Final Fantasy XV has done away with traditional difficulty settings, exchanging them instead for different battle modes to adjust the speed and style of the game experience. In December’s round of fan questions over at the official Final Fantasy XV forums, fans voted to send the Final Fantasy XV team questions about difficulty modes, the city of Altissia, and the warp ability.
HOW WILL THE DIFFICULTY MODES COMPARE IN TERMS OF XP GAIN, ENEMY STATS, DAMAGE AND A.I?
Lead game designer Takizawa Masashi responded, stating:
“The equivalent to difficulty level settings in FFXV is a system where you can switch between different battle modes. By having this ability to switch modes, we want to make it so that both players who like action oriented, technical gameplay and also those who want to fight at a slower, more relaxed pace can all enjoy the combat in their own style. This switching system is a key part of the gameplay that we decided to introduce based on the feedback we received from the Episode Duscae demo. We will go into more detail about the system closer to the game’s launch so stay tuned for more information.”
Interesting. Wonder what the “I Have No Mouth But I Must Scream” difficulty level equivalent is going to be like. Super fast, super finnicky, super reactionary? Will there be a tactical, vaguely turn-based battle mode option? Switching from style to style makes the difficulty level a lot more subjective to gauge (not that it isn’t already), but I’m sure the minmaxers will still be able to game the system.
HOW MUCH OF THE BIG CITIES LIKE ALTISSIA/INSOMNIA WILL WE BE ABLE TO EXPLORE?
Planner Ishikawa Tomonori responded with some basic information about the city of Altissia, stating:
“Altissia has many and varied locations, such as multiple cafes, ship-bourne market places and parks etc. The city is of a considerable scale, to the extent that even the developers sometimes get lost there!
The player is free to take a leisurely walk around the complex maze of streets, or ride the gondola to see the sights and there is also added enjoyment to be had looking for restaurants to visit!
You are bound to encounter some unique characters when exploring the city streets.
So we have created lots of different things to enjoy in Altissia and hope everyone is looking forward to visiting!”
You can ride a gondola . That’s awesome. I hope you can ride a chocobo while you’re riding your gondola. No word yet on airships, though.
WILL LARGE BUILDINGS HAVE MULTIPLE WARP POINTS TO ALLOW NOCTIS TO SCALE AND EXPLORE ROOFTOPS?
Lead level designer Terada Takefumi responded: “Why of course they will!
The warp ability that lets you teleport instantly to high up locations is a vital part of FFXV’s battle system. The ability to use multiple warp points in a strategic manner is especially prevalent in the game’s large scale battles over urban terrain. It is not just the buildings though, and we have also created exciting aerial battles with flying foes and gigantic boss enemies, so watch out for those.”
Okay, but can Noctis swan dive into a bale of hay though? Kidding: this sounds cool. Zipping around a massive beast in order to slice into its weak points should make for a wild, vertigo-inducing ride.
For more information on Final Fantasy XV , check out the combat system, launch info, and release date details. You can also watch the trailers below:
- Engaging main cast of characters
- Fun, fast-paced combat
- A massive, beautiful world to explore
- The Regalia!
- Continuous updates have addressed some shortcomings of the initial release
- Major aspects of the story feel rushed or absent, particularly toward the end of the game
- Stealth sequences feel out of place
