\n
Final Fantasy XVI<\/em> is due out on June 22, 2023 on PlayStation 5, following what could perhaps be best described as an identity crisis for the long-running RPG series. Promising a radically different tone for both storytelling and combat, FFXVI<\/em> is ready to shake things up and, potentially, make a name for itself as a modern high-water mark for the series. Recent previews suggest there are plenty of reasons to be hopeful, even asFinal Fantasy XVI<\/em> risks being a little too different for series vets.<\/p>\n\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
The Week In Games: Protecting The Precious And Time-Twisting Platformers<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/video><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nFollowing the Final Fantasy<\/em> series hasn\u2019t always been straightforward. While the upcoming adventure is number 16 in the main series, the franchise has seen countless remakes, direct sequels, spin-offs, and two successful MMORPGs. Mainline Final Fantasy<\/em> titles have been on shaky ground with fans since at least 2009\u2019s Final Fantasy XIII<\/em>. So will Final Fantasy XVI <\/em>be a strong return to form? While recent previews do highlight a core Final Fantasy<\/em> experience is to be found here, the newer, darker tone and a greater focus on action-oriented combat with a single protagonist might threaten to overshadow some of what longtime fans have come to love about the series.<\/p>\nCombat: Mash them buttons, fight those bosses<\/h2>\n It seems undeniable that Final Fantasy XVI<\/em>\u2019s combat will be a good time, but if you weren\u2019t onboard with Final Fantasy XV<\/em>\u2019s controversial action-focused, mostly single-character combat system, well, the new game seems to go even further down that road. <\/p>\nYes, there are status effects and equipable items that boost stats and such, but according to Polygon<\/em><\/span>, the game can quickly turn into \u201ca brainless, glorious, button-mashing lightshow.\u201d<\/strong> GameSpot is in agreement<\/span>, describing the combat as \u201cmostly [consisting of] mashing the square button to attack, sprinkling in some ranged magic shots, and waiting for [summon] abilities to refresh from cooldown.\u201d To top it off, this is a solo outing, with the player only controlling one character, not a party throwing out interlocking attacks, defenses, buffs, and debuffs. This is arguably an evolution of what Final Fantasy XV<\/em> was aiming for, but one that\u2019s looking to embrace even more action with less emphasis on stats.<\/p>\n\n<\/p>\n<\/span><\/p>\n
Screenshot: Square Enix \/ Kotaku<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\nThat Final Fantasy XVI<\/em> borders on offering mindless, button-mashing combat is rarely spoken about in a dismissive tone thus far (Polygon<\/em> did describe it as glorious, after all), but it\u2019s a far cry from what we\u2019ve typically expected from Final Fantasy<\/em> combat. That might be good news for newcomers, as players coming from more action-oriented franchises might feel more at home here. Comicbook.com<\/em> says<\/span> that the action-y boss battles \u201cput to shame some of the best fights seen in other action games.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\nPolygon<\/em> said that the \u201cboss battles come thick and fast in Final Fantasy XVI<\/em>,\u201d and IGN<\/em>\u2019s previewer<\/span> saw \u201cno fewer than eight bosses\u201d in the game\u2019s first four hours. GameSpot <\/em>drew a sharp comparison to Devil May Cry<\/em> in its preview; that should come as no surprise given that Devil May Cry 5<\/em> and Dragon\u2019s Dogma<\/em> designer Ryota Suzuki is Final Fantasy XVI<\/em>\u2019s combat lead.<\/p>\nFinal Fantasy XVI<\/em>\u2019s combat certainly sounds like it will offer an exhilarating experience, with specific praise heaped on the scale and size of boss encounters and Eikon (summons). But the fact remains that this ain\u2019t your mother\u2019s Final Fantasy <\/em>combat\u2026hell, it doesn\u2019t even sound like it will be your<\/em> Final Fantasy<\/em> combat, if you\u2019re a longtime series fan. <\/p>\n\n<\/p>\n<\/span><\/p>\n
Screenshot: Square Enix \/ Kotaku<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\nSmaller gameplay environments, bigger storytelling<\/h2>\n Do you want good news or bad news? Well here\u2019s the good news, it sounds like Final Fantasy XVI<\/strong><\/em>\u2019s won\u2019t be saddled with a bloated, hollow, sprawling open world of the likes of <\/strong>Final Fantasy XV<\/strong><\/em> or even Square Enix\u2019s recent Forspoken<\/em><\/span>. Here\u2019s the bad news (at least for some of you): Its structure reminded Polygon<\/em> of Final Fantasy XIII<\/em>. <\/p>\nWhile recent previews have shown a world map to traverse (with, sadly, no cute chibi character to guide around), <\/strong>IGN<\/em> said that it was \u201cslightly surprised by how contained some of its levels can be.\u201d It described an early environment as \u201ccorridors of connecting fights.\u201d That sure sounds like FFXIII<\/em> to me. <\/p>\nDepending on your inclinations, this is potentially a bit of an eyebrow-raiser. But I think it\u2019s important to remember that even the most celebrated entries in the series, like Final Fantasy VII<\/em>, IX,<\/em> and X<\/em>, were also quite limited in their environments\u2014they too had direct paths that had the illusion of opening up into something more based on when their world map would reappear (or in FFX<\/em>\u2019s case, I\u2019d argue that the characters and storytelling were so direct and tightly paced that its more linear paths weren\u2019t as much of a sore spot). This is what Final Fantasy XIII<\/em> and its legendary 25-hour long corridor struggled with, and perhaps with some different trapping, it wouldn\u2019t\u2019ve been so jarring for players.