Final Fantasy XIV is one of the most played multiplayer role-playing games worldwide. It’s considered to be the Asian version of World of Warcraft. Although it’s still debatable, this 2010 game still has a massive player base in 2021. There’s something about this MMORPG that keeps players hooked despite being a subscription-based game. Aside from World of Warcraft, most titles of this genre opted for the free-to-play format. Before we get to the review, let’s discuss first what FFXIV is.
Final Fantasy XIV is a massively multiplayer role-playing game developed by Square Enix. Its initial release wasn’t received well. But after some content updates, it gradually turned into one of the most popular games to-date. The story follows the Warrior of Light and his many adventures. The game is subscription-based and costs roughly around $12 monthly. Despite the massive paywall, people still flock to it in droves. So let’s proceed to the game review and tackle how this game stands the test of time.
Limitless Amount Of Gameplay Content
Final Fantasy XIV has an immeasurable amount of gameplay content. What it lacked in character customization, it made up for in its massive world filled with things to do. Some MMORPGs will have you choose one job class and you’ll have to stick to it for the entire gameplay. If you want a different class, you’ll need to make another character.
For FFXIV, your single character can have access to multiple job classes– if not all of them. All you have to do is fulfill the specific job quests and equipment. This makes your experience more diverse, and your party make-up more versatile. You can fill in the missing role of the party should the need arise without switching characters. FFXIV also offers multiple dungeon raids from a party of 4 to an alliance of 24. There are also raids called trials that let you fight against giant godlike monsters that drop rare items.
And speaking of item drops, most equipment, and rare items are dropped in-game. Unlike F2P titles, where half of the cool stuff is locked behind microtransactions. Final Fantasy XIV lets you farm pretty much everything. Powerful equipment, legendary mount, and even furniture. There are still some that are exclusive to the cash shop, but they’re few. Players can craft fashionable clothes that they can use to personalize their adventures. Lastly, players can even buy houses both for personal and guild uses. This feature grants gamers the opportunity to hang out in-game without having to do it on the crowded streets.
The Tried & Tested Formula of MMORPG
Final Fantasy XIV remains rooted in the tried-and-tested formula of MMORPG where content is the king. In fact, the developers even mentioned that they take inspiration from the success of World of Warcraft. The game currently has three expansions, and each one comes with new maps, equipment, and it even expands on the story. The game doesn’t add too much sugar and mainly focuses on the lore inside the Final Fantasy lore, and proceeds from there. Doing so makes the game more immersive, and doesn’t detach the players from the theme of the story.
The paywall also acts as a security for players since it means that the developers have a constant source of funds to keep the servers up. Moreover, the success of FFXIV led to an upcoming expansion this year called Endwalker.
Although the game isn’t stingy against Free-to-play players too. As the A Realm Reborn and Heavensward content are now free for new players to try. They will only need to subscribe and buy the expansions if they want to continue. Overall, MMORPG fans will get a knack out of Final Fantasy XIV, and it’s still one of the best games to try in 2021.
