There has been a lot of discussion about whether Final Fantasy XVI is worthy of the franchise, and the game just received an exceptional endorsement.
The creator of the series Hironobu Sakaguchi posted on X (previously Twitter) mentioning that he completed Final Fantasy XVI and defining it as "The ultimate fantasy "FINAL FANTASY"" all-caps included, accompanied by a screenshot taken near the end of the game.
This is likely an intentional wordplay, because the wording used by Sakaguchi-san, "kyukyoku," can also be read as "Final."
A while later, Sakaguchi-san followed up with another post in English:
"I think... FINAL FANTASY is something that continues to evolve. It is never completed. Adventurousness, Courage, and Determination are the key words."
Despite having left Square Enix in 2003, Sakaguchi-san is considered the father and creator of the franchise. He has shown a lot of affinity with recent Final Fantasy titles, including Final Fantasy XIV, which he started playing in 2021 just before the release of the Endwalker expansion.
The veteran developer was so engrossed by the game that he got ready for Endwalker by completing Shadowbringers and all the 4.X content in a mere 34 days. He still plays and regularly posts about his adventures. Yet, apparently, he has still found time to play XVI and appreciate it.
Final Fantasy XVI is currently available exclusively for PS5 and you can read our positive review in which our Andrew Stretch defined the game as "everything he could have hoped for and more" and "a deep story and fully fleshed out world that you'll want to be protecting."
A PC version has also been confirmed as coming down the line by director Naoki Yoshida himself, but Square Enix will need time to optimize the game for the platform. If you'd like to read more, you can also take a look at our interview with Yoshida-san and art director Hiroshi Minagawa.
