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Final Fantasy 16 made a recent appearance during the latest June State of Play showcase, where we got to learn a little more about the next entry in the series. With a helping of gameplay showing off combat and story elements, we also now have an official launch window that puts the release of the upcoming adventure on the calendars for 2023.
While we’ve already been treated to a look at Final Fantasy 16 in the lead up to E3 2022, we still have several showcases forming up the roster for the E3 2022 schedule. Whether or not we’ll see more of the game remains to be seen, but the latest trailer gave us a lot to get excited about. Read on below to find out everything we know so far about Final Fantasy 16.
Final Fantasy 16 release date
Square Enix has officially confirmed that Final Fantasy 16 is now set to release in summer 2023. While we don’t yet have an exact release date, we now have a proper launch window to give us a better idea of when we can expect to jump into the latest entry in the series. We also know that Final Fantasy 16 will be a PlayStation console exclusive that’s coming to the PS5.
Who is working on Final Fantasy 16?
In terms of who is working on the upcoming Final Fantasy title, the announcement also confirmed Naoki Yoshida is the producer on Final Fantasy 16. After the official reveal of the game during the PS5 event, a blog was posted on PlayStation’s official site (opens in new tab) written by Yoshida which confirmed his role, along with revealing that Hiroshi Takai is directing.
“The exclusive footage, comprised of both battles and cutscenes running in real-time, represents but a fraction of what our team has accomplished since the start of development on this, an all-new Final Fantasy game,” Yoshida writes. ” In that span, the team’s size has grown from a handful of core members to a full-fledged unit that continues to polish and build upon what they have created so far, all to provide players an experience unmatched in terms of story and gameplay.”
Final Fantasy 16 setting and characters
Just recently, Square Enix launched an official website (opens in new tab) for Final Fantasy 16 that offers some insight into the upcoming installment’s world and leading characters. Set in the land of Valisthea, the world is said to be “studded with Mothercrystals – glittering mountains of crystal that tower over the six realms around them, blessing them with aether.” Over the generations, people have gone to the beacons to take advantage of the blessing they offer. Using the Mothercrystals aether to conjure magicks that live comfortable, rich lives, many great powers have grown around each Mothercrystal.
But all is not well in Valisthea. Peace has started to falter with the spread of the Blight, which threatens to destroy the dominions. In Final Fantasy 16, deadly creatures known as Eikons inhabit the world. Each Eikon resides within a single man or woman blessed with the ability to call them. These individuals are known as Dominants. The worldview of these Dominants varies from nation to nation, with some treated like royalty, while others are forced to become weapons of war.
The latest June 2022 State of Play gave us a look at the Dominants of Eikons Titan and Garuda. As detailed in an official PlayStation blog (opens in new tab), economic adviser Hugo Kupka is the Dominant of Titan, while the “coldhearted and ruthless” Benedikta Harman is the Dominant of the Wind summon Geruda.
Clive Rosfield has also been introduced as one of the leading characters along with Joshua Rosfield and Jill Warrick. Clive is the firstborn son of Archduke of Rosaria. As the firstborn, he was expected to inherit the Phoenix flames and become a Dominant, but it instead passed over to his younger brother Joshua. After mastering the blade, Clive becomes First Shield of Rosaria before tragedy strikes “at the hands of a mysterious dark Eikon, Ifrit. Now on a path to revenge, Clive is said to set out on a “dangerous road.”
Five years younger than Clive, Joshua deeply admires his older brother. Viewing himself as “bookish and frail”, Joshua appears to wish he wasn’t the one to inherit the role of Dominant with command over the Phoenix’s flames.
Jill, on the other hand, was taken from her homeland at a young age to become a ward of Rosaria in order to secure peace between two warring nations. Described as “kind, gracious, and unassuming,” Jill is a trusted figure to both the brothers.
Final Fantasy 16 combat may share similarities with Devil May Cry 5
Thanks to gameplay footage that dropped back in 2020, we got to see a brief glimpse of the combat in Final Fantasy 16. It certainly gives the impression that the upcoming instalment will be more action-orientated than turn-based, with protagonist Clive executing swift moves against foes. In fact, a video was posted on YouTube soon after that drew parallels to the combat in Devil May Cry 5, and you can certainly see some similarities between the styles.
Interestingly, following the June 2022 State of Play, it was revealed that Devil May Cry 5 designer Ryota Suzuki is working as combat director on Final Fantasy 16 (opens in new tab) – which makes such a comparison even more apt. The latest “Dominance gameplay trailer (opens in new tab)” showed off yet more combat in action, and it certainly looks more action orientated.
Final Fantasy 16 may have an easy mode
Earlier in 2022, news surfaced that Final Fantasy 16 may have an easy mode, with producer Naoki Yoshida reportedly saying that the team is working to support players who are “less skilled at action games”. This could mean there will be a setting that will make the combat more approachable for newcomers.
For more, you can check out our pick of the best Final Fantasy games.
