There’s a sense while playing Final Fantasy 16 that the actors involved had the opportunity to bring a piece of themselves into it, in ways previously not possible.
Is this partially because, in a franchise first, dialogue was originally recorded in English? Probably. But speaking to actor Ben Starr – who’s honey-like tones are the ones you hear whenever Clive Rosfield screams, weeps and everything in between – it’s clear that playing the lead character in a mainline, numbered Final Fantasy game is an honour he understands the weight of. To the level that only a true fan themselves would understand.
Starr’s history with the Japanese-developed series, is turns out, began long before finding out he had secured his place as the star of Final Fantasy 16 – well over 20 years ago, in fact. “Final Fantasy 8 is the most important video game I’ve ever played in my life,” he reveals. “To know that someone could have a similar, maybe not the exact same experience, but first-time experience discovering this world and this franchise, is the reason that I take this job incredibly seriously”.
