Final Fantasy 16 – it’s the turn of Clive to make an impression (pic: Square Enix)



The most important Final Fantasy game in years takes its inspiration from Game Of Throne, as GameCentral goes hands-on with its real-time combat.



Final Fantasy is one of the games industry’s great franchises; in existence since 1987, it remains the quintessential example of a Japanese role-playing game. But right now, it finds itself at a crossroads: the first instalment of the remake of Final Fantasy 7 received far more acclaim than the last full iteration, 2016’s Final Fantasy 15 . Which means Final Fantasy 16, due to be released on June 22, might just be the series’ most important iteration ever, as it fights to retain relevance in the future.



On the basis of roughly four hours spent hands-on with Final Fantasy 16, at publisher Square Enix’s London offices, the game might just have what it takes to move the franchise kicking and screaming into the modern gaming world. What we played encompassed the first two chapters, plus a brief period later in the game in an open world area.



Final Fantasy 16 is certainly different; the combat system bears no traces of its turn-based past and instead operates in real-time, while the general vibe is more mediaeval fantasy, with a darker, less frivolous undertone reminiscent of the likes of Game Of Thrones or Dark Souls.



The backstory of Final Fantasy 16



One downside of Final Fantasy 16’s otherwise welcome break with the franchise’s past is that there’s a whole new lore to be established, which means that, in its initial stages, things move pretty slowly and involve a lot of cut scenes.



The game works hard to counteract that, kicking off with a short on-rails scene in which, as a fire-breathing Phoenix Eikon monster, you briefly take on another behemoth. You’re soon introduced to the character you play as: Clive Rosfield, eldest son (but not the anointed heir) of Archduke Rosfield, of the Grand Duchy of Rosaria.



It soon becomes clear that the game spans two timelines: one when Clive is aged 15, and another set 13 years later. The bulk of the gameplay takes place in the later timeline, whereas the earlier one, which dominates Final Fantasy 16’s first chapter, gets through a lot of scene-setting.



Final Fantasy 16 takes place in the land of Valisthea, still idyllic in the earlier timeline but Clive and his family’s province of Rosaria are at odds with the neighbouring provinces of Sanbreque and, especially, the religious and ascetic Iron Kingdom. That’s because Valisthea is being affected by a creeping blight, which only its Mothercrystals can keep at bay. Rosaria has no Mothercrystal but has designs on the one claimed by the Iron Kingdom, in border territory that the Rosarians see as theirs.



Each province also has a so-called Dominant: an individual able to harness an elemental power and transform into a titan-like Eikon. Rosaria’s happens to be Joshua, Clive’s younger brother, which explains why he, rather than Clive, has been named as heir to the Archduke. But Joshua is sickly and naïve, so Clive vows to be his protector.






Final Fantasy goes real-time



After a flash-forward to an older Clive, branded on the cheek, serving in an elite army unit and overlooking a battle in a desert area featuring Eikons, the story returns to the chocolate box surroundings of the Rosfield’s home castle, and the game introduces its combat system via a mock-fight in which Clive must beat his combat instructor.



At that point, it becomes obvious that this is the first Final Fantasy game to completely abandon any element of turn-based gameplay. Initially, the combat system feels much more like that of a conventional melee-based franchise, with Clive able to strike, parry and dodge, and the need to stagger enemies, so you can close in and launch a flurry of attacks.



Beyond those combat basics, though, Final Fantasy 16 adds some clever bells and whistles which soon make its combat, although markedly different than that of previous Final Fantasy games, somehow feel familiar to Final Fantasy fans.



That’s partly achieved by adding a magic element; Clive has been blessed by Joshua, giving him a certain amount of access to the latter’s Phoenix magic, and as well as having a fire-element ability, which charges up during battles, he has a growing array of other fire-based attacks that can be unleashed in particular battle situations.



Equippable objects and kit also play a huge part in combat. Particularly what the game calls Timely Accessories. We instantly acquired a Ring of Timely Strikes, A Ring of Timely Focus, and a Ring of Timely Evasion which, respectively, automated the process of building up combo-strikes, added an element of bullet time when deadly attacks were incoming, and partially automated the process of evasion.



Only three could be equipped at a time, and we soon also acquired a Ring of Timely Healing. But the point of the rings is that you can use them to automate any aspect of the combat with which you feel uncomfortable or less confident.



Final Fantasy 16 – the game is certainly a looker (pic: Square Enix)



Fighting solo but in a group



In the flashback scenes, we glimpsed some key characters for the first time, including Clive’s friend Jill, who is often looking after his puppy Torgal, and his parents. His mother, strangely, seemed to treat him with distaste, but the Archduke, preparing a skirmish aimed at securing access to the Iron Kingdom’s Mothercrystal, soon sent Clive on a tutorial mission, to investigate claims that monsters had been sighted in Rosaria.



This mission served as an introduction to the combat system proper, establishing the fact that, while you only directly control Clive in battle (although later you will be able to switch to other characters), he invariably fights as part of a group. On this occasion, he was accompanied by two young Rosarian soldiers.



For the first time, it felt reassuringly like playing a Final Fantasy game, with other members of the combat group providing support while Clive committed most of the damage. After taking on various goblins, we encountered our first mini-boss, with rings of focus and evasion equipped Clive felt like the nimblest protagonist on the battlefield, and we soon slipped into the habit of saving up special attacks for when he staggers an enemy.



