The latest release in the wildly popular Final Fantasy series is due on June 22, so what can we expect from it and will it be as well-received as the top games in the franchise? By gathering the information that’s been released to date, it’s possible to get a good idea of what to look forward to.
The Full Story
As the name suggests, this is the 16th installment in the main series of Final Fantasy games. Set in a world called Valisthea that is plagued by something known as the Blight, it follows the story of Clive Rosfield as he looks for revenge for seeing the kingdom destroyed. A report from IGN confirms that development work has been created and that there should be no problems in meeting the release date mentioned earlier.
Created by Square Enix, Final Fantasy XVI is to be released for the PlayStation 5. It will bring back some of the features we’ve seen in the series so far, such as Chocobos and Eikons. With an open-world setting divided into sections and fighting actions based on melee and magic, the player controls Clive and gains powers with each summoned monster that he defeats.
It’s going to be possible to play Final Fantasy XVI in story mode or in normal mode. The story mode looks like it will be simpler, while the normal mode makes combat sections more difficult. With the addition of a New Game+ mode, players can take the equipment they’ve already collected into a new campaign.
Will It Be a Success?
The dark fantasy look of this game should see it fit in smoothly with the current gaming trends. The likes of The Witcher 3; Wild Hunt and Darkest Dungeon are listed by TheGamer as being among the best games in this genre. In addition, Arran the Book of Heroes is due out in May this year and promises to have a similar dark fantasy theme.
We can also find this sort of look in online slots, with Dragon Ways and Ancient Gods among those that have gone for a dark fantasy theme. The Sportingtech site shows how online casinos are customized and localized to meet changing demands. With close to 10,000 products from hundreds of game developers, it’s clear that only the most popular games are used, so the presence of fantasy slots on many sites is a sign that they’re in high demand.
At the time of writing, a State of Play broadcast is due to be released soon, giving us access to 20 minutes of the Final Fantasy XVI gameplay and providing a better idea of what the game is going to be like. A playable demo is also due soon, but it isn’t clear when this will be made available.
The tying in of one of the most popular game franchises of all time with the dark fantasy theme that’s currently so popular should ensure that Final Fantasy XVI is a success, but the chances of it being a massive hit will be clearer once we get to see the playable demo.