Babylon’s Fall Developers Make Adjustments to Graphics Based On Feedback
I don’t know what Babylon’s Fall is, but I do not really understand. I am a huge fan of PlatinumGames to the point that several of their games are my favorites. It’s almost like watching my beach house slowly fall to the waves. The game is fascinating because it’s a complete failure from every angle. It is hard to imagine that the released title was what people wanted, but it seems like a bizarre mix of budget-constrained fiascos and effete that combine into a hot mess in game form.
This is a captivating meta-narrative that can be used on its own. What is the purpose of this game? How did this game get created? Why are they still working on this?
Square Enix has released an interview with Takahisa and Kenji Sugiyama. This renewed interest in the last question was rekindled today. Saito was the director of Metal Gear Rising which is one of the most popular action games ever made. This shows that there was a lot of talent that wasn’t properly utilized.
The interview is a bit stilted because of translation, but it comes across as begrudging. They mention that they have received lots of feedback about the game, and are now looking into ways to fix it. The pandemic is cited as one reason things went wrong with the game. They also mention their relative inexperience as game developers. Although this explanation is not sufficient to explain why the game looks worse in 2019 than it was in 2019, it’s still valid.
First, remove the filter that was applied to the game. This gives everything a gaussian-blurry appearance. It is supposed to be like watercolors. It doesn’t work very well in practice. I wrote in our review that it was difficult to see Babylon’s Fall clearly, which felt like a major flaw for an action game that emphasizes precise dodging, a PlatinumGames hallmark.
They claimed that they didn’t do enough testing of the graphics. This seems to be a polite way of saying they had to rush to get the game out after adding the filter. Although they claim that the filter causes stress in players, it is not what I would call it. However, it seems polite.
It is also poorly edited in copyediting, with the interview repeating the same question twice, which should have been done before publication, and has not been fixed for hours afterward.
Although it isn’t mentioned directly in the text, a screenshot from the character creator shows a black character, which was not allowed by the release version.
They claim they are making more improvements due to the feedback from Discord. But it is a question of how much more they can do and what’s just trying to build a house in a mudslide. I doubt Babylon’s Fall will be able to make it right like Final Fantasy XIV. The foundation isn’t there and the reputation has already been terrible. What do Square Enix and PlatinumGames expect to do from this? We’ll have to wait and watch.
