Record of Lodoss War Creator Talked About Playing FFXI

Square Enix updated the Final Fantasy XI We are Vana’diel site with an interview featuring Record of Lodoss War and Record of Grancrest War creator Ryo Mizuno talking about his time playing FFXI. He started out be talking how he got into TRPGs after meeting Group SNE President Hitoshi Yasuda and playing the TRPGs Traveller and Dungeons & Dragons Red Box. From there, he talked about briefly playing gamebooks like Fighting Fantasy and Sorcery, before getting into his time with the Square Enix MMORPG.

Ryo Mizuno explained that he played FFXI between the Rise of the Zilart and Seekers of Adoulin expansions. He noted he was a White Mage Hume from San d’Oria. However, he said, ” I did somewhat regret choosing to play as a female character.” He explained “Players from overseas were constantly hitting on me.” He also mentioned playing as a Red Mage and Blue Mage.

As for the experience of playing FFXI, Ryo Mizuno explained what it was like to start the Final Fantasy MMORPG and how it compared to TRPGs.

“I got goosebumps. It had the same impact as when I encountered TRPGs for the first time. I feel that people such as us who work on the creative side of games, or those who simply love to create things, often have this desire to immerse themselves in worlds that they find appealing. I felt like Vana’diel was a world where I could realize that dream. I thought to myself, “My character can live here? Is this for real? This is like the perfect world!” I also wondered why it took me so long to embrace MMORPGs.

Of course, it was my first experience with online gaming, so I really had no concept of what I was supposed to do or how I was supposed to act. I probably got a lot of things wrong in the beginning. I remember another player who was playing as a Mithra started talking to me on the map and I didn’t really know how to respond. I also spent time just walking and thinking how great the music in Ronfaure was, and ended up getting chased down by an Orc.”

As a reminder, Square Enix started a We are Vana’diel campaign with FFXIV that makes it cheaper for those of us subscribed to that MMO to start playing FFXI. It makes it $5.95 per month, instead of $11.95. 

Final Fantasy XI is available on PCs, and the second part of the interview with Record of Lodoss War creator Ryo Mizuno will be on We are Vana’diel on February 26, 2025.