Whereas Remaining Fantasy XVI might have ended on a fairly definitive notice, its DLC rollout explores far more of its world of Valisthea. The primary story hinted at just a few issues that weren’t addressed by the point the credit rolled, so the chance for added content material was fairly clear. With the primary of two DLC expansions, Echoes of the Fallen, launched in December 2023, those that have been desperate to get again into the sneakers of protagonist Clive for extra of the trendy action-RPG fight had one thing to chew on. But it surely’s the upcoming The Rising Tide DLC that can spherical out the entire package deal, letting you wield Leviathan as an Eikon energy and answering extra of the questions left behind by the bottom sport. After enjoying via Echoes of the Fallen, I had an opportunity to talk with FFXVI DLC director Takeo Kujiraoka concerning the improvement of post-game content material and what it means for the way forward for this explicit entry within the storied franchise.
The very first thing that stood out was how participant suggestions was accounted for quickly after the sport’s launch. “Now we have deliberately modified the balancing of fight from that of the primary sport. Particularly, we have boosted the general power of the enemies within the DLC,” Kujiraoka said. This was abundantly clear within the boss struggle towards Omega, which was a deal with for Remaining Fantasy sickos (particularly of the MMORPG selection) but additionally a shocking problem that took me a number of tries to complete. It was tougher than any boss you encounter in the primary story and borrows a variety of advanced mechanics that jogged my memory of Remaining Fantasy XIV‘s raid bosses, and that helped the fight system shine as soon as once more.
Kujiraoka mentioned that the workforce paid consideration to the group enjoying FFXVI, saying, “Partially, it is because we had set the enemy power somewhat low in the primary sport to make sure that as many gamers as doable would be capable to attain the ending. However, from participant reactions and streams, it appeared to me that we might perhaps push that enemy power somewhat larger.” He additionally talked about that since each DLCs open up simply earlier than the ultimate act of the bottom sport, gamers can be experienced–though, I have to admit, it took a short time to shake off the rust from returning to the sport after months.
As a long-time FFXIV participant who takes half in Savage raids, it wasn’t simply the diploma of problem that left an impression, however how acquainted the method felt in studying beat the boss. There’s some resemblance to the Omega boss fights within the MMORPG that got here via in FFXVI’s model. So, I needed to ask concerning the potential cross-pollination, contemplating the umbrella of Sq. Enix’s Inventive Enterprise Unit III, which developed each video games.
“We would draw from previous installments from the collection, together with FFXIV, for inspiration on visualize expertise or for naming, however these are purely homages to earlier titles and a nod to the followers. Having mentioned that, it’s shocking what number of extra gamers than anticipated really feel the affect of FFXIV in FFXVI,” Kujiraoka mentioned. And I suppose that is true given the character of the MMORPG being a kind of Remaining Fantasy theme park–FFXIV director and producer Naoki Yoshida’s phrases, not mine. Kujiraoka continued, “FFXIV options every kind of enemies from the collection as an entire, and it is also the primary time that a variety of expertise are portrayed in 3D. Maybe meaning these appearances in FFXIV may depart a very sturdy impression? And maybe FFXIV and FFXVI really feel related as a result of they share some widespread components in the way in which they add variation to how battles unfold and the way they place significance on the narrative.”
![FFXVI DLC director Takeo Kujiraoka (credit: Square Enix)](https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/scale_super/1574/15747411/4254770-kujiraoka_3.jpg)
That is not the one similarity the action-RPG shares with the MMO–composer Masayoshi Soken was in his bag with the Echoes of the Fallen DLC wherein he remixed the Omega boss theme “eScape” from FFXIV right into a chaotic, trance-like drum ‘n’ bass monitor. Kujiraoka offered some perception on how music got here collectively for the DLC, and advised me, “When talking to Soken, I might all the time clarify the state of affairs the place the piece could be used, locations the place I would need to change the music, and many others., all while displaying him precise gameplay. At occasions, I did specify explicit moods and genres. However from that time onwards, the composition team–first and foremost Soken himself–had absolute freedom to work on the music.” Music is integral to how these worlds are constructed which is obvious from the soundtracks for all of the FFXIV expansions. With out realizing the place Echoes of the Fallen was going, I had this assured feeling it revolved round Omega judging from the music alone. The leitmotifs from the FFXIV model come via within the background theme as you ascend the dungeon the place the DLC takes place. And my suspicions have been confirmed, so it seems like Soken may be very a lot part of how these tales come throughout.
