Final Fantasy XV’s demo gets an unprecedented update from fan feedback

By Gabe Gurwin June 9, 2015

FINAL FANTASY XV –EPISODE DUSCAE- Version 2.0 – Promotional Video [Updated version from ATR 6.0]

Final Fantasy XV Episode Duscae demo offers eager fans a taste of the long-awaited Final Fantasy XV. Today, Square Enix released a new update for the demo dubbed “version 2.0,” featuring changes requested through community feedback and even additional character interactions.

Patches and updates for game demos are already extremely rare (Square Enix community manager Dan Seto even called this “the very first time a demo has ever been patched/updated”), but the changes in this version of Episode Duscae go far beyond bug fixes. The demo now features additional side quests, “new combo attacks using all four party members,” and the ability to battle the giant, water-dwelling Catoblepas monster, which Seto says “takes 20 minutes to defeat with all four characters at level 99 and it can still knock you out in one hit.” Episode Duscae now also includes additional character interactions, which Square Enix hopes to better convey the game’s central theme of friendship.

Although the developers are no longer taking player feedback through its demo survey, Seto stresses that many of the suggestions the team received already made their way into the new version of the demo. Additionally, the team plans to incorporate several more suggestions into the full version of Final Fantasy XV. These include the ability to buy and sell items in bulk, “richer” environmental effects, and “specific uses” for all dropped items.

While Square Enix is hosting its own press conference at this year’s E3, don’t expect to see too much of Final Fantasy XV on display. We reported back in April that the publisher was expecting its “next major reveal” to take place at Gamescom later this summer instead of next week’s show. Still, Square Enix has several high-profile titles to show off this year, including Kingdom Hearts III and the recently announced Deus Ex: Mankind Divided.

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Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

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