Final Fantasy is one of those names that, like it or not, all gamers have approached at least once in their life. Whether by hearsay or after playing every single chapter, the immortal saga of Final Fantasy has been keeping us company since 1987 and is now ready to return with Chapter XVI, a new story and all the potential of the new generation of consoles. Thanks to Square Enix e Pleionwe got to preview the first 6 hours of the game to get a taste of what awaits us in Final Fantasy XVI.
Obviously In this preview, there will be no story spoilers for Final Fantasy XVI but we will give a smattering of the gameplay, our initial impressions and doubts about the trend of this chapter.
But let’s start in order!
The preview of Final Fantasy XVI
Final Fantasy XVI is set in the world of Valisthea disputed between six nations holding power through the power of crystals and the so-called “dominators“. These are human beings capable of harboring the immense power of gods Eikonmagical creatures, such as Shiva o Ifritalso used in battle that channel the power of crystals and elements.
The protagonist of the story is Clive Rosfield, son of the king of one of the kingdoms and protector of his younger brother Joshua. Indeed, the latter holds the power of the fire Eikon and from his great power also comes an expenditure of energy that makes him vulnerable to political intrigues and the constant wars that affect the kingdoms. It will be precisely these that will overwhelm the life of Clive and his family and a glorious adventure of revenge, battles and the discovery of the past as well as of himself will begin for him.
Game world and gameplay.
Unlike the previous chapters, Final Fantasy XVI is set in a purely medieval world with dark fantasy veins particularly focused on the political conflict and wars between different nations. Therefore abandon (at least for what we have seen) the futuristic and steampunk elements of the most recent chapters, no longer convertible cars but the dear old Chocobos. This chapter it also abandons the Open World mechanic offering yes a vast world full of details and regions to discover but offering the player some “corridor” maps alternating with larger areasfollowing the example of games like God of War Ragnarok.
Square Enix focuses on even more action gameplay than the previous chapters. Say goodbye to turn-based combat, the battles will all be in real time with a system devoted to action. It will be possible to control Clive and take advantage of his skills and spells to defeat enemies, earn experience points and improve their skills. In this regard we will have one available quite extensive skill tree which alternates sword combos with peculiarities inherent in magic and its ability to use fire.
Like the most classic Final Fantasy, they alternate here too phases of exploration, combat and cinematic sequences that keep the story going. The latter, at least in the first hours of the game, are the masters, introducing us to the story and the characters that are part of it. In the exploration phases we will be able to collect objects scattered around the map, talk to the NPCs and as the name suggests, explore the game area. As anticipated, do not expect an Open World and the mechanics associated with this genre. Yes, we have a system of main and secondary quests but rather simple.
Game action considerations
Although our time available was quite high for a press preview, we are certain that we have only explored the cutting edge of Final Fantasy XVI. The The potential of the game is very high especially with regard to the plot which in a short time has fascinated us very much. With a fascinating setting and characters that also stand out in a few minutes, the appeal of the game was extremely stimulating.
The gameplay is less stimulating. Don’t get us wrong, although we are big fans of turn-based combat, we have long accepted the change of course initiated by the franchise many years ago, but the level of action of this chapter has left us perplexed. The fights alternate with the sequences that push the story forward in a frenetic way and even if this results in a pleasant adrenaline boostwe have noticed a certain discrepancy between the cinematics (really too many) and the parts played. This is probably due to the early stages of the game, notoriously slowerbut the minutes spent with the controller in hand doing absolutely nothing were far too many.
When the time comes (finally) to take action, there is no shortage of excitement. Between sword attacks, magic attacks, dodging and special attacks, we are spoiled for choice to hit opponents. These, in addition to the classic life bar, also have a resistance bar that must be broken to stun them and inflict as many blows as possible. A battle with a giant Molboro made us sweat a lot!
Top technical sector
A thousand and more EXP points (follows the fanfare of victory) as regards the technical sector. Animations, textures and performance are always top notch with a style that really conquered us. Models and characters are made at their best (even if some NPCs repeat themselves too often) and manage to make themselves loved in a short time. Particularly beautiful are the animations of the fights without smudges or glitches of any kind.
On PlayStation 5, which we remember will be the exclusive console of Final Fantasy XVI at least for the first half of the year, we find the classic specific graphics modes for performance, favoring the frame rate or specifications for graphics. As sadistic testers, we tried to play as much as possible with the best graphics quality at the “detriment” of frame rates, but even with this setting We’ve never noticed any heavy FPS drops during even the most over-the-top action sequences, and there have been plenty!
The dubbing is also excellentboth in English and in Italian, which best represents the personality and mood of the characters, an indispensable factor for becoming attached to it and savoring the plot to the fullest. As for the soundtrack, we didn’t find the music particularly overwhelming but again, this could be due to our “short” experience.
Our preview of Final Fantasy XVI in a nutshell
Previewing Final Fantasy XVI for about 6 hours was not enough to savor the many plot and gameplay elements that we are sure this game will offer us. They have certainly been enough to instill in us one considerable curiosity despite some doubts about the gameplay.
That it was a particularly action-focused game was a detail known for some time, but it was still difficult to see it firsthand. Our hopes are that with the continuation of the plot and the unlocking of new areas of the map, the balance between the narrated parts and the played parts is more balanced and that this can make us appreciate even more fun and adrenaline-pumping action gameplay.
We just have to give you an appointment at the release of Final Fantasy XVI, scheduled for June 22nd, and at our review, as always, on these channels.