Final Fantasy hasn’t felt this confident since the trifecta of 7, 8, and 9 on the original PlayStation. Back in the day, it was the biggest JRPG franchise on the planet, and still very much is, but modern rivals like Persona and Fire Emblem have humbled Square Enix and forced it to stop relying on nostalgia and conjure up new ideas that continue to surprise.
Recent years have seen the unparalleled success of Final Fantasy 14 and its myriad expansions, an ambitious reimagining of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and now Final Fantasy 16. Well, it’s coming exclusively to PS5 in Summer 2023, and this week’s State of Play provided a comprehensive look at the blockbuster’s characters, narrative, and combat alongside plenty of other details we’d never seen before. It looks incredible, and continues this series’ return to form in spectacular fashion. In fact, it could even be its best entry yet.
I’ve written previously about how Final Fantasy 16 should learn from 15’s mistakes, and everything we’ve seen thus far hints that not only is it building upon past missteps, but also taking inspiration from western influences such as The Witcher 3 and Game of Thrones to create a game that feels innovative yet nostalgic.
Final Fantasy has always been mainstream, but everything we’ve seen from this game seems to represent a greater awareness of where the brand is right now and what it will need to succeed. Much of that vision is thanks to Naoki Yoshida, who is helming the project as producer after making Final Fantasy 14 the most profitable game in not just the series’ history, but all of Square Enix history. There is no hubris here, just creative determination.
There’s a reason Yoshida's face opened the game’s announcement last night instead of immediately jumping into the trailer. Fans see him as a figure of trust and honesty, and believe everything he touches turns to gold after nurturing Final Fantasy 14 out of certain oblivion. He's fun, talented, and seems to understand why the series is so beloved. He's also joined by localisation director Michael-Christopher Koji Fox and composer Masayoshi Soken, making this feel like what is essentially a single player iteration of the MMORPG.
Except it is also so much more than that - Final Fantasy 16 feels like a comprehensive love letter to the series’ origins while seeking to tell a story that transcends the tropes it has depended upon for decades. The mediaeval fantasy setting is imbued with elements of futurism and sorcery that make it feel entirely unique, with gods like Shiva, Ifrit, Odin, and Bahamut becoming principle narrative touchstones instead of fanciful magic spells for us to wield. These beings are grander than life itself, so of course rival kingdoms across this land would view them with appropriate majesty, treating them as idyllic gods and harbingers of the apocalypse in equal measure. It’s similar to how Final Fantasy 14 approached Primals and their place in the game’s universe, except this time it’s all far more serious.
Battles between summons look like giant kaiju battles, and judging by the health bars sitting above them there’s a real possibility they will play out like them too. Bahamut and Odin tearing the sky asunder as scrambling armies duel beneath them, the fate of these titans also deciding the millions watching anxiously below. Final Fantasy has tackled scale like this before, but seldom has it had the thematic and narrative weight to match it. I’ll have to delve further into the storytelling in the near future, but everything we’ve seen teases a tale that is both personal and sprawling in its intentions.
A small kingdom of unfortunate souls find themselve swept up in a global conflict, one that involves celestial beings and stubborn monarchs all competing for a dwindling position of power. It’s epic, and isn’t coated with needless melodrama or archetypal anime tropes that often bring this genre down. Not even Final Fantasy 7 Remake was able to outgrow these shortcomings, but in almost every way it seems 16 is taking that game’s formula and iterating upon it in so many worthwhile directions. I don’t want to get hyperbolic, but for the first time in decades it seems like Final Fantasy could be set to establish a whole new benchmark. The king is back, and I don’t think he’s going to miss this one.