The hype for Final Fantasy XVI has been building steadily ever since it’s announcement last year. Following yesterday’s State of Play showcase, fans are buzzing even more with excitement. The new footage gave us a tantalizing glimpse into the world of Valisthea. It showcased stunning visuals, intense battles, and intriguing storylines. In this article, we’ll be breaking down the latest FFXVI State Of Play footage. There is a lot to unpack with how many details they revealed in the showcase. Let’s break down the exciting new features and ponder what they could mean for the highly anticipated RPG.
Breaking Down The Latest FFXVI State Of Play Footage
[COMBAT]
At this point, there is no secret that Final Fantasy XVI will be an action-RPG. However, FFXVI won’t be just any action-packed game. Ryota Suzuki, who has worked on many action games including Devil May Cry 5, is the combat director for FFXVI. The showcase demonstrates how his unique combat style adds flavor to the combat in FFXVI.
From what they’ve shown of the gameplay, the depth and creativity of combos is intriguing. In FFXVI, you will equip different Eikons over time. Each Eikon you have will grant you different abilities that you can use in combat. The excitement of this comes from the fact that you can switch different Eikons on the fly during battle. By switching your Eikons on the fly, your abilities will also be different. You can create some really cool combos that you never thought were possible with this feature.
To explain, in the above images you can see this kind of creativity happen. In the first image, you can see Clive doing an ability called, “Rift Slip”, which seems to slow down time. The second image then shows Clive switching to another Eikon. From this, he uses an ability called, “Cold Snap”, which looks to be an evasive option. The video shows Clive using this ability as a way to back up and charge up a strong explosive attack.
COMBAT – Training Mode
The best thing about this though is that the game offers a training mode! If you want to brush up on combos, be creative, and train up your skills, enter the training mode.
To locate the training mode, you must find a object called the Arete Stone which is located in Cid’s Hideaway. In this Arete Stone, you’ll also find an arcade mode. Arcade mode will allow you to replay stages you’ve played before. Your goal is to attain a high score and compare yourself to others across the world.
COMBAT – Notable Highlights
One of the things that stood out to me in the showcase was Clive doing a lock-on ability. This move slowed down time and allowed Clive to target an enemy for a period of time. After completing it, Clive unleashes a barrage of projectiles. This is very similar to the “Shotlock” mechanic from the Kingdom Hearts series. As a Kingdom Hearts fan myself, it was really satisfying to see this feature used in FFXVI.
There also seems to be ultimate moves in the game that show off a flashy cutscene of your character. You can activate it once that purple numbered gauge on the top left of the screen fills up. This reminds me of the stylish rank gauge in Devil May Cry 4 and 5. This gauge fills up the more you do difficult techniques and cool combos. I wonder if it will be the same case here in FFXVI.
The recent showcase revealed that Joshua, Clive’s younger brother, will be a playable character. He possesses many fire abilities, but appears to be very slow. We might not see much high-speed combat with Joshua, but perhaps very explosive damage.
Breaking Down The Latest FFXVI State Of Play Footage –
[UPGRADES AND ACCESSORIES]
As previously stated, in Final Fantasy XVI, you have access to various Eikons. There are abilities that come with these Eikons, but you are going to need to unlock them first. The ability grid is where you go to unlock these abilities. Akin to Final Fantasy XV, the grid is using your ability points to unlock and upgrade abilities. There will be an ability grid for each Eikon you posses. If you cant decide which Eikon abilities to unlock or upgrade, the game itself can pick recommended abilities for you. To achieve this, you hold down the L3 button and the game will finish it off.
In Final Fantasy XVI, the accessories you equip will either boost a particular stat or give you a unique ability. This is where the strategy really appears because you’ll need to figure out what’s best to equip against particular enemies.
Some accessories make you automatically evade attacks such as the “Ring of Timely Evasion”. Other accessories will allow you to do complex ability combos just by pressing the square button. The “Ring of Timely Strikes” the one that allows you to do this.
The developers recommend both of these accessories to those who struggle with action combat. Pick equipment that works best for you.
Breaking Down The Latest FFXVI State Of Play Footage
[OPEN WORLD]
In the showcase, the developers revealed quite a few things about the world of Valisthea. One of these features are the ability to fast travel.
The game shows that you can access the menu map and instantly travel to any destination you want. I’m sure this will be convenient for those who want a quick ride to where they want to go.
Side-quests are also a welcome addition to FFXVI. This gives players something else to do in the game in case they don’t want to continue with story yet. You can find many side-quests in Cid’s Hideaway, as well as in the rest of the world. During a Famitsu interview, the developers confirmed that the main story will take around 35 hours to complete. However, with side-quests, mob hunts, and collecting all types of accessories, the game will take 70-80 hours to finish.
Speaking of mob hunts, Final Fantasy’s iconic mascot, Moogle, makes an appearance in this game. He will offer you many mob hunts to complete. Don’t forget to hit him up when you get the chance!
Breaking Down The Latest FFXVI State Of Play Footage
[STORY]
Starting you off, the game gives you the option to play in a story or action focused mode. If you aren’t into gameplay and just want to focus on the story, the story focused mode is for you. If you want to experience both the story and combat to it’s fullest, action focused mode is the wave.
Usually in most Final Fantasy games, it starts off with an introduction that has cool fight scenes and exciting moments. This is similar to Final Fantasy VII with the bombing mission and Final Fantasy X with the Zanarkand intro.
Final Fantasy XVI seeks to continue this tradition. The game starts off with an older Clive and his comrades. Him and his soldiers meet up and seem to encounter a battle that put them in a rough spot. It then blacks out eventually and goes back in time to a flashback with younger Clive, beginning your adventure. I look forward to seeing how this all plays out!
If you’re feeling lost with the current state of the story or lore, FFXVI has got you covered. An NPC equipped with something called “The Thousand Tomes” is present at the Hideaway. You go to this NPC to have Clive recount his adventures with him. This in turn updates the lore and allows you to figure out what is going on.
Another NPC named Vivian can show you the “State of the Realm”. This acts as a way to provide key information on characters to get more information on.
Closing Out State Of Play
Square-Enix revealed that popular artist Kenshi Yonezu would sing the main theme for the game. Yonezu has gained recognition for his contributions to iconic anime soundtracks including My Hero Academia and Chainsaw Man.
Final Fantasy XVI launches June 22 exclusively for PlayStation 5.
