{"id":9253,"date":"2023-02-28T15:02:37","date_gmt":"2023-02-28T15:02:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gustavopineda.com\/?p=9253"},"modified":"2023-02-28T15:02:37","modified_gmt":"2023-02-28T15:02:37","slug":"final-fantasy-xvi-gameplay-hands-on-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gustavopineda.com\/?p=9253","title":{"rendered":"‘Final Fantasy XVI’ wants to make you love action games"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n

This is a special version made for media to experience, and contents may differ from the final version.<\/em><\/p>\n

Final Fantasy XVI<\/em> is ready to drag the famous RPG series from Square Enix into the future. Or, at least, a future where everyone agrees that Devil May Cry<\/em> is awesome.<\/p>\n

After playing a couple hours of the latest entry in the 35-year-old franchise and talking to some of its creators, I came away equal parts fascinated and impressed. Square and the developers at Creative Business Unit III have made a lightning-quick, overstimulating action game that\u2019s trying to please both fans of the genre and people who prefer a more traditional and tactical Final Fantasy<\/em> experience.<\/p>\n

\n SEE ALSO:<\/span>
\n
\n ‘Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion’ is the perfect holiday gaming binge
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\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n

It\u2019s a hefty order to bring those two often disparate audiences together, but if the small slice of Final Fantasy XVI<\/em> I played is any indication, there might be real meat on this bone. <\/p>\n

The Final Fantasy XVI<\/em> demo experience<\/h2>\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Even though its initial trailer debuted two and a half years ago, you\u2019d be forgiven for not quite knowing what kind of game Final Fantasy XVI<\/em> actually is. After all, this is a series that constantly reinvents itself; XIII<\/em> was almost entirely linear, XIV<\/em> is a massive online game, and XV<\/em> was an open-world adventure.<\/p>\n

The tiny bit that I played can help shed some light on that particular issue. While the developers assured me that there will be plenty of time for exploring large expanses in the new fantasy realm of Valisthea, Final Fantasy XVI<\/em> is not an open-world game like its predecessor. The sequences I saw were pretty linear, with a tiny bit of latitude to explore side rooms for items.<\/p>\n

Here’s a rundown of how the basic combat in FFXVI<\/em> works.<\/p>\n

Combo-ing through a castle<\/h3>\n
\n
\n \"Final<\/p><\/div>\n
\n Dodge and counter.<\/span>
\n Credit: Square Enix<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

The demo started with our protagonist Clive Rosfield, his trusty hound Torgal, and a lightning magic-infused homie named Cidolfus (who goes by Cid because of course he does) hanging out in a castle dungeon. Their objective: Find a prisoner, get to the top of the castle tower, and get the heck out of there alive.<\/p>\n

Right off the bat, the biggest change from previous Final Fantasy<\/em> games is that you only directly control Clive. You can issue some simple attack and heal commands to Torgal using the PS5\u2019s directional buttons, but Cid and any other party members you meet throughout Clive\u2019s journey will act on their own during fights.<\/p>\n

The good news is that controlling Clive is a whole lot of fun. He can mash out basic melee combos, dash, jump, and use a seemingly huge variety of magic abilities he\u2019ll unlock throughout the game. These abilities are tied to Eikons, mystical demigods that appear in the story (which I won\u2019t talk about here because the demo didn\u2019t give me much to talk about). Clive can equip up to three Eikons at a time, and each Eikon comes with several flashy abilities, two of which Clive can map to face buttons for easy access in fights.<\/p>\n

\n
\n \"Final<\/p><\/div>\n
\n You’ll spend a lot of time equipping new gear and abilities here.<\/span>
\n Credit: Square Enix<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

While the basics of combat are simple enough to grasp for anyone who\u2019s played an action game like Devil May Cry<\/em>, the precise tuning of FFXVI<\/em>\u2019s combat is what made it work in the demo I played. Windows for canceling into and out of attacks are fairly generous, while timing a dodge just<\/em> right gives you a brief Bayonetta<\/em>-like moment to counterattack. Landing big hits feels powerful, and the Eikon moves add visually resplendent animations to the mix.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Needless to say, unleashing a massive combo that includes furious claw swipes, flaming bird wings, and a weighty stone fist slam on the ground feels pretty awesome.<\/p>\n

And for people who aren\u2019t used to this kind of game, there are optional accessories to equip that can make the game easier. One of them substantially lengthens the amount of time you have to dodge attacks, while another will automatically bang out sick combos with just one repeated button press.<\/p>\n

Bossing around<\/h3>\n
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\n \"Final<\/p><\/div>\n
\n Oh yeah, there are quick-time events, too.<\/span>
\n Credit: Square Enix<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Against regular enemies, these mechanics come together as they do in any other action game. I was able to just spam my best abilities until each room in the castle was clear, swiftly dodging and teleporting (a nifty Eikonic power) around the gloomy, dark grey environs. In boss fights, however, you have to use your brain a bit more.<\/p>\n