Kujiraoka mentioned, “There have been occasions the place Soken might need determined it could work finest to have one other piece [of music] inserted between the 2 that have been requested, and we’d find yourself getting again extra tracks than we ordered. I belief him, so I left these varieties of selections to him.” Basically, Soken and the sound workforce have been allowed to only cook dinner. As Kujiraoka confirmed, “This was additionally the results of Soken’s personal considering: constructing upon the environment of Echoes of the Fallen and his concept of Omega.”
Nevertheless, that is not all. Almost about the upcoming Leviathan-themed DLC, Kujiraoka advised me, “Now we have additionally obtained the music for The Rising Tide, and each piece is implausible. You possibly can anticipate nice issues!” Possibly it is time to get “By the Maelstrom” and “Blinding Indigo” from the FFXIV OST again into my music rotation.
Whether or not they be embedded in referential materials from Remaining Fantasy video games of the previous, FFXVI’s DLCs are very a lot making an attempt to flesh out Valisthea. With regards to tying lingering narrative components collectively, Kujiraoka mentioned, “All of the unfastened ends from the primary sport that we left ourselves to make DLC with have been picked up by the primary and second DLC, so I truly suppose that making the rest could be fairly difficult.” That may give the impression that The Rising Tide DLC could be the ultimate bow on FFXVI as we all know it, however he additionally said, “There may be the query of what you may discover on the outer isles, throughout the seas from Valisthea–that’s one thing I am fairly involved in, from the attitude of a developer and as a participant myself!” So perhaps this two-part DLC arc will not be a whole finish to the world of Valisthea, and maybe leaves a little bit of a gap to seek out causes to revisit the setting.
![The Rising Tide will include Leviathan as an Eikon power, showcased in the reveal trailer.](https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/scale_super/1574/15747411/4254771-ffxvirisingtide.jpg)
Irrespective of which approach you chop it, FFXVI tried to include some heavy narrative themes resembling enslavement, abolition, and rebellion, and did so to various levels of success. So, as Echoes of the Fallen is extra involved with the summary features of the setting’s historical past, I needed to ask if The Rising Tide DLC would revisit the grim facet of its politics and messages. Kujiraoka said that he cannot say a lot because the second DLC has not but been launched however did contact on the topic. “In each DLCs, there’s an underlying theme behind the primary tales: the query of how folks will reside in a world with fewer crystals or one the place they can not use crystals.”
Even within the lead as much as FFXVI’s launch, producer Naoki Yoshida likened the crystals, which grant magic skills, to fossil fuels in our personal world. Because it turned out, local weather change was an overt theme of FFXVI’s story, and at occasions, it confirmed that the long run will not be so grim with no useful resource that damages the very world you reside in. Kujiraoka echoed that sentiment, saying, “We have included plenty of snippets that give a glimpse into how the world may end up after the ending of the primary sport, with out presenting a particular conclusion. As we constructed the story, I usually spoke with the workforce about desirous to make gamers really feel optimistic that individuals would be capable to go on dwelling in a world with out magic.”
Echoes of the Fallen is obtainable now and is a reasonably brief, however difficult, expertise that’ll take roughly two to a few hours to finish. And it leads into The Rising Tide DLC, which is ready to launch someday in Spring 2024. Nevertheless, in case you’ve but to leap into the bottom sport, make sure you try my Remaining Fantasy XVI assessment the place I gave it a rating of 9/10 and concluded, “It could fall brief in some respects, nevertheless it needs to be celebrated for its most beautiful moments and the characters who embody them. FFXVI succeeds and earns its place inside the Remaining Fantasy pantheon as one of many nice entries, and does so by itself phrases.”
