Final Fantasy XVI (22nd June 2023)

[Julius]

We're just under three months out, and the game has gone gold! 

 

[Julius]

State of Play with 20+ minutes of new gameplay coming this Thursday (13th April) at 22:00 BST! 

(yeah I didn't feel like it deserved its own thread, sue me )

[Ike]

Sad to see they’ve moved away from being an RPG series.

[Glen-i]

10 hours ago, Ike said:

Sad to see they’ve moved away from being an RPG series.

It's weird, isn't it? The Final Fantasy portion of Square Enix seem to be really embarrassed by being known as the RPG company. You see a gradual distancing from that aspect of the series ever since FF 12.

Thank goodness for Team Asano though. Bravely Default and Octopath Traveler have basically become New Final Fantasy at this point.

[Sheikah]

Thank goodness for Team Asano though. Bravely Default and Octopath Traveler have basically become New Final Fantasy at this point.

It's too bad that those games aren't very good though. It's like they split out the mechanical aspects of old Final Fantasy but then forgot to supplement it with the stuff that actually makes Final Fantasy great - namely the characters, story, towns and exploration. I feel like the new Final Fantasy games have a lot of that but lack the old school battle system and have really doubled down on being like movies.

[Ike]

3 hours ago, Glen-i said:

It's weird, isn't it? The Final Fantasy portion of Square Enix seem to be really embarrassed by being known as the RPG company. You see a gradual distancing from that aspect of the series ever since FF 12.

Thank goodness for Team Asano though. Bravely Default and Octopath Traveler have basically become New Final Fantasy at this point.

The fact they are saying they are overhauling the battle system for Dragon Quest XII makes me nervous as well. Hoping Yuji Horii prevents them making any too drastic changes.

[Glen-i]

2 hours ago, Sheikah said:

It's too bad that those games aren't very good though. It's like they split out the mechanical aspects of old Final Fantasy but then forgot to supplement it with the stuff that actually makes Final Fantasy great - namely the characters, story, towns and exploration. I feel like the new Final Fantasy games have a lot of that but lack the old school battle system and have really doubled down on being like movies.

I mean, opinions and all that, I can overlook it because Bravely is the best implementation of the job system from FF3 and FF5.

And I'm quite the fan of the more grounded stories in Octopath Traveler. You don't see that often in RPG's, so it's quite refreshing.

And yes, @Ike. You're not the only one concerned about Dragon Quest. This notion that turn-based is generally seen as a dirty word in Square is weird, because there's clearly an audience for it, and it certainly hasn't stopped the likes of Pokémon.

Edited April 14, 2023 by Glen-i

[Dcubed]

Square has wanted to desperately become an action game developer for more or less two decades now.  Ever since RE4 and the original Monster Hunter came out in particular though, they’ve been desperate to shake off their label of being a developer of turn-based RPGs; and they’ve been enormously envious of Capcom in particular and how well they initially handled the transition to HD development.

Final Fantasy’s transition from traditional turn-based RPG to full-on Devil May Cry clone has been slowly creeping onward ever since FF13 released back in 2009 (and arguably even since FF11, FF10-2 and FF12).  Never mind the KH series too.  This is just the final form that the Square side of Square-Enix have been wanting to achieve since the early 2000s, even before they merged with Enix!

Speaking of which, the Enix side of S-E has ironically been the one that has kept Square’s roots as an RPG developer alive.  Team Asano in particular (who come from the Enix side) have really kept that flame alive in spectacular fashion.

But yeah, Square have wanted to become Capcom ever since the early 2000s, and now their wish has finally come true.  For better or worse.  We’ll have to see if the Square side end up influencing Yuji Hori enough to convince him to abandon the current Dragon Quest audience as well though… as I and many of us are suspecting will happen (we all remember what nearly did happen with DQ9…).

Edited April 14, 2023 by Dcubed

[Julius]

The game's OST will be releasing physically in July, with Standard and Ultimate CD Editions announced.

No word yet on the likely inevitable vinyl release, but man, that collection sure looks real purty 

[Julius]

XVI is the next cover story for Game Informer!

In case that tweet plays up or says it showcases sensitive content:

Ain't she a beaut? Just five and a half weeks to go! 

[Julius]

One month out, meaning it's time for previews, apparently! 

Feel like I simultaneously know way too much and yet far too little about this game being a month out, but I'm excited nonetheless 

[Julius]

Launch trailer hype 

Less than a month to go! 

[Julius]

Demo spotted on the PlayStation Store over on Reddit 

Reckon it'll drop by the end of next week? Been under the impression for a while now that a demo would drop 2 weeks ahead of launch based on what Yoshi-P and co. have said about it in the past, plus there's that showcase next weekend, and we're just 3 weeks away as of today... 

Edited June 1, 2023 by Julius

[Julius]

We're two weeks away people! And I'm so not reading anything else on this 

People asking about the demo...wonder if it drops/is announced tonight during Summer Game Fest? 

[Dcubed]

Dahym… FF16 just got thrown under the bus by FF7 Rebirth.

Looks like S-E have already given up and are moving onto marketing their next big FF title before this game is even out.  It’s Resident Evil Reveliations all over again!

[Julius]

6 hours ago, Dcubed said:

Dahym… FF16 just got thrown under the bus by FF7 Rebirth.

Looks like S-E have already given up and are moving onto marketing their next big FF title before this game is even out.  It’s Resident Evil Reveliations all over again!

I don't think this is a case of XVI getting thrown under the bus at all. It's been said before but XVI's marketing cycle has been very up front, I mean it's trailer at the Showcase a couple of weeks ago was already labelled as being it's final trailer – and rightly so, I feel like we've seen a lot of that game without seeing a lot of that game, I don't need to see much more. I think there's much more to be said about XVI's marketing than S-E throwing it under the bus with Rebirth news. 

Would I have bet on Rebirth showing up yesterday at SGF? I feel like the constant tweets over the last few days with interview questions was a bit of a hint that they were leading up to an announcement, and I saw some people guessing it would turn up, but I wouldn't have personally thought so, because they've done a great job of letting XVI have all of the attention up to this point since we saw Rebirth last summer. But then again, when was the last time Square Enix had two AAA Final Fantasy games releasing in the modern era of gaming releasing within 12 months of one another? It simply hasn't happened. It's uncharted territory. Sure, why not show Rebirth now – what, people aren't going to buy the game 2 weeks away now on the back of a game 10 months away turning back up? Nonsense! We'll be playing both! 

I don't think there needs to be any fear mongering when it comes to Square Enix giving up on XVI, and I think it's kind of disrespectful to the teams over there at CBU III and Yoshi-P to suggest as much – have you seriously not seen what they've done in turning around XIV Online? They've used a Phoenix Down on a dead game and turned it into a titan in its own right, absolutely buried WoW, and have set the standard for modern MMOs. It's one hell of an achievement. Kitase - you know, the guy who oversees everything FF nowadays - has talked in the past about Yoshi-P being something of an heir apparent to modern FF, and it's great to see him finally get a chance at serving something up for us non-MMO-playing fans. They have full confidence in him and his vision, and virtually every fan interested in XVI or that has played/is familiar with the success of XIV does too. 

XVI will be judged on its own terms and as its own game, as will VII Rebirth. It really doesn't need to set the world on fire to be a success, I think we should just be happy that these games are now being turned out at a decent clip! I think Rebirth turning up is purely a marketing decision, as it should be, because, well, when else would it turn up in the next six months realistically? The game can't turn up at Xbox with its exclusivity deal, and next to that, SGF is probably the biggest regularly scheduled event with E3 dead and buried outside of The Game Awards (I wouldn't risk leaving it to Gamescom ONL), so sure, why not SGF? 

Also, for the love of Ifrit and Odin, they're having a huge launch event for XVI this weekend and, unless their plans have changed, a demo is due to drop any day now. 

So, respectfully: y'all certainly (and consistently) have some weird takes, learn to just enjoy the ride some more 

[Julius]

Friendly reminder that the Pre-Launch Event, likely where a demo is going to be announced to drop some time this week, is set to start in the next 15 minutes!

The event will be streaming on Twitch and YouTube and is set to be nearly 5 hours long, with focused discussions about the music, Eikons, and narrative. It's really turning out to be a XIV Live Letter, should be a good time! 

Still can't decide whether or not I'll want to check out the demo or experience it all for the first time when the game launches...

EDIT: how did we end up with ANOTHER trailer?!

