Final Fantasy 16: 5 things to know about Square Enix’s new bombshell

Game News Final Fantasy 16: 5 things to know about Square Enix’s new bombshell

Primordials matter!

First of all, a little recap is already there! Final Fantasy XVI takes place in the world of Valisthea. In this world, there are giant crystals where different kingdoms have developed, because they give magic to nearby people. But everything gets complicated if you start adding to that, the Primordials. These are the kinds of more powerful monsters that only a few people can summon to use their strength in combat. These lucky ones are Emissaries and each is associated with a Primordial. First we have Hugo Kupka, Emissary of the Primordial Titan and high -ranking member of the Republic of Dalmequia. Rich and influential, he had everything he wanted and was not very friendly at first glance. But his meeting with another Emissary would radically change his life and his destiny.

This is Benedict Harman, holding the power of Primordial Garuda. It is better not to rub shoulders with his blade and his ice nature (even if, looking at the trailer, we are not immune to a little heat). These two emissaries will undoubtedly be allies of the hero in this Final Fantasy 16. Clive will be an incredible swordsman, he has no strength in the Primordials, at least not at all. His younger brother, Joshua, inherited Phoenix, and Clive vowed to protect him. Of course, an event comes and takes everything back and Clive must begin a revenge quest against the dark Primordial Ifrit. Everything seems to be happening against a backdrop of global unrest and with rivalries between the different countries of Valisthea.

A new combat system?

And the fights, we saw some of this State of Play! Let’s start with the basics: Final Fantasy 16 continues the momentum of the latest games like FFXV or FFVII Remake with a real-time combat system. But the game isn’t very copy-pasting. The game is progressing tremendously. The fights seem, in fact, more dynamic. Unlike Noctis and her sword -throwing, Clive hurries to the pile and isn’t afraid to chain the blows (and get some). At this point, he’s somewhat reminiscent of a Dante from the Devil May Cry series. And that’s not a coincidence.

Went to Ryota Suzuki? He is the combat manager of Final Fantasy 16. This Capcom veteran joined Square Enix recently. It has to be said that the boy has an arm -length CV, with Monster Hunter World in particular, Dragon’s Dogma and of course. The Devil Can Cry 5. Another highlight: skill. They can be seen in the lower right corner of the screen and they will appear more. Switching from one to another looks much quicker, and it seems to give you more chances to fight. If we go into the details, we can discuss the return of the Stagger system from FF13. The goal is simple: hit the enemy’s weak points to put him in a state of shock before making chain attacks that he can’t counter-attack. There are also keys dedicated to items that can cause the end of the stop moments that a potion is allowed to drink.

The power of summoning

The most important point when talking about combat, of course, is the calling (or the Primordials). We haven’t mentioned it, but each Primordial is involved in an element. For Garuda, for example, it’s wind, while Phoenix is ​​focused on fire. At this point, it’s unclear how, but Clive seems to be able to use some of the Primes -related powers. In combat, he has elementary skills specific to Titan, Garuda and company … Just pressing the L2 key allows you to transfer from one type of ability to another without difficulty, and thus customize the character of your attacks.on your opponent.

But through boss fights you can understand the full power of Primes. Most of them have seen these huge creatures fight and the least we can say is that they are throwing some. However, these rounds of boss fights raise small questions. Their intuitive interface is reminiscent against fight games. Does this mean we’ll go back to turn-based combat for these types of rounds? This is one of the many unanswered questions.

There are still many questions

Let’s go over the frequently asked questions. And let’s start with Clive, the hero of this FF16. How did he use the power of the Primordials? And does that mean he’s the only playable character? And yes, from what we saw, he was the only one to join the fight. Will the Final Fantasy license be in favor of offering only one defender at this time? Square Enix will thus break a tradition that even FF15 has kept by allowing characters other than Noctis to play, at least after several updates.

Another big question: the structure of the game. Rather open world or corridor level? We didn’t really have any accurate information on this topic and the State of Play video didn’t help us. By focusing on the fights, he left the question hanging. It’s impossible to know what it is at the moment, even if the map released shortly after State of Play allows us to get a little idea of ​​the size of the world to explore.

And the Black Scourge? What is it? What is his role? Because when the latter is mentioned as a big threat on the game’s official site, we often hear about a war and the terrible Ifrit. The connection between the three is not yet clear, as in this famous event that Clive must link to the whole plot. So we are waiting for some clarification on this topic. And then there are the details. What is the bar below your standard of living? Is it used to charge special moves or simply to summon Primordials? We really don’t know. And then what is the role of these crystals that are so important to Valisthea? Which side are the other Primordials? Why is Clive called the Son of Destiny?

In short, the list of unanswered questions is still long.

See you next year

Final Fantasy 16 finds a release date… or rather a window. Clive’s adventures begin in the summer of 2023 on the PS5. Those hoping for the end of the year will have to be patient, even if it’s still good news. If Square Enix spends its time, it’s doing things right. Because according to the developers, the game is over, from start to finish. We’ve known this for a while, because Yoshida Naoki, producer of the title, has made it a point of honor to be as transparent as possible to the players.

He confirmed that the game is in the final stages of development, opening the door to a whole series of rumors about the game’s presentation date that have plagued the web in recent months. But when the game is over, why only one year come out? Well, the developers will tweak and optimize the formula to make sure they don’t make the same mistake as Final Fantasy 15. Remember, when it launched in 2016, FF15 was full of inconsistencies and bugs, to the point of being considered almost indestructible. of some players who were quickly dropped out.

Square Enix has been able to save the day with multiple patches, but clearly, this strategy has proven risky. We feel that this time the developers want to do things right and deliver us an impeccable game to restore the image of the saga. It remains to be seen if this will happen on the day of release.