FINAL FANTASY XVI
The eagerly hoped-for Final Fantasy XVI will be a PlayStation 5 exclusive
Square Enix reveals the next mainline Final Fantasy, looking incredible on PS5.
A WEALTH OF MAGICAL ABILITIES IN FLUID, SWORD-BASED, REAL-TIME COMBAT.
Talk about a power move! Despite weeks of rumblings from the
Final Fantasy rumour mill, we didn’t expect to hear much news about the series – let alone that
Sony would open its PS5 stream with a tempting extended trailer for the next mainline game.
A departure from FFXV before it, which was something of a Boys’ Own Road Trip, Final Fantasy XVI will be leaning full tilt into the sort of classic, pseudo-medieval, capital ‘F’ Fantasy the series initially cut its teeth on, with swords and knights in shining armour aplenty. However, bloody battles, aggressive politicking, and a mostly British voice cast give it a darker, Game-Of-Thrones-like edge.
It looks as though the combat will be closer to FFXV’s action-focussed system than the systems of earlier games. So far, there isn’t even a whiff of a turn order, with fights instead looking to take a more character action angle. Ryota Suzuki, a prominent designer on Devil May Cry 5 and Dragon’s Dogma, joined developer Creative Business Unit III last year as battle director so this is likely to be his handiwork. Rather than politely waiting for your turn to get a hit in like in previous games, you’ll be scrabbling to make the most of every opening with a wealth of magical abilities in fluid, swordbased, real-time combat.
ALL FOR ONE?
Everything we’ve seen so far has pitted our protagonist in one-on-one fights, with almost no party members in sight. But this is Final Fantasy; you won’t be alone. You’ll be up against fellow knights as well as familiar and unfamiliar monsters from the series’ bestiary, including the electrifying coeurl and the toothy, tentacled malboro. Friendlier faces, like series mainstay poultry pals the chocobos, also make an appearance in the launch trailer, which was not pre-rendered but running in-engine.
Let’s return to our floppy haired protagonist, though. He wouldn’t look
a hair out of place among the sons of Sparda. The hero remains nameless for now, instead defined by his oath to protect the archduke’s son, Joshua, in the midst of a looming invasion. The young boy is sheltered from the world not purely because of his family’s station but also because of his connection to this universe’s version of Summons. In FFXVI, individual humans appear to be tied to these magical beasts and, when under considerable stress, are able to call them down or, it’s strongly implied, transform into them. When Joshua is in danger, not only does the Phoenix make an appearance but the horned fire Primal Ifrit also goes on a rampage. It would appear people like Joshua, with magical abilities tying them to these summoned beasts (known as Icons here), will have a pivotal role in the game’s central conflict. Not only that but, after a time skip, our protagonist joins a group that hunts them down. Just what happened the night Ifrit was summoned?
Crystals, another common feature of the series, make a reappearance here too. A Mother Crystal apparently staves off a blight for one side and our hero’s allies are desperately fighting their foe with their own. But rather than these magical shards passively offering magical protection, it appears something nefarious may be afoot as certain forces work to avoid bringing their past influence into the kingdom’s future. Could they somehow be connected to the Icons and the humans helplessly caught up in their machinations?
ASSEMBLE YOUR HEROES
If you’re a long-time fan of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, the MMO, your first glimpse into the series’ future may feel familiar.
Ryota Suzuki may be part of the development team but he’s not the only big name you should recognise. Naoki Yoshida, a man who dualwields director and producer credits for Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, the ongoing MMO, will be producing this single-player fantasy game. Given his workload, we’re not sure how he does it… but he consistently has.
“Our next big information reveal is scheduled for 2021,” Yoshida said on the official PlayStation blog, “So in the meantime, I expect everyone to have fun speculating, as we have a lot in store — not only for Final Fantasy XVI, but for Final Fantasy
WHEN JOSHUA IS IN DANGER THE HORNED FIRE PRIMAL IFRIT ALSO GOES ON A RAMPAGE.
XIV, too. Needless to say, I’ll be working hard on both!”
Having Yoshida oversee both strands of Final Fantasy – FFXVI and the online MMORPG FFXIV – would point to a interesting connectivity between the two series. Could we see more than simple crossovers for these two games?
LOOKING FOR GROUP
Yoshida is joined by A Realm
Reborn’s assistant director, Hiroshi Takai. Takai was the development supervisor on the MMO’s Stormblood expansion as well, and, before that, directed another Square Enix RPG – The Last Remnant. Final Fantasy XVI will be his latest directorial credit. Besides A Realm Reborn, he’s no stranger to the series, with a variety of credits on Final Fantasy II, V, and the other MMO XI.
Even as FFXVI goes back to basics with its fantasy setting, there’s a definite sense that the Final Fantasy series is gearing up to evolve. With talent from across the games leading the charge, we can’t wait to discover more about the project next year… and this could come sooner rather than later as the game has been in development for four years. Could we be looking at a March 2021 release?
What name would you give FFXVI’s protagonist? Tweet us @OPM_UK