Sitting down to play Final Fantasy 16 for a recent preview event felt like both a comprehensive rundown of all the game has to offer and, at the same time, only scratching the surface. Square Enix gave media roughly 8 hours to play pieces of Final Fantasy 16 that included the first few hours of the game, an open field section, and a combat demo made specifically for the preview that highlighted what was possible with this new action-focused gameplay but was not representative of the finished game. Needless to say, there was a lot to digest, but one thing was clear: mainline Final Fantasy is back in a big way.
The core of Final Fantasy 16’s gameplay feels like an evolution of what was available in Final Fantasy 7 Remake. As the main protagonist, Clive, players have direct control over movement and when to attack. There is also a dodge and parry mechanic for avoiding damage or countering enemy attacks, respectively. But where Remake mixed in some of the turn-based elements and made them slightly more active, FF 16 is completely active. Clive can throw out magic attacks as quickly as he can strike with his weapon, all with the press of a button.
When Ryota Suzuki was announced as Battle Designer, most expected that Final Fantasy 16 was going to retain the faster pace that Remake dipped its toes into. However, it’s still surprising just how much of the combat feels more like a character action game. With various Eikon abilities available by pressing R2 and a face button, Clive can more than just hack and slash enemies. His combat suite, which starts out small but grows as the story progresses, becomes both strategic and filled with bombast.
Depending on what Eikon abilities Clive has at the ready – players can easily cycle between them as well – there are a lot of opportunities to chain attacks together. Some Eikon abilities will lift enemies into the air or will break their block, which opens them up for follow-up attacks. Ability cooldowns will dictate how complex attack chains can get, but with a little planning, the combat flow can become a lot like a character action game. The Eikon abilities also give Clive some cool movement tech, like a dash to close distance or a grab to pull enemies in close/up in the air. It can get a little complex and there is certainly a learning curve, but once players get a hang of everything it will be possible to chain attacks and move from one enemy to the next without missing a beat.
FF 16 also includes the stagger mechanic from Final Fantasy 7 Remake, whereby players build up a meter by doing damage and when that meter is full the enemy becomes staggered and open for more significant hits. And while those opportunities are dictated by the player, the battles also have cinematic moments that act like mid-conflict quicktime events. It seems like Creative Business Unit III will take any opportunity to get a little flashier with the combat, even if the player doesn’t have as much direct control of what’s happening on-screen.
To that point, there are some truly incredible moments in Final Fantasy 16 involving Eikons that, for those who have seen any of the game’s trailers, know will be genuine highlights. We won’t spoil any of those here but the scope and scale of these sequences was jaw-dropping. It felt like part Lord the Rings and part Kaiju battle, in all the best ways.
One notably absent element from Final Fantasy 16 this time around is any sort of party system. Clive does have companions with him on his journey but most cannot be directly controlled. There is a canine-esque companion named Torgal that players can direct to attack an enemy, launch them into the air, or ask for a small heal, but the focus is almost exclusively on Clive in almost every aspect of the game.
Though Final Fantasy 16 is a clear departure from the JRPG roots of the series’ early entries, it still carries some signature elements of the genre. Clive earns XP and currency after each fight which factors into a leveling and upgrade system. There is at least one HUB area where Clive can interact with NPCs, unlock side quests, and delve into the game’s lore. Final Fantasy 16 also has a crafting system that sees Clive making and upgrading gear using the collectibles and monster pieces he finds around the world and earns from battles. For players that like to poke around in the fringes of their Final Fantasy experience, it seems like they will have chances to do so in 16.
To that point, our preview concluded with a look at an open field area in the game that, while not truly open world, offered Clive the freedom to roam around and dispatch monsters, look for secrets, and find chests. This open field area is like a connecting map piece between two other areas and was the most non-linear gameplay portion seen during our preview. And thankfully, it’s not the only one that is said to be in the game.
Final Fantasy has always excelled when it comes to visuals and 16 continues that trend. It’s a gorgeous game that, as mentioned, features plenty of spectacle in its early moments. Alongside a game that looks amazing, the soundtrack plays into the high fantasy tropes extremely well, while also indulging some classic musical cues as well. A combat system this engaging needs to look cool at the same time, and Final Fantasy 16 is dripping with style.
Visual details notwithstanding, one of the impressive touches in the game is the Active Lore system. At any point in the game – whether it’s a cutscene or just venturing around the world – the player can bring up a menu that highlights the most relevant people, places, and things for that given situation. So, if a cutscene starts with a character that the player should know but they have forgotten, the Active Lore menu will give them a quick refresher. For a series that can get extremely dense, and frankly a bit convoluted, this system is sure to be a huge boon.
In the interest of keeping things spoiler-free, it’s not worth discussing the Final Fantasy 16 story in fine detail. During the preview, there was a lot of setup covered, including a prologue that sets the stage for what seems like an epic adventure in true Final Fantasy fashion. Clive is on the fringes of a conflict between warring factions that are each representative of an Eikon, Final Fantasy 16’s versions of summons. From what we could glean during the preview, Final Fantasy 16 offers that signature combination of political intrigue and high fantasy, albeit with some modern twists like the choice of language. It seems pretty clear that the developers were inspired by works like Game of Thrones, especially in the way the family dynamics of Clive’s royal lineage play out, but also in the jockeying for power that takes place between the various nations.
There are clearly a lot of moving parts at play in Final Fantasy 16 and what we saw was only a small taste of the adventure in store. But for an appetizer, there was so much to be intrigued by in both the large and the small scale. Characters that feel inherently Final Fantasy in both their design and personalities abound, epic conflicts that are sure to offer some amazing set pieces, and a dash of romance for good measure – the narrative and lore all have those key threads that make the series so memorable time after time.
Some purists might feel like Final Fantasy 16 combat pushes too far in an action-oriented direction, but from this hands-on there were so many elements to be excited about. The story has tons of intrigue and a lot of characters that we would love to know more about. Combat is fast-paced and engaging, but also packed with a lot of visual panache and opportunities for some really cool combos. And the design of it all is impressive, with details that only hint at the scope of the experience Square Enix is preparing to deliver.
Obviously, with a reported 30+ more hours of content to see in the main story, there is a lot we didn’t see. But based on this preview it’s hard to imagine Final Fantasy 16 not competing for Game of the Year awards and for a spot towards the top of fans’ overall series rankings.