<\/p>\nBut it seems like pacing, at least early on, might be a bit of a sore spot for Final Fantasy XVI<\/em>. Get ready for some heavy fake-politics memorization, folks, because it sounds like Final Fantasy XVI<\/em> has it in spades. The weight of this political lore on the game\u2019s overall narrative is so heavy, in fact, that an entire new system has been introduced: \u201cActive Time Lore\u201d literally lets you look up various historical and character information right<\/span> in the middle of cutscenes.<\/p>\nIGN <\/em>likened this feature to Amazon Prime Video\u2019s X-Ray feature, which lets you pause to see the name of that actor you swear you know from somewhere, someplace. That sounds like a handy feature for anyone who\u2019s played Final Fantasy XIII<\/em> for a dozen hours and still felt like they didn\u2019t know what the fuck a fal\u2019Cie or l\u2019Cie was, but that this feature exists at all speaks to the level of attention that might be required. Frankly, even reading previews that summarize the general premise of \u201ckingdoms\u201d and \u201cwar\u201d and \u201ccrystals\u201d sounds more confusing than it needs to be, but we\u2019ll see how that shakes out in the final version.<\/p>\nMultiple previews have stressed that the game\u2019s opening moments are also, perhaps painfully so, super heavy on hitting you over the head with story. IGN<\/em> said that \u201ccutscenes make up a lot of <\/strong>Final Fantasy XVI<\/strong><\/em>\u2019s early runtime.\u201d<\/strong> Time will tell if it\u2019s just the opening that has this problem, but it sounds like you might want to have some popcorn ready on the side (just wash your damn hands<\/span> before touching your controller).<\/p>\n\n<\/p>\n<\/span><\/p>\n
Screenshot: Square Enix \/ Kotaku<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\nTo be fair, Final Fantasy<\/em> has always been story-heavy (those of us who were introduced to it in its earlier days will remember that the games delivered hours and hours of text panels of dialogue to read). But this time the tone of the story is going for something quite foreign to the series\u2014and it sounds like it might border on medieval fantasy misery porn.<\/p>\nSad boys and dismal horizons<\/h2>\n If you\u2019ve been following along with Final Fantasy XVI<\/em>\u2019s development, then you know the game is aiming<\/span> for a darker tone<\/span>. Games like God of War<\/em> and shows like Game of Thrones<\/em> have been cited as inspiration for this new Final Fantasy<\/em>\u2026and, you know, we\u2019re just gonna have to see how that turns out. Previews thus far have stressed that there\u2019s a human tale underneath the misery fest, but they all highlight that protagonist Clive is a sad sad boy who can\u2019t do the magic thing his family can do and thus feels left out, and apparently some defining tragic moments are told through flashback sequences that pause the present narrative to set the stage for why Clive is such a moody saddo.<\/p>\n\n<\/p>\n<\/span><\/p>\n
Screenshot: Square Enix \/ Kotaku<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\nFinal Fantasy<\/em> has never shied away from tough stuff, but it\u2019s always carried a jovial, hopeful tone that perseveres through evidently tragic stories of loss and hardship, identity, community, love, and vengeance. It begs the question: Do we need FF<\/em> to be so damn dark and miserable to convey what it\u2019s successfully done in the past? I\u2019m skeptical, especially when Polygon<\/em> describes characters as \u201cgetting spattered in gore […] screaming \u2018I\u2019ll fucking kill you!\u2019 at the top of their lungs.\u201d<\/strong> Digitaltrends <\/em>straight up described<\/span> it as a \u201chigh-fantasy Last of Us<\/em>,\u201d<\/strong> which is uh\u2026hmm, not my favorite descriptor ever. <\/p>\nIt remains to be seen how eloquently Final Fantasy XVI<\/em> can handle its darker tones, but it\u2019s clear from various previews that it ain\u2019t holding back on dark and mature themes. As GameSpot<\/em> so aptly put it, the challenge will be for FFXVI<\/em> \u201cto not conflate a darker tone and maturity.\u201d I feel skeptical about its ability to thread this needle, but I\u2019ll be glad if my doubts about FFXVI<\/em>\u2019s darker tone prove unwarranted. <\/p>\nEven series fans like myself can acknowledge that (single-player) Final Fantasy<\/em> has been in a tough spot for some years, with it usually feeling like its glory days are long, long past. Whether or not Final Fantasy XVI<\/em>\u2019s changes will prove to be what\u2019s needed remains to be seen, but at least we\u2019re seeing Square Enix make a serious attempt to reinvigorate this beloved franchise.<\/p>\nFinal Fantasy XVI<\/em> arrives on June 22, 2023 exclusively on PlayStation 5<\/span>. <\/p>\n<\/div>\nSource link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Final Fantasy XVI is due out on June 22, 2023 on PlayStation 5, following what could perhaps be best described as an identity crisis for the long-running RPG series. Promising a radically different tone for both storytelling and combat, FFXVI is ready to shake things up and, potentially, make a name for itself as a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":60795,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/gawker-media\/image\/upload\/c_fill,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_center,h_675,pg_1,q_80,w_1200\/7040bce7d4a7fb6cd65ae61f7c6fdf24.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[571],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pc"],"yoast_head":"\n
