Final Fantasy XVI: Everything We Know So Far

Ali Hasan March 5, 2023

Final Fantasy has long stood the test of time managing to stay relevant by reinventing itself over and over again over the course of its nearly four-decade-long history. The series has seen over 95 individual titles, which include 15 mainline entries and over 70 spin-offs. Final Fantasy has gone from a humble 2D RPG with turn-based combat to a more action-centric approach with its most recent releases; Final Fantasy VII remake and Final Fantasy XV. The series is set to continue its legacy of reinvention with Final Fantasy XVI.

Final Fantasy XVI is the biggest departure from the Final Fantasy formula that the series has seen to date. This entry is introducing mechanics and design choices that the series has never seen including a shift to real-time combat. While this has led some fans to question the direction the series is headed in, it ultimately shows Square Enix’s commitment to keeping the series relevant, fresh, and exciting. Today we’re going to break down everything we know so far about Final Fantasy XVI, including its combat, world, characters, and more.

Final Fantasy XVI Will Be Much Darker Than Previous Entries

Final Fantasy XVI takes place in a world called Valisthea, which is divided into six kingdoms, each of which has control over a powerful magical force called an “Eikon”. The story follows the young knight Clive Rosfield, who becomes embroiled in a conflict between the kingdoms after his younger brother Joshua is revealed to be a “Dominant”, someone who can call upon an Eikon’s power. While the story sounds about what you’d expect from a Final Fantasy game, what’s more exciting here is the series’ stylistic theme.

In a recent interview Producer Naoki Yoshida said “…As for why we went fantasy…well, that’s just because we all love dark fantasy.” The series has developed into a more sci-fi theme over the last couple of years and a shift back to the series’ classic fantasy route is definitely something that will be a breath of fresh air. The setting has been mainly attributed to the early Final Fantasy games the development team grew up playing.

Additionally, the game will feature a much darker tone as compared to previous entries, Yoshida added this decision harkens back to the team’s love for darker themes and also to mirror the world as it is today. “For me, as someone who is going to be 50 years old this year, I know the world isn’t all bright and rainbows and stuff. I know that it can be tough sometimes as well as having hope in it sometimes. I wanted to create something that felt real not just for my generation but for the younger generation as well to show the potential of the Final Fantasy series.”

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An All-New Combat System is Headed to Final Fantasy XVI

One of the biggest departures Final Fantasy XVI is making is moving away from the series-long established turn/command-based combat. Final Fantasy XV and VII Remake were the first to head in this direction but still retained the command and party features present in the previous releases. Final Fantasy XVI will feature full-fledged real-time combat, complete with a deep combo system and a diverse selection of abilities.

The combat designer behind the Devil May Cry series, Ryota Suzuki has been hired to craft the combat of XVI which will feature many of the nuances found in those games. The game will do away with the MP system and will instead have abilities on cool down, and these abilities will be tied to a specific summon that the player can choose. The game also puts an exciting new spin on summons by making them an integrated part of Clive’s combat arsenal, allowing him to wield a fraction of their powers during combat.

The team has also taken considerable time and poured in resources to make sure combat is extremely accessible for players new to the action game genre. In addition to having quick time events during combat that eases players into the flow of combos and button mashing, the game will have equipable rings that will alter combat fundamentally, instead of having a difficulty setting. According to producer Naoki Yoshida, the rings were added to the game as “something that felt accessible but also customizable so that each player could create something that felt like a difficulty level that matched them”.

Eikon Battles Will be Large Scale, Stunning Spectacles

Apart from the many changes made to the core combat system, Final Fantasy XVI also introduces Eikon battles. While in the previous games, summons/Eikons were used to quickly aid the player in combat, in XVI, not only will they be a core part of the combat but the player will also be able to take control of them directly, engaging in large scale battles complete with stunning visuals and many over the top moments.

These Eikon battles, however, will largely be tied to the story and the game won’t allow Clive to transform whenever you like but their inclusion should serve as a nice break between the game’s story and the long stretches of conventional combat.

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Final Fantasy XVI Will Feature a Semi-Open World

While many had speculated that Final Fantasy XVI would be an open-world game, it was revealed that this in fact not the case. Final Fantasy XVI will feature a semi-open world design, similar to God of War and/or The Dark Souls series. XVI’s producer, Naoki Yoshida claims that the game’s narrative structure as well as the allotted development time would have made this a very difficult proposition. “If we had a development period of about 15 years, we may have had the opportunity of challenging ourselves with an open world,” he said and added that the cinematic nature of Final Fantasy is core to its identity and an open world game would have taken away from what the team is trying to achieve.

Release Date, Editions, and Exclusivity

Final Fantasy XVI is scheduled for a June 22, 2023 release. The game will be a PS5 exclusive for at least six months, after which it will start making its way onto other platforms. The game is currently open for pre-orders on the PlayStation store with a standard edition that retails for $69.99 and a digital deluxe edition for $89.99. Both editions come with three pre-order bonuses which include charms and cosmetics. The digital deluxe edition comes with a digital mini soundtrack and artbook. A collectors edition is also available for pre-order.

Excited about Final Fantasy XVI? pick up a PS5 today through our featured ads to make sure you’re ready to take on Clive’s journey in June. Gameutha.com is Pakistan’s largest dedicated gaming marketplace featuring consoles, gaming phones PC’s and PC peripherals. Gameutha.com is also home to the latest and greatest in gaming news, reviews, and updates.