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Pre-Release Final Fantasy XVI - Pre-Release Discussion Thread (UPDATE: new trailer, launching summer 2023)

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Of two minds with this. Them committing to full action instead of the weird mish-mash XV (and from what I've heard VIIR, never played a second of that one, though) had is welcome. On the other hand, it is precisely what I am not looking for in a FF game. I guess I would have liked for the RPG line to live on next to a new action line and have a hard time understanding why they aren't just doing that, but it is what it is.

It is not like I have a means to play this game anyway, since I don't plan on picking up a PS5 or building a PC.
 
Some of the art design looks incredible - cities and summons especially - and the pedigree of the development team speaks for itself, but I taste just a liiiiiiiitle bit of CHAOS in the tone of that trailer. It's "masculine" and "gritty" and "Western" in such a heavy-handed way that I can't help but groan. The FF games that I've played (7-9) work so well because they contrast levity with grandeur, both in narrative and art design.

For what it is it's probably going to be quality, but it's not for me.
 
In terms of graphics and style it looks nice. But oh boy I do not want dudebro Final Fantasy and that is the vibes I'm getting. I'm gonna guess this one's not for me.
 
I find the setting intriguing, and visually it’s impressive of course, but man…that gameplay is just not doing it for me whatsoever.
 
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Dear SQEX, if i wanna play DMC, i just play DMC.
If i wanna play DMC with big monster summons, i play Bayonetta.

What a letdown.
 
I'm just gonna have to accept that this game won't provide the wonderous sense of adventure and discovery I would except/want from an FF game. It's alright, 14 is great and most importantly I have Xenoblade for that.

Still, it is impressive how uninteresting they are making that main character, I could not be less interested in him with these two trailers.
 
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That trailer looked really pretty and the game is clearly going to have a high production value. As long as DQ12 is still a turn-based game, I'm not too bothered that there's going to be another FF game that's not for me.
 
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I'm... not entirely sure how I feel about this after that trailer. The team's pedigree has a lot to be excited for, even as someone who's barely played XIV. But... I dunno, I liked XIII and XV and while I'm not necessarily opposed to action-RPG combat nothing in that trailer made me excited for the combat (yes, I know the combat director is from the Dragon's Dogma team and the project director worked on Legend of Mana's (a game I will almost always go to the mat for) combat). I think my main fear is that this is going to be a lot of button mashing without a lot of tactical thinking or spell slinging. I know it doesn't trailer well but some glimmer of a skill tree or character growth system would've made me happy.

I am definitely excited for a game that revolves around summons again, or at least where they're a focal point rather than a more abstract concept as deities in the background like in XIII/XV.

But like... the game's palette just isn't doing anything for me with it being a bit more desaturated than I like to think of with Final Fantasy games. Even XV with the "realism" still had plenty of pop to the scenery with the bright blue skies and green forests as you drove through areas.

I'm really hoping I come around on this one with time. I feel like there's a lot we (or maybe just that's me) just don't know about, and with another year or more until release (it's not a real JRPG unless it's delayed at least twice right?) there's plenty of time for systems and setting to be revealed and that changes my mind.

At least with this having another year in the oven, that's more time for Sony to get a cheaper/smaller PS5 model out the door, and hopefully another game or two to come along that makes it easier for myself to justify a PS5 purchase.
 
Leica said:
Maybe it's because I'm 50 hours deep into Xenoblade 2 which makes random grunts in Yakuza look like incredible character design in comparison, but I kind of dig the characters we've seen here so far. Seemingly mostly adults, not too oversexualized. Surprisingly mature looking. Hopefully the tribal face tattoos from the first trailer are gone though lol.
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The point on having actual adults and older characters and not sexualized is definitely a positive, but I kind of agree with @Leo. At least Xenoblade Chronicles 2 isn't afraid of color, or being a fantasy, and having some flair and style to it. This game so far looks like they decided to go for the most boring-ass western generic medieval look possible. Nothing pops, the characters seem flat, the environments and everything seem WAY too overly realistic (graphically), etc.

The screenshots posted by @Xaltmas look more interesting, though, so maybe there's more of a game I want buried in here? I'm not super optimistic though.
 
