“Talk About Back Seat Fishing” | Monster of the Deep PlayStation Experience 2017 Highlight

Probably the question in everyone's minds during #PSX17SEA. is why a fishing game? Before you become all back seat Gladio on the game - Wan Hazmer, Lead Designer for Final Fantasy XV discusses Monster of the Deep in detail.

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One of the games showcased in the recently concluded PlayStation Experience 2017 was Monster of the Deep, a stand-alone game based on Final Fantasy XV. For those who haven’t seen the game you can check the trailer above…

Back again? So yeah, after seeing the trailer perhaps the first thing that came to mind (and for sure some of you as well) is why would Square Enix make a fishing game when the fans were expecting a Prompto VR battle game?

 

Well to answer that last bit, they said that they only featured the Prompto game to display the prowess of the new hardware, and it looks like they have no plans to release what they teased us last year, at least for now.

So fast-forward now. After two DLC’s we now get a stand-alone game with the FFXV theme incorporated in. And again the question begs us… Why a fishing game?

 

Luckily we have a very detailed answer from the lead game designer for Final Fantasy XV himself, Malaysia’s own Wan Hazmer!

A bit of background to Wan, he started working for Square Enix back in 2010 and aside from being the lead game designer, he previously designed games like Final Fantasy Type-O. Currently, Wan lives in Japan and has been there since 2008.

Now that’s what I call “living the dream.”

Judging from the talk I really felt that he was very “grounded” type of person when he asked that we take the press con casually. He also acknowledged the fact that the company, Square Enix is no longer “top of the RPG line” and that the he wanted “the next Final Fantasy to succeed” and “be great again.”

 

Final Fantasy XV got some really great sales and initial reviews, but down the line there were polarizing arguments about the story and gameplay that you might have heard of or experienced yourselves. But I don’t want to backtrack… Let’s get “reel” here and hear what the man has to say for Monsters of the Deep:

Why a fishing game?

Wan said that one of the elements that made Final Fantasy XV great was all about the user experience, which he believes plays an important part. Additionally, the game designer wanted to really do something different and to that he thinks that the new VR hardware is the best medium for it. Wan wanted the player to really look, mingle and get something from the scenery.

 

(Video courtesy of Giuseppe’s Gaming)

And to accomplish just that, he didn’t really pull any punches… To really get a “feel” of fishing, Wan (alongside Kazuaki Iwasawa, character supervisor for Kingsglaive and a fishing enthusiast himself) really went to the open waters and had a crack at it. So they really went all-out and made a game and based it on actual experiences so that they can further translate it to the Monster of the Deep. Talk about immersion.

Check the video above that documents their attempt. Now getting back to the game…

 

Wan Hazmer has 5 reasons:

1.) Controls 

Expect the controls to be intuitive and precise like the real thing. That’s why they made it for the PlayStation VR.

2.) The Characters

For those wondering, you don’t control Noctis. You control YOU. And yes you can take selfies.

3.) Play Mode

Like previously stated, this is a full stand-alone game and not a spin-off. According to Wan the game really requires the players to focus and “give a lot of attention” to the small little details.

And for those wondering, the Mob Hunts are back!

 

4.) Environment

The screencaps really don’t do justice for the game but after having tried it at the event. It was really lively and immersive. A lot of thought and detail were put here as it should. You really need to experience it to believe.

 

5.) BOSS FIGHTS!

The last thing that Wan teased to the press was that boss fights will be one of the biggest things that is going to happen in the game. This was the part where I asked if there was any exclusive items that can be transferred from MotD to Final Fantasy XV, to which he said there was none, but he did spill a few details:

  • Mob Hunts result to money
  • The fish in the game are inspired by deep-water fish
  • Fish are categorized as “demons”
  • Aside from the reel and rod, you can also utilize weapons like a “crossbow tranquilizer”
  • You can die while fishing* (Talk about extreme!)
  • The fish that is pictured above is actually one of the end-game bosses that you can encounter, though it does not have a name yet!

So what do you guys think? Monster of the Deep releases in September 2017 as a digital download on the PlayStation Store. Keep it here for everything related to the PlayStation Experience 2017!

* One last bit, for those who are frustrated about fishing IRL… NO, you can’t “summon” in the game. 🙂

Related: Wan Hazmer Will be Presenting Final Fantasy XV: Monster of the Deep at The PlayStation Experience 2017!