Twitter
    Shindig
    • Reviews
      • Game Reviews
      • Tech Reviews
      • Book Reviews
    • News
      • Game News
      • Tech News
    • Features
    • Games
      • Reviews
      • News
      • Indie Games
      • Guides
      • Games by Platform
        • Nintendo
          • Nintendo Switch
          • Nintendo 3DS
        • PlayStation
          • PlayStation 5
          • PlayStation 4
          • PlayStation VR
          • PlayStation Vita
        • Xbox
          • Xbox Series X|S
          • Xbox One
        • PC
        • Mobile
    • Tech
      • Reviews
      • News
    • Books
      • Reviews
      • Manga
      • Comics
    • Film & TV
      • Film
      • TV
    • Collectibles
    • More
      • Humour
      • Food
      • Music
      • Art
      • Competitions
    Twitter
    Shindig
    Game News

    Final Fantasy XIV’s April Fool’s gag actually sounds great

    Matt RyanBy Matt RyanApril 1, 2018

    Earlier today, Square Enix announced a new Final Fantasy XIV companion app: Final Fantasy XIV Online GO, where the “GO” stands for “Gathering Outdoors”. Following the hype of Pokemon GO and other GPS-enabled games that followed, FFXIV GO would let players gather crafting materials from nodes in the real world.

    Reading the press release that came into my inbox this morning, my first thought was how exciting this whole prospect was. Then I got to the part about an optional Harvesting Stick accessory, which “turns a player’s smartphone into a miner’s hammer, botanist’s axe or fisher’s rod, allowing them to swing their phone in the real world like they would in-game to harvest resources.” I checked the date, and sure enough, it was 1 April, and the trailer confirmed that this was an April Fool’s Day gag.

    [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drq5ER6MHAM[/embedyt]

    I honestly thought this was a real thing at first, so the realisation that it wasn’t was disappointing. Aside from the Harvesting Stick part, FFXIV GO actually sounds like a brilliant idea. Much of Pokemon GO‘s appeal was obviously nostalgia and Pokemon branding, but it’s also a genuinely clever game in its design. Combining that with Final Fantasy XIV is a no-brainer, and the game’s material gathering systems would translate perfectly from Eorzea to this sort of GPS-enabled app.

    It’d also be a neat way to do something I’ve long thought Final Fantasy XIV ought to do: let players engage with crafting and gathering systems through a mobile app. FFXIV has a neat crafting setup, but for a lot of players, myself included, it often takes a back seat to the combat and adventuring elements—dungeons, primals, levelling and gearing up war and magic jobs, and so on. A mobile game tie-in for crafting or gathering, would open up a part of FFXIV that I don’t think gets as much attention from players as it deserves, and it’d also let us play the game in some capacity when we’re not at our computer or console.

    Even if it’s not the GPS-based approach seen in this April Fool’s joke, a companion app that lets players engage with FFXIV in a more meaningful way would be a wonderful thing. It could be a simplified version of the main game’s crafting interface, letting players use materials from their retainer inventories to craft items. It could be some sort of idle game, where players use minions to gather materials as they intermittently manage timers or other resources. Even just a way of managing retainers, ventures, and market board listings would be most welcome.

    So even though this Final Fantasy XIV Gathering Outdoors thing is a mildly funny April Fool’s prank, I hope it’s also a sign that the people at Square Enix are thinking about some sort of FFXIV mobile game. A few other MMOs have done similar things, and being able engage with my characters while I’m out and about would be a great thing indeed.

    April Fool's Final Fantasy XIV MMORPG Mobile Games Square Enix
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Matt Ryan
    • Website
    • Twitter

    Matt is a writer based in Wellington. He loves all things pop culture, and is fascinated by its place in history and the wider social context.

    Related Posts

    Review: Harvestella (Switch) 

    8 January 27, 2023

    Review: Tactics Ogre: Reborn (Switch) 

    9 November 15, 2022

    Here’s the full track list for Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Final Bar Line

    September 22, 2022
    What's Hot

    Here’s the full song list for Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival

    June 23, 2022

    Here are the full track lists for Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun and Drum Session

    August 10, 2018

    The problems with Fire Emblem Fates’ same-sex marriage

    July 2, 2015

    Here’s the full song list for Let’s Sing 2023 with Hits from Australia and NZ

    September 30, 2022
    Latest from Twitter
    My Tweets
    Affiliates
    Contact Us

    Feel free to drop us a message!

    Email: [email protected]
    Twitter: @ShindigNZ

    Friends of Shindig
    DigitallyDownloaded.net
    The Spinoff
    Tech-Gaming
    • Contact
    • Reviews Policy
    • Write for Shindig
    © 2023 Shindig Media. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

     

    Loading Comments...