Square Enix has revealed more than 20 minutes of new gameplay footage from Final Fantasy XVI.
During a PlayStation State of Play presentation focused entirely on the PS5 exclusive, we got a look at the game’s darker story, sizeable open environments, flashy combat and more.
In terms of the story, the game follows Clive, a young man who seeks vengeance after his kingdom is destroyed. All the while, he must navigate the divided world of Valisthea, which is made up of six nations harbouring their own deadly powers. Naoki Yoshida, the producer of the game and director of Final Fantasy XIV, also teased the more mature, politically-driven storyline.
Elsewhere, we were given an extensive look at battles. While most mainline Final Fantasy games have been turn-based, XVI features entirely real-time combat. In the State of Play, we get a look at all of the sword and magic abilities Clive has at his disposal, including special powers provided by Eikons (summons).
We also see AI-controlled allies, like Clive’s wolf, Torgal, helping him out in combat while the player controls the young noble himself. In certain fights, Clive can even directly control an Eikon to fight another in giant, Kaiju-esque battles. All in all, XVI‘s combat looks incredibly sharp, which isn’t exactly surprising since Devil May Cry alum Ryota Suzuki serves as the battle designer.
Overall, the game looks phenomenal, and the fact that Creative Business Unit III — the acclaimed team behind FFXIV — is working on it only makes it more promising.
Final Fantasy XVI will release exclusively on PS5 on June 22nd.
Image credit: Square Enix