So endearing hearing the new CEO of S-E try his best to speak English for this event, and Platinum AND the KH team helped with development! Game's a culmination  as always, Koji Fox and Yoshi-P are killing it (joked about how the second part of the demo was set at night so to not worry – it's a test of how dark XVI can get ) as are the rest of the team

Edited June 12, 2023 by Julius

[Julius]

Demo announced – and dropping in just 8½ hours, 09:00 BST on June 12th! 

The demo will be 2+ hours long and includes the game's prologue – and yes, saved data can be carried over to the full game! 

Once the Prologue is complete, a special battle demo will become available from the title screen, allowing us to experience the new Eikon abilities! 

LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 

EDIT: courtesy of the PS Blog, seems like the demo in its entirety will be 4-5 hours long!

Quote

The demo will give PlayStation 5 players a taste of the game's vibrant world and fast-paced action combat with two lengthy sections showcasing what you can expect from FFXVI. The first is the game's opening prologue, approximately a two and half hour slice of gameplay giving players insight into Clive Rosfield's past and the events that set him on his present day journey. Save data from this portion can be carried over to the main game when it launches next week.

Completing the prologue then unlocks a special battle demo, approximately a two-hour, action-heavy segment. This features an infiltration of a fort at night, with Clive supported on his mission by his faithful wolf Torgal and Cidolfus Telamon. You'll encounter various enemies and epic bosses. While you won't be able to save your progress in this segment of the demo, it will let you test out the fuller range of combat options by way of numerous unlocked abilities and accessories. This can be replayed as many times as you'd like, giving players a head start on experiencing Clive's full-fledged action battles.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Edited June 12, 2023 by Julius

[Sheikah]

Dahym… FF16 just got thrown under the bus by FF7 Rebirth.
Looks like S-E have already given up and are moving onto marketing their next big FF title before this game is even out.  It’s Resident Evil Reveliations all over again!

A truly bizarre take, even for you. [emoji14]

[Julius]

Wasn't planning to stay up for it, but I did, because of just how infectious the energy was emanating from the team. Some absolutely delightful and hilarious moments throughout. 

Honestly? That was the best showing of the last week for me. Bit of a lull in the middle with Alanah during the Narrative discussion (not her fault, just don't think there's that much they could really dive into, so the questions unfortunately ended up being very generic) but everything else was just a goldmine. Worth checking out the highlights or skimming through, for me the opening, combat talk, and music talk were the absolute highlights of the whole thing: we got to see Soken play with Alex Moukala, and we got to watch the combat director absolutely obliterate a hardcore boss. 

Here's the archive, for your perusal:

To focus on one game for 5 hours (with some breaks) and keep a captive audience of some 10k+ on YouTube alone was insane but totally justified, and if I wasn't hyped before...well, I was, but I'm even more hyped now! 

We also got a surprisingly good live-action trailer for the game:

Less than 4 hours until the demo drops. 

The XVI hype is very real right now 

[Julius]

Finally got around to checking out the first half of the demo this evening, and yeah, as they stated it's about 2 - 2½ hours long. 

As we knew going in, this first half of the demo covered the Prologue, serving as a tutorial for many of the game's core mechanics. This does mean it seems very stop-start, with multiple instances where you take a few steps, transition into a cutscene, and back out to taking another few steps, etc., which means combat and the general flow of the game don't really come into full swing until the latter half of the demo.

It's also not helped at all in my mind by the two modes (favouring either performance or quality) in the demo being poor at something or another, with the performance mode - aiming for 60 fps - having what I found to be noticeable frame rate drops (which I'm very sensitive to), and the quality mode - a more stable 30 fps - in turn making use of what I found to be a pretty dizzying degree of motion blur. There's also no option for turning off motion blur as things stand, so hopefully they change that for the full release (in just 8 days!!) or at least pay attention to the demo feedback and jump on it quickly, because it means both modes, while playable, just don't feel as refined as they should be. It might just be the length of the demo and not having time to adjust, or a combination of the aforementioned frame rate drops and motion blur, but I couldn't find a camera sensitivity that worked for me in the way that I wanted; '2', the default, was a bit too fast, but '1' felt like I was dragging a camera from one point on the screen to another. 

