Final Fantasy XVI, the most recent wholly new single-participant installment in a single of gaming’s most storied franchises, is nearing its first anniversary this June. After the shock launch of its Echoes of the Fallen DLC, which centered Clive and Co.’s efforts on fight in a single dungeon, Square Enix is readying its closing introduced batch of FFXVI content material with The Rising Tide DLC. Announced at The Game Awards again in December alongside the reveal and shadow drop of Echoes of the Fallen, The Rising Tide options Leviathan, the water Eikon mysteriously absent from the primary recreation’s occasions.
While that reveal trailer guarantees some watery Eikonic motion within the DLC, which takes place earlier than the finale of FFXVI, little else is thought about it. But Game Informer spoke to FFXVI producer Naoki Yoshida and DLC director Takeo Kujiraoka to be taught extra. The very first thing I requested the duo in regards to the DLC is why Leviathan was ignored of the sport. It seems Square Enix was taking part in sensible and leaving one thing on the desk for the group to look at with potential DLC.
“In terms of making the decision of creating and selling a DLC, we had to wait until the game was actually released,” Yoshida tells me by way of a translator, explaining Square Enix needed to see if demand for extra FFXVI was there. “That being said, we actually did think of a possible route, a possible story, that we could do if we were to do one.”
That’s why, within the base recreation, the path to the tower the place Echoes of the Fallen takes place was current from the bounce. Fans have speculated {that a} mysterious head-formed crystal caught into the aspect of a continent in FFXVI is perhaps Leviathan or at the least associated to the god – that continues to be unclear, but when so, it exhibits one other instance of Square Enix creating doorways for it to open with DLC reminiscent of The Rising Tide.
With it going down earlier than the sport’s finale, I used to be curious if Clive acquiring Leviathan powers would have an effect on the ending. Yoshida says it received’t and that the ending will stay as is. However, “You will get a deeper understanding of how the world of Valisthea is and how the characters are in Final Fantasy XVI,” he provides, stopping brief to stop himself from spoiling an excessive amount of.
Anyone who’s performed FFXVI is aware of the Eikon fights are the spotlight of the expertise, which suggests Clive’s forthcoming bout with Leviathan carries some lofty expectations. Kujiraoaka, who led design on the Eikon battles within the base recreation, says he understands that however approached Leviathan like every other: “[ensuring] that we were moving these Eikons in the way that players envision and imagine.”
“In terms of what players can expect for this battle, when you look back at past Final Fantasy titles, there actually aren’t many cases where you see Leviathan moving around crazy and in a real-time action battle system,” Kujiraoaka says.
With the Phoenix Eikon combat reminiscent of third-particular person on-rail shooters and the Ifrit combat in spired by skilled wrestling, I questioned how Kujiraoaka would describe Leviathan’s inspiration. He performs coy, explaining there isn’t one phrase or style to explain it. “One thing I can say is that there’s going to be a lot of water involved – visually, graphically, there’s going to be a lot of attacks made from Levithan and that comes with a lot of water. It’s going to look really different from past Eikon battles, and that’s one thing that players can look forward to.”
Unlike Echoes of the Fallen, which runs about three hours, this Leviathan DLC options round 10 hours of content material, and I can’t wait. The Rising Tide DLC for FFXVI has no launch date however is due out this spring.
This article initially appeared in Issue 364 of Game Informer.
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