Final Fantasy XVI gamers will quickly be capable to get pleasure from two new DLC chapters for the critically-acclaimed action-RPG, one very quickly certainly: Echoes of the Fallen launches on PlayStation Retailer today! The second DLC, entitled The Rising Tide, releases Spring 2024. Each are paid-for DLC, however gamers should purchase the Remaining Fantasy XVI Growth Move to get pleasure from each chapters at a reduced worth.
Echoes of the Fallen unlocks an entire new story, battles, weapons, equipment, degree cap and extra. For gamers who’ve accomplished the required quests, this new journey begins earlier than the bottom recreation’s ultimate battle, as unusual, darkish crystals start to flow into on the black market. Gamers will comply with Clive and his associates throughout their investigations as they encounter a gaggle of suspicious merchants, main them to a long-abandoned Fallen tower generally known as the Sagespire. There, they’ll unravel the horrible secrets and techniques that await inside.
Particular bonus gadgets for buying Echoes of the Fallen or the Growth Move embody the Buster Sword, permitting Clive to wield Cloud Strife’s iconic weapon from Remaining Fantasy VII, and the “Away (1987)” Orchestrion Roll which permits a chip-tune model of the track “Away” to be performed as background music within the hideaway.
The Rising Tide, set to launch in Spring 2024, will convey new challenges and extra, together with the confrontation between Clive and the legendary Eikon, Leviathan.
We had an early hands-on preview with Echoes of the Fallen, and have been in a position to ship a number of inquiries to Takeo Kujiraoka, Remaining Fantasy XVI’s Lead Fight Designer, who additionally served as director for this DLC to search out out extra.
PlayStation Weblog: Omega is a traditional Remaining Fantasy boss, with many appearances in early Remaining Fantasy video games. Are you able to inform us just a little about which variations of Omega impressed you for its XVI incarnation?
Takeo Kujiraoka: The Omega struggle is broadly divided into two halves, every with differing ideas and inspiration.
For the first half of the Omega struggle, we took inspiration from the boss’s previous appearances within the FINAL FANTASY sequence , together with its origin in FINAL FANTASY V, and molded that into the motion of FINAL FANTASY XVI in a method that matches proper in. Moderately than taking inspiration from a selected entry, nevertheless, we strongly targeted on the “Omega-feel” acquainted to sequence followers, together with myself.
That stated, we intentionally aimed to deviate from the “Omega-feel” within the second half. We put some fairly daring twists on this iteration of Omega in order that its bodily traits and actions will persuade gamers that this Omega is exclusive to XVI and depart a long-lasting impression. I believe that gamers will get to see that FINAL FANTASY XVI’s tackle Omega is extra aggressive than ever earlier than.
The boss struggle in opposition to Omega felt distinctive and completely different gameplay-wise from the Eikons. Are you able to inform us just a little concerning the idea behind Omega gameplay?
The manufacturing of the Omega battle truly began from the concept of constructing a boss battle that was akin to an Eikon battle.
You could surprise, then, if that was the case, why it felt distinctive from different Eikon battles. I like to consider this as a feat achieved by our crew, who, throughout growth, not solely improved their expertise, however remained extremely motivated. Work on the principle recreation helped them achieve a deeper understanding of XVI’s growth surroundings, which finally allowed them to create content material that takes additional benefit of that surroundings’s distinctive traits.
The ultimate product is a results of them having the mindset to ship a contemporary, distinct recreation expertise.
The best way this battle incorporates the complete space round it’s in contrast to something from the principle recreation, and it’s structured in a fashion that enables it to inform a story with out the necessity for extreme cutscenes.
In line with you, what makes a very good Eikon struggle?
Evidently, partaking fight (a player-controlled battle with an enemy) is important, however I imagine {that a} story being advised by the best way the battle unfolds—by every one of many enemy’s actions—is important for a very good Eikon battle. I believe that as an alternative of merely displaying a heated conflict, illustrating the mentalities and motivations of its contributors and meshing these components with the fight can improve a participant’s immersion and total recreation expertise. I’d say that one of many distinctive traits of Remaining Fantasy XVI’s Eikon battles is the dedication to create a one-off system in pursuit of reaching this.
I’m advantageous if each single factor we ready doesn’t come throughout to gamers, and if gamers simply really feel a way of “wow, I don’t actually know what’s happening, however that is superior,” that’s greater than sufficient for me. In the end, these are the type of issues I attempt to take into account after I’m growing.
The boss struggle music was distinctive, and a stark distinction to the remainder of the soundtrack. Are you able to inform us how the music happened and what, if any, earlier Omega iterations impressed this new boss’ theme?
The story of this DLC focuses on the “Fallen.” The Fallen had a civilization that was much more superior and futuristic, so to talk, than the one during which Clive lives. As such, we needed to do one thing utterly completely different for the sounds and visuals than what we did for these in the principle recreation.
The music utilized in the principle recreation largely consists of orchestral items, so we determined to vary up the style and requested the Sound crew for one thing extra akin to digital rock. We additionally requested it to be one thing that goes exhausting, in order that it match with the aggressive battle. And that’s how the observe was born.
The observe consists of preparations of Omega-related music from FINAL FANTASY XIV. Whereas this was the composer, Masayoshi Soken’s thought, there are not any narrative connections with our Omega and the one in FINAL FANTASY XIV.
Regardless, the ultimate product continues to be extraordinarily cool and suits completely with the battle, so we ask that you simply attempt to get pleasure from it with none preconceptions.
How do you guarantee Sagespire lore and historical past brings new participant understanding of the world, although many gamers will possible be experiencing it after they’ve completed the sport?
The first DLC focuses on and fleshes out the story across the Fallen, a subject that remained shrouded in thriller in the principle recreation. That stated, one is not going to have to play the DLC to completely perceive the principle recreation. The content material has been designed to offer a deeper perception into the world of FINAL FANTASY XVI, and will show pleasurable no matter whether or not or not you’ve gotten seen the principle situation’s ending.
Please be aware, nevertheless, that this DLC will solely make clear a number of features of the Fallen, as we don’t need to overwhelm anybody. Consider it as filling in a number of lacking items of a puzzle, whereas leaving out others in order to permit room for creativeness. Followers of the world’s lore ought to have a enjoyable time delving not solely into the questline, however studying much more about Valisthea through each the story and the Thousand Tomes.
In celebration of the nominations and wins at The Sport Awards, Final Fantasy XVI is discounted on PlayStation Store from December 7 by 11.