Really not understanding a lot of the complaints about the combat or dudebro aesthetic. Comparing what's show in the trailer to going full on action game ala DMC seems kind of silly to me considering all the visible ARPG elements on the screen. Probably banking on a more simplified thing similar to SoP (which is a love letter to FF combat in ARPG form), or them just doin flashy ARPG-lite fighting all over again.

As far as aesthetics go, I guess the only thing that doesn't seem "FF-like" to me is that its art design is continuing to be less anime as time goes on. It seems to borrow a lot of western setting ideas, which FFXIV does a lot of as well. It's one of the best strengths XIV has honestly, and that's the most Final Fantasy ass game to be in the Franchise since the PS2 days.

I don't really have a dog in the race of whether the game is good or bad or care about the hype, but I've been consuming a decent amount of FF games/media in the past couple years and it is more or less exactly what I expected. Feels alienating to me to see fans throwing that kinda shade over this trailer.

Scrawnton said:
I get that some people are very happy that it’s a straight up action game, but man Square really loves destroying Sakaguchi’s FF1-9 template / legacy.
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This take I find funny cause Sakaguchi is currently a somewhat hardcore raider in XIV and seems to be enjoying his time with the most difficult content that game has to offer. He clearly is finding enjoyment out of modern FF games that don't conform to his old template and has mentioned numerous times how much me loves the way that game references the series in new ways.
 
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Probably my number 1 most anticipated game rn, ethier between this or BOTW2. Probably leaning FF16 since we've seen more of it.

It's basically everything I wanted from a modern FF game.
 
Looks fantastic. This is going to be a deep cut, but it reminds me of the series "To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts", where the concept of the icons is kinda similar.
 
The music is amazing. Finally a FF with good music again. I really like what I'm seeing here. I think the series went in a good direction this time around.
 
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I19hxkU.gif


There's not a ton of combat footage here but what is here looks incredible
 
They really leaned into the combo-oriented combat. It's a choice for sure. I still don't really know how to feel about it.

Game looks great though
 
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Combat continues to look great. Everything else didn't appeal to me much. It felt a bit too gritty for my tastes, and, like.. mundane? The shot with the castle and the crystal in the background was so grand and imaginative, would've loved more stuff like that.
 
I've watched the trailer a few times now and I'm just awestruck. The design of some of these locations is incredible, like that shot of the castle in front of the huge crystal mountain. The trailer is an audio and visual treat, that's for sure. I can't wait to see more gameplay, both in and out of combat. The fighting looks beyond insane, I really hope it can live up to the hype because good lord. PlayStation has some bangin' exclusives next year, that's for sure.
 
I’m looking forward to seeing if this runs on my PC (or Switch 2 Pro Whatever) after the exclusivity period expires. I just can’t justify spending $570+ for a single game. Ok two games since VIIR2 is a PS5 title for now.

I’m a little worried about them baiting an M rating though. I just don’t really need grin and gritty right now (which is why I’ve not been paying attention to the new GoT series).

Notsowise said:
Where is the gameplay?
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Coming in a later trailer.
 
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I’m still not loving the overly realistic look and the game being seemingly allergic to color, but this is the first trailer that despite that is leaving me feeling pretty excited. It’s a great trailer, even with that and also me not sold on the combat, either.
 
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Red Monster said:
I've watched the trailer a few times now and I'm just awestruck. The design of some of these locations is incredible, like that shot of the castle in front of the huge crystal mountain. The trailer is an audio and visual treat, that's for sure. I can't wait to see more gameplay, both in and out of combat. The fighting looks beyond insane, I really hope it can live up to the hype because good lord. PlayStation has some bangin' exclusives next year, that's for sure.
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I’m struggling to see what’s so incredible about the visuals, honestly. I’m more with @Irene that it feels… bland, mundane, and lacking vibrancy. Very dark, too. What is it that’s grabbing you so much? Genially curious, as I feel like I’m just missing something here. To me it looks like “here’s a bland GoT-y grimdark medieval setting, and okay, I GUESS you can have a LITTLE fantasy - as a treat” (with the big crystal cliff, for example). But to me this looks nowhere near as visually pleasing as, say, Xenoblade 3.
 
