We got our first look at Final Fantasy XVI last month as part of the PlayStation 5 game’s showcase. The lengthy “Awakening” trailer Sony showcased gave us a good look at the game’s characters, setting, cutscenes, and enemies, but details on the experience were thin at best. Since then, Square Enix has updated the official site with a host of new details on the game world and characters just before the game’s producer, Naoki Yoshida, took to the official PlayStation Blog to offer even more information on the protagonists, summons, and more. Head below for more details.
Final Fantasy XVI:
First up let’s take look at the setting for Final Fantasy XVI. The game will take place in a land known as Valisthea. Surrounded by gigantic mountains of “glittering crystal,” these Mothercrystals both allow the inhabitants of the land to thrive while also being the cause of countless wars. Here’s more from Yoshida on the six realms of Valisthea and a burgeoning threat known as the Blight:
Countless wars have been fought over the Mothercrystals all around the land, leading to the rise of nations such as the Grand Duchy of Rosaria, the Holy Empire of Sanbreque, the Kingdom of Waloed, the Dhalmekian Republic, and the Iron Kingdom, each with their own culture and ideology. Ongoing skirmishes have forged an uneasy peace between these nations, but with the emergence of the ruinous Blight, that fragile peace is starting to deteriorate.
The main cast
Final Fantasy XVI’s story will focus on the main protagonist Clive Rosfield alongside his younger brother Joshua and “a confidant” by the name of Jill Warrick.
Clive is the “firstborn son of the Archduke of Rosaria” and a “Shield” that protects his younger brother Joshua — a special being known as the Dominant of the Phoenix (more on this below):
Jill was raised alongside the Rosfield brothers and plays a pivotal role in the story:
Final Fantasy XVI Eikons and Dominants
We are also getting a series of details on the “Eikons and the Dominants that threaten the world.” Seasoned Final Fantasy players know Eikons as “Summons” — they are described as “without a doubt the most destructive and lethal creatures in Valisthea” and can wield enough power to level an entire nation.
In Final Fantasy XVI, these Eikons reside within special beings known as Dominants, like Joshua. In fact, we got a quick look at some of these Eikons in the debut trailer including Phoenix, Titan, Shiva, and Ifrit, but we will have to wait for a future update to learn anything more about the others and how they play into the story at large. But it does sound like Joshua’s connection to these special abilities will play some kind of important part in the game’s overall narrative.
Learn more on Final Fantasy XVI right here.
9to5Toys’ Take
Final Fantasy has been among the biggest names in gaming for many years. Last we heard from the franchise was with the Final Fantasy VII remake, so it is nice to see the next mainline title in the works. But that it very much is as Final Fantasy XVI is still a long way out with the next development update scheduled for sometime in 2021 and the team is expected to be mostly quiet until then. Some of the character design feels a little bit bland to me here, but the game world and the light details with regards to the Eikons do sound quite interesting. At least enough to keep me paying attention until the next-generation Final Fantasy appears again in the new year anyway.
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