Final Fantasy openings have long held a special place in my heart. I always feel a mixture of excitement for what’s to come alongside waves of nostalgia as I recall all the times I’ve gone through this saccharine ritual over the years. You normally go into mainline FF games with high expectations, opening hours setting the bar for tone, narrative, character, and the memories we’re bound to make along the way. There’s a reason they stuck with us.
It’s like in Ratatouille when Ego tastes Remy’s food and is instantly transported back to his childhood. Only I’m not eating a bowl of sauteed veggies, I’m chowing down on all the tropes and expectations I’ve become accustomed to from one of my favourite properties on the planet.
Final Fantasy 16 evoked those same feelings in me. A dramatic clash between two armies as armoured chocobos were ridden into battle, archaic magic flying about the field and flung from trebuchets, blood splattering as hundreds of soldiers are cut down without mercy, all while the signature Crystal Theme Prelude rings out.
Though not the first game to start with a glorious battle — Final Fantasy 11 in particular springs to mind — 16 is constantly echoing the series’ previous entries with faithful references, familiar faces, and a harsher, yet undeniable dedicated edge that drips from every frame. For me, I couldn’t help but appreciate how this new chapter not only understands so much of the past, but is equal parts eager to push us into the future.
There was plenty of this to be seen throughout, from a dragoon pulling the pose — you know, Kain Highwind’s pose from Final Fantasy 4 — to little pixel characters in the menu giving a much-deserved nod to the series’ retro roots, not to mention familiar monsters and musical arrangements. The game is simply brimming with history.
For as much as Final Fantasy 16 looks to the past however, it also zealously embraces the future. It’s almost jarring to see how much things have matured. Hearing characters shout ‘****’ and ‘you ****’, while other scenes have characters practically grinding on one another in bouts of passion almost feels taboo for a series all about Moogles and Chocobos. It’s strange to see, but also welcoming. Even though the series has previously dealt with darker themes or alluded to certain trauma in its story and characters, never has it been so unashamedly mature.
It’s undeniably darker in tone, and main protagonist Clive, with his tormented personality and quest for vengeance, is the poster boy for that shift into a more mature direction. Plus, he manages it without saying ‘Chaos’ every two minutes. The story wastes little time before you’re thrown into a flashback of Clive’s childhood, and even though it starts with sweet moments of sibling bonding, Torgal as a fluffy puppy, and testing your blade against a familiar foe, these softer times are tainted by the knowledge of what’s to come.
This early flashback emphasises how brutal and grim Final Fantasy 16 can be, and doesn’t hold back from delivering dramatic, blood-soaked scenes which hold major consequences for not just our character, but the entire world he exists within. The flashback ends with an unforgettable moment where repetitive, squelchy pounding sounds and tortured screams of a character being beaten to death linger long after the screen fades to black.
There were several standout moments. Cid’s entrance, where he struts into frame to the slow beat of his music while lightning strikes the earth before him being a firm favourite. I just can’t get enough of that guy. Cid fangirling aside, having so many memorable narrative scenes in such a short time frame makes me hopeful the game can maintain this degree of quality throughout. With so much talent behind the scenes, I’d be surprised if this mature direction isn’t built upon more and more as the story progresses.
I was already heavily invested in the characters and plot, as well as enjoying what the combat system has to offer, which I covered in my last preview. However, I was less confident about how the lack of an open map to explore might impact gameplay. This time we were allowed to stretch our legs in Valisthea a little more and better understand how it all works.
FF16 does a decent job of presenting lore through action. We see gardeners tending to plants using magic, people creating drinks with magic crystals, and dominants lighting pipes with magic, showing how ingrained its use is within society. The interactions we see between the nobility and commoners and how dominants and bearers are treated give us a sense of where these people stand without ever having to spell it out, and that’s a sign of good storytelling.
You don’t want shoehorned in lines of exposition that explain every little detail as if the characters wouldn’t already know such information. For those who want to deep dive into backstory, the Active Time Lore menu provides further details on characters, locations, enemies, and more. An easy workaround to ensure players can get all the gossip without ruining the dialogue and cutscenes with needless proper nouns and busywork.
Most areas we visited felt fairly linear. There might be some deadends to explore with a chest or items to loot, or possibly more than one path that leads to the same destination, but generally, you’re on a set path throughout as you move from place to place in time with the ongoing narrative. Despite this, it doesn’t necessarily feel restrictive as the world is detailed enough to get a broader picture, while also providing a number of diverse biomes to explore.
For example, when we first took control of Clive in this preview, we had to navigate a treacherous landscape while a mighty Eikon battle rages on in the background. You’re climbing up rocks and sliding down slopes while Shiva and Titan battle it out, giving you an impressive sense of scale as rocks and ice rain down around you. It’s linear, but that doesn’t make it any less exciting. Interspersed cutscenes deliver dramatic slow-motion shots of the titanic clash that drives home a sense of urgency as you continue to rush onwards.
The lack of an open world didn’t bother me, and the game doesn’t feel lesser without it. If anything, the more open areas we visited are what worried me the most. This large open area we explored, though beautiful, felt a bit empty. There were monsters to battle, chests to find, and at least one quest lurking on the map, but other than its bright scenery, it was lacklustre. Parts reminded me of Final Fantasy 15, where sometimes you’d be faced with endless spaces where nothing was going on. We were introduced to Torgal’s animal instinct ability that shows you the way, which gives me hope there might be more complex areas to explore at launch.
Square Enix has already explained that although not open world, FF16 isn’t linear. I assume this means we’ll be able to pick and choose which areas we visit and backtrack to most locations. Hopefully, there’s some workable balance between what’s on offer. Those dull landscapes might be a refreshing change of pace from the more linear maps after a good while.
I’m eager to see what Final Fantasy 16 delivers at launch, and not just because I want more Cid. It offers a promising mix of everything I’d want from a new FF title — an intriguing narrative with unique characters, a fascinating world to explore, and exciting combat to get to grips with. There’s clearly a lot of potential here, and despite some reservations about maps or the lack of minigames, everything I have seen so far points to this being a success.
I’m a sucker for nostalgia, so I love all the nods to past games, but I’m also keen to see just how far FF16 will step out of its comfort zone and break new ground with this darker and more mature direction. I know that next month I’ll relive that same mix of excitement and emotion again as I rewatch FF16’s opening, and this time without having to stop short just as things start getting juicy.
This preview is based on playing a bespoke version of Final Fantasy 16 made for media to experience, and the contents may differ from the final version. FINAL FANTASY XVI © 2023 SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved.