Final Fantasy XVI, the next mainline chapter in one of the finest role-playing game franchises ever created, promises an epic narrative of brotherly love and grief in a war-torn nation. FF16 was unveiled with a meaty four-minute trailer during Sony's September 2020 PS5 showcase. The game appears to be a throwback to classic fantasy, with a healthy dose of mature storyline thrown in for good measure.
What is Final Fantasy XVI about?
The game is set in Valisthea, a land separated into six kingdoms and governed by towering Mothercrystals, the world's wellspring of magic. So far, we've learned about Clive Rosfield, our main protagonist, who has pledged to protect his younger brother, Joshua, who is a Dominant. Meanwhile, Jill Warrick is a close friend of both. This trio has been detailed, but we don't know much more than that a tragedy will begin a quest for vengeance led by Clive.
Square Enix has released an official website for Final Fantasy 16, which provides information about the game's world and main characters. The planet is stated to be "studded with Mothercrystals - beautiful mountains of crystal that tower above the six realms around them, showering them with aether" in Valisthea. People have gone to the beacons for millennia to take advantage of the blessings they provide.
Several great powers have formed around each Mothercrystal, using the aether of the Mothercrystals to construct magicks that live comfortable, affluent lives. Yet not all is well in Valisthea. With the spread of the Blight which threatens to destroy the dominions, peace has begun to fray. The universe of Final Fantasy 16 is inhabited by lethal creatures called Eikons. Each Eikon exists within a single man or woman who has been endowed with the capacity to summon them. These people are referred to as Dominants. The perspective of these Dominants differs in each nation, with some treated as kings and others compelled to become weapons of war.
Final Fantasy XVI announcement trailer
The first look at the Final Fantasy 16 announcement trailer concentrates on the broad tones and themes of the game's medieval Europe-ish setting, which are definitely darker than any modern game in the series. The 2022 Sony State of Play trailer alternates between spectacular fighting imagery and morsels of high fantasy political drama.
The "Ambition" trailer from October 2022 gives a synopsis of the setting's past, in a fading planet where sections have been emptied completely of magic.
What platforms will Final Fantasy XVI release on?
Final Fantasy 16 will be released on June 22, 2023 for the PlayStation 5. The latest FF16 teasers reveal that it would be a limited-time PS5 exclusive, with fine print reading "not available on other platforms until December 31, 2023." While gamers may have hoped that the PC version would be released on December 31, 2023, as soon as the PS5's exclusivity expired, producer Naoki Yoshida shot that fantasy down.
"It is true that FINAL FANTASY XVI is a six-month limited time exclusive on the PS5 platform. However, it is a completely different story that the PC version will be released in half a year. I will make it clear, but the PC version will not come out in half a year," said Yoshida, via translation, on PlayStation's Japanese blog.
Final Fantasy XVI gameplay
Final Fantasy 16 appears to be an evolution, not a revolution, in the series' current gameplay. Real-time fighting, like in FF15, will keep things interesting, but the system appears to be more dynamic and speedy. Summons are translated into player actions in Final Fantasy 16. According to Yoshi-P, Director Hiroshi Takai and Battle Director Ryota Suzuki intended to focus on real-time action rather than piggybacking on previous games.
"Translating traditional summon abilities into player actions, and allowing for the real-time swapping and chaining of these abilities in battle has allowed us to create a system that not only looks great but feels really good to play,” Yoshida told IGN. As previously stated, Eikons play an important role in both the story and combat. Gamers fight using their own weapons, but they can also assume control of an Eikon to attack other Eikons. These battles differ depending on the Eikon and can also change in real-time throughout a war.
The series' unexpected inspiration was disclosed in the game's previews: God of War. While the game sports a fast-paced action fighting system built by the man behind Devil May Cry 5's combat, Sony's God of War inspired the game's large-scale Eikon conflicts. Another intriguing decision is that Final Fantasy 16 will not be open-world. It will, nevertheless, draw inspiration from open-world RPGs. Given Final Fantasy 7 Remake's success with the format, this comes as a bit of a surprise. According to Yoshi-P, the team believed that an "independent area-based design" may make the globe feel even broader than a standard open-world environment.
When will Final Fantasy XVI be released?
Final Fantasy 16 will now be released on June 22, 2023, according to Square Enix. This release date was officially disclosed during The Game Awards 2022, just a few months after it was first given a summer launch window.
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