to do. We didn’t wish to stray an excessive amount of from that, even Leviathan. When individuals consider Leviathan they assume again to after they performed the pixel variations, the assaults and actions they had been utilizing. We will take these pixel variations and render them in prime quality HD graphics in a manner that matches the participant’s concept of what Leviathan must be. That’s the route we took. We didn’t wish to make Leviathan totally different. We wished to make Leviathan one thing that was recognizable.

Kujiraoka: This was one of many tougher Eikons to create simply due to its form, being serpent-like. Making an attempt to render that in such prime quality was troublesome. However I believe we obtained one thing that’s going to be very recognizable for gamers, that gamers are going to have the ability to resonate with.

GamesBeat: Leviathan is one other echo of the water theme that we see within the title, Rising Tide. What position does water play within the DLC?

Kujiraoka: Water does play a really massive position within the DLC. First off, it represents Leviathan, and Leviathan being the principle focus, the Eikon of water and the Dominant of water. You see this visually within the areas that you just go to. You see that massive frozen wave within the trailer. That’s linked to the story as properly. The entire assaults that you just’ll be getting are going to be water-based. However on prime of that, it additionally has a really deep connection to the story as properly. There are these themes of water which are going to look within the narrative. Water goes to be in all places within the DLC.

GamesBeat: Some suggestions I’ve seen from gamers is that they actually do like Jill, and possibly want there was extra of her within the sport. What’s her roll in Rising Tide?

Kujiraoka: First off, for our DLCs, one of many themes for the primary DLC and this DLC as properly, it was going to be that one last journey with Joshua, Jill, and Torgal, with Clive on his final journey earlier than they go to Origin and Ultima. We do wish to have that target them. Whereas Echoes of the Fallen targeted just a little extra on Joshua, there’s going to be extra of a deal with Jill in Rising Tide.

The largest connection to Jill goes to be that the realm we’re visiting, Mysidia, is within the northern territories. With Jill being from the northern territories, she has that connection. She’s going again to her homeland. That ties into the story as properly. So followers of Jill will get a bit extra of her story on this DLC.

GamesBeat: It looks as if Clive has been embraced by loads of gamers. His English voice actor Ben Starr, I believe the whole U.S has a little bit of a crush on him. How does it really feel to see the poster little one of the sport be embraced so readily and universally?

Yoshida: With the Last Fantasy sequence, there’s all the time loads of deal with these major characters. You get these characters that individuals fall in love with. Possibly they assume that possibly there was strain on us to create a personality that was going to comply with in these footsteps, however we didn’t strategy the creation of Clive in that manner. We didn’t exit of our technique to make a personality that was going to develop into actually well-liked. We simply had an concept of what we wished to do with the story, after which we created Clive to suit that story.

In the beginning of improvement, Clive was a bit bland. He was form of soiled, darkish, and brooding. Only a soldier. However because the story progresses you possibly can see how he developed. I believe that’s one of many causes gamers actually loved him, as a result of they might see the event going from one place to a different. That stated, we didn’t go into it pondering that we wished to make Clive a well-liked character. It simply occurred that as he developed within the story, his reputation grew from there. It positively wasn’t one thing we anticipated, that he would develop into such a well-liked character, however we’re very joyful that he’s. I wish to thank our quest writers and the people who created the cutscenes, as a result of once we went into it, we didn’t simply wish to create a personality who explains the whole lot.

We wished to take a extra “present, not inform” kind of strategy to the dialogue. We wished to maintain the dialogue tight and maintain it a bit extra actual, having the story not simply informed by the phrases, however by the characters’ eyes and facial expressions. The arduous work that was put in by our quest writers and movement seize administrators and the cutscene administrators actually obtained that throughout. That’s another excuse why Clive grew to become a extremely popular character.

GamesBeat: What does the long run for FFXVI seem like past Rising Tide? Are there going to be extra massive DLC releases?

Yoshida: The largest factor that’s in retailer is the PC model, the port to PC. We’re presently optimizing that. With this optimization, one of many issues we’re specializing in is that with the PS5 and its arduous drive, we’ve got that seamless expertise, the whole lot is linked. There are not any loading instances. We wish to reproduce that on the PC model. We’re presently optimizing so we will get as near that as potential, in addition to testing it in many various environments to verify we’ve got minimal spec necessities the place gamers can expertise the sport in the identical manner because the PS5.

