When developers at Square Enix aren't hard at work creating the next big expansion for Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, sometimes they're working on side projects, like reimagining the MMO as a 2D fighter. No, seriously, we've got the video to prove it.
Before you clap your peepers on this video, it should be noted that, according to the original report from Siliconera, Square Enix has stated that this should not be seen as a legitimate project. It's just a bunch of devs having fun with characters and world they love. Then again, depending on the reaction the clip gets, who knows what the future might hold?
If nothing else, this should help remind folks that developers aren't so different from the people who play their games. I mean, who among us hasn't had that conversation that begins with, “If you could take any game and make it into a different genre, what would it be?” Perhaps Gears of War as a car combat game? Maybe you wanted to see BlazBlue as a traditional JRPG. Even wonder what an MMO set in the inFamous universe would look like?
It turns out some folks over at Squenix feel the same way, only they've got the technical know how and tools to actually see what their fantasy mash-ups would actually look like.
FFXIV is a massive MMO full of quests, looting and all the clicky combat you could ask for. But while the inputs for the combat aren't all that complex, the moves and animations are actually quite lovely to look at. That gave Square Enix a lot of fodder to work with for this fighting fantasy game, pitting Yda and Livia against one another in mortal combat. Everything's present and accounted for, including big, flashy moves, a Limit Break meter for specials, and even special finishers that go as over-the-top as anything you might see in similar games.
While I wouldn't expect a cast as large as the one on display here, it would be kind of neat if this type of fighter got plugged into FFXIV at some point down the road. Maybe an arcade room could be added to the Golden Saucer to help give players something to goof around with between missions?
For those of you who are bummed that this was merely a passion project, remember that a very real Final Fantasy fighter is still coming down the pipeline. It's only been confirmed for Japanese arcades so far, but there's still plenty of hope for a US launch. Both previous Dissidia games were brought overseas and the game's arcade cabinet controls look like PS4 buttons, so I don't think we're being too ambitious in hoping for an eventual launch on the home platform.
