Our reviewer, Matthew, described the cutscenes in hisFinal Fantasy 16 reviewas “stunning pieces of art that pull you in like a movie”, and a newinterviewwith the development team revealed that achieving this level of quality was no walk in the park, but rather a painstaking process involving a ‘parade of decisions’.
For example, there’s this scene that producer Yoshi-P called an unforgettable memory; the scene where Clive’s parents, Elwin and Anabella Rosfield, are sitting on a bed talking about politics. At this point, the game staff held an online meeting with over 80 people and discussed every detail of this scene for about a total of 4 hours.
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Should Elwin be sitting on the bed? How much of the bed should be in the camera’s view? How many polygons should the bed have? These are some of the questions that went through the producer’s mind at the time, in addition to other subtle details like the distance between the parents and how it conveys the nuance of their relationship. And needless to say, every other scene in the game received the same level of meticulous treatment.
Another point Yoshi-P addressed in the interview was the simplicity of the RPG mechanics. It was very important to him that each element of FF16 would not interfere with the main story experience, so it was a deliberate choice and not a misstep. He also doesn’t believe that having simple or complicated RPG systems has anything to do with how fun or interesting the game is, although he acknowledges how some players prefer complexity in their RPGs.
This worldview was inspired by a meeting Yoshi-P had with a foreign media person who was surprised by the simplicity of crafting in FF16. When Yoshi-P asked the person if he had ever really invested in or completed any of the “complex crafting elements” in other games, the person said no. With this in mind, the team made a conscious decision to avoid excessive complexity in weapon crafting for FF16, instead focusing on making the process of hunting powerful monsters for rare materials fun and rewarding for the player, as well as emphasizing the charm of action combat, the main attraction of the game.
Yoshi-P also recommends that players should first dive into the main story and enjoy its emotional rollercoaster, and then use theirsecond playthroughin the harder Final Fantasy mode to complete the side quests, as even the early quests will be more enjoyable if players know the whole story, in his words. He also refers to this mode as the true Final Fantasy experience — not the normal modes — so a second playthrough is heavily encouraged.
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