For fans of RPGs there are few franchises as important or long lasting as Final Fantasy. It’s been a long time since Final Fantasy XV though, and fans have been getting impatient finding out when they’re going to get their hands on Final Fantasy XVI. Well, wonder no more, as Final Fantasy XVI will release on PS5 in summer 2023.
The latest trailer is entitled Dominance, and it shows some more of the RPG’s narrative stylings without really giving very much of anything away. Leading with the line ‘a world ruled by tyranny and turmoil there are those who would fight to take back control of their fate’, we get a glimpse of the Eikons, the new name for the returning Summons from previous games. This time out they apparently wear away their users, which might introduce some interesting mechanics if they destroy your characters the more you use them over the course of the game.
Combat is still looking suspiciously action-driven, and after the original footage we saw this seems to emphasise that there’s going to be something that at the very least is similar to Final Fantasy XV or Final Fantasy VII Remake, but might be even more action-orientated. Will Final Fantasy XIV be closer to Dragons Dogma or Elden Ring than its turned based origins? Only time will tell. Given the fact that we’ve just had Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origins the series has skewed further and further from its roots. Still, if the story is good and the combat is engaging I’m willing to forgive it.
Producer Naoki Yoshida, a Final Fantasy icon thanks to his work saving Final Fantasy XIV, was on hand to talk about the release date, and their ongoing work on the game. He’s a lovely, lovely man so he can ultimately take as much time as he wants.
Stayed tune to TheSixthAxis for more information, including Final Fantasy XVI’s precise release date.
