We’re halfway through December, which means that, like most, I’m anxiously worrying about the last few Christmas presents I need to buy and all loose ends at work I need to wrap up before the holidays. But I’m also reminded of something else, something arguably more important than my loved ones or career. I’m yet to earn all the Fall Guys items inFinal Fantasy 14before the event ends later this month.
The Fall Guys collaborationis incredibly frustrating, but, like the gluttons for punishment most FF14 players are, we can’t help but keep returning to it because it’s also incredibly fun. Like regular Fall Guys, you must navigate through three stages to try to survive and claim the crown in the final stage. You earn MGF, which can be used to purchase all sorts of rewards from mounts to minions to new Fall Guys-themed clothing. While I’ve snagged my top choices for prizes, I’d like to get the rest, but I’m quickly running out of time before it disappears on New Year’s Eve.
We’ve already been told that the Fall Guys collaboration event will return periodically, but I can’t help feel that Square Enix has missed a trick by not making it a permanent fixture. Maybe it didn’t realise quite how popular it would be, but players have been obsessed and rightfully so. It’s simply good fun, and in addition to that, it’s silly. A nice palate cleanser when you’ve been busy grinding out difficult duties, levelling jobs, or farming for crafting materials ahead of the Dawntrail expansion. It’s also the perfect way to spend a social evening with friends.
We don’t know how often the event will return, but I will go out on a limb and say it won’t be often enough to keep most players happy. It’ll just become another limited time event we all nag about, like the ones for Yo-kai Watch and Final Fantasy 15. Instead of having Fall Guys return periodically, it would have been much better if it was constantly available, but the content changed overtime instead. It would be exciting if, like Fall Guys itself, the stages were swapped for different ones every few months to keep things fresh and unexpected, as well as new MGF prizes being added or even rotated to lure players into returning if they only want the loot.
It’s not as though there isn’t a wealth of different ideas to take inspiration from when it comes to Fall Guys either, and while I appreciate it takes time to build these stages and implement them, I would absolutely adore seeing a more seasonal approach. After all, once you’ve got the hang of the stages and learned a few tricks, it’s a lot less challenging.
One particularly interesting thing about the Fall Guys in FF14 is how it forced you to learn certain game mechanics. I’m not a hardcore player, so I haven’t ever really experienced Temporary Misdirection or Acceleration Bomb in the game, or had to deal with them enough to care, but I had to figure it out fast to get through Fall Guys.
Outside of teaching specific mechanics, the Fall Guys event keeps you on your toes and tests your reflexes and ability to react to things — a must for any raid or trial. Funny jellybean men aside, the Fall Guys collab is great for teaching players about the FF14 mechanics that separate the casual players from the pros, and it’d be a great way to train them up to be able to take on more difficult content. Imagine if each time the content changed, it focused on a new selection of mechanics that players usually struggle with, helping them learn while having fun? Well, a lot of frustration, but theneventuallyfun when you figure it out.
Hi, it’s me. I’m the casual player that needs to be trained, it’s me.
There’s still time for Square Enix to decide to let the Fall Guys Blunderville area have a permanent residence in the Gold Saucer, even if it’s not in time for when this particular event ends. At the very least, I hope that when it returns, Square Enix adds some fresh ideas and prizes. After all, I can never have enough minions, and I’m sick of Temporary Misdirection now.
