As promised, last month we were treated to a new trailer for Final Fantasy XVIcentered mainly on the nations of Valisthea and introducing two new Emissaries, Dion Lesage (Bahamut) and Barnabas Tharmr (Odin). It was then said that interviews would be held and we are now seeing the color of this. Some media such asIGN, Famitsu, 4Gamer, Dengeki, Everyeye and the PlayStation-Blog (it’s in French and very interesting) were able to talk with game director Hiroshi Takai, localization manager Michael-Christopher Koji Fox, creative director Kazutoyo Maehiro and producer Naoki Yoshida. Enough to fill up on new details and to teaser the rest of the program. For the Japanese sites, we mainly relied on the translations of @aitaikimochi.
Ambition trailer in Japanese
To begin with, you will no doubt have noticed that this recent trailer begins with the opening of a mysterious work showing in particular the map of the world and ends when it closes, with comments bya mysterious narrator. This person will appear in game and should surprise us when we meet her.
- Valisthea – There is no connection between this world and Eorzea from FFXIV!
- crystals – As in other games, it is crystallized ether. This source of magic is mined by the inhabitants of Valisthéa and is an essential and vital resource in their daily lives. They are thus at the origin of large-scale wars led by the different nations, which will have a link with the history of the game. Moreover, they could have another meaning kept secret.
- The Black Scourge – The affected areas cannot be restored by a Mother Crystal and this evil is gradually spreading, about 20% of the lands of the “Wind Continent” in the West being affected. This is reflected in particular by the impossibility of living there, even if there is still oxygen.
- The 5 nations of Valisthea and the Dominion – The game is not an open world, we will not necessarily visit them all, the story taking us to certain places while others are only there for symbolism and therefore the lore, without necessarily making us explore them . A historical index will be present in game to list all the discoveries made. The ruler of the Holy Bloodbrec Empire is incidentally named Sylvester, and although he appears to be a villain like other characters, it’s hard to tell who is an antagonist or not, the main problem in Valisthea being corruption.
- The Emissaries – At the time of the game, all Emissaries exist and two of them cannot be of the same element at the same time (hence the line from the first trailer, the opposition Phoenix and Ifrit, and the fact that we having seen what seems to be two Ifrits fighting, Editor’s note). When one of them dies, he turns to stone and his successor can be born immediately or several hundred years later. Thus, in the past, there have been times when certain Emissaries were dormant. Furthermore, there are no rules that dictate that they must rule their country, with the Kingdom of Valoed thus having those of Garuda and Odin living there. The strength of the Primordials also depends on that of their Emissary on all planes, although there is a certain balance between all of them, which will be explained to us by the scenario.
- The Primordials (Eikons) and the mural fresco – It was painted in the distant past and does not tell the story of the game, therefore showing Primordials / Eikons that existed, with Odin, Titan, Garuda, Shiva, Ramuh, Bahamut and Leviathan all haloed (above ‘them, the shape could be a single entity or Ifrit facing Phoenix, Editor’s note). In any case, does this mean that there will only be those already introduced or are surprises possible? Well, for sure, there won’t be any hidden ones like some episodes because the story is centered around them.
- Comparison with Game of Thrones – The team obviously hopes to create something unique that has its own merits, but it is true that some similarities can be seen in the appearance of certain characters or their characterization, the fact that some members are fans of GoT perhaps no stranger to it. References to other works can no doubt also be detected, but this is not abnormal during a creative process. As for the fact that the game depicts kingdoms at war, there must be conflicts for the world to be saved and to give the characters a purpose, including a loss to overcome. Political intrigue comes with it, but FFXVI isn’t particularly such a story, as it centers on Clive, who will be at the mercy of forces far greater than himself, a “prisoner of fate who has decided he it’s time to break free”.
- New characters: Dion Lesage and Barnabas Tharmr – Dion was thought of as a sort of reflection of Clive, with a traditional prince-like appearance and a Superman-esque chivalrous attitude. In addition to being the Emissary of Bahamut, he masters both martial and intellectual arts. Everything is not so rosy, however, looking at the past… In contrast, our protagonist has a darker aura, having sworn to take revenge. Barnabas was conceptualized as a king shrouded in mystery. Compared to the previous games of the license, they perfectly represent the archetypes of Dragon Knight and Dark Knight.
