'Final Fantasy XV' updates take a page from 'Destiny,' and that's great
It's hard to say anyone saw this coming for Final Fantasy XV.
While the long-in-development game is a hit, there are plenty of things to criticize about it. And Square Enix has some aggressive plans for addressing the concerns raised by fans and in reviews.
"We have been listening to your ideas on how to make the game experience even better, and so in addition to the previously announced content, we’ll be providing free updates to the game throughout the coming year," game director Hajime Tabata wrote in a new blog post.
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What's noteworthy is the nature of these changes. While some fall under the umbrella of standard game rebalancing -- like making a particular weapon feel more powerful -- others have the potential to switch up the flow of the game.
Tabata specifically mentions "Chapter 13," a late section of the story that has drawn criticism for its overly linear and repetitive design in a game that otherwise celebrates openness and freedom. It's not clear how that section will change, but Tabata promised "gameplay enhancements."
You can also expect some clarifications to the story, including clearer motivations for some of the choices made by Ravus, a member of the supporting cast. Improvements on the story side will take longer to implement, however, due to the demands of localizing the voiceover for different languages.
Most surprisingly, Tabata notes that the development team is exploring ways to make additional characters playable and add more options for customization.
The bond between Noctis and his three traveling companions is in many ways the core of Final Fantasy XV's story. Those three companions -- Prompto, Gladiolus, and Ignis -- aren't playable, but they could be the characters Tabata has in mind.
Then again, each of the three is set to be the focus -- and perhaps star? -- of his own paid DLC episode. What if Tabata intends to let you bring in completely new party members, such as Gladiolus' sister Iris, or the mercenary Aranea? Such a change would certainly shake up the "bro-ad trip" at the heart of the story.
The dev team is also looking at giving players new ways to interact with the game, including options for low-level playthroughs, "god mode," and carrying stats over into some kind of "New Game+" option. Additional bosses and limited time hunts are also a possibility.
Final Fantasy is an intensely story-driven series, and the single player entries have never been targeted for these kinds of updates. They're the sort of changes that you'd expect to see in games like Overwatch or Destiny, both of which are "live games" that have continued to evolve -- thanks in large part to fan feedback -- following their release.
Tabata seemingly wants to embrace that increasingly common development ethos for Final Fantasy XV, and this is our first glimpse into what the update plans look like.
Topics Gaming
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
