Battles in “Final Fantasy XVI” will not please all fans

At the request of publisher Square Enix, a brief disclaimer: This preview is based on a press-release version of the game, the content of which may change in the finished game.

The protagonist of “Final Fantasy XVI” is called Clive Rosfield, a scion of the noble house of the politically insignificant Grand Duchy of Rosaria, which is located in the world of Valisthea. There, huge mother crystals are responsible for transporting ether to the environment, which allows the use of magic. The peace between the six factions on the continents of Ash and Storm is extremely unstable in the resource dispute. The game follows Clive Rosfield through three phases of his life as he travels through Valisthea to avenge the death of his younger brother.

While combat systems have always been a bit slow in previous “Final Fantasy” editions, the developers under Producer Naoki Yoshida – better known by his nickname Yoshi-P – are breaking new ground. The regular battles, often against multiple opponents, are fast paced and require some controller mastery to get the most out of Clive’s abilities.

With a little skill, a standard attack and a normal magic attack can be combined into powerful combinations. In addition, our hero can dodge with a quick side step or perform a parry with perfect timing.

Torgal, your friend and helper

The powerful summons known from previous games such as Ifrit or Titan are making a comeback. However, these are now called Eikons and their owners, the Dominants, instantly transform themselves into powerful monsters. Over the course of the adventure, Clive can gradually acquire several Eikons and use their abilities in battle. This increases the arsenal of different attack options and thus the complexity of the game. Even with three different Eikons, there was a lot to do on the controller to fight battles efficiently.

In addition, Clive, the only controllable character in the game, also has his faithful companion, the dog Torgal, to whom the player can also assign some basic commands, such as a bite attack. The four-legged friend also runs a few steps ahead to the next objective if Clive gets lost. However, this was not necessary in the playable part, as it was set in a dark castle with narrow and straight-lined corridors.

Lord of the Beginner Rings

Anyway, Valisthea is not an open world, but divided into different sections. Yoshi-P explained during his presentation at the London event that they opted for smaller, more detailed environments rather than one huge, somewhat desolate area. Nevertheless, certain sections should be large enough to make the use of chocobos – the yellow giant flutter birds known in the series that serve as mounts – worthwhile.

Like every part with a new song, “Final Fantasy XVI” has a completely self-contained story and is therefore perfectly playable for beginners. The game does not offer different levels of difficulty, but it does offer an advanced system so that even beginners do not get overwhelmed. At the start of the game, Clive receives five rings that automate certain tasks, such as dodging enemy attacks or reducing the execution of complex combos to a single keystroke.

Of these rings, Clive can equip two at a time. In return, however, he also sacrifices two slots for equipment that the hero could use for items with an attack power bonus, for example. This makes the battles with the beginner rings safer to fight, but also take a bit longer.

Spectacle taken to the extreme

Relatively uncomplicated are those fights in which Clive competes with other monsters as Eikon. During his presentation in London, Yoshi-P compared these fights to wrestling matches where the emphasis is on spectacle. For example, Clive as Eikon Ifrit, who specializes in fire attacks, takes on the wind-based Garuda, resulting in storms of sparks and all sorts of on-screen spectacle. With on-screen buttons that simply need to be pressed, players are also not distracted from the overcrowded staging of complex gameplay.

“Final Fantasy XVI” is scheduled to release on June 22, 2023 exclusively for the PS5. Yoshi-P is so sure of the release date that he joked that only “a meteor hitting Square Enix’s headquarters” could still prevent the planned launch date.

Conclusion

The new action-oriented combat system may not appeal to all fans. However, it makes sense to set a direction rather than relying on a hybrid system that doesn’t always work out, like in the last few parts, trying to make everyone happy. In any case, the game made a big impression during gameplay with its versatility, its complexity and last but not least with the optically lush staging. The completed game has yet to show whether this also continues in the more extensive environments. But the foundations have been laid for “Final Fantasy XVI” to go down in history as one of the best installments in the series in a long time.