- byron – A character not yet introduced to the public, whose cutscene introducing us to him in the middle of the plot upset Hiroshi Takai and brought tears to his eyes. He is described as outgoing, cheerful, and magnanimous.
- Diversity of characters – The concepts of the game since the beginning of the development have always had an influence on medieval Europe and therefore its standards. With the Black Scourge, Valisthea was thus thought of as a single large area territorial mass isolated from the rest of the world geographically and culturally at an age without advanced technologies to communicate or move beyond, although its fate is linked to the rest (understand so that a priori the planet of the game is much larger, in addition to making think of the case of Shingeki no Kyojin, Editor’s note). This is why the diversity is not as varied as in our real world or in FFXIV which features an entire planet and even a Moon with its own nations and cultures. Incorporating ethnic diversity was therefore important for the developers, but without forcing beyond the framework they set for themselves. In passing, it was clarified that assigning a specific ethnicity to a protagonist or antagonist without creating controversy can be a challenge on their side, even if drawing inspiration by revisiting our past can be interesting to create something new. . In any case, rather than concentrating on the external appearance of the characters, it is above all on their complexity that they wanted to concentrate.
- Presence of a strong protagonist like Aerith or Celes – FFXVI is the story of Clive, who meets and bonds with fellow adventurers who have their own backgrounds and motivations. So yes, a strong woman will be present (Jill?), but the similarities end there, because the story will not revolve around her.
- Iconic creatures – Chocobos (already seen) and Mogs are present in FFXVI, each having a specific role and functionality. We may also come across Bombos and Morbols. Since the world wants to be quite serious, on the other hand, there will be nothing too comical in the ecosystem.
- Lifespan and New Game+ – To complete the main story of FFXVI, it will take between 35 and 40 hours, this duration can increase to more than 70 hours with all the secondary quests and optional content. There will be no narrative branching (meaning no multiple endings, editor’s note) and side stories will reveal more details about the lore or show different facets of the characters. A New Game+ mode will be included, offering to face stronger enemies while maintaining our progress, including equipment.
- Size of playing areas – It will depend, some areas are called “stages” (for boss fights?), while others, “fields” will be around 2 km² with camps and other features, but not requiring too much invest to explore them and this to avoid that the game is too difficult in its progression (probably to avoid having to grind like in the old episodes, editor’s note). In each are resources, more powerful enemies called “Elite” and situations requiring the powers obtained from the Primordials.
The question of classification was also raised again, the answer reminding us that this first for a main title in the series (PEGI 18 by us) is simply due to a desire to be able to show the events of the plot naturally and realistically, such as blood spurting out following a sword blow. Likewise, the choice of a Action RPG has been designed according to the current video game market, Square-Enix thinking that a majority of players prefer this to more traditional turn-based. The combat system was also inspired by the customization allowed by that of FFV.
To finish, Final Fantasy XVI release date should hopefully be revealed before the end of the year with new information and another trailer. So it’s only a matter of weeks! As a reminder, we know that the game is scheduled for summer 2023 since the broadcast of its second trailer and it should not be put off. Although abstract as a way of talking about its state of progress, the completion of its development is at 95%but there’s still a ways to go before it’s close, with the team currently improving its performance and graphics rendering, before moving on to research and bug fixes. A demo should also see the light of day before its release! And if you are impatient, we leave you with these few words from Naoki Yoshida:
Since I’ve gotten so used to the online game development environment over the past few years, I was a little surprised at how quickly we have to go gold. (Laughs.) If you consider producing physical discs, shipping them around the world…all of that takes several months of physical time after you go gold. So when we say development is 95% complete, some might say, “well, get it out immediately”, but that’s the reality of the situation…
All that’s left is debugging, optimizations, and shoutouts from the sound team led by Soken. When their cries are gone, it will mark the end [du développement]. (Laughs.)
In the meantime, we can (re)discover next month Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Reunionavailable for pre-order on Amazon at a price of €59.99.
| Alexandre SAMSON (Omega Law) Responsible Corrector – Editor | ||
| Addicted to Assassin’s Creed and Destiny, great fan of RPGs and passionate about video game experiences in general. Reader of comics (DC) and various manga (One Piece!). Chemist by training and Whovian at heart. | ||
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