Mirage Areas

I feel this area is pretty self-explanatory: if you have a desert area in a game, there should probably be an oasis somewhere. I decided to make it the first area outside of town mostly for lore reasons; of course a desert town is going to grow near a water source.

When sticking to a desert theme, there are only so many variations, but one I have a particular fondness for desert canyons, the like you’d find around the Grand Canyon, or Ul’dah in Final Fantasy XIV. This is a much more advanced version of the Arcadia Highway area, with many more paths and areas to hide goodies in.

One of the few areas in the game to make use of map looping, this area really lives up to its name. There are no walls to follow, nothing to show that you have reached the end of the map, just endless wandering. That being said, I didn’t want it to be actually endless. I made it so that if you come across the dead trees, you can follow them, and they will eventually bring you to the exit back to the Desert Canyons. Getting to the other end and progressing though is another story; there is a certain sprite that you can follow to reach it, but they are much further spread out and twist and turn all over the map. And that’s not to mention having to move away from that path if you want the treasure.

A bit of a rest area before the final dungeon, the save crystal here unlocks this location on the world map, meaning you only have to brave the Lost Sands once; afterward, you are good to hop right to the pyramid.

Probably my favorite location in the game, it combines the ancient architecture of the Pyramids with sci-fi styling and markings. This is probably the most lore-heavy location in the game, diving into otherworldly conquerors and the reason why the demons dislike the humans so much. Progressing through the dungeon involves collecting a series of keycards to unlock more of the dungeon, although you’ll have to go out of your way if you want to create the best weapon and armor in the game.