Final Fantasy XVI Release Summer 2023 and Gorgeous New Trailer
Square Enix has just announced the Final Fantasy XVI release window with a beautiful gameplay trailer! We don’t have a specific date but Square Enix releases the much-anticipated game in the summer of 2023. The new trailer gives us a better look at the game’s characters, combat, and the giant magical creatures involved.
GET READY FOR KAIJU BATTLES!
The combat in Final Fantasy XVI looks like it’s in real time and apparently involves fighting giant summoned creatures. In the trailer we see Shiva, Phoenix, Ifrit, Titan, Ramuh, Garuda, Odin, and of course, Bahamut.
Sony initially announced FFXVI for the PlayStation 5 on September 16, 2020 and showed us a rather dark world the game will take place in. Even though the combat and magic look otherworldly (in a good way) the atmosphere of the game feels grounded.
Square Enix launched the official website after which gives us a solid rundown on the setting and characters. Final Fantasy XVI is set in the land of Valisthea which is studded with giant mountains of crystal. People call them Mothercrystals and said Mothercrystals bless the land around them with aether. Mothercrystals attract people from all over because they can use the aether to conjure magicks and basically create a world of abundance for themselves. Naturally, powerful societies developed around the Mothercrystals and a delicate peace formed between the various realms.
We’re getting Kaiju Battles!
A group of powerful humans called Dominants exist in this world. And within Dominants reside Eikons, the most powerful beings in Valisthea. Eikons are the giant magical beasts with the names of summons from prior FF games (Shiva, Ifrit, Bahamut, etc). Dominants are able to call on these Eikons and either fight AS them, or fight WITH them, or watch as the Eikons fight FOR them. I’m not sure but whichever one it is, YOU, the player, will control the Eikons as the obvious health bars can be seen while the Eikons are doing battle in the skies above Valisthea.
We know about five characters from Final Fantasy XVI. Clive and Joshua Rosfield are brothers and sons to the Archduke of Rosaria. Rosaria “adopted” Jill Warrick as a ward which established a peace between the Northern Territories and Rosaria. Hugo Kupka is a man who rose to power in the The Dhalmekian Republic thanks to his Eikon, Titan. Lastly, Benedikta Harman hails from the Kingdom of Waloed and leads an elite group of individuals called the intelligencers.
Clive is the only one of the above five who does not possess an Eikon. Instead he is tasked with protecting his little brother with his sick swordsmanship.
The website lists FFXVI as a PlayStation 5 exclusive, but the end of the first trailer states, “Not available on other platforms for a limited time after release on PS5” so I imagine we’ll see it on Xbox and PC eventually.
Hooray!
Final Thoughts—Final Fantasy XVI Release
I tried embedding the sweet new YouTube trailer, but Google “age restricted” it, so here’s the original launch trailer, which is still pretty damn cool:
