Every day brings fans one step closer Final Fantasy 16. Another trailer has been promised this year, and chances are 2023 will be full of reveals and coverage of the game. Unlike other Square Enix projects announced years before they came out, Final Fantasy 16 is content-complete and has reserved its run-up year for polish. This image of a well-run game is good for the Final Fantasy series, especially seen Final Fantasy 16 continues to experiment with action gameplay.
Comparisons with its immediate predecessor are virtually guaranteed. While action elements have been around since the Japanese Final Fantasy 3, Final Fantasy 15 was the first title in the series to earn full action RPG status from the realm of spin-offs. It had a lot of development issues and came with clear cuts in the second half. One of the most intact parts of the final game is the relationship between protagonist Noctis Lucis Caelum and his three best friends. This adaptation of the classic Final Fantasy party was a heartwarming affair and stands in stark contrast to the more independent protagonist of FF16.
FF16 focuses on Clive, while FF15 makes room for the whole party
The focal point of Final Fantasy 16‘s story is Clive Rosfield, firstborn son of the Archduke of Rosaria. Clive is the only protagonist and usually the only character that players have control over. He is the only constant party member and the story focuses mainly on his relationships, goals and interactions with others. Final Fantasy 16 will begin in Rosaria, where Clive and his immediate family struggle in a time of encroaching plague and political maneuvering. Clive will meet more people and form connections after time skips, but even in the wider world, Clive is the character players will be most engaged with.
That couldn’t be more different from how Final Fantasy 15 integrates his characters. The main group of Noctis, Prompto, Gladiolus and Ignis are inseparable and the story is seen from their collective point of view. These four men ride together, fight together and support each other throughout their various character arcs.
Aside from times when the story requires them to break up for a while, there are always at least two on the screen. They can start side quests with Noctis organically, and all sorts of quirky interactions can arise from within the party itself. Final Fantasy 15 is defined by a very small group of recurring characters, and none are more important than the gang in their motorized Regalia.
The Final Fantasy 16 Party is on the move
Clive isn’t foolish enough to travel alone, though he hasn’t joined any group after the fall of his country. During Final Fantasy 16, Clive will be joined by other people. It looks like these extra party members will vary greatly in the game, ranging from Clive’s loyal wolf companion Torgal to other Dominants in their human form. It looks like even playable Eikons will rotate depending on the scenario, as Clive’s brother Joshua Phoenix supplies for FF16‘s first call battle. These people will chat with Clive while playing, but he will usually be the main character.
The Final Fantasy 15 crew is too close to be added or subtracted permanently. They may fall out of the party for a short time, but they always come back. From pushing the Regalia down a dusty road in the opening to potentially appearing in the player’s favorite photo at the end, the four boys are set in stone. It evokes the feeling of some early party members in classic Final Fantasy games that never go away. In addition to their occasional absence, there are also guests who occasionally show up. Whether it’s Ardyn riding in the Regalia or someone like Iris helping out in battle, these guys are meant to highlight the normal party members rather than replace them.
FF15’s party has its own spotlight
If players had Final Fantasy 15‘s DLC or the Royal Edition, there was no need to worry about Prompto, Gladiolus or Ignis losing screen time. All three received DLC episodes that allowed players to directly control them. These DLC episodes are all loved by FF15‘s fans, and they offer radically different gameplay styles on top of some tough super bosses. The gameplay was later patched into the base game, allowing players to purchase upgrades that made it possible to switch characters in battle. Given how deeply integrated team-up attacks and contextual party actions were, this felt like the logical conclusion to: Final Fantasy 15‘s party-centric fun.
Or Final Fantasy 16 will follow in these footsteps is not yet clear. There’s plenty of room for short sequences or even DLC episodes where players take charge of important figures in the world, especially other Dominants. However, as it stands, players can only join their AI allies in battle. Whether there are strategies or orders that players can set as in Kingdom Hearts is currently unclear.
Final Fantasy 16 will be a personal journey for Clive Rosfield, and it’s wise to make sure that even other characters undertaking their own quests don’t get in the way. with even Final Fantasy 11 and 14 mixing sides to core game mechanics, seeing a major Final Fantasy title de-emphasis on this classic genre staple so much is quite shocking. Yet it may turn out to give Final Fantasy 16 a more focused gameplay and narrative experience.
Final Fantasy 16 releases summer 2023 for PS5.
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