Anyone who has been working through Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth ever since its arrival on February 29 will be well aware of the new card mini-game that was included in the title. Known as Queen's Blood, the game requires players to use cards of differing power and chess-like pawns to overcome an opponent by scoring more points than they do, and if that sounds complicated, don't fret! We have a guide to help you on your way to conquering the mode.
But how did Square Enix go about cooking up this mini-game and making sure it actually works in practice. As Kotaku reports, the development team actually 3D printed a full set of Queen's Blood to test the game in a physical space. It includes the castle-like backdrop, the chequered board, the various pawns and a few decks of cards, and even the two statues that stand on either side of the board itself.
Game director Naoki Hamaguchi said, "There was a lot of love for Queen's Blood among the development staff as well, and toward the end of development when the workload lightened for some members, they used a 3D printer to create an actual real-life board."
It was also noted by Hamaguchi that Queen's Blood wasn't just created by the mini-game team working on Rebirth, but was instead a collaborative effort between them and the levels team who helped add a narrative element to the game and how it fits into the world.
Now if you could just get to work mass producing that physical set, we'd be very grateful!