If the next trailer for the game is scheduled for this fall, Famitsu and Yoshida discussed the paths taken by Square Enix to draw this new episode expected for recall during the summer of 2023 on PS5. One of the big confirmations last month was the absence of an open world structure, a format chosen by its predecessor released in November 2016 and whose limits we had also been able to see from a certain point of the story.
At a time when Elden Ring has brought FromSoftware into another dimension, it is easy to imagine how much Final Fantasy 16 could have felt invested with a mission by adopting the codes of the open world. However, according to Naoki Yoshida, the structure of the game was determined from the start of the project, so that the open world was quickly discarded because it was deemed incompatible with the narrative ambitions of the project, according to comments transcribed by the VGC site.
“I believe an open world would not suit what we are planning“, Yoshida estimated from the beginning of the project taking into account both the outlines of the game design and the strengths of his team. The outlines in question were as follows: “I want a hero who saves the world, because it’s Final Fantasy. I want summons that go wild and ravage the map. I want to release the game as soon as possible. And I can’t take it out in parts“, enumerates Yoshida.
“Considering these four main points, I believe that it is not possible to have everything. If we had a development period of about 15 years, we might have had the opportunity to challenge ourselves with an open world“, he adds with a smile. Yoshida is formal: integrated into an open world, Final Fantasy 16 would have blown all the meters when it came to production time and cost. “To deliver what we believe is the best story, in a cinematic quality gaming experience, we didn’t need an open world“, adds the producer.
While the freedom inherent in the open world is often appreciated and allows the player to move away from the story to get lost in nature, the choice of the structure of Final Fantasy 16 also seems to be a matter of rhythm. “We have done what is necessary to ensure that you can experience the game and its story without encountering loading times“, underlines for example Naoki Yoshida before praising the quality of the scenario, the acting and the twists of his game.
And it’s probably also for a matter of rhythm that Square Enix opted for real-time fights, a choice which moreover seems more natural for a large modern production and which had already been adopted by Final Fantasy 15. Although Naoki Yoshida concedes that he is part of the generation that grew up with turn-based RPGs, real-time combat very quickly imposed itself on him, in particular so as not to cut himself off from the younger generation who do not feel not necessarily a lot of nostalgia in front of a menu of commands.
“Like I said, I think I know the fun of turn-based RPGs, and I want to keep developing them, but I thought about the sales targets for Final Fantasy 16 and the impact we need to make“, recognizes Yoshida. “Over the past 10 years, I’ve seen more and more people say they don’t understand the value of having to pick orders. It’s an opinion that’s only growing, especially among younger audiences who doesn’t particularly play RPGs“, he adds.
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