FFXIV Patch 6.3’s exquisite steamed bun animation draws attention

Square Enix has released Final Fantasy XIV Patch 6.3, titled “Gods Revel, Lands Tremble.” The patch adds a wealth of new content, including main scenario quests, and many Warriors of Light are sure to be eagerly running around the world and enjoying new experiences.

Patch 6.3 has also proven to be a cut above previous versions of FFXIV when it comes to food animations. Many players have been especially impressed with the high-quality animation of a certain piece of food seen during a cutscene in the main quest.

*Please note that this article includes spoilers for the main quest in Patch 6.3.

At one point in the main quest, there is a cutscene that shows Zero, who has traveled to the Source from the Thirteenth, being given some food. During the scene, Jullus hands her an Azim Steppe-style dumpling called Buuz (The Azim Steppe is an area that is based on Mongolia). When both characters break their Buuz into two, the accompanying animation and the depiction of steam that gently wafts from the center of the buns is enough to whet the player’s appetite.

The real-life buuz that are part of Mongolian cuisine are smaller in size compared to the Buuz in FFXIV, which are similar to steamed meat buns that you can find in places like China or Japan.

During the main scenario quests in Patch 6.2, Zero had stated that she did not like food. While she is a peculiar character with her own unique principles, her way of thinking is gradually beginning to change as she acts alongside her comrades. The aforementioned cutscene in Patch 6.3 shows that she is starting to understand the act of eating as well as the culture of the Source.

Jullus mentions that in his homeland of Garlemald (an area that is based on Russia), they have their own recipes and tells Zero about how he would eat them together with his family back in the period when Garlemald was flourishing. Zero, who comes from the desolate wasteland that is the Thirteenth, may have been able to sympathize a little with Jullus’ feelings as he looked back on the life that he can no longer return to. 

The cutscene depicts both Zero’s slowly changing attitude and the nostalgia that Jullus and others from Garlemald feel for their home, and the effort that was put into the food animation plays a big role in increasing the level of immersion. When watching it, you get the feeling that there was a good reason behind the cost and effort that went into creating the soft tearing animation and steamy, piping hot filling.

Beginning with the later versions of Patch 5, the developers started putting a lot more effort into creating detailed cutscene animations, including for food. During the main quest in Patch 6.0, there is a scene where Alisaie and G’raha Tia enjoy some hamburgers, and I (the original author of this article) was blown away by how the cheese in the burger looks melted. The Buuz animation in Patch 6.3 really does a great job of showing how the cutscenes in FFXIV continue to evolve.

Furthermore, FFXIV is expected to receive a large-scale graphical update around the time that Patch 7.0 is released. We can expect to see not just the cutscenes but even the world of FFXIV itself continue to rapidly evolve.

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Written by. Marco Farinaccia based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2023-01-12 14:32 JST)