Now that my only gripes with my demo are out of the way...I'm here to tell you that the wait was worth it and that they've delivered. This demo abso-freakin'-lutely delivers and then some. The story is much darker - imagining Game of Thrones meets Attack on Titan is probably the best way to describe it - and the characters, while at times a little archetypal (albeit in the opening hours of a 40 hour RPG?), are very charming and expressive. The game looks absolutely wonderful. I thought the combat was pretty fun, once it finally got going I found it it really clicked, and I can't wait to see what tougher encounters deeper into the game look like. The only thing that has me a little nervous in combat is the QTE stuff for staggering and dodging, but we'll see how that turns out. Favourite fight was surely the Dragoon, and dang man, seeing him do the IV logo pose...iconic 

Oh, and that boss fight  I know they've talked about how each Eikon conflict will be unique, but man, this sets a stupidly high bar, especially with the seamless transitions from cutscene to gameplay. I actually lost the first time around, which was a really fun moment where I thought they'd actually timed the battle for you to fully clear Ifrit's health bar before he turns the tide in a cutscene, but nope, which made me chuckle and just stunned me with how sold I was in the moment of what was going on in the battle and the story. 

The music - THE FREAKING MUSIC PEOPLE!! - is unsurprisingly just everything you want a Final Fantasy game's OST to be in 2023, which should come as no surprise given that, well, it's Soken, and he's freaking killed it. Because, I mean, was he ever not going to? It's epic, it's sombre, and it's altogether just a whirlwind of emotion that had me smiling during every single battle and cutscene...and it's the first time in a long time I feel like a game is being scored nonstop rather than just picking up the conductor's baton at interesting points in cutscenes or battles, it's really going on all the time. I can't wait to hear the rest of it! 

The Active Time Lore (ATL) you can access from holding down the touchpad during most cutscenes is brilliant and I genuinely expect it to become the norm in lore-heavy games moving forwards, I think anyone with a game coming out towards the latter half of next year onwards should be looking at this and taking notes; it's the first genuinely new concept I've seen introduced in a AAA RPG in years, and it just serves its function perfectly. I really loved just digging through at the start of every cutscene to learn more about locations, enemies, characters or concepts in the world of Valisthea which makes it feel extremely accessible, and I imagine that would extend even further to those new to the franchise. It's a stroke of pure genius. 

After playing the first half of the demo, I'm really not sure if I'm interested in checking out the second half as I'm fully sold. I mean, I was already, but now even more so  it would just serve to potentially spoil some of the later stuff for me (plus I think we've already seen some of it in previous previews/demos from the press?), so yeah, I might genuinely give it a pass. I made sure to run through items and not be as exhaustive as I'm sure I will be talking to everyone I find during the demo because I want to start from scratch next week.

This is all to say: if you're on the fence, check out the demo.

If you're already in: check out the demo (you'll love it).

If you have no stance at all on the game, but have a PS5: check out the demo.

I had confidence going in that the game would be great, but now? It feels fully justified and validated. And knowing what little I do about CBU III market their games, I've no doubt the marketing - while a lot! - barely scratches the surface of where the game is going to be heading. 

I have zero problems with dropping Zelda for a little while to fully immerse myself in Valisthea and XVI next week after what I played today, and I genuinely think while it's on the opposite end of the spectrum to a game like Tears of the Kingdom, I wouldn't be at all surprised if this is being talked about as a genuine GOTY contender come year's end. I don't say that lightly, but that's just how strong this demo was. 

Oh, and lastly: this is the horniest FF. Can't say I expected that going in 

Edited June 13, 2023 by Julius

[Happenstance]

Trying the demo now and I'm enjoying it. I hadn't really been sold on the game before this, none of the trailers really did anything for me but this has helped a lot. I think I will get it at launch after all.

[drahkon]

Demo was good.

Really good.

[Choze]

I am still rocking my FFXIV: Heavensward avatar! Same writer from Heavensward. I think people will be nicely surprised by the more mature themes, stories, acting and characters.

Always had complete faith in the FFXIV team in that they were going to deliver big time. Only played a tiny portion of the demo but don't need more convincing. The performance mode still has ray tracing which is probably a mistake. I expect them to polish that up for release as per FFXIV.

[Happenstance]

Really liking the ability to pull up the lore for a certain situation using the trackpad. Makes it so helpful in a game like this where new names for things are thrown at you really quickly.