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.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

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

Gaming

The best ways to farm Gil in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Cait Sith dances in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

Some say it's the Lifestream that makes the world go round in Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, but we all know the real answer is Gil. Cloud may be on a quest to save the world from Sephiroth, but he's still a merc who wants to get paid for his efforts. Plus, there are a ton of expensive items to gather up on your journey, such as Materia, Accessories, Armor, and Queen's Blood cards. You'll need some very deep pockets if you want to buy everything that catches your eye, but Gil isn't the easiest thing to come by. We've done all the odd jobs and activities around Gaia to give you the best ways to grind for Gil in Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth.
Best ways to farm Gil
Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth introduces a ton of new activities, minigames, and quests that didn't exist in Remake. That means there are a lot more ways to earn Gil than ever before, but also a lot that are a waste of time compared to others.
Get your steps in

Even when you get yourself a Chocobo to ride around on, there's no getting around how much running you will be doing. Whether it's in one of the dungeons or towns where you can't take your mount, part of a quest that keeps you on foot, or if you just like exploring the old-fashioned way, Cloud will be getting more than his fair share of steps in. So why not get paid for your efforts? The Pedometer Pin is an accessory that automatically pays you 1 Gil for every 100 steps taken. Now, that doesn't sound like a lot, but that number will build up fast when running around. Plus, it's free money you'd otherwise be leaving on the table. The best part is you don't need to sacrifice a valuable accessory slot on Cloud, or even anyone in your active party, to get the benefits. So long as the person who has it equipped is available to be in your party, not necessarily currently in it, you reap the rewards.
Sword for hire
Sidequests pay well in Rebirth for the most part. There aren't a ton of them compared to most open world games, so they all tend to be worth your while in one way or another. Visit every new town's notice board and snag all the requests whenever possible. You won't know exactly what reward you're going to get until it's said and done, but you should expect at least a couple thousand Gil for your efforts in most cases.
Get crafty

Gaming

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth: Queen’s Blood tips and tricks

Queen's Blood

After Fort Condor arrived in Final Fantasy 7: Remake Intergrade, you may not have expected an entirely new minigame to be introduced in Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth. However, after the opening hours, when you're let loose in Kalm, you will automatically be given your very first deck of Queen's Blood cards. While this minigame is entirely optional after you play your first game to learn the basics, you would be missing out on a ton of content and secrets, let alone fun, by ignoring it. Still, we understand if you feel you didn't sign up for a strange new card game in your Final Fantasy adventure. Plus, there is a lot more depth to the game than is properly explained. If you want to rise up the ranks and be a Queen's Blood champion, but are unsure how to start, we'll show you the ropes.
The basics

The tutorial for Queen's Blood does a decent job explaining the basic rules of Queen's Blood, but it goes by rather quickly and may leave some things a little unclear until you play a few rounds.

Gaming

PSA: Don’t burn yourself out on Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s open-world activities

Cloud from FFVII

I'm normally a completionist when it comes to games, but I wish I had told myself to push that mindset to the side before I started Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

I get the desire to do it all, I really do. In the critically acclaimed sequel, we're finally let loose outside of Midgar. Square Enix has laid a huge, lush set of biomes to stretch our legs in after being stuck in the cramped hallways and tunnels of the drab city. Despite most of the world activities in Rebirth being standard open-world fare (activating towers, scanning points of interest, and hunting down specific monsters), there's an undeniable novelty to doing it with Cloud and the rest of Avalanche. What I wish I had known before starting was just how easy it was to burn out on that feeling.