Final Fantasy XVI director Hiroshi Takai has described the game as "fully playable from start to finish" after its latest trailer was released yesterday. Despite this, Takai says there are still plenty of challenges for the dev team to face before the game launches next summer.
What state is Final Fantasy XVI in right now?
Yesterday, we got a look at a new Final Fantasy XVI gameplay trailer courtesy of the Sony State of Play presentation. After that trailer launched, Square Enix issued a press release in which Final Fantasy XVI director Hiroshi Takai discussed the game in a little more detail. In the press release, Takai says the game is "fully playable" all the way through right now, but that "from optimization to brush-up", there are still plenty of hurdles to overcome before Final Fantasy XVI is fully ready for release.
The press release also contains some more interesting info. Several new screenshots show off some of the locales you can expect to explore in Final Fantasy XVI, including beautiful palaces, wide-open marshlands, and grassy plains. We also got a little more information about the game's storyline. In yesterday's trailer, we got to see some of Final Fantasy XVI's intimidating Eikons do battle, but the latest press release for the game also reveals protagonist Clive Rosfield's personal motivations: he must protect his younger brother Joshua, who is the Dominant of the Phoenix Eikon. After "unexpected events" occur, Clive sets out on a path of revenge that triggers the main narrative events of the game. It all sounds very dark and melodramatic, or in other words, exactly what you'd expect from a top-tier Final Fantasy experience.
What is Final Fantasy XVI?
Though it's far from the sixteenth overall Final Fantasy game, Final Fantasy XVI marks the sixteenth main installment in the long-running JRPG series. Originally announced back in September 2020, it's a dark and gritty tale that focuses on Clive Rosfield, the First Shield of Rosaria, and his journey through a world of massive and inscrutable Eikons. These take the form of classic summons from the series, so you'll meet Ifrit, Garuda, Odin, and Shiva, among others. Producer Naoki Yoshida announced a delay to Final Fantasy XVI in late 2021 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it looks like development of the game is on track right now, at least.
Final Fantasy XVI is currently slated for release on PlayStation 5 in summer 2023. We don't have a more concrete release date than that yet, nor do we know whether the game will eventually arrive on other platforms. However, given that Sony yesterday announced that the previously-exclusive Marvel's Spider-Man will make its way to PC this August, it's clear the Japanese gaming giant is willing to play ball with PC, at least. We wouldn't be surprised to see a Final Fantasy XVI PC release sometime after the PS5 launch, but we'll have to wait and see.
