Final Fantasy XVI Trailer Reveals Gameplay and Classic Summons

As PlayStation’s State of Play presentation drew to a close, the gaming company had one last major surprise in store for Final Fantasy fans. After a long silence, Square Enix unveiled a new trailer for the upcoming RPG Final Fantasy XVI which finally, mercifully, revealed gameplay for the next mainline title in the long-running fantasy franchise. Moreover, it gave a look at the latest designs for the classic summons/primals/aeons/eikons/whatever they might decide to call them in this particular game. Final Fantasy XVI is slated to release in the summer of 2023.

The gameplay shown off seems to be following the same model of Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy XV, going for real-time action over the turn-based gameplay of classic titles in the franchise. Our main character Clive is shown doing stylish combos, juggling enemies in the air, and pulling off flashy finishers. To get the combat down right, Devil May Cry V‘s Ryota Suzuki is on board to make everything mimic the smokin’ sexy style of Dante. When the player takes on a boss, the overlay switches from showing minor enemy health bars over each individual’s head to a side-by-side display akin to a fighting game. Where this gets interesting is with the introduction of eikons. From what the trailer shows, it seems the player will be able to summon in and control eikons like Ifrit, Titan, Shiva, Ramuh, and more against other giant beasts.

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Thanks to the trailer, and the supplementary blog post from producer Naoki Yoshida, aka Yoshi-P, and director Hiroshi Takai, we also have more details on the story. In the world of Final Fantasy XVI, there are “dominants” who are tied to the specific eikons and can channel their power. We meet two powerful new dominants, Hugo Kupka and Benedikta Harman, who command Titan and Garuda respectively and stand opposite to one another, though, with a great conflict underway, it seems Clive will have to unite the two along with the other unknown dominants to bring about a lasting peace.

final fantasy 16 — Image via Playstation

Final Fantasy XVI was announced way back in November 2020, though it’s been in development for some time before that. The ongoing pandemic complicated the development, but the hype for the game has still remained high. It hails from the same development wing spearheaded by Yoshi-P that resurrected the beloved MMO Final Fantasy XIV into the global juggernaut it is now. It’s the first mainline entry in the legacy RPG franchise since Final Fantasy XV released in 2016.

Yoshi-P’s been the main source for information on everything Final Fantasy XVI since its reveal. About a year ago, he detailed the dubbing process for the game, explaining the priority placed on motion capture and English dubbing for the title. Since then, the game has reached the polishing and debugging phase per the producer on a livestream.

Final Fantasy XVI releases exclusively for PlayStation 5 in the summer of 2023. Earlier announcements indicated a PC release was possible, though it may be a timed exclusive deal. Check out the new trailer below.