Final Fantasy 16 Producer Naoki Yoshida explains that an element much criticized by fans at the announcement has been retained in the final version of the game.
Here we are just a stone’s throw away from the release of Final Fantasy 16 on PS5. Square Enix’s role-playing game launches exclusively on Sony consoles on June 22nd. Our preview of the game, despite some reservations about the additional content, leads us to believe that the title will be spectacular. After a Final Fantasy 15 divisive, this episode seeks to reconcile fans with the cult license. Naoki Yoshida, director of the title, is particularly transparent with the public. He proves it again by pointing out without tweezers that a highly criticized element will still be present in the final version of FF16.
The controversial but retained UI in Final Fantasy 16
In an interview with the Final Fantasy Union YouTube channel, Naoki Yoshida explains that the interface of Final Fantasy 16 was changed after strong criticism from players. ” Of course we heard the reaction when we released the first trailer and people saw the UI and then thought maybe it looked too much like a fighting game ‘ he explains in the preamble. Players pointed out that it didn’t fit the style of the game as it was too sci-fi oriented. But in the end, the development team decided to back down and keep what turned the public off.
We heard about this and backed out, revamping the UI and adapting it to the style of the game, but found it to be too immersive and difficult to implement. Ultimately, Final Fantasy 16 is an action role-playing game. The action is very fast and things move. These numbers and effects must therefore be shown to their best advantage, otherwise you will miss them in the heat of the moment. […]. So we decided to go back to what we originally had because that suited the best.
Another FF, but still an FF?
Naoki Yoshida is aware that the loaded UI might surprise players at first glance. Despite everything, he believes that with time they will easily get used to it. It remains to be seen whether players will nonetheless be critical of the release. This is not the only point that makes the community sad. It was recently confirmed that Final Fantasy 16 will also do without the feature mechanics from the license. Free travel by ship or boat is not possible, only fast travel and chocobos. The PS5 exclusive player will therefore not hesitate to get rid of the license codes. It remains to be seen if the bet will pay off. See you this summer to find out.
