In just under a month, on June 23, 2015, the first major expansion for Final Fantasy XIV for PC, MAC, PS3, and PS4 will be released. We had the opportunity to speak with the head of the MMO, the Japanese mastermind Naoki Yoshida, about his baby.
The entire event focused on Heavensward was held in France, near Nantes. We stayed there together with other German journalists, YouTubers, Chocobos, and Moogles. Naoki Yoshida is the Game Director, the face of FFXIV, and something like a beacon of light. If there is currently a MMORPG messiah worldwide, we had him in western France for half an hour for an interview.
The dear colleagues: “What can you still rate poorly?”
The day began with a presentation of the expansion, in a dimly lit room with medieval flair, which was able to capture the dark atmosphere of Heavensward well. Final Fantasy XIV will become harsher, focusing more on the conflict-laden background of the universe. What we saw in 60 minutes was already impressive. Huge amounts of content, accompanied by goosebump-inducing videos and musical performances by star composer Nobuo Uematsu.
When we finished the presentation, Maria Beyer-Fistrich, Asia-MMO expert and editor at buffed, approached me and shrugged: “Now I really don’t know what could speak against a very high score“. This could mean higher than 85%, as that is the current score. I silently agreed with her, nodded just like my Hyruan during a story cutscene. You know, like in the main scenario when it comes to saving Eorzea.
Even Frank Fischer, the industry guru, known among other things for his Wiped column at Gamona, later expressed his astonishment in our conversations. Those who know his column know that this is not necessarily to be expected. He is considered one of the biggest advocates of the sandbox, seeing it as the future of the genre. Theme park MMOs do not come off well in this regard. Although Final Fantasy XIV does not offer any real sandbox features and the somewhat unfamiliar Japanese kawaii style for Western standards drives him to despair, he has great respect for what Square Enix has achieved in the last 2 years and now with the expansion.
We mostly agree: In the market of MMORPGs, it is hard to find a game that has been continuously developed at such a rapid pace. With a scope that is unmatched. In 21 months, there have been 18 major content updates. These are characterized not only by more of the same, but they regularly enrich the game with entirely new game systems: housing, weddings, Chocobo racing, mini-games like Triple Triad, flying mounts, airships, and much more. Heavensward takes it to the next level.
What Awaits Us with Heavensward
During my play session, I had the opportunity to check out two new areas, complete FATEs (dynamic public quests), craft airships, wipe in dungeons, and put the crazy Gilgamesh back in his place with a full party. But before we get to the impressions, we want to give you the basics about the new add-on. Here are the facts, what Heavensward brings.
Done with the facts? As you’ve noticed, the list of changes is long. But is quantity equal to quality, and are the contents well-rounded at all? We had all afternoon in groups to test the content of Heavensward and can give a preliminary forecast.
First Impression: Good. Way too much to look at in a few hours.
First off: All the content played made a good, polished impression. However, there was too little time to get a deeper insight. Some details were beyond our reach, and we were not allowed to interact with NPCs or show the story .
With the zones, I immediately noticed positively that they appear much larger than in ARR. The areas in Heavensward surpass the areas of the predecessor by 50 or even 100 percent.
That sounds like a lot, a whole lot. Finding a comparison is difficult here: Russia is 50 times larger than Germany. However, this is likely due to the fact that “over the clouds” numerous independent plateaus are floating. There is therefore no emptiness in the Earth’s atmosphere. The platforms are reached with flying mounts. These are twice as fast as their counterparts on the ground and are pleasantly steered in all directions. What I personally miss: a temporary turbo boost that I learned to love in other MMORPGs.
For me, the combat system of Final Fantasy XIV still belongs to the weaker areas of the game, if I can put it that way. Here I want to commend that the new job abilities come across more powerfully on the screen. They radiate a force and harmonize visually better with the “flashy combat system”. Many animations of the previous abilities often get lost in the effect storm, appearing almost boring. They have improved this with the new skills; even in instances with other players they are still eye-catchers.
