Final Fantasy XVI almost cut off Moogles due to its adult tone
Final Fantasy XVI is due out in just a few weeks, coming to PlayStation 5 on June 22nd. And while the game looks like it’s going to be quite a bit of fun, questions linger about the series’ radical change in tone. And in a recent blog, the developers shared some of the thoughts, considerations, and challenges that went into creating this product new, darker final fantasy. As it turned out, the bewitching classic of the series, Moogles proved both stylistically and technically challenging.
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With a series spanning multiple main entries and many spin-offs and sequels, final fantasy has seen many twists and turns over the years. But perhaps no one has sought such a sharp departure from tradition as Final Fantasy XVI does. Get inspired by current hit games like God of War and Dark Fantasy works like HBOs game of Thrones, Final Fantasy XVI Is Reportedly somber, somber, edgy, or, as the studio often categorizes it, “mature.”.” While fans will rightly argue that final fantasy The games always had difficult themes, often lighthearted moments, and adorable cute characters. An example of this is the Moogles, chibi-style magical creatures that look a bit like throwing a cat and a teddy bear in a blender and then putting a pompom on their heads. However, according to the game’s producer, Naoki Yoshida, keeping this tradition of cuteness alive hasn’t been easy.
Yoshida: “The Moogle was the biggest challenge”
Yoshida commented on the new art movement, which strives for a higher level of realism without losing the dreamlike fantasy spirit, saying: “The biggest challenge on a fundamental level was the Moogle.”
Yoshida stated:
The development team was concerned that the Moogles would be too difficult to create and not fit the feel of the world, but our Assistant Producer said, “I don’t care, just bring them into the game!”
We ended up taking their advice and putting one into the game, but it was a lot more work than we expected.
Not only did the Moogles represent a stylistic shift, their furry bodies also proved technically challenging in the PS5’s “Performance Mode”, which foregoes enhanced visual effects to push the game’s frame rate to a higher and more consistent level . Art Director Hiroshi Minagawa said:
The biggest Moogle problem came when we implemented performance mode towards the end of development.
Performance mode changes the appearance of the polygons slightly, and we had particular problems with the Moogle…it just ended up having less fur.
It ended up looking kind of like a hedgehog! We thought, “Is that a Moogle?” Hmmm…”
Finally, we introduced some edits specific to the Moogle.
So there it is folks. I fully expect “Moogle Processing” to be affixed to the front of the box.
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The rest of the interview with the development team is multi-topic and includes some very nice screenshots of different environments. not how Final Fantasy XV, Final Fantasy XVI will not be set in an open world, which will hopefully bring more intentional scenes and environments.
I might be skeptical of this whole “mature tones” business, but damn these look like the kind of worlds I’ve been missing from a mainline final fantasy Game.
