Today Square Enix and Sony Interactive Entertainment provided an in-depth look at Final Fantasy XVI during the latest PlayStation State of Play broadcast.
We get an introduction to the story and the protagonist, Clive. The narration starts with him in his twenties, but then we get to play a flashback in his teens, and also his thirties.
The video then showcases the world, including the map and some of the locations we'll get to explore during Clive's adventure.
Another segment of the video then focuses on combat, showing spectacular action scenes as the player mixes conventional physical attacks with the powers provided by the Eikons. Speaking of combat, we see the Timely accessories, used to make things easier for those who aren't used to action games.
If you choose the "Story Focused" mode at the beginning of the game, the Timely Accessories are equipped from the start.
More footage shows some of the friends we'll make as the game progresses on top of Torgal, Clive's faithful canine companion. We also take a look at quests, elite marks to be hunted, and opportunities to learn the world's lore.
More combat gameplay focuses on the enemies we'll fight, including the dominants who wield the power of the Eikons, on top of the Eikons themselves.
Lastly, we learn that the main theme of the game is written and performed by popular Japanese singer-songwriter Kenshi Yonezu, albeit we don't get to hear it yet. Edit: I lied. Square Enix just revealed it and you can enjoy it in the dedicated article.
You can check it all out below.
If you're unfamiliar with Final Fantasy XVI, it's the next mainline game of the ultra-popular fantasy series by Square Enix. Its development is spearheaded by many developers from the Final Fantasy XIV team, which isn't too surprising considering the success of the latest MMORPG of the series, which has recently passed 27 million registered accounts worldwide.
Among them, we have producer Naoki Yoshida, director Hiroshi Takai, writer and creative director Kazutoyo Maehiro, artist Hiroshi Minagawa, composer Masayoshi Soken, and many more.
The game is said to be a darker take on the Final Fantasy concept, while its battle system is fully action-based. Yet, you can expect plenty of traditional concepts from the series including summons, Chocobos, and Moogles.
The scheduled release date is June 22, 2023, for PS5, and has already gone gold. A PC version is also likely coming at some point, albeit there is no official release date for it at the moment. We also learned that a demo is planned and should come shortly before the game's release. While we wait, you can also take a look at plenty more gameplay shown at PAX East.
