The Final Fantasy series has had a long history of producing high-quality JRPGs. These games have almost always utilized some form of turn-based combat system, so fans of the franchise generally know what they can expect when a new entry arrives. This isn’t necessarily the case for Final Fantasy XVI. Instead, Final Fantasy XVI will be making use of a real-time combat system that has more in common with hack and slash action games like Devil May Cry, and the game’s producer acknowledges that this won’t be for everyone.
Final Fantasy producer Naoki Yoshida recently spoke in an interview with a Japanese website called Comic Days. In the interview, he discusses how he believes the shift from a turn-based system to a more action-heavy system could be a turn-off for long-time fans.
In the interview, he explains some of the reasoning behind this design change. “We want the world, especially the younger generation, to play the game.” Yoshida goes on to talk about how there may be many gamers in younger generations who have heard of the Final Fantasy series but have not had any interest in playing it.
For a younger generation of players, the “traditional RPG style of turn-based command fighting is no longer familiar to them,” he says. The team at Square Enix wants to make a larger number of players think highly of Final Fantasy XVI, and moving away from a more old-fashioned approach to RPGs was the solution that was found to do this.
That said, Yoshida also understands that this change to combat may be disappointing to the more traditional audience of Final Fantasy. He says, “I don’t think we’ll be able to satisfy everyone’s demands, so I’ve told everyone on the team that the first thing we need to do is to make something we think is fun, and make sure it reaches the people who like it.”
This isn’t the first time that Yoshida has spoken out to defend the new battle system of Final Fantasy XVI. In an interview with Famitsu last month (translated by Video Games Chronicle) he also talked about appealing to a younger crowd who may not be used to traditional RPG mechanics.
Final Fantasy XVI is the latest game in the storied Final Fantasy JRPG series. It takes place in a new setting called Valisthea. In this new world, Mothercrystals bless the citizens with aether, which lets them make use of magicks. Various kingdoms developed over time until the present day, where a Blight has now been spreading and causing war to break out between countries. Famous summons from the series are making a return in the game, and the story will place players into the boots of the new protagonist Clive Rosfield.
Final Fantasy XVI will be released in 2023, exclusively on PlayStation 5.