On prime of that, we’re engaged on the interfaces, in addition to customization choices for the PC model, what gamers have come to count on from PC ports. Along with that, we’re additionally engaged on an all-in-one pack the place you will get the bottom sport mixed with all of the DLC for the PC launch. Whereas I can’t give an actual date on when it’s popping out but, the event and the optimization is transferring easily. We must always have a launch date very quickly. As soon as that’s launched, that’s once we can begin fascinated with ports to different consoles as properly.

GamesBeat: It looks as if there’s nonetheless loads of work going into FFXVI. What does it really feel like for the staff? Not precisely a protracted cycle, however that prolonged work on a sport, even after it’s launched, even when you have got the excessive of the launch up to now. You count on that feeling of “We did it,” however then you definitely return to work. Is that demoralizing in any respect, or is it invigorating that you just get to place extra into this undertaking?

Kujiraoka: For me I used to be capable of stay motivated, since you get all this suggestions. Now we’ve got the chance to implement that suggestions. We had been capable of have this chance to create the DLC, tackle that suggestions, and reply these issues that the gamers wished. For that, it gave me motivation to proceed on the undertaking. One other factor was that the whole lot we discovered creating the principle sport, we had been capable of take that and never simply have it finish there. We might construct on that.

Once more, loads of that working collectively, all of the challenges and difficulties we confronted, the issues we overcame on the principle sport, we had been capable of take that have and apply it to the event of the DLC. We had been capable of create one thing that was very troublesome to make, however as a result of we had that have, we had been capable of create that very effectively and really rapidly for this DLC. That was one thing that stored me motivated by that. Now right here we’re on the ultimate bits of the QA for the DLC, and we’re beginning to get to that peak once more, have that pre-launch excessive once more.

GamesBeat: One of the vital praised facets of FFXVI is the music from Masayoshi Soken. How a lot new music do we’ve got to sit up for within the DLC?

Kujiraoka: First off, as a result of we’re getting a brand new space, we’ll be getting new music with that space, a number of tracks for that space. On prime of that we’ve got the Eikon vs. Eikon battles. As you understand from those in the principle sport, you get these very advanced tracks that change relying on the phases of the Eikons. We wished to breed that with the Leviathan battle as properly. You’re going to have very distinctive tracks that change with the phases of the Eikon battle as properly.

Yoshida: Again in the principle sport, once we had been speaking to Masayoshi Soken concerning the music, I personally made all of the requests. “I would like these songs for these areas.” Once more, I created all this reference materials – these kind of songs for these concepts that I’ve – and gave all of that to Soken very early within the improvement course of. After which for years we obtained nothing. Then, two months earlier than launch, hastily all of those songs got here into the sport.

For instance, FFXIV, which he additionally does the music for – it’s a division retailer for sport music. You’ve all these totally different areas. You’ve classical. You’ve rock. You’ve digital music, new varieties of music. The sport permits that. However for FFXVI, it’s targeted on solely classical music. Early on, Soken was very anxious about that. Was he going to have the ability to do a complete sport with only one kind of music? The factor is, he did, and other people cherished it. With the DLC, loads of strain has been taken off him. He can simply take what he used and go all out. I believe he did that for Rising Tide.

GamesBeat: Do you have got something you wish to say to the followers of FFXVI?

Yoshida: For not solely the FFXVI workers, however the entire artistic enterprise unit 3, this has been an incredible expertise for us. We had this nice problem of making a brand new Last Fantasy. We challenged ourselves to create this sport. We launched the sport and we obtained loads of love from the followers, loads of love from the customers. We take that and use that as motivation for the subsequent step we will take, transferring ahead to the subsequent undertaking.

Kujiraoka: I’d wish to thank everybody who fell in love with FFXVI. With this DLC, we’re capable of deliver extra of that, hopefully extra of what you really liked concerning the sport. We take a look at The Rising Tide as an growth in an MMO. It takes the whole lot you’re keen on about the principle sport and provides you extra of that. Hopefully that can get everyone excited to like FFXVI much more.