With some skirmishes under our belt, Clive began to level up, a process that happened pretty swiftly in the game’s early stages – after the first two chapters we had elevated him to level 13. As well as an ever-growing health bar, we were able to spend earned XP on a welter of abilities, the most basic of which involved learning new moves (such as mid-air, follow-up and charged strikes, and the ability to launch off opponents).



Later options allowed us to upgrade both physical abilities and Clive’s magic Phoenix Eikon abilities. One element which hasn’t changed is the array of potions and buffing items on offer, which in typical Final Fantasy fashion can be mapped to the D-Pad for easy access.



Later on, in a sequence in which Clive accompanies Jill, who turns out to be an ice-element Dominant, we also gained access to her abilities tree (again in typical Final Fantasy fashion) and noted that we could have replaced Clive’s powers with hers. Which, for example, would please those who prefer ranged combat to melee. Final Fantasy 16, despite its radically altered concept of combat, possesses a role-playing element which fans of the franchise should find reassuringly familiar.






The first story spoilers



After the tutorial mission in Rosaria’s swamplands, we caught up with the Rosarian army and the Archduke, billeted at a small castle operating as a staging post. At that point betrayal kicked in: after feasting, an ambush wiped out most of the Rosarian forces and the focus switched to Joshua, Clive’s younger brother, who we then had a brief chance to play as.



That turned out to be another example of story exposition: unexpectedly, another fire-Eikon (there was only supposed to be one Eikon per element) appeared. An unprepared Joshua transformed and we reprised, at greater length, the on-rails Eikon-versus-Eikon battle briefly glimpsed when the game started. At the end, Clive is left for dead, before being conscripted into the Sanbreque army, cueing another flash-forward.



At this point the story’s overarching quest could finally get under way, with an older, battle-hardened Clive concealing his identity as part of an elite soldier unit tasked with finding and killing a female ice-Dominant called Shiva, who is engaged in a battle between the Iron Kingdom and yet another of Valisthea’s provinces.



After some platform style action, Clive and his party catch up with Shiva in the company of another group of soldiers, at which point Clive discovered she was Jill, his childhood friend, and he refused to execute her as ordered. At that moment, another character familiar to Final Fantasy fans in many shapes and guises, Cid, appeared, to rescue Clive and Jill and take them to his desert hideaway, the first of the game’s hub locations.



Final Fantasy 16 – Torgal is a good boy (pic: Square Enix)



A desert hub and a canine companion



Clive joins Cid’s band of outlaws on condition that he can pursue his mission to avenge Joshua’s death by hunting down the second, mysterious fire-Eikon. In Cid’s hideaway we got our first glimpse of a Final Fantasy 16 hub location, which includes a merchant, a tavern, a jukebox, and an Arete Stone, which allows Clive to hone his battle skills in a jeopardy-free, VR style situation and replay previous battle sequences.



Clive is also reunited with his dog Torgal, last seen as a cute puppy in the flashback sequences. Torgal joins him as a battle companion, and we acquired another ring which enabled us to automate him, instructing him, for example, to auto-heal Clive in battle. He also proves useful at finding hidden paths and, no doubt, will subsequently acquire further canine abilities.





























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After performing a few fetch quest side missions, we set out on a mission with Cid, who also turned out to be a Dominant, to navigate through a lush forest infested with dangerous monsters. That set the blueprint for the game’s subsequent combat: in a group with one, magic-imbued human companion, plus Torgal.



The end of the Greatwood stage marked the end of chapter two, but we also briefly experienced a sequence from later in the game (with Clive at level 19) in an open world area featuring a lake and marshy surrounds. There, Clive was accompanied by Jill and, with her help, we dispatched various monsters and performed a few side missions (such as helping out a merchant whose overturned cart was besieged by hungry wild chocobos). Each skirmish, no matter how trivial, was rewarded with some XP, so it was clear that open world areas will be available for grinding should you need to do so.






Final Fantasy 16 first impressions



Our brief time with Final Fantasy 16 was very enjoyable. The game’s production values deserve acclaim: its visuals, animation, music and ambient soundtrack were all impressive, and the dialogue also stood out as more down to earth and realistic than some previous iterations of the franchise. A couple of characters even drop the odd f-bomb, which was initially a tad startling in a Final Fantasy game – albeit perfectly in keeping with everything else in the game.



There will no doubt be outrage among some of the fanbase, at the abandonment of turn-based gameplay. However, we were struck by how the new combat system somehow preserved a distinct Final Fantasy-esque nature, despite feeling much more modern and action-oriented.



With Final Fantasy 16, Square Enix has managed to get its flagship franchise to a place in which it no longer feels faintly antiquated, without losing the essence of its identity, which is some achievement. On the basis of a four hour preview, we can’t say how well it will hang together as a game but we certainly look forward to playing it in full.



We suspect that any fans alienated by its difference from previous iterations will be more than compensated for by new fans, who have a more flexible view of the franchise. We can’t yet say whether it will be acclaimed as a classic instalment, but Final Fantasy 16 is certainly in with a shout of that.



Formats: PlayStation 5 Price: £64.99 Publisher: Square Enix Developer: Square Enix Creative Business Unit III Release Date: 22nd June 2023 Age Rating: 18






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