As much as you can, anyway. Bosses in FFXVI<\/em> are aggressive, leaving little room for tactical planning without pausing the game. Your goal against bosses (and some stronger normal enemies) is to deplete their stagger meter by smartly dodging, attacking, and parrying whenever you can, which requires you to diligently study attack patterns. Once it\u2019s all the way down, the boss will sit still for a few seconds, allowing you to wail on them.<\/p>\n

\n
\n \"FFXVI<\/p><\/div>\n
\n Get ready to dump points into new skills.<\/span>
\n Credit: Square Enix<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

The bosses I fought, which included two winged sentries in a castle chapel and a major story character on top of the tower, had a ton<\/em> of health to work through. Staggering is important not only to stop the aggression, but to give you a chance to actually inflict real damage. You\u2019ll need to manage your ability cooldowns so everything is ready for this stagger window, giving you maximum damage output.<\/p>\n

This is obviously a different kind of tension from what you\u2019d get out of a classic, turn-based Final Fantasy<\/em> game. It\u2019s less about carefully planning out a tactical fight and more about reading and reacting to things that happen very quickly. Figuring out which of your many Eikonic abilities do the most damage to any given boss will be key, but mostly it\u2019s just about staying alive and picking your spots to do damage.<\/p>\n

How Final Fantasy XVI<\/em> is trying to make you love action games<\/h2>\n
\n
\n \"FFXVI<\/p><\/div>\n
\n The “Ring of Timely Assistance” will help out people who have trouble dodging.<\/span>
\n Credit: Square Enix<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Truth be told, I don\u2019t know yet whether or not people who prefer the more deliberate combat in older Final Fantasy<\/em> games will pick up what XVI<\/em> is putting down. However, after speaking to several top creatives on the game, including producer Naoki Yoshida (you may know him as Yoshi-P), main director Hiroshi Takai, and combat director Ryota Suzuki, I can at least see their intent: To get people on the action game bandwagon.<\/p>\n

Unlike most of the other people working on FFXVI<\/em>, Suzuki isn\u2019t a Square Enix veteran. He only just joined the company after 20 years at Capcom, working on games like Dragon\u2019s Dogma<\/em> and (you guessed it) Devil May Cry 5<\/em>. Suzuki told me he had to take a different approach to designing combat for a big RPG like Final Fantasy<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn [DMC5]<\/em>, you want to have battles that are stylish. That is the most important thing,\u201d Suzuki said. \u201cThe most important thing for Final Fantasy XVI<\/em> is that you need to make a system that is accessible to lots of different types of playing styles\u2026that want to be more technical, stylish, and for players that, again, are not too into action.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ability to unlock and equip a huge amount of different abilities is, in that sense, for the fans who care deeply about character development and customization. The developers at the event compared equipping different Eikons to changing a character\u2019s class in an older FF<\/em> title.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe cannot alienate [longtime fans]. You need something that\u2019s going to keep them engaged as well,\u201d Takai said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n
\n \"FFXVI<\/p><\/div>\n
\n And the “Ring of Timely Strikes” is for people who have trouble with combos.<\/span>
\n Credit: Square Enix<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Along similar lines, those accessories that make the game easier are meant to be like training wheels for action game newcomers. Equip the dodge timing one and you still have to press the button; you just have more time to do it. In other words, even the most action-averse players will have to actually play the game. There are just some nifty in-roads to make that easier for them.<\/p>\n

Yoshida, who acted as producer on this game while also carrying the burden of being in charge of Final Fantasy XIV<\/em>, expressed interest in attracting new fans who have never played a Final Fantasy<\/em> before, too. Like every Final Fantasy<\/em>, this one stands alone narratively, so you don\u2019t need to play the others to get into it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, Yoshida understands that it\u2019ll take great word of mouth to sell this game to skeptics, and it\u2019ll take plenty of classic Final Fantasy<\/em> vibes to sell this game to the day-one crowd.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t necessarily need everybody to play the game on day one. We want those people [who do] to get so excited that buzz goes out and it gets people excited for this game,\u201d Yoshida said. \u201cWe have to have enough Final Fantasy<\/em> feel in the game to make sure those players [who play at launch] are not only excited because it\u2019s a great game, but excited because it still feels like Final Fantasy<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

And for action game veterans, the kinds of people who have a keen eye for infinite combo opportunities, I\u2019ll just leave you with something Suzuki (who I will remind you worked on some of the best action games in recent memory) said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think what I\u2019ve created in Final Fantasy XVI<\/em> is the greatest action game that I\u2019ve ever made,\u201d Suzuki said.<\/p>\n

Big words, indeed.<\/p>\n

Final Fantasy XVI launches on PlayStation 5 on June 23.<\/em><\/p>\n

This is a special version made for media to experience, and contents may differ from the final version.<\/em><\/p>\n

FINAL FANTASY XVI \u00a9 2023 SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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