Closed Beta Test Report

Season Points from Battle Rewards

Before Change:
Season points were only obtainable from winning Season Ranked Battles.

After Change:
Season points will be obtainable from Casual Battles (where rank points do not change) and Challenges (where you collect rewards through solo play). Additionally, season points will be obtainable even if you lose in each mode.

We made this change so that players will no longer need to win ranked battles to progress through the season rewards to obtain enhancement materials and unlock the story, allowing everyone to enjoy each season in the play modes that fit their playstyle.

※ Season Ranked Battles will still give the most season points.
※ The number of season points earned from losing will be approximately half of the points earned from winning.

Casual Battles

This game mode was locked during the Closed Beta Test to ensure sufficient matchmaking in Season Ranked Battles with the limited number of testers, but will be made available for regular play with the official release.

Although matchmaking will still be based on player rank, winning or losing in Casual Battles will not affect your rank points, thus allowing you to enjoy the game more casually. Additionally, players' ability levels will be synced in this mode. This means that differences in character progression will not affect player strength, making Casual Battles an ideal place to practice with characters or try out unenhanced abilities. Similar to Season Ranked Battles, you will be able to obtain sealed crystals for random abilities.

Challenges

Before Change:
There were 16 challenges for each character, and whenever a challenge was completed it could not be attempted again. Additionally, the only rewards were those specified for each challenge.

After Change:
The number of challenges will be increased, allowing players to earn even more rewards. (Also, the number of classic FINAL FANTASY series music tracks will increase from 1 to 3).

Additionally, as mentioned earlier you will be able to earn season points based on your battle results, and you will also be able to obtain sealed crystals.

※ Along with this change, you will be able to clear the same challenge multiple times to obtain season points and sealed crystals. The other rewards however will only be obtainable the first time you clear a challenge.

Camera during Rush Attacks

Before Change:
During rush attacks (sped-up normal attacks from rapidly tapping), the camera was at a fixed angle.

After Change:
It will be possible to control the camera even during rush attacks, allowing you to attack while keeping an eye on your surroundings.

Originally, we wanted a trade-off of strengthened attacks in exchange for a narrower field of vision. However, we observed many Closed Beta Test players using rush attacks constantly during normal combat, and as a result there were many surprise attacks outside of their field of vision. This adjustment is to help improve the game's playability.

Camera during Crystal Purification

Before Change:
Purifying a crystal would cause the camera direction to change, sometimes making it difficult to determine which direction the player was previously facing.

After Change:
After purifying a crystal, the camera will automatically return to the direction it was facing before purifying the crystal.

This change should make it less likely for you to lose your sense of direction even if you purify a crystal suddenly.

※ There will also be a setting to not have the camera direction return automatically.

Respawning

Before Change:
After a character was knocked out, they were invincible during the respawn animation but immediately after could sometimes be attacked and knocked out again.

After Change:
To alleviate stress from this type of scenario, we will extend the invincibility period to last a few seconds after the respawn animation ends when the character becomes controllable.

Enhancement/Progression Balancing

Before Change:
Growth eggs, which are used to level up abilities, were primarily distributed as season rewards, meaning that progression was difficult without winning ranked battles.

After Change:
With the aforementioned changes to battle rewards, players will be able to progress in strengthening their characters regardless of winning or losing by playing various modes. Additionally, we plan to increase the overall availability of enhancement materials through adding new challenges.

Ranks / Matchmaking

Before Change:
Players with significantly different ranks were occasionally matched together, especially in the higher rank tiers.

After Change:
Since the Closed Beta Test limited the number of players that could match with each other, we had set the matchmaking range wider than what is planned for the official release in order to avoid long matchmaking times. In the release version, we will improve matchmaking accuracy and place greater emphasis on matching players with similar ranks.

Furthermore, we plan to introduce a winning streak bonus to help highly skilled players reach their appropriate rank faster, and a system that makes it less likely to be demoted after a loss, so that players can approach their next match without worry.

General

Before Change:
Various game elements such as screens with small text and buttons with small tappable areas were present.

After Change:
The sizes of text and tappable areas on each screen will be adjusted to improve visibility and usability.

Battle UI

Before Change:
Team members' Bravery/HP information was only displayed next to each player's character model, resulting in the position of that information to change as the characters moved.

After Change:
A setting to display team members' Bravery/HP information in fixed positions in the UI will be added.

Originally, we displayed Bravery/HP next to character models so that players could understand both their location on the battlefield as well as the status of their Bravery/HP. After observing how everyone played however, we determined that having this information displayed in a fixed position would allow for a more strategic and enjoyable battle experience. Therefore, we are implementing this as a setting that players can change to suit their own playstyle.

Ability Activation Method

Before Change:
Abilities could only be activated using a flick gesture.

After Change:
A setting to activate abilities using a tap gesture will be added. When enabled, tapping and holding will display the ability's area of effect, and releasing will activate the ability.
(You can cancel activation by moving your finger away from the button while holding.)

Based on our observations of gameplay during the Closed Beta Test, we determined that the most convenient control method varies from player to player, so we are implementing this feature to allow players to choose what suits their personal preferences.

Missions

Before Change:
There were only 6 Daily Missions, and some had conditions such as "Fight battles with characters of a specific role", making them difficult to complete.

After Change:
The number of Daily Missions will be reduced to 3, and those with special conditions will only appear after the player's rank has reached a certain level.

By introducing these conditions only after players have become acclimated to the game, we aim to prevent these Daily Missions from becoming an obstacle for new players.

Profiles / Self-Challenges

Before Change:
While characters' battle records could be viewed in the Battle Log, there was no sense of accomplishment from having invested a significant amount of time and effort into using a character.

After Change:
The number of times each character has been used will be shown on the profile screen. Additionally, when a character has been used a certain number of times, you will be able to obtain rewards such as character-specific weapon skins and exclusive tags (similar to titles) as proof of your dedication to that character.

Controller Support

Before Change:
Controllers were not supported.

After Change:
Controllers will be supported.
※ Please note that we cannot guarantee that all controllers will be compatible.

Auto-Control

Before Change:
Character AI during Auto-Control was not optimized and occasionally would not function properly. It was also not possible to intervene with manual controls while Auto-Control was on.

After Change:
Character AI during Auto-Control will be improved to make it easier to use. It will also be possible to intervene with manual controls while Auto-Control is on, allowing for a semi-auto playstyle.

Other

・ The process of acquiring abilities will be made easier by making it possible to unseal multiple Sealed Crystals back-to-back.

・ Party recruitment will be made easier by displaying conditions for joining (e.g. what roles are required).

・ Notifications on the home screen will be reorganized to improve the overall gameplay experience.

In addition, we have made various other improvements based on your feedback suggestions, including aspects not fully covered in this report and areas beyond just functionality.