The dungeons – we ran through some of the new ones – are variably designed. They offer impressive bosses as usual. The graphics upgrade through the Direct X 11 support makes the settings even more beautiful, especially noticeable in the reflections. Otherwise, it’s more of the same. Many will look forward to the new raid Alexander, which opens its doors 2 weeks after the release.
Of the 8 instances, by the way, 5 are on the level path, the other 3 present challenges in the endgame. The difficulty level is more aimed at casual players. This means: Journalists are a bit overwhelmed by it. The game masters from Square Enix tried their best to support us. Except for one, who played the new job “Dark Knight” as a DPS class and constantly pulled monster groups. Luckily, we had Thomas Wallus from PlayMassive in the team, who played the astrologian, a healer.
The Machinist was my favorite – “because he has Guns”
Speaking of new jobs: I was particularly taken by the “Machinist,” a Gunner DPS class. I am not alone with this preference. The Machinist held the first place on the community’s wish list for a long time. Fans demanded it like no other job. With the class design of the ranged fighter, efforts were made to address multiple play styles.
This makes it possible to force the opponent to their knees while moving with the stylish gun. Ideal for players who prefer dynamic fights. However, if you want your gun to really heat up, you change the gameplay with a skill. This means that while the attacks require a certain effect time to charge, they also cause significantly more damage.
A slight disadvantage: They must be executed from a standstill. The turrets that the Machinist can set up round off the gameplay. They provide AoE damage in a certain radius or enhance the skills. In the end, almost every journalist wanted to play a Machinist, even the GMs from Square Enix. The explanation for this could not be simpler: “…because he has Guns“. Unfortunately, new players cannot enjoy the new jobs as quickly. The content up to Patch 2.55 must be completed to claim their right to it. And general: Do only the old players benefit from the expansion?
“For subscribers, the content is very attractive, but have you also thought of new players?”
With this question, I confronted Naoki Yoshida after the test round. Because we in the Mein MMO editorial team feel that there is still room for growth in Germany with Final Fantasy XIV. It is undeniable that the style is very unique and that the classic combat system with a cooldown of over 2 seconds seems too outdated for some. Nevertheless, these are rather points that depend heavily on subjective preferences.
“For those who have not yet played Final Fantasy XIV, ‘A Realm Reborn’ is the starting point. New players have a long story line ahead of them and find a highly expanded game before them, with all the updates that have been introduced up to 2.55. They have access to everything.”
I missed the big hook in his answers to this topic, why Heavensward would be the perfect entry point for players who have not yet found their way to Eorzea or have only briefly checked it out in the beta or with a trial version. However, he is of course right that ARR was also continuously developed and offers newcomers a comprehensive MMO.
Positively, albeit nothing special, is, that with the new expansion, the leveling flow will be adjusted:
“With the launch of Heavensward, all rewards and experience points for completing the story quests will be adjusted and increased accordingly, so that you can catch up with the other players more quickly.”
It would certainly have been interesting if the developers had redesigned the old areas so that they would also be accessible to the flying mounts. This is said to be planned for a later date, as I was told. Overall, the game really picks up from level 20 – but then the free trial version ends abruptly. It is not necessarily easy to recognize what high quality is hidden behind this rough diamond. The partially missing voice-over in the main storyline can be disturbing for new players, as some comments on our site show. The announcement of a complete voice-over of the main scenario would also have been an argument.
Conclusion: Especially for active or former players, there is actually no way around considering Heavensward a mandatory purchase. The criticism points at release were consistently eliminated: One can hardly complain about the lack of variety in the endgame and the small zones.
But new players should also take a look, as long as they sympathize with the Asian style. Admittedly, Final Fantasy XIV remains a very special game that does not suit every taste. One should also not have any apprehensions about a classic combat system akin to World of Warcraft or expect sandbox content. For those who do not have a problem with that and with the subscription model: A lot has happened in the world of Final Fantasy Online in the past 18 months. It has improved. Fans of theme park MMOs should not miss a trial run.
We will keep you updated in the coming days: With further excerpts from the interview and information about the future of FFXIV.
