If you find yourself somewhat disappointed by the bosses in Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker, the game’s combat designer has acknowledged that the team’s choice to minimize any downtime led to less enjoyable boss encounters.
In a discussion with PC Gamer, Masaki Nakagawa, the lead combat designer for Final Fantasy 14, shared insights about the boss design in the 2021 Endwalker expansion. He articulated that at the time, the team’s “policy of minimizing gameplay-related frustrations sometimes went a bit too far,” noting that “certain obstacles and challenges meant to enhance gameplay were removed, leading to a decrease in enjoyment.”
Nakagawa emphasizes that this directly impacted Endwalker, highlighting that the team “rejected some intriguing mechanics so melee players wouldn’t experience frustrating moments of downtime without the ability to strike the boss; we dismissed them regardless of their potential interest.”
Ultimately, while they achieved their goal of reducing downtime, the trade-off was that the battles became overly simplistic, if not downright monotonous. “Looking back, we should have considered the engaging aspects of an idea against the frustrations of being unable to attack, but our policies created an environment that allowed for the easy dismissal of such ideas,” Nakagawa elaborates.
For example, he references the Alexander raids from Heavensward, which showcased a variety of unique mechanics, including transforming into a gorilla. “If we continue to dismiss ideas like that to avoid frustrations, such as losing DPS while transforming into a gorilla, our content would lack diversity, leading all bosses to conform to the same patterns.”
However, Nakagawa recognizes that balance is essential, stressing that the team will not overdo it in the pursuit of diversity. “We also don’t think everything needs to be distinctive; some encounters should remain conventional while others can be highly creative. This principle has guided the reevaluation of our content design policies.”
Fortunately, the