Interview with FFXIV director Yoshi-P: Buried Memory, Island Sanctuary, & more

❘ Published: 2022-09-23T15:06:12

naoki yoshida black mage final fantasy 14 header

Naoki Yoshida / Square Enix

Dexerto has recently spoken to FFXIV director Yoshi-P and asked him about update 6.2 Buried Memory, Sanctuary Island, and other goings-on in the epic MMO.

While we were keen to speak to the FFXIV director and producer Naoki Yoshida, affectionally known as Yoshi-P, about the future of Final Fantasy XIV, especially the story involving Golbez and his Four Fiends. The legendary developer remained tight-lipped, so we instead focused our questions on the current version of FFXIV which is 6.2 Buried Memory.

This massive update continues the overarching story but is a brand new chapter set after the events of Endwalker. However, one of the biggest changes in update 6.2 was the release of Island Sanctuary, a peaceful change of pace for the MMO where the player can build and relax in their very own fantasy retreat.

They can also invite friends to visit their Island and the whole thing feels very Final Fantasy meets Animal Crossing – which can only be a good thing. Here, players can take a break from adventuring to build a farm, let their minions run loose, and generally just enjoy existing in the world of Hydaelyn.

Here is everything Yoshi-P had to say about Final Fantasy XIV update 6.2 Buried Memory, Island Sanctuary, and much more.

Yoshi-P is one of the masterminds behind FFXIV.

Island Sanctuary

We started by asking Yoshi-P about Island Sanctuary and what inspired them to create it. He told us:

‘When it comes to creating an expansion, we need to think not only about what will be featured in that expansion itself but also simultaneously formulate ideas for the key content to be included in the major updates that will follow over the next two or more years.’

‘When I thought about “content that can be played leisurely and without any battles” as the centerpiece of the Patch 6.X series starting from 6.0, I was inspired by a popular Japanese TV show and, as a result, Island Sanctuary was what I proposed to the team. (laughs) However, I do not expect it to significantly impact the demand for housing because I consider it to be something separate.’

Island Sanctuary also arrived with Buried Memory and is a lot like Animal Crossing in FFXIV.

The Vault and legacy content

As the fourteenth entry in a long-running RPG series, FFXIV often borrows from past Final Fantasy entries when it comes to stories, characters, and gameplay mechanics – this includes moments from FFXIV’s own nearly nine-year history.

As update 6.2 brings forth further changes to older content, like The Vault, we asked Yoshi-P why he and his team were heading back into iconic moments from FFXIV’s past, and what feelings they hoped this would evoke in the player? He replied:

‘We didn’t focus specifically on the Vault but rather these adjustments were made as part of our work on Duty Support. However, considering that we were taking the trouble to go back and revisit the Vault, I decided to follow up and address one area that had upset players in the community, who had commonly complained back at the time “I wish they would have included a part where at least an attempt is made to heal a certain someone”.’

‘By being able to establish Alphinaud’s presence, we could properly address this point. This type of work is limited not just to the Vault and we’ve done similar things with other dungeons. For players starting out on a new adventure or those playing with New Game+, I hope they’ll be able to appreciate a higher quality experience in previous parts of the story.’

Instant Portraits

Naoki Yoshida’s main class in FFXIV is the Black Mage.

Now that Instant Portraits have made their way out of beta and into other parts of the game, we asked Yoshi-P where else does he think this popular feature could be added in the future?

‘What we’re planning next is to use the feature upon entry to instanced dungeons and when giving player commendations after clearing the dungeon. We have already implemented it and are in the process of debugging. So if we make it in time, the feature might be available from Patch 6.3.’

Glamour Dresser’s slots

After the Glamour Dresser’s capacity was doubled in Buried Memory to 800 slots, with a vibrant community solely for glamours, we asked Yoshi-P if he envisions players asking for even more slots?

‘In another six months, I can expect that there will be a fair amount of players saying “Thanks for increasing to 800… but I want more slots!” (smiles nervously) I think there is room to increase the capacity a little more, but it’s an issue of maintaining a balance with the other sources of stress on the server. Unfortunately, that means I can’t really say at this point in time. Sorry about that.’

Sephirot EX difficulty

The Knight in Black takes his throne – Golbez arrived in FFXIV Buried Memory.

After we found Sephirot EX to be extremely difficult at launch we wondered if Sephirot Unreal was intended to evoke those same feelings as EX, when that was first released? This is what Yoshi-P told us in response:

‘It wasn’t really our intention to evoke those feelings in particular, but indeed the concept of the duties from the Unreal series is to recreate the enthusiasm and nostalgia of the time when the content originally launched, with the current level cap. Hence, our aim is to reproduce the battle experience from that time to a high level, without carelessly reducing the difficulty.’

So there you have it, Yoshi-P’s thoughts behind FFXIV Buried Memory, Island Sanctuary, and more.

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