Game news Final Fantasy 16: summoning the Primordials, combat system … We take stock of the next FF
The June 2022 State of Play ended with a real bomb: a trailer for Final Fantasy 16. Announced during the PlayStation 5 event on September 16, 2020, FF16 had not shown up since. Suffice to say that fans of the Square Enix license were beginning to get impatient. But fortunately, the State of Play video brought with it a lot of new information. This is why a brief summary is in order!
What is Final Fantasy 16 about?
Final Fantasy XVI takes place in the world of Valisthea. The latter is made up of different realms that all formed around giant crystals, called Mother Crystals. The latter produce ether, thanks to which the surrounding populations can use magic and thus prosper in peace.
In Valisthea, there is another peculiarity: the Primordials. These overpowered creatures are attached to Emissaries, mortals containing and controlling the force of a particular Primordial. Most nations of Valisthea have an Emissary (and therefore a Primordial). However, depending on the region, they do not have the same status. The Iron Kingdom, for example, treats its Emissary as an outcast, which is not the case with the Archduchy of Rosalia which gives him significant political power.
And that’s good, because it is from the latter that our hero is from: Clive Rosfield. He is not an emissary, but his younger brother, Joshua, has inherited the firepower of the Primordial Phoenix. But that doesn’t mean Clive is a mere mortal. He received the blessing of the Phoenix and can thus use part of his powers. Thanks to these and his great skill with the sword, he intends to protect his brother until the end.
As for the great threat coming to upset all these beautiful people a little, it’s still a little vague. On the official site of the game, we are told about a certain “Black Scourge” threatening the peace of this world. We also learn that a particular event will directly affect our hero and engage him in a quest for revenge against the shadowy primordial Ifrit. In the State of Play video, there is also talk of a war between the different nations. We suspect that the three will be more or less linked and attached to the magical force of the crystals of Valisthea, but we do not have any details on this point yet.
Who are Clive’s known allies?
Square Enix quickly told us about Jill Warrick. A young girl from the Northern Territories, she was brought to the court of Rosalia to secure peace between the two nations. She was thus raised alongside Clive and Joshua, almost becoming a sister to them and a faithful confidante.
The last State of Play then introduced us to two emissaries who should support Clive in his quest. First we have Benedikta Harman, Emissary of the Primordial Garuda, who will meet Clive at the bend of a mission. A great swordswoman with an icy temperament, we seem to see her naked with Clive in the State of Play video. Its role as an ally is therefore not really to be questioned.
As for the second Emissary, it’s more debatable. Hugo Kupka is the Emissary of the Primordial Titan and a high-ranking member of the Republic of Dalmequia. Wealthy and influential, he has everything he desires and doesn’t seem exactly sympathetic at first, especially towards Clive. We can indeed see the two face off in a boss fight. Nevertheless, by meeting Benedikta, Hugo will change his outlook on life. This will perhaps soften him and allow him to rally to Clive. At least that’s what one can imagine.
Note however that, from what we have seen, Clive appears to be the only playable player. If they still use the powers of Garuda and Titan in particular, it is only him who faces the various enemies on the State of Play video. The information has not been confirmed, but this big detail is still worth mentioning.
What kind of gameplay will Final Fantasy XVI offer?
Noaki Yoshida, the game’s producer, said: FF16 will be a very action-oriented game. We could therefore expect to find fights in real time, as in Final Fantasy XV. With the State of Play, this has been confirmed. Moreover, the gameplay turned out to be particularly dynamic, closer to a Devil May Cry 5 than a traditional FF in the end. This is not really surprising since Ryota Suzuki, who had worked on Devil May Cry 5, is responsible for the fights of Final Fantasy 16.
The skill system also seems to provide more freedom in gameplay. Clive has different attacks that are linked to the powers of the famous Primordials. The player will be able to switch quickly between one and the other in order to benefit from a particularly dynamic feeling of play. Jumbled up, there are also tons of small details, such as the return of the Stagger system from Final Fantasy XIII or the possibility of assigning objects to keys.
On the other hand, the boss fights still leave many questions unanswered. If we saw that we can trigger the full power of the different Primordials, the interface, similar to that of fighting games, seems to register these fights in another system. It’s not impossible to see the turn-by-all making a comeback in these sorts of fights.
Rather open world or corridor levels?
Unfortunately, it is still too early to answer this question. The video being centered on the fights, we saw little of the places in which he stood. Nevertheless, the map having been unveiled suggests that the world to be traveled will be very large. The few images shown are like a luxurious landscape stretching as far as the eye can see. This FF16 should therefore offer some openness, we just have to see how much.
How is the development of the game?
Developers persist and sign: the game is finished from start to finish. But that doesn’t mean there’s more work to be done on the title. To avoid the setbacks that Square Enix experienced when FF XV was released, the publisher gives himself a year to refine and optimize the game. The goal ? Have an impeccable FF 16 at the exit in order to restore the image of the license.
Under the leadership of Hiroshi Takai, the team has entered the final phase of development and is now focused on fine-tuning details as they work towards the final version of the game and its launch. I would like to personally thank them for their efforts throughout this project.
Yoshida Naoki, producer of Final Fantasy 16
When is Final Fantasy 16 release date?
The State of Play video also let players experience a release window for FF16. It is in the summer of 2023 that Square Enix gives us an appointment to begin the adventures of Clive. The game will be available only on PS5. Rumors already speak of a PC version, but this has absolutely never been confirmed.
