We mightn’t wait since the game’s reveal in September 2020: it was during a State of Play presentation last night that Square Enix revealed a new trailer for Final Fantasy XVI. The publisher has also announced a launch period, more distant than many might have hoped: it will be in the summer of 2023, still only for PlayStation 5 for the moment.
The video offers a preview of many elements, including cutscenes and combat sequences. Among these, we can see not only moments with the game’s hero, Clive, but also what look like spectacular duels between summons. The accent is also extremely placed on the latter, to the point that even the music sings their names. You can watch the video below, or on this link to enjoy a version with French subtitles (and ici if you want to hear the Japanese dub).
In a short statement released just before the trailer during State of Play, the game’s producer Naoki Yoshida apologized for the long wait and indicated that this reveal will not be accompanied by another long silence, since press interviews should take place shortly.
In a post published on the game’s official website, director Hiroshi Takai for his part detailed the current state of development: “In terms of the progress of the development process, we have reached the stage where it is now possible to play the game from start to finish. Of course, there is still a mountain of optimizations and tweaks to be made, which means that our teams will continue to work hard. A one-year finalization is not trivial following all!
The main creators of FFXVI
While we’ve only been able to glean a few names so far, Square Enix has finally revealed who the core members of the development team are. Final Fantasy XVI. Admittedly, their identities were rather predictable, as they are some of the people who were already at work on FFXIV alongside Yoshida. I take this opportunity to announce that you will soon be able to find out more here regarding Kazutoyo Maehiro, who occupies an important place in the creative conception of this episode.
Producer: Naoki Yoshida
Main director: Hiroshi Takai
Creative Director and Original Screenwriter: Kazutoyo Maehiro (FFXII, The Last Remnant, FFXIV)
Localization Director: Michael-Christopher Koji Fox (FFXIV)
Artistic director : Hiroshi Minagawa (Vagrant Story, FFXII, FFXIV)
Fight Director: Ryôta Suzuki (Dragon’s Dogma, Devil May Cry4 et 5)
Character designer: Kazuya Takahashi (FFXI, FFXIV)
Composer: Masayoshi Soken (FFXIV)
More details regarding the story
A suggested item on the PlayStation Blog gives some additional information regarding the history of Final Fantasy XVI, introducing two new characters who are visible in the trailer: Hugo Kupka and Benedikta Harman, who have the particularity of being the Emissaries of the Prime Titans and Garuda. Both are accompanied by their illustration by the designer characters, Kazuya Takahashi, and note that their descriptions are slightly different on the game’s official website. Let’s start with Hugo Kupka:
The meteoric rise of permanent economic consultant Hugo Kupka was as sudden as it was unsurprising. Once an anonymous infantryman in the Republican army, his awakening as an Emissary of the Primordial Titan propelled him into the heart of the political sphere of Dalmequia. It is there that he exercises his position as the most influential man in the Republic and influences both the military power of the nation and its decision-making, amassing in the process enough to consist of a substantial personal fortune. If it is said that he who has everything desires nothing, Benedikta Harman will teach him that money and power are very little compared to what the world has to offer.
And on to Benedikta Harman:
Emerging from a tumultuous youth, from which she inherited her cold and ruthless character, Benedikta Harman, Emissary of the Primordial Garuda, Guardian of the Wind, used her talent for swordsmanship and cunning to take the lead of a group of elite Valedois spies. It is during a mission to find the elusive second Primordial of Fire that she crosses paths with Clive, whose values she shares, and finds herself forced to face her past.
Landscapes of Valisthea
In addition to the video, Square Enix offers us some new images of the game, the first of which focus on the landscapes of Valisthéa. The opportunity to start imagining our wanderings in this new universe.
Trailer Images
And to conclude, we also have a gallery of images directly captured from the trailer.