Final Fantasy has lost the age of innocence. More Game of Thrones and less fairy tale girl

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Naoki Yoshida also known as Yoshi-P is a video game author and game director and is also the producer of Final Fantasy XVI the new video game released on June 22 for Playstation 5 of the most famous Japanese fantasy saga ever. Fifty years old in May this year, rings on the finger, bracelets and a reckless teenager’s look. If you fear the midlife crisis you wish you were like him. Also because Final Fantasy XVI looks a bit like him. After thirty-six years and eighty titles we are far from the poignant little girl fairy tale with fighting teenagers who save the world and celebrate their friendship with tears. As he explained to us during an interview, we are closer to Games of Thrones, the atmospheres are dark, the graphics more realistic. Even the dialogues and characters are finally adults, grown up like the people who work on the franchise. After a few hours we realize that Final Fantasy is towards one of the few franchises that has been able to evolve to span multiple generations. So no nostalgia operation. The characters are more articulate, less one-dimensional. Clive Rosfield eldest son of the Archduke of Rosaria is a dark and sorrowful anti-hero seeking revenge. He doesn’t fight for a better world but for its salvation. As he has repeatedly told us, the source of inspiration for the dialogues is that of RR Martin’s Game of Thrones which has upset the writing of fantasy. So expect gory scenes, brutal exchanges and innuendo typical of more mature manga.

History

It is a dark fantasy story as mentioned. This time set in the realm of Valisthea, a land blessed by the light of the Mother Crystals. The peace of this world is shattered when the spread of the Plague threatens to destroy the domains of the Crystals. The fate of the world is in the hands of the powerful Eikon and their Dominants, men and women capable of evoking their fearsome power. It stars Clive Rosfield, a warrior who has been invested with the title of First Shield of Rosaria and who is sworn to protect his younger brother Joshua, the Dominant of the Phoenix, the Eikon of Fire. He will swear vengeance on the Eikon Ifrit, a dark and mysterious entity that brings with it a great calamity

What we liked

The other novelty is the combat system. As has also happened with the other titles, we definitively leave the old but more strategic and satisfying turn-based system. The battles therefore become more action, in real time, much more spectacular. It means spells, hand-to-hand fights and evocations within very long, epic and satisfying battles. There’s also an RPG component to it but it’s really mild. It’s a pity instead that you can’t directly command your allies. To understand each other, we’re on the side of games like Devil May Cry, so strategic fans are warned. Also as for the atmospheres we are from the parts of Elden Ring and the games of the Japanese From Software. It is only an aesthetic resemblance, as Yoshida was keen to underline by marking distances: «Indeed – he admitted observing an image taken from his game that represented a castle – we Japanese always imagine medieval Europe in a Gothic style». As if to say, we know it’s not like that but it’s a stereotype that works. Certainly in this new age of fantasy.