I started covering IGN First For the month of June 2023, the game of the month is Final Fantasy XVI! We’ll be bringing you loads of exclusive content between now and the game’s release date on June 22nd. We kick off the coverage with a hard-fought boss battle vs Liquid flame.
director Hiroshi Takai told Network IGN: “He awaits you Liquid flame in Inner Sanctum of Drake’s Breathwhich is a site you visit sometime in the middle of the game.”
name may sound Liquid flame Familiar to fans of the 35-year-old series. And that’s because Liquid flame He is one of the most famous bosses in the game Final FantasyVwhich was also the first game in the series that Takai worked on as a developer.
But it wasn’t Takai who decided to include the famous villain in a game Final Fantasy XVI, as creative director Kazuto Mihiro came up with the idea. Maihiro also composed a story Final Fantasy XVIsays that Final FantasyV It was the game that inspired him to become a creator in his own right.
Producer Naoki Yoshida explains, “Takai was one of the original developers of the game Final FantasyV, so this game means a lot to him. And Mihiro is a real geek, he’s obsessed with a series Final fantasyHe is obsessed with games and loves detailed scenarios. Regarding the game Final Fantasy XIVHowever, the many references to the history of the series come from these two characters. It’s their special touch.”
Mihiro adds, explaining why he wanted to include Liquid flame: “There are different reasons. Firstly, I’m a big fan of Final FantasyV. For me leave Liquid flame A lasting impression due to the way the character takes on many different shapes and forms during battle. Drake’s Breath It is a volcano stage where lava is the main concept of it, so I thought about the leader of this area: who is not Liquid flame!”.
However the boss battle is in Final Fantasy XVI against Liquid flame It’s more than just a great reference. According to Mihiro, there is a strong reason for his appearance. He said, “I’m not saying it appears out of nowhere. Rather, there is a specific purpose for it Liquid flame se. If you’re just casually playing the game, your reaction is probably nothing more than, ‘Well, he’s a tough enemy!’. But if you think carefully, you might be able to figure out why it appears Liquid flame“.
Final Fantasy XVI’s boss battle against Liquid Flame is more than just a cool nod. According to Mihiro, there is a strong reason for his appearance.
As you can see in the gameplay video, an ability has been implemented Liquid flame He can change his shape during battle faithfully in fights Final Fantasy XVI in real time. “Sometimes it stands on two legs, but then it transforms into a monster-like form that stands on 4 legs, and later it turns into a flying enemy. So yeah, we definitely incorporated that unique trait,” explains fight director Ryota Suzuki.
Suzuki continues: “It’s a fire elemental enemy. When it stands on 4 legs it will attack the player with nimble attacks. When in the air it goes out of range and attacks the hero Clive with breaths of flame. When he stands on two legs, the encounter becomes more traditional. We designed the battle so that you have to The player has to interact with these different shapes.”
According to Suzuki many bosses are encountered Final Fantasy XVI through several stages. “We designed it so that not only would it be more difficult to navigate a new phase of the boss battle, but it would also change the flow of events to keep players engaged. With cutscenes in between, the attack patterns and other characteristics of the boss would change requiring The player fight it in different ways and use abilities Eikon different”.
The abilities Eikon They are special attacks that occupy a central place in the game’s combat system Final Fantasy XVI. Clive will learn abilities Eikon throughout his adventure. The player can equip abilities Eikon multiplayer and switch between them during battle.
“Even if you lose, you can change your formation directly from the game on screen before coming back,” says Suzuki. “You can learn from attacking patterns on your first round, and then equip abilities.” Eikon Accordingly. For the battle with Liquid flameI think you will be able to identify any of the abilities Eikon It fits well.”
Suzuki confirms that the team made sure that Final Fantasy XVI’s battles never got so hard you’d want to give up.
Suzuki stresses that the team made sure that the battles Final Fantasy XVI It won’t get so hard that you want to give up. If you are defeated by a boss during one of his later stages, the battle will start from that stage on the next attempt. This applies to both difficulty settings that you can choose from on your first round.
“The main attraction of the game is its story, and we want our players to see Clive’s life through to the end. That’s why we made sure that both the story-focused and action-focused modes (these are the two difficulty settings you can choose from at first A round of play) is not too difficult.”
“As you enjoy the story, in the first playthrough, Clive will naturally grow stronger and learn many different moves and abilities,” Suzuki adds. Eikon. We’ve made sure the enemies aren’t so difficult that some players might want to give up, and even when you get knocked out we do our best to make things a little smoother on your next try. And for those looking for more challenging encounters, a new difficulty setting called Final Fantasy Mode on your second round. Here you will be able to take your copy of Clive from your first run with everything you have unlocked to enjoy the action of the game to the fullest.”
Follow us for more exclusive information that we will reveal before issuing Final Fantasy XVI on PlayStation 5 On June 22nd.
