Watch A Super Sized Final Fantasy 16 Preview Video
Zelda wasn’t the only fantasy-based game to get a special preview today. A 20-minute Sony State of Play was beamed out this afternoon that focused entirely on Square Enix’s Final Fantasy 16.
After multiple technology-themed, pseudo-futuristic settings, Final Fantasy is returning to its medieval roots of kings, knights and dragons. The entire game’s story is seem through the eyes of Clive, prince of the kingdom of Rosaria, and follows his life from his teens to his thirties, as he navigates a bloody war between his country and his two neighbors. When certain people become of age in Rosaria, they become “Dominants,” meaning they get the power to call on a godlike monster called an Eikon (these are the summon creatures that are an FF staple). Clive appeared to be the Dominant type, but he was passed over for his younger brother Joshua. There’s no bad blood between them, though, unless they fight in scenes the footage never showed.
One letdown is that this is NOT one of those Final Fantasies where you get to control an entire party; you can only control Clive and watch your party members move via AI. You can adjust their behavior but that’s the extent of it. However Clive is fully customizable as an FF protagonist should be; he can learn skills, level up, use magic attacks, and eventually, summon Eikon himself.
Speaking of which, the selling point of Final Fantasy 16 since it was first revealed has been the Eikon fights. You don’t control Clive during these moments; you control the Eikon and have an all-out, epic, titanic fight between one giant monster and another, while operatic music booms and crashes. The State of Play devoted plenty of time to showing off these fights.
Also, for the first time since Final Fantasy 8, you get to use a dog in battle.
Final Fantasy 16 will launch exclusively for Playstation 5 on June 22 (miraculously, no delays!) Other platforms will have to wait at least a year for the game.
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