Final Fantasy XVI Sounds Fun, But Series Vets Might Have It Rough - Gaming News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/?p=60794\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Final Fantasy XVI Sounds Fun, But Series Vets Might Have It Rough - Gaming News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Final Fantasy XVI is due out on June 22, 2023 on PlayStation 5, following what could perhaps be best described as an identity crisis for the long-running RPG series. Promising a radically different tone for both storytelling and combat, FFXVI is ready to shake things up and, potentially, make a name for itself as a […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/?p=60794\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gaming News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-05-22T19:40:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/gawker-media\/image\/upload\/c_fill,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_center,h_675,pg_1,q_80,w_1200\/7040bce7d4a7fb6cd65ae61f7c6fdf24.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"pley2win\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/gawker-media\/image\/upload\/c_fill,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_center,h_675,pg_1,q_80,w_1200\/7040bce7d4a7fb6cd65ae61f7c6fdf24.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"pley2win\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Final Fantasy XVI Sounds Fun, But Series Vets Might Have It Rough - Gaming News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/?p=60794","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Final Fantasy XVI Sounds Fun, But Series Vets Might Have It Rough - Gaming News","og_description":"Final Fantasy XVI is due out on June 22, 2023 on PlayStation 5, following what could perhaps be best described as an identity crisis for the long-running RPG series. Promising a radically different tone for both storytelling and combat, FFXVI is ready to shake things up and, potentially, make a name for itself as a […]","og_url":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/?p=60794","og_site_name":"Gaming News","article_published_time":"2023-05-22T19:40:44+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/gawker-media\/image\/upload\/c_fill,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_center,h_675,pg_1,q_80,w_1200\/7040bce7d4a7fb6cd65ae61f7c6fdf24.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"pley2win","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_image":"https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/gawker-media\/image\/upload\/c_fill,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_center,h_675,pg_1,q_80,w_1200\/7040bce7d4a7fb6cd65ae61f7c6fdf24.jpg","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"pley2win","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/?p=60794#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/?p=60794"},"author":{"name":"pley2win","@id":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/#\/schema\/person\/abf11620d7b4805f5f298fb9c0a56d0d"},"headline":"Final Fantasy XVI Sounds Fun, But Series Vets Might Have It Rough","datePublished":"2023-05-22T19:40:44+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/?p=60794"},"wordCount":1599,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/#\/schema\/person\/abf11620d7b4805f5f298fb9c0a56d0d"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/?p=60794#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/gawker-media\/image\/upload\/c_fill,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_center,h_675,pg_1,q_80,w_1200\/7040bce7d4a7fb6cd65ae61f7c6fdf24.jpg","articleSection":["PC"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/pley2win.com\/?p=60794#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/?p=60794","url":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/?p=60794","name":"Final Fantasy XVI Sounds Fun, But Series Vets Might Have It Rough - Gaming News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/?p=60794#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/?p=60794#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/gawker-media\/image\/upload\/c_fill,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_center,h_675,pg_1,q_80,w_1200\/7040bce7d4a7fb6cd65ae61f7c6fdf24.jpg","datePublished":"2023-05-22T19:40:44+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/?p=60794#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/pley2win.com\/?p=60794"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/?p=60794#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/gawker-media\/image\/upload\/c_fill,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_center,h_675,pg_1,q_80,w_1200\/7040bce7d4a7fb6cd65ae61f7c6fdf24.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/gawker-media\/image\/upload\/c_fill,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_center,h_675,pg_1,q_80,w_1200\/7040bce7d4a7fb6cd65ae61f7c6fdf24.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/?p=60794#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Final Fantasy XVI Sounds Fun, But Series Vets Might Have It Rough"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/","name":"Gaming News","description":"Video Gaming News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/#\/schema\/person\/abf11620d7b4805f5f298fb9c0a56d0d"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/#\/schema\/person\/abf11620d7b4805f5f298fb9c0a56d0d","name":"pley2win","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Main-logo-.png","url":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Main-logo-.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Main-logo-.png","width":700,"height":250,"caption":"pley2win"},"logo":{"@id":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Main-logo-.png"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.pley2win.com"],"url":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/?author=3"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=60794"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60794\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/60795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=60794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=60794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=60794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}