State of Play
Final Fantasy XVI delayed to 2023 but unveils new trailer
FFXVI was the culmination of Sony's State of Play, where it showed an impressive trailer on PS5 and announced its release... to summer 2023.
Naoki Yoshida, the game's producer, had been warning about it for some time. "The new Final Fantasy XVI trailer is finished, but it has been temporarily delayed." It was a matter of a few weeks before we had it with us, and so it has been. Square Enix had kept it as an ace up its sleeve for Sony's State of Play, in which it has returned to hog all the spotlight with this installment of the saga, which is the expected return to medieval fantasy.
The trailer came with a gift under the arm, its release date, and for a moment we thought it was an apology for its delay, but in reality, it was a tainted gift. FF XVI will be released on PS5 in summer 2023, which misses the year and the 35th anniversary of the saga. We will always have the spectacular video to put it on loop and enjoy its story, combat system and summoning, each time looking better and better.
Final Fantasy XVI: everything we know
Six years have passed since Final Fantasy XV and the hype for this sixteenth installment has already crossed all the layers of the atmosphere. Among the novelties we know about the game is the combat system, used to be the focus of debate in the saga. FF XVI will not return to the turn-based fights of the originals, but will bet on hack and slash style action. The best example of what we can expect is given by Ryota Suzuki, the person in charge of this department, who has been in charge of combat in games like Devil May Cry 5 or Dragon's Dogma. But don't let the purists be alarmed because Suzuki has also promised a neat skill tree with different ways to develop the heroes.
As for the story, Final Fantasy XVI takes us to the world of Valisthea, region of the Crystals, strange precious stones whose influence allows the locals to master magic and enjoy a prosperous and long life. Or at least it had been so until now, when great powers began to emerge, developed under the protection of these Crystals that yearn to monopolize power and make it their exclusive use and enjoyment. Sides such as the Grand Duchy of Rosaria, the Kingdoms of Iron and Waloed, the Republic of Dhalmekia or the Holy Empire of Sanbreque.
FFXVI for the 35th anniversary of the franchise
These houses of which we speak will undertake the search for the so-called Dominants, the people who best channel these crystals and who possess unique abilities and the ability to summon different beasts known as eikon. The kingdoms will host and hunt down and capture the Dominants to use them to their advantage in what will soon become a war for the future of Valisthea. And in the middle of it all, Clive Rosefield, a mercenary of high lineage must decide what role to play in this. Whether to gather and protect the Dominants or take control of the Crystals and subjugate the world himself.
Crystals, invocations, a medieval world... Many of what is told here will evoke memories of different installments. This FF XVI misses the 35th anniversary of Final Fantasy this 2022, but the work aims to be a tribute to the imagination and legacy of the saga. A tribute that we can not be more eager to try. At least now we know when.