Perhaps more so than intended, the recently-released Episode Duscae demo has provided Square Enix with the opportunity to analyze the upcoming Final Fantasy XV objectively. Spurred by fan feedback shortly after the release of the vertical slice, the Japanese publisher addressed many concerns that arose from the community, including frame rate, resolution, and whether certain characters were over sexualized.
Compiled by Eurogamer, Game Director Hajime Tabata and Square’s Marketing Manager Akio Ofuji went through each point raised one by one, starting with the reported frame rate drops in Episode Duscae during action scenes. According to Tabata, the development team are currently working on ironing on the technical kinks, subsequently “working towards full HD.” However, the dev was quick to point out that, in the eyes of Square Enix, “frame rate is more important than resolution.”
In addition, one user noted that the in-game character of Cindy – a mechanic who aides you on your journey – appeared to be “too sexy.” In response, Tabata revealed that:
“She’s actually not meant to be an erotic character,” Tabata explained. “Her character is very energetic and outgoing, a very active character. With those traits paired with her appearance, we feel it wouldn’t be too problematic even if, say, she shows up on screen while your parents are in the living room.”
Ofuji added that the concerns might stem from the “amount of skin” she shows being too much for someone whose line of work is fixing cars. “Oh, I see,” Tabata replied. “But she is a very cheerful and active character, I don’t think we want to change the current concept.”
Whatever your stance on the character (pictured above), Cindy is a subtle nod to the long-running legacy of Final Fantasy, with a character called Cid appearing in almost every form of FF-related media.
As for XV, we learned yesterday that Square is prepping Episode Duscae 2.0 for a May release, though the company is still remaining mum on a launch window for Final Fantasy XV.