FF14 Dawntrail's Disco Raid Can't Save Our Rhythm Game Hopes Says Soken

Even though FF14 has a new raid called the Arcadion composer Masayoshi Soken says making a rhythm game for the MMO would be really hard.

FF14 patch 7.2 has focused a lot on dancing. The new Dawntrail raid Arcadion starts with a flashy fight against a disco-loving Viera named Dancing Green. In the latest unreal trial players battle Suzaku in Hells Kier which includes a Dance Dance Revolution-style section. where you have to match arrow directions. Despite all this dancing composer Masayoshi Soken says we probably won’t see a rhythm minigame added to the Gold Saucer.

Also Read: The Forever Winter: Grimdark Looter Shooter Finally Lets Players Fight Back

I got to talk with Final Fantasy 14’s well-known composer just a few days after the newest patch came out bringing one of the game’s most fun and unique battles. The new raid features moonwalking frogs, dance spots you have to run to and flashing floor tiles that keep you moving. It’s all set to the lively track Ride the Rhythm. I asked Soken if this fight brought any new challenges for him and his team.

He explains that in MMORPGs it's tough to control timing accurately. The challenge was to make it feel like there were no timing issues in the raid. This took a lot of new engineering but he feels the final result turned out well.

I agree, sound has become more important in recent FF14 fights. For example Prishe's Wait for it in the Jeuno alliance raid, and the callouts for mechanics in the 7.2 story trial. Dancing Green feels like the result of this effort with the music adding to the atmosphere and helping you time your moves to dodge attacks like his snap twist.

Soken shares that someone on the team really wants to make music for rhythm games. However the MMO genre doesn’t work well with the technology needed for perfect timing. If you've ever tried syncing up moves with others outside of the countdown timer or raided with high ping you know how tricky it can be.

When they first asked me about making Dancing Green. I thought They really want to make a rhythm game Soken laughs. They've been trying for a long time but we've always faced technical issues. We've had a history of setbacks but I think we've finally made it happen.

I asked if there might be a chance for something fun like a dancing minigame in the Gold Saucer. Soken looks unsure and says Listen it’s really hard. It may sound easy but with an MMORPG and all its controls it’s difficult to make. So it looks like we will have to stick with Theatrhythm for now.