Summer Game Bang! - Final Fantasy XVI
I’m not alone in being excited for Final Fantasy XVI, it is a new installment in one of the most popular JRPG franchises of all time. My excitement does run deeper than just “a new game in my favorite franchise”, it’s also by one of my favorite teams at Square Enix: Creative Business Unit III. You may know them better as the team behind Final Fantasy XIV (one of my favorite Final Fantasy games of all time). But you aren’t here to listen to me ramble about a critically-acclaimed MMORPG, you’re here to talk about that kick-ass new trailer from last week’s PlayStation State of Play!
We got a deeper look into the story of Final Fantasy XVI, and were introduced to a few new characters and ideas. The world of Final Fantasy XVI is one where wars are fought not just by armies, but by gigantic Eikons. Towering takes on Final Fantasy staples like Ifrit, Garuda, Shiva, Bahamut, and more brawl one-on-one while armies clash beneath their feet. I’m getting some serious kaiju vibes from the new footage, and I am here for it! Summons have always had elaborate, powerful-looking animations, but these new iterations really that feeling of raw, elemental power to a new level.
In an interesting take on the “summon” concept, the Eikons don’t seem to be entirely independent beings. Rather, the Eikons reside inside of certain individuals, called Dominants. Being a Dominant carries a lot of power and responsibility, and the different nations of Final Fantasy XVI treat Dominants with widely differing levels of fear and respect. The new footage introduces us to two new Dominants, responsible for Garuda and Titan. I think this is an interesting setup, and can’t wait to find out more about these borderline all-powerful individuals.
The combat was another major focus of the new trailer, and I’ve seen some split opinions about it online. Final Fantasy XVI is all about real-time, action-based combat. This isn’t a new direction for the series, Final Fantasy XV and Final Fantasy VII Remake both used action-focused combat systems, but XVI certainly seems to be taking the concept to new extremes. I didn’t see any allies or party members in the new footage, leaving the player to deal with powerful foes and groups of underlings all on their own. I can understand long-time Final Fantasy fans lamenting the loss of the last vestiges of the party-focused, turn-based combat of past entries, there’s a part of me that feels the same way. All of my reservations went out the window, however, once I got a look at who Final Fantasy XVI’s combat director is.
Now no one person is single-handedly responsible for any one aspect of a video game’s quality (sorry, Kojima), and of course we can’t be sure of anything until we can play the finished product. With that said, however…it definitely looks like Ryota Suzuki and his team are going to give us a combat system on par with some of the very best action games out there. The player character looks quick and powerful, landing lengthy combos that utilize different kinds of weapons and even some elemental special moves, and the Eikons have the kind of weight and raw fury behind their moves that their size mandates. I think we are in very good hands, here.
The one thing I didn’t enjoy from the new trailer is the release date. Final Fantasy XVI is shooting for a Summer 2023 release. I was really hoping to see the game release this holiday season, but if I have to wait a little longer to play what’s shaping up to be an awesome action-RPG then so be it. I’ll be watching the news over the next year with great interest, and I’ll be sure to share my favorite tidbits with you.