Final Fantasy 16: Everything we know so far
Final Fantasy 16 is real, and it's coming to PC. The game was announced during a Sony livestream showing off upcoming PS5 games, but FF16's debut trailer clearly stated that a PC version is on the way.
This is the first wholly new mainline Final Fantasy game since Final Fantasy 15 and, in true series form, it appears to star brand new characters in a whole new world. We only have a single trailer to go off so far, but we'll be updating this story as we learn more.
In the meantime, here's everything we know about Final Fantasy 16.
When does Final Fantasy 16 release?
Square Enix hasn't shared an official release date yet, unfortunately. We could still be in for a long wait. With that in mind, PC players should note that FF15 took almost two years to come to PC. Hopefully, we'll get a simultaneous release this time around.
Here's the official Final Fantasy 16 trailer
Our first look at FF16 focuses on the broader tones and themes of the game, which are definitely trending darker than any modern game in the series. The trailer feels very similar to the dramatic CG trailers that Naoki Yoshida's team would make for FF14 expansions, which did an amazing job of selling the action and kicking off its stories.
The game seems to star the personal bodyguard of a prince named Joshua. We also hear familiar names from the series like Shiva, Phoenix, and Ifrit. With little to go on story-wise, the big highlight here is the setting, which appears to be more medieval this time around. That's a stark difference from FF15 (and other games in the series), which melded magic and monsters with modern trappings like electronics and cars.
Yoshida and Takai are working on FF16
Another exciting bit of this announcement is the names attached to it: Final Fantasy 14 producer Naoki Yoshida and series developer Hiroshi Takai. After Yoshida's Creative Business Unit III studio famously turned around FF14, making it the huge success it is today, it'll be interesting to see how the pair tackle a traditional Final Fantasy presumably detached from multiplayer.
Additionally, Square Enix recently hired Ryota Suzuki as a "battle director" and he is rumored to be working on FF16. Suzuki was designer of Devil May Cry 5 and Dragon's Dogma, which is a solid pedigree.
Final Fantasy 16 is another action-forward take on combat
If you've played FF15, or part one of the FF7 remake, you won't be surprised to see that Final Fantasy 16's combat appears to be action-heavy. The combat system reminiscent of Kingdom Hearts combines party synergy and abilities with stylish real-time action.
But you may spend more time alone, too?
Final Fantasy is known for its party systems with deep synergies, but every bit of combat we saw in this trailer showed the main character alone against monsters. That could just be Square Enix pacing out the reveals of party members, but it could indicate that you'll spend a lot of time in FF16 fighting alone. That would be a big change, and would also work with the idea of your character being the prince's sole bodyguard.
The trailer also hints at Joshua having some sort of special power, so perhaps he will be a party member?
Chocobos? Check.
Thank goodness. Driving the car in FF15 was fun and all, but nothing could compare to mounting a chocobo and taking on the wilds with your buds.
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