We take a look at what we know about Square Enix’s new game, marking a new era for the series from rising names in the studio.
One of the big surprises of the Sony event around PS5 was the presentation of Final Fantasy XVI, which led the presentation as a “console exclusive” for the new Sony platform, although what was shown were PC sequences emulating the PS5 hardware, just as indicated from the beginning. This and the fact that a launch window was not announced should already give us a first clue: it will go a long way. There will be no more news about the game until 2021, so it is clear that we are not on the verge of seeing it in stores, precisely.
At the same time, it is important to note an important distinction from other major game introductions in the series. Usually, at least in the last installments, a presentation of a new main Final Fantasy is usually conceptual, with spectacular cinematics by Visual Works and without specifying too much, brushstrokes and great plans but that do not allow to guess too specific elements. With this installment we have seen something very different: everything seemed in-game, with a very marked tone and style and even a refreshing amount of gameplay and combat. Nothing to present three games at the same time, nor “Fabulas Novas”, nor castles in the air. A presentation that exudes feet on the ground.
Blood and darkness
Watching the four minutes of the trailer, we can draw some conclusions. The harshness of the aesthetics and the sobriety of the characters and narrative elements is notorious. There is war and blood, the characters exude resentment and there are traces of a complex geopolitical situation that have inevitably reminded us of Ivalice. The clue may be in the phrase that highlights the video: “The legacy of the Crystals has shaped our history long enough.” That and the notorious presence of invocations puts this element at the center of the narrative plot, as a possible engine of a conflict between nations and individuals. The aesthetics, proportions and general style will also be familiar to the players of Final Fantasy XIV, a huge initial failure that managed to become one of the most successful games of the company thanks to the talent of a group that has not gone unnoticed by the directors of Square Enix.
For this reason, it is not surprising that Naoki Yoshida (Yoshi-P), considered the great architect of turning Final Fantasy XIV into the game that it is today, is responsible for this project, yes, as a producer as well as he has been commissioned himself to clarify. Some time ago he sharply denied rumors that he was going to direct major installments, which would have meant departing from his specialty in the MMO, but now it has been seen that it was a denial with hidden nuances. As a producer, you have more freedom to continue to care for the development of FF XIV while building the XVI team, setting the tone, supervising and ensuring that the game has a steady track record in its development.
It is also not surprising that the main managers of this project have noticed some of the names with whom he has worked closely. Officially we know that the director is Hiroshi Takai, one of the men who was by Yoshida’s side as an assistant director to work the miracle of A Realm Reborn and also director of one of the company’s hidden gems: The Last Remnant, along with we must add a long history within it, with participation in games like Final Fantasy V, or Romancing SaGa. In the post on the Playstation blog, he comments excitedly about how he experienced the launch of the first Final Fantasy as a student and how he now leads a team to shape this new numbered installment, promising that “the wait will be worth it.”
We do not know more names of that team, but as pointed out by a great connoisseur of the saga such as Duckroll, on his Twitter account, he pointed out that the name of Kazutoyo Maehiro as stage manager had appeared and disappeared shortly after, which would be excellent news given that he is the event planner for Final Fantasy Tactics, and it would also be a logical choice for being another of the strong men in the development of A Realm Reborn and its expansions (event director and main script writer in A Realm Reborn and Heavensward, as well as event and stage director at Stormblood and Shadowbringers). And surely we will see more familiar names within the development of Final Fantasy XIV as top managers in key positions.
Unknowns about combat
One element that arouses curiosity is, without a doubt, combat. In the trailer we could see some very spectacular sequences with elaborate combos and movements, but at no point did we see a group or tactical elements present – it could have been mistaken for a Beat’em Up without any problem. It is normal to have objections, seen what we have seen, but Square Enix has come a long way when it comes to combining colorful and active combat with a tactical and JRPG element, as we could see in Final Fantasy VII Remake. Being a numbered delivery, with what this implies, it is better to wait and see how it is going to really approach, before getting carried away by first impressions.
Finally, we must re-emphasize a fundamental idea. Perhaps the fact of deciding to show an in-game work, without fireworks, has made the announcement less impressive – although this also denotes security in what is being done. Perhaps the general style does not convince, or the seen of the combat generates doubts. But, if Final Fantasy XIV has not been played, as it will surely happen to many traditional fans of the saga, it is important to highlight a quality of the MMO that can be perfectly exported to an offline delivery: the different stories and characters that we have seen in the expansions are at a spectacular level and, more importantly, their connection with history, lore and the great moments of past installments, with the same essence that has made Final Fantasy what it is today in the memories of its players, shows that we are before a human group that reveres and understands what this name means. That idea will be key so that the new numbered installment can regain sensations and regain the highest ranking of its kind.
