LOS ANGELES – Final Fantasy XI, Square Enix's first foray into massively multiplayer online gaming, wasn't exactly known for being accessible. But that's all going to change with Final Fantasy XIV.
"We would like to have more flexibility," Final Fantasy XIV producer Hiromichi Tanaka told me before my hands-on time with the game Wednesday at E3.
To help the upcoming online game loosen up, Tanaka's development team introduced myriad new streamlining tweaks. Swapping armor allows players to easily take on new party roles; new items called Guild Leaves simplify the way players hook up to tackle quests.
But the proof is in the pudding when it comes to MMO combat, and Final Fantasy XIV feels like it's aiming to deliver a more involving and immediate experience. For my gameplay test, I started a quest by activating a Guild Leave. This low-level quest sent me on a wild goose chase across a lovely, verdant countryside looking for pages of a book.
My first fight happened when a fairy appeared and tried to stop my progress. I targeted the mythical creature with the D-pad of a PC controller and started whittling her health down by hurling darts at her. Fighting feels more immediate than it did in Final Fantasy XI. By hammering on a button I can spam low-cost attacks toward the creature at will. That's a far cry from the deliberate, queued moves in Square Enix's prior online offering.
Still, Final Fantasy XIV doesn't feel like an action game. That's probably a good thing, especially if you're going to try to coordinate attacks with parties that can balloon as large as 15 players.
Final Fantasy XIV will enter beta testing soon. Watch this space for more-involved impressions in the months to come.
Image courtesy Square Enix
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