Final Fantasy Tactics: Ivalice Chronicles Director Says ‘That’ Boss Fight Still Wrecks Him

Final week was the primary time I picked up Ultimate Fantasy Ways since ending it again in 1998. One notorious boss battle scarred me so badly that I by no means went again — and given its status amongst followers, I do know I am not alone. So after I had the possibility to speak with Kazutoyo Maehiro, a part of the unique dev crew and now director of the upcoming remaster, Ultimate Fantasy Ways: Ivalice Chronicles, I jumped at it. I wanted to know why they made that one battle so brutal.My query for Maehiro: “Again then — 28 years in the past — what was the unique crew even considering with this battle?”He laughed, as did the Sq. Enix PR crew and interpreter within the room, clearly aware of this query. Although it is not his favourite or the toughest battle — that honor goes to the Zeirchele Falls battle, a plot turning level that pissed off numerous gamers with its early issue spike — the notorious battle I requested about looms far bigger in gamers’ reminiscences.Arriving late in Chapter 3, the battle unfolds as two back-to-back encounters that kind a brutal marathon. First up is a one-on-one duel between Ramza, the participant’s protagonist, and Wiegraf, a recurring antagonist. With out cautious preparation, this battle alone can really feel inconceivable. After defeating him, gamers instantly battle Belias, the demon possessing Wiegraf, alongside his summoned monsters. For a lot of, this second is the place their Ways playthrough ended.”On the time, having a battle that is troublesome for the sake of being troublesome wasn’t essentially seen as the proper factor to do,” Maehiro mentioned by his interpreter. “In a approach, it wasn’t essential that we had been attempting to deliberately make it that troublesome. It is extra in order that it ended up being that approach. And on reflection, after I look again, I do assume that the choice to make that battle as troublesome because it was was the proper one.”The brand new Ultimate Fantasy Ways: Ivalice Chronicles is a remaster of the unique PlayStation sport, which launched in 1998 within the US (1997 in Japan) following the blockbuster Ultimate Fantasy VII. Not like the primary collection, Ways embraced the tactical RPG format popularized by Sega’s Shining Drive and Nintendo’s Fireplace Emblem, requiring gamers to think twice about unit positioning, skills and switch order. Errors might wipe out your social gathering shortly, a design selection that cemented the sport as each beloved and intimidating.The remaster frivolously updates the sport’s visuals, together with its iconic character sprites and polygonal environments, whereas specializing in enriching different components, resembling including absolutely voiced dialogue. Even minor enemies get voice traces, including cinematic aptitude. The accents really feel a bit theatrical, as in the event that they’re voicing scenes from Recreation of Thrones, however they go well with the sport’s darkish narrative of betrayal and political intrigue. Ramza’s journey by a war-torn kingdom was mature storytelling that I did not absolutely recognize at 19 years outdated, but it surely resonates way more strongly now.Probably the most placing upgrades are “high quality of life” enhancements. Battles and dialogue can now be sped up with a fast-forward button — a godsend for a sport recognized for its gradual tempo. My time with the preview was brief, because it solely included the primary few battles of the sport. It ended on the Dorter Commerce Metropolis battle, the sport’s first actually difficult battle, introducing new enemy varieties and set on a map crammed with buildings of various heights.Dorter Commerce Metropolis is a pivotal introduction to a key factor of the sport’s fight. The vertical place of a personality might be each helpful and dangerous: They’ll simply assault enemies farther away from a better vantage level, however at that peak, an enemy assault pushing them over the sting might imply on the spot demise. A key drawback for gamers within the authentic and the remaster is that the computer-controlled opponents know all the professionals and cons of sure heights, whereas the participant has to be taught on the fly. What I performed in my preview felt true to the unique sport, particularly that acquainted crushing feeling of dropping a battle as a result of misplayed strikes.Maehiro emphasised that gamers scuffling with battles like these within the new Ivalice Chronicles now have choices. Issue might be lowered and fights might be restarted immediately or deserted solely, making the sport extra accessible with out dropping its core problem. A shot of one of many new cutscenes in Ivalice Chronicles.  Sq. EnixAs talked about earlier, Maehiro was on the unique FF Ways crew as an evnt planner, accountable for directing scripted occasions resembling character motion and animations throughout story sequences. On the time, he was a brand new developer, and now, years later, he can look again at his youthful self — filled with starvation and willpower.ç”I might really feel very dissatisfied if I had been to let down my previous authentic crew members,” he mentioned. “In that sense, I actually could not let this venture fail, and I felt some stress from that as effectively. Wanting by the archival materials that exists up to now as effectively, it helped me mirror on my time over the previous 28 years as a sport designer. Having been capable of come again to Ultimate Fantasy Ways in any case that does make my chest swell with satisfaction.”For the reason that authentic Ultimate Fantasy Ways, Maehiro has labored on main Sq. Enix initiatives, together with Vagrant Story, Ultimate Fantasy XII and the MMORPG Ultimate Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, ultimately changing into artistic director for 2023’s Ultimate Fantasy XVI. However his connection to Ways stays private, particularly in terms of character jobs, a system that outlined its depth and replayability, enabling gamers to customise their items with a dizzying array of choices. Summons nonetheless look nice in Ivalice Chronicles. Sq. EnixWith over 20 jobs gamers assign to their characters, starting from staples like Knight and Archer to unconventional picks like Calculator and Time Mage, Maehiro has his favorites. For effectivity, he prefers the Ninja, who can dual-wield weapons and throw objects for giant harm. For pure enjoyable, although, he loves the Orator (initially referred to as Mediator), a talking-based magic class able to recruiting enemies, boosting allies or intimidating foes. It is a becoming selection for a designer whose profession has been constructed on technique and storytelling.Will I play Ivalice Chronicles and return to the sport that left a mark on me virtually three many years in the past? Sure, however I’ll make use of each QoL characteristic accessible to keep away from spending days attempting to defeat Wiegraf. I am not a university child losing time to keep away from finding out; I am an grownup now, losing time between writing assignments.Ultimate Fantasy Ways: Ivalice Chronicles comes out on Sept. 30 for $50 on the Nintendo Change, Change 2, PC, PS4, PS5 and Xbox Sequence X and S.