Few series are as well-known or as long-running as Final Fantasy – the towering RPG titles are universally adored, and the series has generated some of the best role-playing games ever.
Unsurprisingly, the announcement of the next Final Fantasy game is a big affair, as Sony realized when it revealed the title in late 2020 as part of a PS5 demo. But what do you need to know about the series’ next major installment? Continue reading to discover.
Final Fantasy 16 Trailers and Release Date
As you can see in the video below, the first trailer for Final Fantasy 16 did not end with a release date.
Thankfully, we received a second trailer in early June 2022, which indicated that the game would be released in Summer 2023, giving us a time frame to expect it.
This was followed in October 2022 by a gorgeous new tale trailer, which may be seen here. It concludes with a reiteration of the Summer 2023 window, which is reassuring.
We also know a lot about the game’s creators: it’s being produced by Naoki Yoshida and directed by Hiroshi Takai, both of whom were instrumental in the resuscitation and continued popularity of Final Fantasy 14, the online game that’s still going strong today. Their achievement appears to have landed them the most important job possible: guiding the ship on a new mainline game.
Final Fantasy 16 Platforms
We have a little more clarity on the platform front since we know the game will be a PlayStation exclusive, at least for a time, and will be released on the PS5. There’s a chance it’ll work on the PS4, but we wouldn’t put our money on it.
We’d expect the game to arrive on PC around the same time as on Xbox, but the latter is a little more difficult to predict. Skipping Xbox totally would be an extremely risky move. Therefore, we expect it to appear on Microsoft’s next-generation consoles after some time, most likely a year.
Unfortunately, as is becoming increasingly common for major titles, we wouldn’t get our hopes up for a port to the Nintendo Switch – the game appears graphically heavy, so there’s little chance it’ll operate on Nintendo’s more power-limited hardware.
Final Fantasy 16 Gameplay
Based on what we’ve seen in the trailers, Final Fantasy 16 appears to be an evolution, rather than a revolution, in the series’ recent gameplay. Real-time fighting, like in FF15, appears to be in the works, but the system appears to be a little more reactive and swift.
So far, the gameplay has also been centered on a single-player character rather than a party – this might be a significant departure for the franchise following decades of releases in which you control the actions of many characters as they fight together.
Aside from that, we’d expect an overworld to explore, like in prior editions, and a slew of sidequests to do if we so desire. We’re hoping that this will be a little more interactive than it was in FF15, where exploration was hampered by the emphasis on highways – with a more high fantasy-style setting this time, we’re looking forward to running around the countryside ourselves a little more.
This assumption was partially debunked in a large interview with GameSpot, with producer Naoki Yoshida clarifying that the game will include open hub regions but not a totally open world.
Yoshida said that the trailers’ darker tone is accurate – this will be the first Final Fantasy in a long time to be given a mature classification in many areas, as the creative team was committed to exploring some slightly more realistic and adult topics. Read Also; Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2: Refined and Ready
Final Fantasy 16 Story
Of course, the characters’ cast and the narrative surrounding them are the heart of any Final Fantasy game. So far, the trailer and the material Square provided give us a good idea of what to expect from the sixteenth game.
The planet of Valisthea, which is separated into six kingdoms and is ruled by mountains that are the source of all magic in the universe, serves as the setting for the game. All is not good, though, as you might expect, as each country has a Dominant, live being who possesses a lethal power known as an Eikon that can manifest as a giant monster. Some people are treated like kings, while others are treated more like weapons.
So far, we know about Clive Rosfield, who looks a lot like our main protagonist at this point – he’s pledged to protect his younger brother, Joshua, who is 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.
Amusingly, we learned in late June 2022 that the game would feature just British accents, with no Americans to disturb the accepted idea of a European-style environment. According to producer Naoki Yoshida, the English voice performers will also have complete lip-syncing.
See Also; Assassin Creed Infinity: Everything we know so far
FAQs
Is Final Fantasy 16 the last one?
5th May 2022 UPDATE: Yoshida said in a UNIQLO magazine that the game is nearing completion! The producer stated in the interview, “Development of the latest title, Final Fantasy XVI, is in its final stages,” according to VGC.
Is Final Fantasy 16 release date?
Will FF16 be available on PC?
Final Fantasy XVI is currently solely scheduled for release on the PlayStation 5. While it was first assumed that the game would be released on PC as well due to leaked marketing material when it was first announced, Square Enix has so far disputed all claims that the game would be released on any platform other than the PlayStation 5.
Are all Final Fantasy games linked?
Is there a connection between the tales of the Final Fantasy games? The vast majority are not. All Final Fantasy games with numbers are story-wise distinct from one another. The universes of I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII, XIV, and XV are wholly independent and interconnected.