SammyJ9 said:
I’m struggling to see what’s so incredible about the visuals, honestly. I’m more with @Irene that it feels… bland, mundane, and lacking vibrancy. Very dark, too. What is it that’s grabbing you so much? Genially curious, as I feel like I’m just missing something here. To me it looks like “here’s a bland GoT-y grimdark medieval setting, and okay, I GUESS you can have a LITTLE fantasy - as a treat” (with the big crystal cliff, for example). But to me this looks nowhere near as visually pleasing as, say, Xenoblade 3.
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The vibrant magic effects and expressive, detailed character models especially look really sharp. When the initial trailer happened I was very ok with this game not being a tech showcase, but the last two trailers raised the graphical bar significantly. I think the last minute or so of this trailer got me the most excited after a weak start. (Stuff like Red Monster's gif above especially)

Art style and raw graphics are two different things. From what we've seen of XVI, Xenoblade 3 is a more visually interesting world, brought to life at tremendous scale, but the raw graphics aren't remotely as intense as FFXVI. I like both each for what they are going for and what they each excel at excites me. Without the full game in front of me, I don't want to judge FFXVI harshly one way or the other just yet. That both of these games are awesome on their own terms is what matters most.

Totally fine not to like what you've seen so far of XVI to be clear. Feels like we have been seeing the same stuff of this game for a while, I'm certainly ready to see more and dive in deeper. This trailer didn't move the needle for me in any way.

Edit: Just want to add, I'm really excited to be in that in that town by the lake with the crystal overhead. Seeing it in a trailer is one thing, but it being in the world and having cool angles to view it at is going to be something else. Sort of like the Mechonis Sword in Xenoblade 3.
 
xghost777 said:
The vibrant magic effects and expressive, detailed character models especially look really sharp. When the initial trailer happened I was very ok with this game not being a tech showcase, but the last two trailers raised the graphical bar significantly. I think the last minute or so of this trailer got me the most excited after a weak start. (Stuff like Red Monster's gif above especially)

Art style and raw graphics are two different things. From what we've seen of XVI, Xenoblade 3 is a more visually interesting world, brought to life at tremendous scale, but the raw graphics aren't remotely as intense as FFXVI. I like both each for what they are going for and what they each excel at excites me. Without the full game in front of me, I don't want to judge FFXVI harshly one way or the other just yet. That both of these games are awesome on their own terms is what matters most.

Totally fine not to like what you've seen so far of XVI to be clear. Feels like we have been seeing the same stuff of this game for a while, I'm certainly ready to see more and dive in deeper. This trailer didn't move the needle for me in any way.

Edit: Just want to add, I'm really excited to be in that in that town by the lake with the crystal overhead. Seeing it in a trailer is one thing, but it being in the world and having cool angles to view it at is going to be something else. Sort of like the Mechonis Sword in Xenoblade 3.
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Oh totally agreed, the raw graphics are infinitely better in FF16; no argument there! I was meaning in terms of art style and direction. I'm not someone who really cares about raw graphics much at all.

Just something about the overall look and direction isn't grabbing me. To compare it to other similarly-styled games (since Xenoblade is quite a bit different, granted!) I'd say that I like Elden Ring and Witcher 3 quite a lot more, too.

Part of it could be that most of what we've seen has been at night - or very, very dark, and it's hard to really get a feel for places. And you're right, some of those battle effects and colors pop pretty well, like that big sword swing! I guess I just really wish the environments had a similar vibrancy to them to match. This trailer definitely has me more interested, though, and I could see a trailer focused on exploration really pushing me over the edge.

Side note: One kingdom is named Rozaria, and another is Dalmacchia (sp?) and is in the desert? Is this somehow related to FF12/Ivalice?
 
SammyJ9 said:
Side note: One kingdom is named Rozaria, and another is Dalmacchia (sp?) and is in the desert? Is this somehow related to FF12/Ivalice?
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Yeah when I first heard the name of the desert kingdom I thought it was the same place as FFXII. I don’t know if Youtube subtitles are accurate or not (the spelling is different) and I don’t think there is any text out there on it anywhere to confirm either way.

I think this is supposed to be its own world, not Ivalice, even if this game has some FFXII vibes.
 
The (slight) FF XII vibes are what has me interested in XVI, tbh. I also funnily enough enjoy the darker tone and presentation, even if it's a bit muted. To me at least, it adds to the game's atmosphere. I say funnily, because generally I am with @SammyJ9 here, preferring more stylised and vibrant games. But I feel what we've seen so far makes for a rather coherent and tonaly fitting experience when it comes to what they're (seemingly) going for.
 