Whereas Remaining Fantasy XVI might have ended on a fairly definitive notice, its DLC rollout explores far more of its world of Valisthea. The primary story hinted at just a few issues that weren’t addressed by the point the credit rolled, so the chance for added content material was fairly clear. With the primary of two DLC expansions, Echoes of the Fallen, launched in December 2023, those that have been desperate to get again into the sneakers of protagonist Clive for extra of the trendy action-RPG fight had one thing to chew on. But it surely’s the upcoming The Rising Tide DLC that can spherical out the entire package deal, letting you wield Leviathan as an Eikon energy and answering extra of the questions left behind by the bottom sport. After enjoying via Echoes of the Fallen, I had an opportunity to talk with FFXVI DLC director Takeo Kujiraoka concerning the improvement of post-game content material and what it means for the way forward for this explicit entry within the storied franchise.
The very first thing that stood out was how participant suggestions was accounted for quickly after the sport’s launch. “Now we have deliberately modified the balancing of fight from that of the primary sport. Particularly, we have boosted the general power of the enemies within the DLC,” Kujiraoka said. This was abundantly clear within the boss struggle towards Omega, which was a deal with for Remaining Fantasy sickos (particularly of the MMORPG selection) but additionally a shocking problem that took me a number of tries to complete. It was tougher than any boss you encounter in the primary story and borrows a variety of advanced mechanics that jogged my memory of Remaining Fantasy XIV‘s raid bosses, and that helped the fight system shine as soon as once more.
Kujiraoka mentioned that the workforce paid consideration to the group enjoying FFXVI, saying, “Partially, it is because we had set the enemy power somewhat low in the primary sport to make sure that as many gamers as doable would be capable to attain the ending. However, from participant reactions and streams, it appeared to me that we might perhaps push that enemy power somewhat larger.” He additionally talked about that since each DLCs open up simply earlier than the ultimate act of the bottom sport, gamers can be experienced–though, I have to admit, it took a short time to shake off the rust from returning to the sport after months.
As a long-time FFXIV participant who takes half in Savage raids, it wasn’t simply the diploma of problem that left an impression, however how acquainted the method felt in studying beat the boss. There’s some resemblance to the Omega boss fights within the MMORPG that got here via in FFXVI’s model. So, I needed to ask concerning the potential cross-pollination, contemplating the umbrella of Sq. Enix’s Inventive Enterprise Unit III, which developed each video games.
“We would draw from previous installments from the collection, together with FFXIV, for inspiration on visualize expertise or for naming, however these are purely homages to earlier titles and a nod to the followers. Having mentioned that, it’s shocking what number of extra gamers than anticipated really feel the affect of FFXIV in FFXVI,” Kujiraoka mentioned. And I suppose that is true given the character of the MMORPG being a kind of Remaining Fantasy theme park–FFXIV director and producer Naoki Yoshida’s phrases, not mine. Kujiraoka continued, “FFXIV options every kind of enemies from the collection as an entire, and it is also the primary time that a variety of expertise are portrayed in 3D. Maybe meaning these appearances in FFXIV may depart a very sturdy impression? And maybe FFXIV and FFXVI really feel related as a result of they share some widespread components in the way in which they add variation to how battles unfold and the way they place significance on the narrative.”
![FFXVI DLC director Takeo Kujiraoka (credit: Square Enix)](https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/scale_super/1574/15747411/4254770-kujiraoka_3.jpg)
That is not the one similarity the action-RPG shares with the MMO–composer Masayoshi Soken was in his bag with the Echoes of the Fallen DLC wherein he remixed the Omega boss theme “eScape” from FFXIV right into a chaotic, trance-like drum ‘n’ bass monitor. Kujiraoka offered some perception on how music got here collectively for the DLC, and advised me, “When talking to Soken, I might all the time clarify the state of affairs the place the piece could be used, locations the place I would need to change the music, and many others., all while displaying him precise gameplay. At occasions, I did specify explicit moods and genres. However from that time onwards, the composition team–first and foremost Soken himself–had absolute freedom to work on the music.” Music is integral to how these worlds are constructed which is obvious from the soundtracks for all of the FFXIV expansions. With out realizing the place Echoes of the Fallen was going, I had this assured feeling it revolved round Omega judging from the music alone. The leitmotifs from the FFXIV model come via within the background theme as you ascend the dungeon the place the DLC takes place. And my suspicions have been confirmed, so it seems like Soken may be very a lot part of how these tales come throughout.
