Final Fantasy 16 New Game Plus Mode and Demo Feedback Addressed in Japanese Livestream

In a recent Japanese livestream, the Final Fantasy 16 team shared insights on the game's New Game Plus mode (also known as Final Fantasy mode) and addressed feedback from the demo experience. The team discussed various benefits of the new model, including raising Clive's level cap and retaining skills and equipment, as well as the introduction of more powerful enemies and exclusive weapons. Additionally, the team addressed concerns about frame rate, motion blur, and other technical issues encountered during the demo, assuring fans that these problems are being addressed.

Director Hiroshi Takai explained that in Final Fantasy mode, Clive's level cap would be raised to 100 (compared to the normal cap of 50), and all unlocked skills and equipment from the previous playthrough will be retained. The mode will feature more powerful enemies, and the iconic Ultima Weapon will only be available for crafting in this mode, offering an increased challenge to players. However, players will not be able to switch back to other story or action-oriented modes once they start a game in Final Fantasy mode.

Besides the increase in difficulty, the new mode will also introduce different enemy types to each location. For example, the first area will feature a fire-breathing Chimera enemy instead of a Wyvern mid-boss, and the later Inner Sanctum area will have the iconic Iron Giant enemy replacing the normal axe-wielding soldier. Players will also be able to use all of the Eikons' abilities right from the beginning, and an additional arcade mode, similar to Devil May Cry 5's Bloody Palace, will provide further challenges.

Regarding demo feedback, the team reassured fans that the final game will have a better balance between gameplay and cutscenes and that the demo's abundance of cutscenes is not reflective of the full game. The team is also working on fixing the frame rate issue and the extensive motion blur problem, both of which were noticeable during the demo experience. As for the minimap option requested by some players, the team decided against it, believing it would detract from the experience of exploring the environment on their own. More button-binding options for controls are also being considered.

Localization Director Koji-Fox provided insights on the translation process for Final Fantasy 16 and the English team's efforts to capture the true voice of the characters. The team also promised a pre-release update to address some existing issues and text errors in the game but emphasized that the game is still playable without this update, as crashes and technical hiccups occur in rare cases and are not necessary for those with limited or no internet connectivity at the time of release.