Make sure to scroll down below to find out more about Final Fantasy 16.
Has a Final Fantasy 16 Trailer Been Released?
Yes. In fact, a trailer was one of the first things we got for Final Fantasy 16, with a four-minute trailer titled “Awakening”. For those who haven’t had time to watch the trailer yet, we have a pretty quick summary of what it is all about. As always, the game is set in a fantasy world where magic and science meet. However, instead of modernizing things, Final Fantasy 16 seems to be set in a medieval world. Also returning are franchise stables, the summons, which are referred to as “Eikons” in the game, and they play a key role in the war between the multiple kingdoms featured in the game. In fact, the trailer showcases a clash between Shiva and Titan. One thing important to keep in mind is that the first trailer for Final Fantasy 16 featured in-game scenes. Naoki “Yoshi-P” Yoshida, the game’s producer, alluded in an interview that they did this to prove that the game is coming sooner rather than later. He also clarified in the same interview that they plan on releasing a much more polished trailer and he promises the final build of the game to feature better graphics.
Who Is the Final Fantasy 16 Director?
Square Enix’s Creative Business Unit III is responsible for developing Final Fantasy 16. “I saw some comments from Americans saying that if we [released a trailer that was all pre-rendered], they wouldn’t see the game until 2035…So we decided to release a proper trailer." pic.twitter.com/qGuWSpfDNA — ☆オードリーAudrey☆ (@aitaikimochi) September 27, 2020 In case you didn’t know, this is the same branch of Square Enix that’s also responsible for maintaining and producing expansions for Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. This comes as a surprise, as this business division, which Yoshi-P is the head of, primarily focused on MMOs in the past. However, at the same time, it’s also very exciting, considering what they’ve done with the massively multiplayer online role-playing game, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. Now, if you’re worried that the business division, in particular Yoshi-P, will have their hands busy with Final Fantasy XIV still on-going, don’t be. Hiroshi Takai will work on Final Fantasy XVI as its director with Yoshi-P acting as the game’s producer, which is another reason to get excited about FF16. Takai was the primary combat designer for Final Fantasy 11 and later on helped turn things around for the initially disastrous FF14. His involvement resulted in “A Realm Reborn” now boasting a player base that’s 20 million strong.
Is The Final Fantasy 16 Release Date Confirmed?
There’s no word yet on when exactly Final Fantasy 16 will release, but Yoshi-P has already confirmed that they will reveal more information about the game soon. Multiple rumors seem to suggest that Final Fantasy 16 will release sometime in 2021 or 2022, with the game being a next-gen title. However, regardless of the uncertainty of the release date, one thing that all the rumors and insiders seem to agree on is that Square Enix has worked on the game for years already, at least since Final Fantasy 15 was first released way back in 2016.
Final Fantasy 16 Story Details
Final Fantasy 16 is set in Valisthea, a world where people receive blessings in the form of aether from the mothercystals that allow them to conjure magicks (the in-game term for magic). As time passed, the world gave birth to different nations. The biggest and most powerful of which are the Grand Duchy of Rosaria, the Kingdom of Waloed, the Holy Empire of Sanbreque, the Iron Kingdom, and the Dhalmekian Republic. These kingdoms then find themselves at each other’s throats as a Blight spreads and threatens the entire world. There’s no word yet on when during the war the story of Final Fantasy 16 takes place, but we suspect that we’ll be caught right in the middle of it all. As is typical of a Final Fantasy title, summons will once again return. However, instead of summons, the game refers to the same “Eikons”, similar to how Final Fantasy 9 referred to the summons as “Eidolons”. In FF16, only those who are classified as a “Dominant” have the ability to wield the power of an Eikon. Because of their power, nations treat these Dominants either with respect or wield them as weapons. Joshua Rosfield, as featured in the game’s trailer, is a Dominant who wields the power of the Eikon Phoenix. He hails from the Grand Duchy of Rosaria and is treated like royalty. He is also referred to as “The Phoenix” outright by some people. He is, however, not the game’s protagonist. Instead, players will take control of Clive Rosfield, who is instead training in the art of “mastering the blade” after he isn’t chosen as the Dominant of the Phoenix, which, according to currently available information, is a fate that both brothers seem to dislike. Later on, Clive wins a tournament at the age of 15 and becomes the “First Shield of Rosaria”, whose main role is to protect the Dominant, which is his brother. Clive and Joshua are close friends with Jill Warrack, whose presence as the ward from the Northern Territories played a key role in brokering the peace between the warring nations. The trailer doesn’t reveal much. However, if you read the official descriptions, it does state that Clive is on a “dangerous road to revenge”. This suggests that the game will feature some form of tragedy pretty early on. If we were to hazard a guess, it’ll most likely feature Ifrit doing something to Joshua and/or the Phoenix. You’ll see Clive presented both as a young man and as an older middle-aged man in the trailer. In the latter part, he seems to have become a Dominant himself, empowered by Titan, and has become part of the army of the Dhalmekian Republic army as they do battle against the nation aligned with Shiva. What exactly Clive’s end goal is something we have no information as of yet.
What Final Fantasy 16 Summons Are Available?
Three confirmed summons or eikons in Final Fantasy 16 are Titan, Shiva, and Ifrit. However, we have no way to make sure just yet if Ifrit is going to be a summon or will instead take on an antagonistic role. As for the other nations, we can only speculate as of now. For example, the Kingdom of Waloed seems to have a horned horse-type figure for its banner, which suggests that their Eikon is Ixion. The Holy Empire of Sanbreque’s banner also seems to allude to Bahamut, as it features two dragons and humanoids. Meanwhile, since the Iron Kingdom is made up of a group of islands and surrounded by huge amounts of water, it makes a lot of sense for their Eikon to be someone like Leviathan.
What Will Final Fantasy 16 Be Like?
Leaks and speculations seem to suggest that Final Fantasy 16 will have more fluid and engaging combat compared to Final Fantasy 16. Some even go as far as to claim that it’ll be a mix of FF15’s combat with a hint of Dark Souls. What we know for sure is that this will be an RPG title. In an interview way back in 2019, Yoshi-P also stated that he’d “like to see a Final Fantasy that is a straightforward fantasy” and it’s starting to look like that this is the direction that FF16 is going with. Considering that the director and producer both had a huge hand in FF14, expect to see a similar high-fantasy setting in FF16.
How Will FF16 Impact Part 2 of the FF7 Remake?
FF16 and FF7, specifically part 2, are currently being developed at the same time. However, development on the former will not affect the latter. This is because each title will have its own dedicated team working on it. In addition to its producer and designer, FF16 also boasts some pretty big names and hirings. This includes Ryota Suzuki, designer of Dragon’s Dogma and Devil May Cry. He reportedly joined FF16’s development team as the Battle Director.
