Naoki Yoshida went on a panel with localization director Koji Fox at the recently concluded PAX East to share information on Final Fantasy 16. Naoki revealed that Square Enix recognized fans hadn’t been able to gestalt everything the studio has shared about the game in interviews. With that in mind, they used the panel to share a summary of sorts of the essentials of Final Fantasy 16. (UPDATE BELOW)
If you’ve only picked up bits and pieces about Final Fantasy 16 and needed a quick look at the full picture, you can read our summary below.
Final Fantasy 16’s developer is Square Enix’s Creative Unit 3, the same studio that had worked on Final Fantasy 11, Final Fantasy 14, and the Dragon Quest Builders games. These are the core team members working on the current game:
- Producer: Naoki Yoshida
- Main Director: Hiroshi Takai
- Creative Director & Original Screenplay: Kazutoyo Maehiro
- Localization Director: Koji Fox
- Art Director: Hiroshi Minagawa
- Combat Director: Ryota Suzuki
- Composer: Masayoshi Soken
Final Fantasy 16 is built on four pillars:
- Narrative – this game is a return to the series’ high fantasy roots, with complex themes such as justice & values, with a sweeping narrative complete with politics, conflict, and intrigue.
- Characters – The narrative revolves around Clive Rossfield, who seeks vengeance for the loss of his nation and his family. The story also involves an ensemble cast, with complex characters who have their own stories and motivations. Their stories will unfold around Clive’s, in a veritable clash of wills.
- Visuals – The game seeks to leverage the unique graphical and power capabilities of the PlayStation 5 to tell its story as best as it can.
- Battle – The game introduces full real-time action combat to the series. A particular highlight are the summon vs summon battles, which will see Clive turn into his Eikon for large scale battles.
Valisthea, described as a realm in its twilight, is comprised of five different nations and one neutral city-state. Across this realm are mother crystals, towering wellsprings of life and magic, around which their civilization thrives. Naoki describes them like oil fields in our world.
Subsequently, Valisthea’s version of oil is Ether, and like oil, Ether is a finite resource. The nations are then fighting over what remains of Ether. At the time of the game, this realm is in an age of war and strife.
The Dominants, described as the wardens of elements and keepers of the Eikons, are the central characters in Final Fantasy 16’s story. In the franchise as a whole, the Eikons are the summoned characters, beasts of often gargantuan size, that have the power to destroy whole nations.
In Final Fantasy 16, these Eikons vary in size from one another, from 60 feet to a staggering 300 feet tall. However, in this world, the Eikons are not summoned. The Dominants turn into the Eikons themselves.
The Eikons are also more than boss battles for the player. Final Fantasy 16 explores the story behind each Eikon. Some are revered as heroes, while others are used as slaves and forced to fight. It all depends on what nation they reside in.
A central narrative in Final Fantasy 16 is learning what drives the Dominants, meaning their aspirations and desires. Why are they fighting and what are they fighting for.
Clive Rossfield will be playable at three different points in his life; as a teen, in his twenties, and his thirties. By experiencing the events that mold Clive firsthand, the player can understand what motivates him, and why he becomes the person that he does.
Clive’s story starts with his pursuit of revenge for the loss of his brother. But across this journey, that will slowly change. Chance encounters will ultimately open his eyes to a whole different world.
Joining Clive in his journey is his dog, Torgal. Yes, he will fight with you, and yes, you can pet him!
There are two types of battles; in PvE, Clive fights against creatures with a customizable combination of Eikonic Abilities. He collects Eikonic Abilities from the different Eikons he encounters.
Players can learn many different abilities, that can then be customized and upgraded to fit the player’s playstyle.
The second type of battles are called Eikon vs Eikon. These Eikonic Clashes are designed in such a way that it’s a completely different type of boss battle every time to fight one.
UPDATE: We have new articles based on the same panel, which you can read up on below.
You can learn more about the Hideaway here.
Naoki Yoshida explained the boss battles aren’t just QTEs. You can learn more about how they work here.
You can learn more about the combat system, why Creative Team 3 moved away from the Active Team Battle system, and how they handled difficulty and accessibility, here.
Final Fantasy 16 will be released on the PlayStation 5 on June 22, 2023. A PC port is also expected to be announced in the future. You can watch the full panel below.
