Sony held a State of Play presentation for Final Fantasy 16 today, and the game’s Producer, Naoki Yoshida, gave us more details about what to expect for the long-running series’ next installment.
Among the chief new innovations for Final Fantasy 16 is the ability to open your map at any time. Now, you won’t need to wonder where you are in relation to the game world but will be able to use the map to pinpoint your location immediately.
The bright spot of this presentation was the ludicrously cool “Icon vs Icon” fights that you’ll engage with. While not replacing traditional bosses, at certain points during the story, you’ll encounter figures such as Bahamut or Ifrit and battle them with a summon of their own. The gameplay will even shift genres based on whom you’re fighting, mixing things up from regular combat.
Another big detail revealed is that your dog companion, Torgal, will act like a traditional party member and take commands from you during battles. Weirdly, your human party members will be completely automated, but dogs are better than humans anyway.
Square Enix is considering Final Fantasy 16 the first “true action RPG of the series,” so that might be a huge shift for players familiar with the turn-based entries. Thankfully, some new items that both enable Easy Mode and aid in accessibility will be present. It’s nice that those who aren’t interested in smashing their head against a wall for hours on end will have the ability to experience this game’s narrative.
Lastly, J-Pop star Kenshi Yonezu will be providing the theme song for Final Fantasy 16. While he isn’t a household name in the West, fans will likely be familiar with him from his work on Chainsaw Man. This should ensure that the theme is ridiculously catchy, if nothing else.
Final Fantasy 16 is scheduled for release on June 22, 2023, for PS5. A PC port will be coming sometime in the future.
Featured image via Square Enix.
