As net users in Japan have pointed out, the Dragon’s Dogma Online interface seems to resemble the user interface in Final Fantasy XIV. That’s not surprising. Not at all.
After an initial rocky rollout, a revamped Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn was released in 2013 and has become a success for Square Enix. Capcom is releasing Dragon’s Dogma Online sometime this year in Japan.
But yes, most MMOs use a similar layout for user interface. If anything, Final Fantasy XIV is heavily influenced by successful online games that have gone before (thanks, Blizzard!). So of course the games will resemble each other! But, beyond that, there are some other similarities fans have noticed.
For example, via 2ch, here are the pop-up windows in Final Fantasy XIV:
And here is Dragon’s Dogma Online:
Here is the cross-hotbar in Final Fantasy IV, which Square Enix developed for consoles:
[Photo: baronffxiv]
And the shortcut bar in Dragon’s Dogma Online—which might look too much like FFXIV’s shortcut:
Via Hachima, here is the teleport in Final Fantasy XIV:
And this is the base point Dragon’s Dogma Online:
Because of the fantasy settings in both games, there are other similarities, such as a hydra appearing in FFXIV and one appearing in Dragon’s Dogma Online. Those similarities seem like coincidences and genre conventions. Big deal, whatever.
I mean, Final Fantasy XIV didn’t invent the hydra, nor did it invent the MMORPG. Still, certain elements of Dragon’s Dogma Online do seem familiar. And while the UI is important, nobody will keep playing Dragon’s Dogma Online if the interface is good, but the rest of the game is crap. They also won’t play it if it seems like a lesser FFXIV. It’s gotta be good. Or, at least, good enough.
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