Kujiraoka mentioned, “There have been occasions the place Soken might need determined it could work finest to have one other piece [of music] inserted between the 2 that have been requested, and we’d find yourself getting again extra tracks than we ordered. I belief him, so I left these varieties of selections to him.” Basically, Soken and the sound workforce have been allowed to only cook dinner. As Kujiraoka confirmed, “This was additionally the results of Soken’s personal considering: constructing upon the environment of Echoes of the Fallen and his concept of Omega.”
Nevertheless, that is not all. Almost about the upcoming Leviathan-themed DLC, Kujiraoka advised me, “Now we have additionally obtained the music for The Rising Tide, and each piece is implausible. You possibly can anticipate nice issues!” Possibly it is time to get “By the Maelstrom” and “Blinding Indigo” from the FFXIV OST again into my music rotation.
Whether or not they be embedded in referential materials from Remaining Fantasy video games of the previous, FFXVI’s DLCs are very a lot making an attempt to flesh out Valisthea. With regards to tying lingering narrative components collectively, Kujiraoka mentioned, “All of the unfastened ends from the primary sport that we left ourselves to make DLC with have been picked up by the primary and second DLC, so I truly suppose that making the rest could be fairly difficult.” That may give the impression that The Rising Tide DLC could be the ultimate bow on FFXVI as we all know it, however he additionally said, “There may be the query of what you may discover on the outer isles, throughout the seas from Valisthea–that’s one thing I am fairly involved in, from the attitude of a developer and as a participant myself!” So perhaps this two-part DLC arc will not be a whole finish to the world of Valisthea, and maybe leaves a little bit of a gap to seek out causes to revisit the setting.
![The Rising Tide will include Leviathan as an Eikon power, showcased in the reveal trailer.](https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/scale_super/1574/15747411/4254771-ffxvirisingtide.jpg)
Irrespective of which approach you chop it, FFXVI tried to include some heavy narrative themes resembling enslavement, abolition, and rebellion, and did so to various levels of success. So, as Echoes of the Fallen is extra involved with the summary features of the setting’s historical past, I needed to ask if The Rising Tide DLC would revisit the grim facet of its politics and messages. Kujiraoka said that he cannot say a lot because the second DLC has not but been launched however did contact on the topic. “In each DLCs, there’s an underlying theme behind the primary tales: the query of how folks will reside in a world with fewer crystals or one the place they can not use crystals.”
Even within the lead as much as FFXVI’s launch, producer Naoki Yoshida likened the crystals, which grant magic skills, to fossil fuels in our personal world. Because it turned out, local weather change was an overt theme of FFXVI’s story, and at occasions, it confirmed that the long run will not be so grim with no useful resource that damages the very world you reside in. Kujiraoka echoed that sentiment, saying, “We have included plenty of snippets that give a glimpse into how the world may end up after the ending of the primary sport, with out presenting a particular conclusion. As we constructed the story, I usually spoke with the workforce about desirous to make gamers really feel optimistic that individuals would be capable to go on dwelling in a world with out magic.”
Echoes of the Fallen is obtainable now and is a reasonably brief, however difficult, expertise that’ll take roughly two to a few hours to finish. And it leads into The Rising Tide DLC, which is ready to launch someday in Spring 2024. Nevertheless, in case you’ve but to leap into the bottom sport, make sure you try my Remaining Fantasy XVI assessment the place I gave it a rating of 9/10 and concluded, “It could fall brief in some respects, nevertheless it needs to be celebrated for its most beautiful moments and the characters who embody them. FFXVI succeeds and earns its place inside the Remaining Fantasy pantheon as one of many nice entries, and does so by itself phrases.”