Patch 7.3 has been released forFinal Fantasy 14, and as fans play through the new story content, several are realizing that there are new elements that positively remind them of theResident Evilgames. Patch 7.3 added a new alliance raid, a new PvP series, a new trial, a new dungeon, and, of course, new story content that willend theDawntrailstoryarc. Those story quests have some newRE-style design choices, and fans seem to love them.
In a Reddit thread byAvuilan, the user praises the new story quests for implementing puzzles, writing,“7.3 puzzles rocked my world,“and several commenters note thatthose puzzles feel like old-schoolREriddles.VoxAurumquewrote:”… that whole segment was cute. Very old Resident Evil.”
Patch 7.3 Quests Add Puzzles To FFXIV
A Simple But Needed Change
It’s no secret among fans, and even forFFXIVdirector Naoki Yoshida, better known as Yoshi-P, thatFFXIVhas been sufferingin terms of quality lately. Patch 7.3’s offerings brought similar feelings of “same-y” dread when the contents were revealed, but the puzzles being added to the main story quests haveadded something fresh, after many years of relatively safe quest design.
The puzzles are not particularly challenging, but there areseveral of themback-to-back, including creating a four-piece puzzle to generate electricity across a room, a combination lock with number inputs, and one that ties back to theFF9Alexandria referencesand lore. The brief puzzles are similar to finding specific keys in basically everyREgame, or moving boxes around to create a new path in the originalResident Evil 2.
Patch 7.3 Is Slowly Turning FFXIV Around
The Start Of A New Era
Yoshi-P has stated that Patch 7.3 will be areset point forFFXIVmoving forward, both in terms of narrative and game design, sothese puzzles may be a glimpse at things to come. In a time when fans are upset withFFXIVfeeling stale, testing the waters with gradual quest design changes might be the smartest move.
Early reception to Patch 7.3 has been mostly positive, and with more to come, like a newDeep Dungeon rework, Patch 7.3 may be settingFFXIVup for a roaring comeback.Final Fantasy 14is still one of the most popular MMOs ever made, so being positively compared to a legendary horror franchise likeResident Evilmight be a boon for further improvements.
