Revenge: The latest trailer and release date for Final Fantasy XVI (preview by Naoki Yoshida at The Game Awards)
A new trailer and release date for the latest single-player incarnation of the Final Fantasy series was released just after The Game Awards ended in a flurry of announcements and trailers. Game director Naoki Yoshida made his first ever appearance at The Game Awards to present Final Fantasy XVI’s newest trailer and shared the game’s release date — June 22nd.
The Revenge trailer was very short but very bloody, revisiting one of the first moments of Final Fantasy XVI fans got to see. Because of all the blood, the trailer has been slapped with a content warning meaning that you need to go to YouTube to watch it.
The game has not had any updates since the first one in 2020. But it seems like the game’s marketing machine is starting to spin up in earnest. There are two new trailers that highlight the characters, story and game.
A Conversation with Naoki Yoshida on Eichkon Battles and Enigmatic Summons in Final Fantasy XVI
Developed under the leadership of one of the hardest working people at Square Enix, game director Naoki Yoshida, Final Fantasy XVI looks like it combines all the vast political intrigue of Final Fantasy XII with the fluid action battle systems of FFXV and Final Fantasy VII Remake. In an interview with Yoshida, he talked about how eikon battles — big fights featuring Final Fantasy summon monsters — were one of the most important aspects of the game to get right. For the first time in the history of the series you will be able to control them, rather than giving them commands in battle or acting on their own.
The epic summon versus summon battles are what we have. These will be in other things as well. The players will be able to feel the excitement of those battles from the inside when they control their own eikon.
Aging is a funny thing. Naoki Yoshida has learned a simple lesson while making Final Fantasy XVI. He says he has lived through a lot and knows that it’s not all rainbows.
Final Fantasy VII/XVI: A Journey Through Dark Energy, Fate of His Majesty, and the Life of the Antihero
In a medieval fantasy world warring nations fight among themselves for dwindling resources as the 16th main article takes place. Each civilization has its own dominants who can transform into powerful creatures called Eikons, modeled after the series summon monsters. Some Dominants rule their nations, while others are considered tools to be used as needed. The game spans three decades of its protagonist’s life. The antihero Clive is on a quest for revenge. He has lost his younger brother and the Dominant of his nation, Joshua.
In the past few years, Yoshida traveled the world to speak with fans about Final Fantasy XIV and XVI. What he learned was a shock. Younger players avoided the series because it was Final Fantasy. He says there is a lot of players that does not like Final Fantasy. It’s as though the franchise’s identity was solidified in the period between Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy X. People expect sci-fi stories, characters that feel very anime. There’s an idea that Final Fantasy is more about teenagers saving the world than it is about the main storyline. “[Final Fantasy] has more potential.”
The days of turn based combat are over. Ryoto Suzuki was the combat director for Final Fantasy XVI. His credits include Devil May Cry 5, an acclaimed game, which was praised for its quick and stylish fights. Suzuki has an influence that is clear. Playing a demo of the game, Clive felt potent to control. The character has the ability to take on powers of different Dominants, which players can rapidly cycle through in battle. Fights play out in real time, requiring players to nimbly dodge and defend and chain together combos.