SammyJ9 said:
I’m struggling to see what’s so incredible about the visuals, honestly. I’m more with @Irene that it feels… bland, mundane, and lacking vibrancy. Very dark, too. What is it that’s grabbing you so much? Genially curious, as I feel like I’m just missing something here. To me it looks like “here’s a bland GoT-y grimdark medieval setting, and okay, I GUESS you can have a LITTLE fantasy - as a treat” (with the big crystal cliff, for example). But to me this looks nowhere near as visually pleasing as, say, Xenoblade 3.
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It's not so much the raw graphics on display that impress me (they are very pretty to be sure), but the visual style that's working for me. All the cities and towns they showed in the trailer, with such striking architecture against those giant crystals, are really doing a lot to draw me in. The character designs are nothing to write home about so far, but the world has a lot going for it. Then the latter half of the trailer with the gameplay is what really sold me. The brief clips of combat we saw were stunning. It looks like there's gonna be a decent amount of depth to the fighting based on the UI. Add all the visual flair that's present in those clips and I'm set. It looks amazing to me.

It's totally ok if it doesn't work for you as well as it does for me. Everyone has their own tastes, that's what makes discussions like these so much fun!
 
Definitely not sold on the combat, I'll wait to try It. Besides this, game looks phenomenal and cannot wait to see and learn more.
 
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Red Monster said:
It's not so much the raw graphics on display that impress me (they are very pretty to be sure), but the visual style that's working for me. All the cities and towns they showed in the trailer, with such striking architecture against those giant crystals, are really doing a lot to draw me in. The character designs are nothing to write home about so far, but the world has a lot going for it. Then the latter half of the trailer with the gameplay is what really sold me. The brief clips of combat we saw were stunning. It looks like there's gonna be a decent amount of depth to the fighting based on the UI. Add all the visual flair that's present in those clips and I'm set. It looks amazing to me.

It's totally ok if it doesn't work for you as well as it does for me. Everyone has their own tastes, that's what makes discussions like these so much fun!
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Yeah this was the first trailer that really started to give me some good FF feels, mostly from the storybook parts oddly enough. I'm hoping the game is one of those that leads with all the big, bombastic, epic stuff in the marketing (which honestly I'm not that into, even if it is understandable) but the gameplay and exploration and moment-to-moment stuff ends up being really good and more in my wheelhouse. We'll see! I'm definitely interested in it, but currently it's more of a cautious excitement, especially compared to the like 37 RPGs I'm already definitely looking forward to next year.
 
Mediking said:
Those character designs…
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Feels like there's too many dudes but I'm so glad they're more grounded/"basic" designs and not some over the top overdesigned belts & zippers shit. Still plenty of zany stuff there with the kaiju transformations.
 
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This game is looking to be one of the best FF's ever!
 
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I really hope they'll prove me wrong with this one because so far I'm not feeling anything. The crystal cliff with the town looks cool. Other than that it truly feels like generic dark fantasy with some particle effects slapped on top. Music is obviously too early to say anything, but what I'm getting so far is standard fare orchestra with a choir blaring to tell you it's epic in case you didn't notice (of course this is just a trailer track).

Really crossing my fingers that I'm just completely wrong on this one because god knows I've been WAITING for a new Final Fantasy to interest me
 
LTTP but while the graphics and some of the vistas in screenshots look pretty per se, I'm not sold on anything else, unfortunately. I've not played a new FF since FFX-2 so I was hoping this was going to be the one that caught my interest but it's not looking like it at the moment. I'm not going to completely write it off yet either, though. Hoping they have something up their sleeve that changes my mind as we get closer to release.
 
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According to a Sony commercial (0:15 in the video), Final Fantasy XVI will only be a PS5 exclusive for six months. PC version is probably coming after that, and I’d bet an Xbox version as well. It’d make sense, FF is too important to Square to be limited to one system anymore.

 
Have we talked about the recent IGN interview with the developers yet?

Link

Their answer about the lack of diversity is really disappointing. It's a stark reminder that Final Fantasy has struggled mightily in this area for a long time, and unfortunately, it looks like not much effort is being put into improving it.
 
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