The release of a new Final Fantasy game is an event in and of itself, and that’s probably more true for Final Fantasy 16 than it has been for most other games in the series for quite some time. Every time Square Enix has shown off the action RPG, it has looking increasingly promising, and from its story and storytelling to its combat and its more mature and grounded tone, there’s quite a bit about it that’s taking our collective excitement levels through the roof. There’s plenty that we absolutely can’t wait to do when we finally get our hands on the game not long from now, and here, we’re going to talk about a few of them.
PUSH THE LIMITS OF THE COMBAT SYSTEM
Final Fantasy 16’s combat system has been a bit contentious among series fans in the lead up to the game’s launch, with many purists bemoaning its action-heavy approach and the lack of a proper party system. But while it’s undoubtedly going to be very different from anything this series has ever done before, based on everything that we’ve seen so far, it’s also going to be excellent. Final Fantasy 16 is taking the full-on character action approach with its combat, which means an emphasis on mechanical depth, fast-paced action, a variety of flashy moves, and more. And with this being an RPG (it is still Final Fantasy, after all), it’s also promising plenty of progression mechanics to play around with and tailor your build as you see fit. That’s an exciting prospect, to say the very least, and we can’t wait to see how far the combat will allow us to take things. This isn’t a series that’s ever been known for restraint, so really, the ceiling’s gonna be pretty high on this front.
EIKON VS EIKON BATTLES
Square Enix has made a big deal of Final Fantasy 16’s Eikon vs Eikon battles, and it does seem like a concept with a lot of potential. Taking the series’ iconic summons and pitting them against each other in massive, large-scale, epic battles? Why, yes, we’d very much like to see that and be involved in it. But not only is Final Fantasy 16 doing that, it’s also promising a great deal of variety across what form each of these bombastic set piece moments will take, from an on-rails 3D shooter to a pro wrestling match and more. So yeah, it’s fair to say we’re curious to see how that all shakes out.
THOROUGHLY EXPLORE THE WORLD
Granted, exploration is going to be less emphasized in Final Fantasy 16 than some may have expected at first, what with it categorically not being an open world game, but that doesn’t mean there’s going to be no room for it whatsoever. The developers have revealed that there will be multiple large and open-ended zones that players will be able to explore throughout the story, and based on how much the game is focusing on things such as worldbuilding and the sheer visual variety in the areas you’ll visit, it seems like the impetus to go out and see what else the world has in store for us will always be there. Of course, given the series’ track record over recent years, we’re a little nervous about corridor design-reliant dungeons, but hopefully that’s another area where the game will exhibit strong design that encourages exploration.
HANG OUT IN CID’S HIDEAWAY
Cid’s Hideaway will serve as a hub for protagonist Clive throughout Final Fantasy 16’s story, and from what we’ve seen of it until now, it’s looking like a fun place to explore and hang out in. In addition to basic functions like picking up new side quests and buying, crafting, and upgrading weapons and gear, the Hideaway will also house plenty of side activities, like learning more about Valisthea, its lore, and its secrets from Loresman Horpacrates, or getting key information on the realm and its many different conflicts from the Hideaway’s strategist, Vivian Ninetails. Seeing as Final Fantasy 16’s tale will span several years across different parts of Clive’s life, if Cid’s Hideaway grows and evolves in interesting ways throughout the course of the story, it could end up serving as an excellent hub location.
CHECK OUT THE TRAINING ARENA
Another thing that players will find in Cid’s Hideaway is the Arete Stone, which will serve as a training arena- which, for a game with a combat system like the one here, is something a great many players will definitely spend plenty of time in. The training arena will also let you customize your experience in a number of ways, like if you want to partake in ranged or melee fights, which enemies you want to fight against, or even how large those enemies should be, which, of course, will be even greater incentive for players to mess about in it. Add to that the training arena’s Arcade Mode, which will let you post your combat scores on global leaderboards and try to outscore other players, and we can definitely see ourselves spending plenty of time in there.
ENJOY TORGAL’S COMPANY
Final Fantasy 16 might not have a traditional party system like every mainline game in this series has had up to now, but throughout his journey, Clive will be accompanied by one constant ally in the form of Torgal, his loyal wolfhound friend- and we’re always more than happy to spend some time in the company of a good canine buddy, especially when they’re as helpful as it seems Torgal will be. In combat, he will be able to attack enemies and even obey some specific commands, while out of combat, you’ll be able to use Torgal to provide guidance in some key ways. And yes, you can pet him as much as you want. Hell, you can even feed him treats, and we absolutely will feed him treats.
DO HUNTS
Engaging in optional, challenging boss fights against all manner of monsters is always a crucial part of any Final Fantasy game, and in Final Fantasy 16, that’ll happen in the form of Hunts. Acquired through a Moogle named Otto in Cid’s Hideaway, Hunts will task you with travelling to different parts of the world to seek out and defeat monsters in exchange for a variety of rewards. It remains to be seen just how expansive the game’s offerings will be on this front, and what kind of challenge these fights will provide, but knowing Final Fantasy tendencies as a series when it comes to optional monster battles, it’s fair to say expectations are pretty high.
DO NEW GAME PLUS
New Game Plus modes are always an excellent way to dive back into a game that you’ve already finished to experience it all over again without having to restart your progress. Final Fantasy 16 will have that option at launch, but it seems to be going the extra mile here. While players can just do a regular New Game Plus Run on one of the game’s two base modes – i.e. Story Mode and Action Mode – it will also feature two additional exclusives modes- Final Fantasy Mode, which will increase the difficulty, remix enemy types, and change monster placements, and Ultimaniac Mode, which will ramp up the challenge even further. Clearly, the game wants to encourage replays, and for players to dive into the weeds of its combat system and attempt to truly master it, and we can’t wait to pour dozens upon dozens of hours into all of those offerings.
CHECK OUT THE ACTIVE TIME LORE FEATURE
One thing that’s abundantly clear about Final Fantasy 16 above all else that it’s putting the bulk of its emphasis on story, storytelling, and worldbuilding. The world of Valisthea is huge, it’s overflowing with dense lore, it features a number of different characters and nations and factions that have different histories and motivations and are embroiled in different conflicts- there’s a lot going on, to say the least. To that end, the game features an Active Time Lore mode, which allows you to pull up contextual information on characters, events, places, and more at anytime, even during cutscenes. Not only does it sound like an excellent way to ensure that you don’t feel lost at any point in the story, it can also potentially add significantly to the game’s world-building, so we’re excited to try it out for ourselves.
RIDE AROUND ON CHOCOBOS
Yes, Final Fantasy 16 is going for a much more action-heavy approach than its predecessors, and yes, it won’t have a party system, and yes, it’s going to be a much more mature and grounded game than most past Final Fantasies. But some series traditions will never be broken, and having Chocobos in the game is one of them. The world of Valisthea, for all of its conflicts and misery and grittiness, will still have the adorable bird-like monsters scattered about, and we can’t wait to hop on one’s back and ride around to our heart’s content.