Showing dedication to the series
As much grief as I’ve given Square Enix over the years, it’s good to see that their signature series is finally getting treated well. Final Fantasy is one of my top three favorite JRPG series of all time. Dragon Quest and Suikoden are the other two, and I’m not sure how I’d rank them.
Final Fantasy went through a really rough patch for a while. Final Fantasy X-2, which seemed like fanservice and nothing more, was a decent game. I never tried out Final Fantasy XI on the PS2, but I regretted playing Final Fantasy XII and ANY of the XIII series. When Final Fantasy XIV came out in 2010, it looked like the same dumpster fire as XIII, but in MMO form.
Surprisingly, Square Enix pulled the game, fired the original dev team, revamped it from top to bottom, and released Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. The result was absolutely amazing. If ever there was a game that could tear me away from World of Warcraft, it was this one. I may not play it religiously, but I enjoy every minute I spend in Hydaelyn.
For those who have yet to experience Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, Square Enix has a new way to entice you. They’re revamping their trial version, removing the 14-day time limit it currently has. They are talking the World of Warcraft route, placing a level cap, 35 for this game. Trial players can play as long as they want, even after hitting the cap. Other restrictions include creating only one character per world and being able to see only the first 10 floors of the Deep Dungeon. But you can still join other people in parties, something WoW does not allow in its trial. Better yet, any expired trials or subscriptions will be reactivated, allowing those players to run around in Hydaelyn again.
In addition to the new trial rules, Square Enix released Patch 3.56 for Final Fantasy XIV. The patch concluded the main story of the first expansion, Heavensward. That’s being done in preparation for the June 20th release of its next expansion, Stormblood. Unfortunately, although trial characters can be transferred to the full version, only characters created after the patch can transfer to the patched game.
All of that is great, but it’s expected of an MMORPG if it wants to retain players and woo new ones. The big news is what Square Enix has been cooking up for its mainline title.
Final Fantasy XV was a great game at launch. While nowhere near perfect, it was a great return to form for the mainline series. But it had its problems. Chief among them was Chapter 13, where the boy-band road trip suddenly hits a wall. Literally. You crash the car and your friends leave. You’re left with just Noctis, the main protagonist, alone and wielding nothing but a magic ring. The resulting solo slog through an abandoned factory, unarmed and relying on a ring that takes longer to charge than my tablet, is not fun.
Final Fantasy XV director Hajime Tabata has heard the criticism and responded with something almost unheard of. With update 1.06, Final Fantasy XV will actually modify Chapter 13. Named Chapter 13, Verse 2, it will allow players to play an alternate route with Gladiolus. It also promises enhancements to gameplay and bug fixes.
It doesn’t seem like a whole much. It’s just a sidequest and a few new bennies. But the fact that an AAA developer is willing to listen to fan feedback and placate them is practically unheard of.
The only comparison for this move is EA’s Mass Effect 3. After the apocalypse that was the game’s – and the series’ – ending, developer BioWare set out to quell fan rage. Although the updated ending didn’t sate all fans, it was a gesture AAA developers never did before then. Many fans appreciated the gesture, although they never forgave the betrayal.
With update 1.06, Square Enix has shown that they listen to fan feedback. More than that, they have shown that they CARE about what the fans say. Chapter 13, Verse 2 may not be a perfect fix, but Square Enix and Tabata-san have proven they value their fans and their feedback.
It doesn’t end there. Update 1.07, Episode Gladiolus, dropped the following day. In addition to more bug fixes, it introduces a new story from Gladiolus’s perspective. This dovetails nicely with the additions to the game with update 1.06. It introduces a new side-story that plays to Gladiolus’s strengths and is a nice change of pace. Better yet, elements of update 1.07 make their way into update 1.06, adding bits to that side story. It even adds two new gameplay modes: Score Attack and Final Trial mode. Those modes will be unlocked after completing Episode Gladiolus.
While Episode Gladiolus is paid DLC – free for Season Pass holders – Chapter 13, Verse 2 is completely free. Square Enix has done two awesome things here. They have committed to fixing fan problems, AND they have made a Season Pass really worth the extra cost. The next DLC episode, Episode Prompto, is set to release sometime in June. I abhor Season Passes because they usually seem like ways for developers to section off content for later sale. With Final Fantasy’s Season Pass, the DLC content seems much more substantial. The fact that they feel obligated to give Season Pass holders so much weighty content is admirable. The fact that they release free content outside of that Season Pass proves to me that they care about their fanbase.
Square Enix, I still can’t forgive you for the episodic bullshit for Hitman and Final Fantasy VII Remastered. also can’t forgive you for the microtransaction bollocks with Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. And I definitely will not forgive the shoehorned single-player campaign in Just Cause 3. I WANTED TO LOVE THAT GAME SO MUCH!!! But the attention you have shown to Final Fantasy warms my heart. To paraphrase Shrek, “that’ll do, Square Enix. That’ll do.”
