You Bet I Signed Up For the FFXIV Re-Release Beta

Does anybody else get the feeling that Square Enix is trying to recapture the nonexistent magic of some pretty spectacularly terrible product decisions? I mean, how many Lightning games have we seen so far? How many failed MMORPGs?

But gosh, they sure know how to make a pretty game, and I keep getting drawn right back in.

Here’s hoping that FFXIV: A Realm Reborn will actually be a revitalization. I played XIV when it was first released… for about a day. There were glaring problems with the game that couldn’t just be written off as launch/testing errors, and despite extending the free-to-play period twice, these errors simply couldn’t be overlooked by dedicated gamers (for instance: there was a huge emphasis placed on streamlining the controller interface for XIV, and barely no work had been done to perfect keyboard/mouse response). 

The saving grace about A Realm Reborn is (hopefully) going to be… a few years, really. The errors in the original could mostly be contributed to a simple lack of experience in the MMO market, and Square’s certainly gained some experience since 2010. 

The re-release is reportedly going to improve on things like the behest system (which is basically a go-kill-it quest), and new random-encounter events that will take place in real time. Neither of these things really had an affect on my enjoyment of the game. There was a certain overall lack of immersion with the original release, and that’s my biggest desire for improvement in A Realm Reborn.

A memo on released on FIV’s confirms my suspicion that the beta will restrict players to a certain level, as it did in the original release:

Just like the alpha test, phase 1 of the beta test will be limited to the areas around Gridania. Quests from the main scenario will be available, but because these require travel to other nations at level 15, they will be limited. Side quests are designed to accompany the main scenario, so it may be a bit of a pain to level up after that point. This won’t be the case in the official release version, but until then we ask that you do your leveling through the variety of content that will be available.

Frankly, that doesn’t seem like too raw of a deal. When I beta-tested the original FIV release, I could tell within four levels that the game was deeply flawed. Hopefully another four will let me know that A Realm Reborn can start pulling its own weight in the modern MMO arena. 

The closed beta will start on February 25th, but there’s still time to sign up if you’ve got a yen for quality assurance (or a simple desire to see if stuff’s gotten better).