The Final Fantasy 16 State of Play has come and gone, bringing with it a blend of new and old information about the upcoming RPG’s characters and gameplay, and more importantly, plenty of fresh footage. While there was no demo – yet – Square Enix did show off plenty of flashy Eikon combat and some new characters who join Clive on his journey. There’s some new locations, plenty of summons, and even a classic Final Fantasy staple thrown in for good measure. We’ve rounded up the biggest announcements and most interesting tidbits you might have missed.
Eikon battles look pretty intense
If you saw the preview footage of the Garuda battle, you might be thinking Eikon fights look a bit formulaic, but a lengthy segment at the end of the presentation suggests otherwise. It shows Clive and Ifrit-Clive locked in combat against Titan in his Eikon form. The entire battlefield is a swirling mass of stones and earthy tentacles, as Clive struggles to reach the monster in the middle.
This is seemingly after the regular Eikon battle between Ifrit-Clive and Titan and sees Clive taking on “Titan Lost.” That sounds pretty significant from a story standpoint, though Square Enix was careful to avoid pretty much everything related to the RPG’s narrative during the presentation. Still, whatever the “Lost” phase is, it certainly looks like it’ll make for some spectacular scenes in battle.
Summons are everywhere
Titan, Shiva, Ifrit, and Phoenix are all classic summons from previous Final Fantasy games, but Square Enix slipped a few extras in that we haven’t seen much of as well. Bahamut made a proper appearance. The mighty dragon also turned up briefly during PAX East. This time, however, we see not only the Bahamut fight with Clive, but also how Bahamut’s skills look once Clive equips them. Mega Flare seems to have made the transition to action RPG combat quite well and looks suitably devastating.
Odin makes a surprise cameo during the Titan Lost fight too. Perhaps we’ll even see Leviathan or the Knights of the Round.
Clive has lots of friends
We knew certain characters, including Cid, would join Clive at key moments during his adventures, but it seems like they might show up more often than it first seemed. The footage Square Enix revealed sees Jill and Cid join Clive in combat quite a bit, and a cinematic even shows the entire group standing in front of the Mothercrystal – where previous footage only showed Clive.
Other friends turn up as well, including noble guards and a friend called Mid from Clive’s youth. That’s not even getting into Clive’s extended social circle after he joins Cid’s hideaway and meets dozens of additional named NPCs, some of whom have involved questlines that reveal more of their backstories and place in the world.
There’s a big flashback
Square Enix previously said that Final Fantasy 16 unfolds across three parts of Clive’s life, and while that’s technically still true, producer Naoki Yoshida said during the State of Play presentation that the youth stage – when Clive’s life takes a dramatic turn for the worse – is a giant flashback.
The game starts with Clive as a young adult before diving back into his childhood at some point. Whether this happens all at once or over several periods, Yoshida didn’t say, though the youth period seems pretty substantial. The State of Play footage showed Clive traveling across several locations, some intense battles, including one against a giant Malboro, and a slightly disturbing sequence where Ifrit seemingly punches Joshua, Clive’s brother, to death.
Clive, the bounty hunter
Among the many (serious) side quests and other “RPG elements” in Final Fantasy 16 is a set of contracts Clive can undertake where he battles fierce monsters and earns a reward based on his performance. It’s all very Witcher, but any way to get more Gil will likely be welcome. Clive has no shortage of things to spend money on, including weapon upgrades.
Story difficulty seems like an excellent option for genre newcomers
Final Fantasy 16 includes several accessories that make its fast-paced combat less complicated, including ones that automatically evade and slow down combo timing. You start the game with every accessory if you choose story difficulty, so if you’re not keen on action combat, this seems like a good way to ease yourself into it.
Unlike in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, you don’t have to issue commands to your party members either, so you’re free to focus just on Clive.
Kenshi Yonezu performs Final Fantasy 16's theme
Prolific songwriter and performer Kenshi Yonezu is the artist singing Final Fantasy 16‘s theme. Yonezu has been on the music scene since 2009. He releases vocaloid music under the name Hachi and is likely best known to international audiences for performing the themes for My Hero Academia and Chainsaw Man. Square Enix released a brief, 1-minute teaser of the theme, which you can check out at the top of this section.
You can give Torgal treats
We’re not sure whether it has any practical value, but it makes Torgal happy, and really, that’s enough.
There's a ship!
It’s not a proper Final Fantasy without a boat or ship of some kind, and it looks like you do, indeed, get a rocket-powered ship at some point. That still leaves one staple out, though: an airship. Still, Square Enix has more to show ahead of Final Fantasy 16‘s June 22, 2023 launch date on PS5. There may be an airship in there somewhere.
You can check out the full State of Play on YouTube.
Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF
