Final Fantasy XVI will arrive this summer exclusively for PS5.
Unlike other major video game franchises that have decided to bet on the open world in their most recent installments, such as Square Enix itself in the previous installment of the series, Final Fantasy XVI will feature a traditional design separated by individual levels, although it is not that Square Enix had not considered the idea. It is not known if the possibility was on the table at some point, but Square Enix has revealed why an open world does not fit with the current proposal of Final Fantasy XVI.
Final Fantasy XVI aims to be a somewhat transgressive delivery as for the main series of the franchise, not only for having a plot apparently darker and more mature than the one starring Noctis in Final Fantasy XV, also for having a new combat system that seems to be closer to the hack and slash genre that of the RPG roots of the Square Enix series. Would it be betting too much on change to also propose an open world?
Final Fantasy XVI will be a purely narrative game
Through an interview in the Japanese medium Dangeki Online (via Thegamespoof), the game’s director, Hiroshi Takai, assured that the development team ruled out incorporating an open world into Final Fantasy XVI in order to be able to manage the pace of the adventure throughout the story. In general, open worlds offer the player the possibility of being the ones who control the rhythm of the game by being able to progress in the main story and the rest of the secondary activities without a pre-established order, as was the case with Final Fantasy XV. Precisely, this previous installment of the series received numerous criticisms for the irregular rhythm of its plot and the emptiness of its open worldwhich may also have made the Japanese company return to the traditional scheme.
In this talk, Takai also talked about the game’s combat system, inspired to some extent by the Final Fantasy V profession systemAlthough we will have to wait for more news from Square Enix for an in-depth look at this aspect of Final Fantasy XVI.
Final Fantasy XVI will be released next June 22 exclusively for PS5although it would also come to PC in an uncertain future, which causes a lot of controversy surrounding the game since this exclusivity also leaves out Xbox consoles indefinitely, as in the case of Final Fantasy VII Remake.